Friday 9 November 2007

Cardio equipment and rain

I went to the gym tonight to try out some of the new cardio equipment. I'm not at all keen on cardio machines so I tend to stick to the treadmill as my torture of choice. The gym is always quiet on a Friday night, which I like. I got there a little late, as I went home via JB Hi-Fi and Borders.

I remembered to take headphones with me to try out the tv's. I found that the music in the room drowned out the tv. I think my headphones are pretty worn out, so that might have been the problem. I did buy some new ones on eBay, but I haven't started using them because I packed them up in one of my 'sweep everything out of sight and pretend you're always tidy' houseworking frenzies. I'll have to see if I can excavate them over the weekend.

I tried out one of the new stationary bikes. It had a nice comfortable seat and it was easy to change the seat height but I couldn't work out how to set the program. It didn't pick up my HRM even though it said it was Polar compatible, but it didn't beep at me so I didn't mind. I used to really struggle to last any length of time on the bike. I aimed for 10 minutes today, and I worked hard for the whole 10 minutes. I managed to get my heart rate up over 150 which was pretty good for me. Obviously my outdoor cycling has made a difference.

After the cool down on the bike I went over to one of the cross trainers. I find these really boring. The tv didn't help much because I wasn't able to concentrate on the sound but again I found it easy to keep my heart rate up. The console looked much the same as the bike's but I was able to choose a workout and it picked up my HR. I managed to work hard for the 10 mins and then did the cool down. By then it was time to go as the gym was closing.

When I got outside it was pouring rain. I wanted to go to the supermarket on the way home. Instead of waiting the rain out under the awnings I decided to run through the downpour. I was drenched by the time I got there, but at least I wasn't stuck under cover. When I was at Uni we did a maths problem about whether it was better to run or walk in the rain. The solution was that it didn't matter, but I really enjoyed running instead of walking.

It was still raining when I'd finished my shopping. It's a few blocks to my apartment and there isn't much cover. I decided to venture out into the rain again. I remember telling someone last week how much I'd enjoyed being out in the rain as it's been so long since it realy rained here in Canberra and they accused me of enjoying jumping in puddles. Well, there were puddles galore. The streets were streaming with water. I had a huge smile on my face as I walked along. People probably thought I was crazy. The rain was so heavy that I was able to drink the water running down my face. It was fantastic. Mind you, I knew I'd be home soon and be able to dry off.

As I was walking along I realised that I'd have been one of the people stuck under cover if I hadn't started running outdoors in all sorts of weather. Thank goodness I finally got myself off the treadmill.

2 comments:

jojo said...

yeah if you run a km in the rain,you might do it 6mins..whereas if you walk it it might take 10mins.. so your out there longer..but there something to do with the running..you getting more of the drops of rain(that are kinda in a parallel section-not explained well-kinda sheets)because you move through them faster ..anyway ..i know what i mean..id need a whiteboard with pretty coloured textas to describe it properly!!!id rather be wet for less time!even if just as wet..so run baby run!!!

Andrew(ajh) said...

Yeh, Borders and JB - my two favourite stores!