Can a workout bring back childhood memories, make you reminisce, and be truly enjoyable?  Mine just did!! 

My 4.5 year old daughter learned a week ago how to ride a 2 wheel bike.  And, she does it very well!!!!  Watching her learn how to balance herself on 2 wobbly wheels and then get more steady as her self-confidence grew reminded me of when I learned to ride a bike.  When I realized my Dad had let go of the seat, I got nervous and drove right into the bushes and bumped the house!  I was upset with him then….but now I laugh about what a great memory that is for me.

Fast forward to today.  I am very active and love sports/fitness.  I have had 3 weeks off training for a half marathon and decided it would be good for my body to take some time off of distance running.  My longest run over the past few weeks was probably about 4 miles.  Otherwise, I’ve been doing Les Mills Pump workouts, swimming, P90X workouts, core strengthening, and stretching.  Thanks to my friends posting on their facebook pages and on the health/accountability page I created for friends about their bike riding miles along with my daughter learning to ride…..it motivated me.  I decided it would be good to add biking to my cross training.

I literally just got off my bike tonight.  I rode for 6.28 miles on running paths and country roads.  It was incredibly magnificent and I loved every bit of it (even though I still think running up a hill is easier than biking….YIKES!). I felt the burn in my quads as I rode up some steep hills, enjoyed the breeze in my face from the bike, had a chat with God, remembered what it was like to be a kid and witnessed a beautiful sunset.

I started off listening to my IPod, and then shut it off, realizing I didn’t need it.  When running, I use music to mask my breathing so that mentally I don’t stress myself out.  I also use it to distract me from the mileage.  I was able to recover well with my breathing while on the bike after hills, and therefore didn’t want the music.  Once I turned off the music, I was taken back to my childhood and reminded of the old country road behind my Grandma and Grandpa’s house (where I had my first kiss while on a bike ride!).  I could hear the sound of gravel crackling under the bike tires just like 25 years ago.  I remember, as a kid, trying to pop the tar bubbles on the country roads with my bike tires.  Tonight, the birds were singing, cars randomly cruised by, I smelled someone starting a campfire, and the sky was a magnificent pale blue as the wispy clouds glared pink and purple shades thanks to a gorgeous sunset.  I literally was a kid again……smiling and enjoying a bike ride.  I spooked a deer who was munching in a bean field and it bounced away with its white tail straight up.  Geese flew low and into the pond.  All this that I was able to experience while on a bike, vs. running.  When running, I focus on my technique, breathing, mileage, and am looking forward to the next mile completed.  On the bike, I was having fun.  I was not out for a leisurely ride, it was a good workout, which made it that much better!

The only thing I did as a kid that I was unable to do the past few rides, was to ride without hands.  I used to be able to steer my 10 speed bike (I thought a 10 speed was the BEST thing back then) with my legs and core.  I attempted tonight, but only for a split second, and then laughed out loud as I could not do it.  My children have not attempted that yet, and I don’t think it has crossed their young minds……but soon I’m sure I’ll be hearing, “Look Mom, no hands!”  🙂

Cross training doesn’t have to be a chore.  It can be fun, enjoyable……….and take you right back to being 11 years old again.  During this busy life, you can bet I’ll be out there again…..losing myself in a ride and being a kid.  Exercise is just as good mentally and emotionally as it is physically for your body.

(To learn more about cross-training or some of the workout programs I do, feel free to contact me at Bashford.lisa@yahoo.com or simply go to my website:  www.YourFitness-411.com )