The Concept 2 Arrives!

My primary form of exercise since Teddy was born has been running. I didn't take it up because I loved it. No, it was just the only exercise I could do on a moment's notice. I'm fortunate to have a really nice bike trail a few blocks from home, which provides a place for some pleasant off-street runs. After 14 years, my morning runs have become an enjoyable habit, except in the extremes of temperature. Running has also been good cross-training for kayaking. Kayaking is my real joy, but given the time involved in getting to and from the water, it's not something I can do every day.

The problem is, the years of running have started to take their toll. LAtely my back and one knee have been bothering me a little bit, and I've come to realize that I have a lot of imbalances in muscle development. Plus, it's winter and it is a little dreary to run in the cold and dark.

I mentioned to my kayaking friend Cyndi that I thought a rowing machine would be a good workout, but I had never been able to get a good workout from one. Cyndi, a competitive kayak racer, took this as a challenge. She took me to her gym and proceeded to torture me with one of the hardest workouts I've ever done - an experience we've now repeated a half dozen times or so. I'm pumped just at the notion that I can row at a pace that (almost) matches hers.

To make a long story short, our little-used treadmill has been sold and in its place is a Concept2 rower I picked up off of Craigslist. Now I can subject myself to torture any time - and have been. It's cool exercise, though I have to admit it's still more fun to be out on the pseudo-water with a partner - particularly someone as relentlessly upbeat as Cyndi.

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Apostle Islands: Gordon Lightfoot Warned Us

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An Urban Boychick Takes on the Outdoors

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