Life after Rugby: Working Out

Working out has been an intergral part of my rugby career. It has required a commitment of time as well as physical energy. To my surprise I have continued working out since returning from camp. Now,I'm even running. And I feel great! Honestly I will not miss two a days. Recently, my trainings have felt liberating. Maybe it's due to not thinking about fitness testing. I think I've also continued working out because it's easier for me to keep going than to stop and start all over again. Secretly, the vain part of me fears packing on pounds.

Swimming in a sauna is NOT recommended

Steam rising from the over heated pool

The "D"amn fast train was darn slow this morning. So I arrived at the gym a little later than I wanted to. Lifting and plyos were on the menu. But I really wanted to go swimming. The pool has set morning hours for adults and they would end before I completed my lifting workout. Instead of rushing through lifting I opted for a swimming workout.

"This feels like a hot spring," said one swimmer as he tested the water with his hand. The pool which is normally 82 degrees read a whopping 92 on the thermometer. Who knew that 10 degrees could make such a difference? Apparently someone left the heat on over night. The life guard warned me prior to getting in, "It's warm." I thought that won't be a problem. I'm a wuss about cold water. Don't like it. Although, I'm usually right, LOL, the life guard was right in this instance. The water was WARM, a bit much when you factor in body heat. But that didn't stop me. I got my swim on in the slow lane, of which I am a serial occupant. It's where I can use the kick board, do the breast stroke, and it's the only lane where I can run. At that time of the morning I'm usally the only one in it. On occassion there's an older gentleman who splashes everywhere, always gets water in my face as his arm comes up and over to complete the crawl stroke. But really I can't complain as it's one of the least populated places in New York City during the morning rush hour.

According to the life guard, it will take a day for the pool to cool down to normal temps. I'm not looking for a repeat of sauna like temperatures. I hope it's back to the normal 82 degrees on my next visit.

It's Monday morning and I'm tired. I'm sporting my uniform of choice, Kooga blue warm ups with my new favorite long sleeve t-shirt, NY 7's 50th Annual. I just caught the "D"amnfast to the city (aka Manhattan) and I didn't even have to wait. I'm heading to the gym for a workout out. With the start of week four, in the latest fitness program, I'm at the point in this cycle where "routine" sets in. When I wake up in the mornings I have the mental and physical expectation that I'm going to the gym or going to do a workout. I find it easier to work out consistently and maintain a routine than starting, stopping, and starting up again. When I miss workouts I struggle to find my stride. My motivations wanes and then I play head games with myself to get going again. For this reason, I try not to miss work outs.

At times I can not help it and have to reschedule trainings due to work. In the case of December, Saturday is a selling day. This month I'm vending at holiday markets every weekend leading up to Christmas. I kicked off my first one last Saturday at the Knitting Factory, a music performance space turned into a one day shopping wonderland. There were a few familiar rugby faces in the crowd, Kat and friends and JD and her mom stopped by. Thanks for visiting. I spotted NYRC alumn Jen Epstein who was doing some holiday shopping. This coming weekend, I have two events, one Saturday, one Sunday. What was I thinking? Before booking the second event I thought, Santacon sounds like fun, but I'd rather make money. So I have a local school fair on Saturday followed by the big one the next day. I'll be at the Bust Holiday Craftacular. The name may sound funny, but with over 200 vendors, people apparently line up around the block to get in. This will be the largest market I've participated in to date. I had several sleepless nights last week preparing for the Knitting Factory event. I expect more this week too.

With the expectation of long work days, I find I'm eager to do my workouts, for the reasons mentioned earlier. More rest coupled with better food would help my cause. But I'm hoping the training will somehow boost my immune system to keep me going through the holiday work season.