Cross purposes

 Sometimes it seems like all I do is work and run.

Which is admittedly better than not working and not running.

This past week, though, I've actually been living a little more broadly. After running down to the market on Saturday, we tried going snowboarding again, though that didn't work out particularly well - our wax jobs weren't up to coping with 13c and bright sunshine, resulting in frustration when our boards would stick to the warm, melting snow. After spending an hour or so having to literally scooch myself down the hill at times, and falling hard on my right knee a few times when I'd lose all momentum trying to move from one edge to another (even after taking a break to try applying some paste wax, which somehow made things even worse), we gave up.

It was a beautiful afternoon..

..just not a great day for snowboarding.

Guess that's what we get for trying to do a winter sport on the first day of spring? So, we went for a lovely sunset walk along the river.

I often run here, but Tank seldom gets to see it.

We were lucky enough to watch a mink having his dinner, too

Sunday we focused much more on springlike things. I had some errands to run, and with the warm sunshine I couldn't think of any better way to accomplish them..

BRAAAAAP

Having got one bike out got me thinking...then acting.

Holy smokes - do I remember how this contraption works?

Seems to be going ok!

We only rode around our neighbourhood a couple of times (a hair over 11km), and our lack of cycling fitness was definitely perceptible, but we had fun on a sunny afternoon.

There's something about being on a bike that makes you feel like a kid again

I still got out for a sunset run, but worked it so that I ended up not far from the grocery store so we could finish off the last of our errands for the weekend.

I mean, who wouldn't want this view on their way to the store?

On Monday morning, a fun new toy that I'd ordered arrived!

From a Canadian small business

I've been playing with balance for a few years now - it helped a lot when I was trying to rehab my right ankle after destroying it in February 2018, and it's been a neat challenge that keeps me constantly engaged. I have a wobble board and a balance disc that I use a couple of times per week as part of my warmup for morning strength sessions.

..and sometimes just for kicks up in my office during the day.

Balance really helps with everything, both in sport and life in general. The work for my ankles, legs, and core are good for running - particularly on trails - but also let me do other fun things.

Like this..

..and this..

..and even this.

So, having received a training device that looked even more challenging than the ones I had, I went for it!

Board goes onto roller - K goes onto board
(They advise starting on carpet or a yoga mat to slow the roller down)

They also recommend trying it for the first time in front of a countertop, so you have something to hang on to...but I enjoy living dangerously, so..

Some kind of shaky, but not bad for a first attempt.

I was actually pretty pleased with how I was able to get on with it - I'd only owned it for an hour or so by the time I attempted a (not particularly good) squat on it.

Would someone please turn image stabilization on?

Oh wait - that's ME shaking like crazy.

I only spend a couple of minutes on the board at a time, but I go back to it a few times a day - it stays in my office with me while I work, so if I'm getting up to stretch and take a few steps around the house, I'll often jump on for a moment. Within a couple of days I was feeling a fair bit more confident.

Still pretty shaky, but a little less flailing.

Wednesday afternoon I had an appointment to get to, and with it being a lovely, sunny afternoon (somehow the rain clouds stayed away), I actually hopped on my bike again!

Twice in 4 days - it might disintegrate in shock!

With having to hustle a bit in order to make my appointment, I could definitely feel the lack of cycle fitness and rusty skills and I bumped along down the alternating sections of lumpy, dried out mud and slick, still-wet mud on the Walter Bean Trail. Then again, those two rides in just a handful of days had almost equaled my entire cycling mileage in 2020!

Hopefully I'll be able to do a little better this year.

So don't get me wrong - I'm still running, though I'm having some annoyingly persistent issues with that right ankle, and have complicated things a little further with a bit of contusion to my knee from falling on it while snowboarding.

I really don't do myself any favours, do I?

..but I'm also trying to give a little more time to just general fun and fitness, because as I said above - balance helps with everything!

Do you have a favourite activity outside of your usual sport, or something you do just for a non-competitive challenge? Let me know in the comments, because I'd love to hear all about it!