Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Propel. I was compensated and all opinions are 100% my own.
This month, Propel has been asking us to work out with a friend for our Add Flavor challenge. That’s not much of a challenge for me, since I love to work out with friends, but okay.
So far, most of my tri training has been solitary. This has definitely been a departure from marathon training, where my long runs were a chance to meet up with friends and chat for hours and hours. I don’t really know how you’d swim with friends, anyway…so.
One recent weekend, I had two bike rides on my schedule of 1.5 hours each. That’s a lot of time to sit and think about life by yourself. So, I grabbed Jen, and off to the West Side Highway we went. She stopped to rent a bike, and I brought my trusty buddy. (She still needs a name.)
I’m a much more confident runner than I am cyclist or swimmer, so it’s also about learning to feel comfortable letting others see my potential weakness in these two sports, as well as stepping outside the comfort zone. Next steps: finding stronger cyclists to ride with to help me grow as a cyclist.
And bringing my Propel flavor enhancers on those shorter rides so I can practice drinking and riding.
When I started working out, the idea of working out with a friend terrified me. They would see how weak I was, and they would get frustrated waiting for me. Once I started running and training for my first marathon, I met Ashley, and we discovered we were around the pace. We began doing most of our long runs together, and I became more confident not only in running with others, but with myself in general.
As I got a little faster, a friend pushed me to find faster training buddies to run with to get me outside of my comfort zone and increase my speed. I remember the first time I ran with Gia. The girl is a speed demon—but I could hang on! I also love working out with friends because it’s a great excuse to catch up in a healthier situation, and share a passion. My friend Lacey and I really like our wine, but when she discovered my favorite studio, it became something healthier we could do together.
We rode up to the Little Red Lighthouse and back. There is so much about cycling that I’m still learning, including how to drink and ride, so I used our turnaround point as an excuse to hop off and chug some Propel. Next time, though, I think I’ll put some of the liquid enhancer drops into a water bottle with some ice. And maybe be less of a weenie and try to drink on the bike.
She rented a heavier bike, and doesn’t bike a ton, so it wasn’t my fastest ride, but that will come in time. Especially with a new bike, time in saddle is really important right now, and I had 1.5 solid hours of friend catch-up time as well as butt-in-saddle time.
What’s your favorite workout with a friend? Do you like working out with friends who challenge you, or do you like to be the one challenging your friends?
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I love the community at my yoga studio. Everyone from the teachers to my fellow students are awesome.
i love the little red light house! my son read this book before his school took a trip up there: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Lighthouse-Great-Gray-Bridge/dp/0152045732#
as for working out - i love running with friends. i'll go out with my boyfriend who just started running, so i get to pace him a little as well as learn how to slow down for him (i tend to zoom ahead, which isn't very social). also like to run with the faster peeps, which challenge me (also not social since i'm a little more out of breath)!
speaking of, let's run next week!
yes, let's! aaaand now I want to read that book :)
Long-time lurker, new commentator here!
I also used to hate the idea of working out with friends for fear that they would see I wasn't good at something! But now my husband and I take a bunch of yoga and Pilates classes together each week. It's nice to have someone else there for encouragement or laughter when trying a new pose. And I know I wouldn't go as often if he wasn't going as well.
Good luck with all your training!
love lighthouses!! i grew up in a small town where a nearby lighthouse in the Hudson River was one of our signature icons, and so i've always had a special affinity for them. congrats to feeling stronger and pushing yourself on a bike.
working out with friends, hmmm -- something i very rarely do. when i do, i'm generally the one pushing them, as none of my friends run much but will sometimes ask to come along for a few miles of my runs. however, my best friend in the city is super into yoga now, so she's pushed me to go with her, and i push her to run, and it's fabulous.
I love working out with people who are stronger and faster than me. Working out with my boyfriend pushes me so much because it's like working out with an NFL player. It makes me want to push that much harder when I see someone pushing so hard as well.
Those are great pictures. I really appreciate the friends that work out with me. Most of the time I'm good being lazy. But if someone calls and wants to do something, I go. It really does take a lot of motivation, and having that friend really does help.
I am getting a little inspired by all of your bike riding. I really need to get out there and try some rides outside my commute to work. I love riding, but it is winter down here in Australia and it is just so cold!! brrr. Looking forward to summer!
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