Lightweight Eats

If you're reading this, we've hit the road! After spending over a month in Oregon, visiting family and enjoying some downtime, Dan and I are en route to I-40.

Over the last month, we drove to both Portland and Eugene, celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas, and spent countless hours at the gym and in front of the fireplace. After a long and stressful year, it was what we both needed. We're leaving the northwest ready for adventure.

I've done some great training here in Oregon. I'm finally starting to see improvements on my erg scores—seconds are dropping here and there which is super encouraging. I'd like to maintain those improvements on the road, which is helping shape our travel plans.

I could certainly use a week of primarily cross-training to help keep me fresh, so finding rowing machines will be a low priority. We are bringing our bikes and I will also have running shoes, so I'm looking forward to doing some training in the nation's many state and national parks.

My primary concern is weight lifting. In recent months, I've really found my lifting groove. The gym here in Oregon has fantastic equipment, and a great (if male-dominated) lifting culture. It's been a blast squatting alongside guys doing 500+ lb deadlifts—it makes me want to continue lifting. I would like to continue to build on the strength gains I've achieved here.

We're planning to drive for 5-6 hours a day, which will give me enough time to get in double training days most days. I'm hoping to stop in at some gyms at take advantage of their New Year's special—I know a lot of gyms offer free passes in January to try to get people hooked. It will be a great way to keep expenses low while traveling. The weight equipment might not be exactly what I want and need, but it's more about doing something. The goal is to lifting something heavy every other day.

Because I expect it will be difficult to follow a strict training plan on the road, I've planned a general outline instead. Every other day, I'm planning to do some sort of long, slow, steady work and a lifting session. The alternate days, I will do a harder workout with some additional cross-training if I have time. This is similar to what we've been doing the past month, but without a strict schedule to follow.

Have any tips for working out on a road trip? Know any places we should stop along I-40? Row someplace in the southern half of the U.S. and want to host us? Let me know in the comments.

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