This past week I rediscovered some of the joys of cross training with a spin bike.

I first gained an appreciation for spinning way back in the 1980s, shortly after I ran the first of three marathons that I have completed in my life. Running 26.2 miles all in one shot left me feeling pretty banged up. For a week or so afterwards running just didn’t seem to be a healthy form of exercise to me.

 So I invested in a spin bike so that I could get my daily aerobic exercise in a way that involved less pounding.

I gained an even greater appreciation for spinning about 10 years later, when I ran my lifetime PR for the half-marathon off of an exercise regimen that involved roughly 2/3s running and 1/3 spinning.

Sometimes I wonder why I didn’t stick with that training “formula” for more of my time as a competitive runner, because it brought me such good results. The main reason I didn’t is that overall I enjoy exercising outdoors more than I do indoors.

Spinning does have a number of benefits, though, which I rediscovered on two days this week when I decided to spin rather than run.

One of the big benefits of switching it up through cross training is that we work different muscles. For regular runners such as me, another benefit is that it gives our body a break from some of the “pounding” involved with running.

Another thing that I enjoy about spinning is that one can read while doing it. Not only does this help to take some of the tedium out of stationary exercise, it helps to boost our brain power. Studies indicate that our brains learn especially well during and immediately after aerobic exercise.

For a detailed explanation about this phenomenon and the many other mental/cognitive health benefits of aerobic exercise, check out the book “Spark” by John Ratey, M.D.

As I get older, my guess is that cross training is something that I will turn to more often as a way to keep moving. My plan for now is to substitute it for running once or twice a week.

Not only will this help to give my aging body a break, it will help me to catch up on my reading list as well!