December 16-22: The beginning of holiday hullabaloo

Not a shabby week, considering.

I'm really trying to get over to this little corner of the internet more often than once per week, but last week was when the holiday overscheduling and stress really started to take hold. It was an accomplishment to do an average of one workout per day, and I'm counting that as a success.

I ended up running errands after work both Tuesday and Thursday, and fit in writing out Christmas cards whenever I could find the time. I took Wednesday off work for personal and holiday-related tasks, and had high hopes that I could get in some extra training. Alas, nothing went according to plan and I had to be happy with one regular weekday trainer ride.

My last day of work for the year was Friday and my boss sent me home early. I had rearranged my whole week for a party that evening, but we ended up staying in. No problem! I used the extra time to dye my hair and we even ran a last-minute errand that night. We definitely put the extra time to good use.

Training-wise, last week was:

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 63 fake miles in about 4:04. I feel like it took me a few weeks to settle into my latest FTP, and recently I am happy to complete a tough ride without needing a break. I have 4-5 tough, hour-long workouts I do on repeat pretty much, and I'll keep doing them until they get less hard.

Run: Three times, two on the treadmill and one on the road, for 21 miles in about 3:32. Whatever is going on with my hip/IT band/glute is feeling better enough that I tested out a real speed run on Friday, slowly building speed every mile, and ran for 9 miles on Sunday. Hooray!

PT: One session of my latest exercises followed by quad and calf rolling for about 35 minutes. My hip KILLED when I did these which was positive (negative?) reinforcement to keep doing it.

Total: Seven sessions in about 8:11. Considering how many holiday-related shenanigans were packed into the week, I am perfectly fine with this.

Like I said, I'm done with work for the year and couldn't be happier. I plan on taking Christmas Day off training, but hope to get in a few extra workouts and minutes here and there. I also plan on sleeping in, drinking lots of wine, taking my dogs on walks, and otherwise relaxing and enjoying myself.

I hope your holidays are off to a good start and you are staying sane!