Week in review Dec. 21-27: Bike, PT, lift, repeat

I had a really good week of training last week. Even taking Christmas Day completely off training, since I only worked two days I had some extra time. I finished a strength/mobility challenge, and I rode a few extra trainer miles. I only got to run twice, but it was cold outside anyway, and twice felt like enough.

I was exhausted early in the week with trying to cram more-stressful-than-usual work days into holiday prep, but I managed two easy trainer rides after work Monday and Tuesday. I did either running PT or mobility every day except Christmas, and finished my Strengthmas challenge. It resulted in one extra strength day after my usual strength day, which I usually never do, but I figured erring on the side of additional strength the day before Christmas was OK.

I skipped a Christmas run because I wanted to relax and because it was FREEZING. I did go out Wednesday and got caught in a random RAIN storm. In December! What the heck! I actually had given up and called my husband for a ride home, but as he was pulling up the skies cleared. I felt bad for making him come out to get me but he had been nearby anyway, and I was able to do an additional 7 miles, so wins all around. It also snowed/iced/hailed on me yesterday, Sunday, during my run. Apparently whenever I go out it starts precipitating something on me. I wanted to do 6 yesterday to hit 15 for the week, but it got colder and windier the longer I was out, and I ended up with 6.25 because I decided I'd rather run the additional 0.25 home than finish early and have to walk longer. Ha!

Overall, it was:

Lots of biking, and good amounts of other stuff.

Bike: Four times, all on the trainer, for 75 fake trainer miles in a hair less than 5 hours. This is feeling good. Santa is bringing me a late delivery of two new pairs of bike shorts, so soon I hope to be able to do laundry a bit less often.

PT/Pre-hab: A bit confusing with some Strengthmas days being more strength and others being more mobility, but I figured this was 6 times total, 3 mobility (1 with Strenghtmas) and 3 PT (1 with Strengthmas), for 3 hours total.

Weights: Again, a little confusing, but I'm counting this as 3 times: 1 online barre + Strengthmas, 1 heavy/body session, and 1 Strengthmas-only session, for about 2:55.

Run: Twice, both on the road, for 15.25 rainy/snowy miles in about 2:35.

Yoga: Two solo sessions for about 30 minutes total.

Total: 17 sessions in a hair less than 14 hours. A great week for me.

I am doing plenty of lazing around, television watching, and coffee drinking this week off, but I am also doing boring adult stuff like cleaning. I'm hoping this strange week between the holidays will be a good mix of a bit more training than usual, a bit more relaxing than usual, getting some sleep, taking care of some home projects, and other stuff I've been putting off.

Hopefully you are celebrating these holidays how you want, whether that's a solo ultra or laying on the couch, or something in between.

A very restful Christmas

I have been in a pretty good routine with riding the trainer and running when I can get outside, but I took Christmas Day completely off.

I spent the day sleeping in, making pancakes and bacon, finally finishing up a crochet project, dropping off presents at both sets of parents (we wore masks and stayed outside, much to the disappointment of our dogs who just wanted to play with THEIR toys and sleep on THEIR couches), cooking, watching Christmas movies, and relaxing. It was pretty awesome.

I wish I could have gotten the leaves to lie flatter, but my mom seemed to like it.

I did a pulled pork in the slow cooker, cabbage braised in the juices, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Everything was delicious.

Daisy enjoyed the snow.

CC had the right idea.

I was back at it yesterday with a nice ride and weights workout, and the weather is a bit warmer today so I'll probably go for a run.

I hope you had a good holiday, whatever you celebrate, and are rested and ready to get back at it... or not. That's fine too.

Pre-holiday week in review for Dec. 14-20

Still a pretty good week, considering.

I am just trying to make it through the holiday over here. Even though Christmas is WAY toned down this year, I still had work to wrap up, cards to send out, and packages to mail. I still have a few oddball presents to pick up here and there and one gift to finish crocheting, but I think I can do it.

The good news is I'm done with work for the year and can relax for the next week and a half. It's supposed to get colder for Christmas, so hopefully that will inspire people to stay indoors and keep their germs to themselves.

Last week was a bit of a struggle. I am still going strong-ish with my Monday and Tuesday trainer rides. I wanted to run on Wednesday, and went out for an easy lap around my neighborhood even though it was snowing, slippery and cold. It actually wasn't that bad once I got going, but I kept it short and easy to keep the risk of falling on my face relatively low.

I knew I had to work late Thursday, so I just planned on an easy-ish ride afterward. Friday ended up going much later than expected, I didn't get to run outside before the sun set, and my brain was just fried, so I called it and made it a rest/Christmas planning day. I am bummed I didn't get to run that day, but I was exhausted and the rest day did me good.

I was able to rally and finish strong-ish for the weekend and even do boring adult things like go grocery shopping and clean (a little). It wasn't a rock star week, but I got the important stuff done and even had a little fun in the process.

It was:

Bike: Four times, all on the trainer, for 71 fake trainer miles in about 4:36. I got a little spoiled the week before taking Thursday and Friday off and getting in one longer trainer ride, so this is probably what's going to be standard for the time being.

PT/Pre-hab: This was a bit different last week because I'm still doing my 12 Days of Strengthmas, and some of those sessions are more mobility-focused and some are more strength-focused. But as best as I can figure for my own records that no one will see nor care about, I did five sessions: 2 mobility with Strenghtmas, 2 PT with Strengthmas, and 1 solo Strengthmas, for about 2:55.

Weights: Again, a bit off the usual considering Strengthmas, but I'm calling it at 1 video + Strengthmas and one big Strengthmas session with additional chinups, pushups, and abs for about 1:50 all around.

Run: Twice, both outside in the snow and/or cold, for 10 miles in about 1:44. Since Wednesday's run was quick, snowy, and cold, I wanted to run 6 on Sunday for the sole purpose of hitting double digits for the week. Haha.

Yoga: Twice for 30 minutes total.

Total: 15 sessions for about 11:34. Still pretty good considering work, holiday stress, weather, and the sun setting at a ridiculously early hour, so I'll chalk that up as a success.

Even though I am exhausted I managed to start off the week strong, and now I can relax a bit and focus on Christmas and taking care of myself. I have errands (hopefully the last pre-holiday) to run this morning, and then I can do a nice run and strength workout, and hopefully finish my crochet project. Christmas Eve should be more of the same: Tying up loose ends, getting in a nice workout, doing a little holiday baking, and relaxing. We're not doing anything TOO wild but I am planning on baking and cooking a few special things.

I hope you are relaxing this week and celebrating whatever your holiday of choice however you want. The silver lining to the pandemic is you don't have to interact with anyone you don't want to, and can make and eat whatever you want without judgement!

1,000 miles for 2020

I started wondering the other day how close I was to 1,000 miles for the year. I've ended more than a few months at 98.5 or 123.2 or other ridiculous totals, and I wanted to know sooner rather than later if I could hit the magic number.

I got a bit nervous as I was doing the math because I had a few dips in mileage over the years when I got sick in February and when I had hamstring niggles this summer. But consistency prevailed, and...

I'm already at 1,030 for the year! Woo-hoo!

Going back to my logs, I hit 1,000 on the first Friday run of this month, after a spectacularly bad few days at work. My notes:

I'd had such a shitty week, and needed to make up some time, so I snuck out for a nice run around the neighborhood while the sun was shining and it wasn't too cold. I was exhausted from not sleeping but this actually turned out pretty great and I had the fastest splits I've had in a long time. It was a pretty sunset and actually a nice way to wrap up such a bad week.

Not a bad run to hit 1,000 for the year.

This is only the fifth time I've hit that 1,000 number. When I was doing consistent marathons from 2010-2015, my annual mileage got a bit higher. Yeah, I know it's nothing compared to "serious" running, but it's a good benchmark for me.

There's not a whole lot of running left this year, since I'm just not going to go out when it's dark and cold and miserable. I want to get some more solid miles, but even if I don't, I can't be disappointed with 2020 running. It was one good thing to come out of the year, at least.

I hope the last few runs of the year are good for you, too!

Week in review December 7-13: A bit of extra training time for the holidays

A great week for trainer riding and not too shabby for other stuff.

The last couple of days were pretty busy trying to get ready for the holidays, but I have some time to catch up on personal stuff today. We're not really doing a big Christmas hurrah this year, but I still mailed packages to a few kiddos in my life and I'm still mailing cards to hopefully bring a little joy to these dark days (literally and figuratively!).

I took a couple of days off last week for errands, but also took advantage of the extra time for some additional training. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, but I added a mile here and there to my runs and 15 minutes here and there to my rides. It was a nice changeup. I was lucky with the weather cooperating and allowing me to get outside to run three times.

I am feeling good about shifting to three runs and four rides per week rather than vice versa. I'm not running particularly long or fast right now, so three runs per week of varying length and pace seems to be doing the trick. The second day in a row of riding has been an adjustment, but I've been managing that pretty well, I think. I am still hoping Santa brings me more bike shorts so I can lay off the laundry a bit.

Overall, it was:

Bike: Four times, all on the trainer, for 76 fake trainer miles in exactly 5 hours, 1 second. This made me laugh so hard. It's easily the most time I've spent on the trainer in a week, and I'm going to need more Netflix shows if I want to keep it going. I've already burned through The Good Place, The Crown, The Queen's Gambit, Queer Eye, and Schitt's Creek, and have already watched all of The Office, Breaking Bad, Arrested Development, and a few other classics. I started watching Parks and Recreation through again but it got pulled off Netflix, and we just subscribed to Hulu, so I'm taking suggestions.

Run: Three times, all on the road, for 20 miles in about 3:17. This ended up as a medium distance run, a peppy-ish run, and an easy run. This seems like a good assortment for me.

PT/Pre-hab: Six times, three mobility sessions and three running PT sessions, with one long PT session because it included the first session 12 Days of Strengthmas as organized by a triathlon/running coach I follow on Instagram. I felt it in more core immediately and it was definitely a reminder that 1. core work is important and 2. I need to keep shaking things up to get good results.

Weights: Twice, one online barre class and one heavy/body session, for about 2:25. I'm in a good routine with doing a longer session on the weekend and a shorter one during the week. This winter, I'll probably be looking to shake it up a bit with some new routines.

Yoga: Twice for about 30 minutes total. Again, I'm feeling good making extra time in the week for that second session. My next target is to make more time for a third, so I'm doing yoga every day I run. I'm working on it.

Total: 17 sessions in just a hair less than 14 hours. A great week for me.

I'm off to a pretty good start this week, but I know I have a long work day tomorrow so it'll likely end up being a lower-volume week. But that's OK; I'll do what I can fitting training around the remaining holiday tasks and other boring adult stuff like work, cleaning, and cooking.

I hope your holidays are off to a great start for whatever you do or don't celebrate, and that you're still staying healthy and safe.

Week in review Nov. 30-Dec. 6: Trying a new trainer routine

Fun fact, or "fun" fact, depending on your point of view: The way Detroit lies on the planet, there's only one week during December when the sun sets at 4:59. It's the only time of year that the sun sets at 4 something. And we're in the thick of it right now.

This time of year is always hard for my circadian rhythms, although I feel this year is SLIGHTLY better because I'm still working from home and spend a good part of most days working from my fairly sunny kitchen. Morning dogs walks have been in the dark for at least a month but I'm OK with that, since when it's this cold they just want to poop and turn around for home and breakfast, anyway. I'm mostly just tired: Not tired enough to not train, just overall tired and blah.

Considering that, I'm pretty happy that I posted a solid week of training last week. I tried something new: With my knee being a bit finicky lately (I think it's just the cold weather and age), and no races coming up, I decided it would be a better use of my time to ride four times a week and run three. I don't think I have ever in my life trained on my bike two days in a row and I wasn't sure how it would go, but it went fine and I had just as much energy the second day. My big issue right now is that I need more bike shorts! I am doing laundry all the time.

I know, I know. Riding multiple days in a row to become a better rider isn't rocket science. But I love running and would rather do that. Baby steps, OK? Depending on how this winter goes, and what our treadmill situation is, I may be riding 7 days per week and running 0 by the time February comes around. Haha!

Lots of trainer riding last week.

Anyway, last week was:

Bike: Four times, all on the trainer, for 72 fake trainer miles in about 4:40. This is easily the most trainer riding I've ever done in a week, although I've done more miles in the saddle when 70.3 training and doing four-hour rides outside. Still, it's progress. 100 miles per week is probably a bit of a lofty goal for me right now, but the 62 (100 K) to 75-ish is more reasonable for me to shoot for every week.

Run: Three times, all outside, for 17.5 miles in just less than 3 hours. These were all easy runs just to keep things functioning. Now that it's getting colder I'm going to lay off the long and speedy runs for a bit and just run to keep in shape and enjoy some fresh air now and then. Between weekends and furlough days, I am hopeful I can continue to get outside regularly when the weather cooperates.

PT/Pre-hab: Six times, three mobility and three running PT, for about 2.5 hours. I'm in a good groove with this. Doing a full rehab routine on "school nights" is still a bit tricky, but I'm making it work a couple times per week. The good news is "only" my knee has been hurting lately (knock wood), and none of my soft tissues, so I feel I'm in a good place with this.

Weights: A work-related emergency during the week and trying to cram too much into a Saturday caught up with me, and I could only do one video on Sunday. But still! I got something done.

Yoga: Twice for about a half hour total. Twice per week is definitely feeling good for my body. I'm working on adding days and length, but, again, baby steps.

Total: 16 sessions in about 11:42. Not the best week, but a pretty darn good week overall.

I could say I wish things were more exciting, but I really don't. In the year 2020, I want boring. We all want boring. And my life is pretty boring right now: Work, train a bit, hang out with the dogs and my husband, cook a bit, watch Netflix, sleep. And I am TOTALLY fine with that.

Hope you all are staying boring, safe, and healthy out there, and getting your sunlight when you can.

November in review: Turkey, trails, and trying to stay healthy

November was a pretty darn good month, considering. I didn't make it to the pool, and I eased up a bit on running toward the end, but I still logged a good amount of training. Sessions-wise, I think it was the highest number all year, and hours-wise, only May had more volume.

I know it's not about the numbers, especially now when there are no races and I'm really staying in shape and sane, but I still like track from month to month. I really got into a groove this month with 24!!! PT or mobility sessions, maybe the most I've ever done; 9 weights sessions and 8 yoga sessions are also very, very good for me.

Full disclosure: I did take some time off this month. I took a few days mid-month to celebrate my husband's birthday, and then I had some time off around Thanksgiving. But even then, I didn't do anything ridiculous to pack my days with workouts; it was more about sleeping in and getting stuff done around the house.

It was hard not seeing family for Thanksgiving, but we made time for group Zoom calls, cooked only our favorite foods, and didn't have to share desserts. We made the best of it during this pandemic. And not having to squeeze in two family dinners meant that we could do our own Turkey Trot, so there were a few silver linings.

Overall, November consisted of:

Mileage for the last few months is looking good.

Run: 16 times, all on the road, for 109.3 miles in about 18 hours, 48 minutes. I ran four times per week early in the month, including a mid-week 11-miler, 10-mile trail run, and 12-miler. My bad knee was a bit tender after that, so I backed off a bit for both frequency and long run distance. It's getting colder and the sun is already set by the time I wrap up with work, so I'm OK with easing up a bit for now. I also only did one speed run early in the month, for the same reason. Eh, I'm OK with running mostly easy miles for a while.

Bike mileage is also looking pretty good.

Bike: 12 times, all on the trainer, for 231 fake miles in about 15 hours, 11 minutes. Not my best month by a long shot, but I didn't get outside at all, either. This was mostly steady riding as I watched Netflix, with the occasional more challenging ride or longer ride thrown in. I did end the month with my first FTP test in over a year, so I'm looking forward to even better numbers in December.

Weights: 9 sessions in almost 11 hours. This broke down to 3 online barre classes, 2 videos, and 4 heavy/body sessions. This is a little skewed because I did one weights workout on the 1st, a Sunday, when I usually lift on Saturdays, but twice a week every week is very good for me.

PT/Mobility: 24 sessions in about 9 hours, 40 minutes. I am in a good groove alternating shorter mobility sessions and longer PT sessions every other day, usually missing one or two days during the week, and I THINK it's helping me stay loose. Placebo effect, anyway.

Yoga: 8 sessions for a bit longer than 2 hours, which is probably the most yoga I've done in a month in a while. Sad, but I'm getting there, and I also think this is helping, too.

Last month's hours had a good variety.

Total: 69 sessions in about 56 hours, 38 minutes. A really good month for me, volume-wise.

I'm not setting any records, but that's OK. I had a solid month with consistent workouts, I had a few adventures, and I ended it overall uninjured and still married. I don't know when my next race is, but that's OK. I'm still having fun and keeping things interesting.

I hope your November was good and that your December is off to a great start!

Week in review Nov. 23-29: Lower in running volume but higher in turkey

Not a bad week at all

My knee was feeling a bit tender this week so I backed off on the running volume a bit. Not to worry, as I still got in a good solo Turkey Trot and plenty of actual turkey for Thanksgiving.

The weather was pretty bad for the first half of the week anyway, and I didn't feel bad about skipping a run on a day when it was drizzling cold rain. I was able to enjoy some decent-for-November running weather on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, so I'll take that as a win.

In addition to too much turkey, I also did an FTP test on Saturday. Considering it's been over a year, I was happy for any improvement at all. I'm glad I sucked it up and finally got it done. Now I have something solid to work for all winter.

The rest of the week was pretty normal, even for having a few days off. I rode, I ran, I lifted, I did my PT and some yoga. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Training totals were:

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 62 fake miles in almost exactly 4 hours. I rode a little extra on one of my days off and when I saw how close I was to 62, I knew I had to hit that metric century mark.

Run: Three times, all on the road, for 16.8 miles in about 3 hours. I hit an odd number this week with the turkey trot, but it was still a good week. It was all easy running, nothing to stress my knee too much, and mostly to get outside and enjoy some fresh air.

Weights: Twice, one online barre class and one of my heavy/body routines, for about 2:25. The one-legged squat sits in a chair were only slightly easier this week, but I'm getting there.

PT/Pre-hab: Five times, three of my mobility routine and twice for my running rehab homework, for about 2 hours. 

Yoga: Twice for about 30 minutes total.

Total: 15 sessions for not quite 12 hours. Still a darn good week, especially considering there was a full day off in there.

I made the most of some holiday time off and got in some good workouts along with my turkey cooking and ridiculous amount of sweets eating. Overall, it was a darn good Thanksgiving week. I hope yours was fun, relaxing, and safe as well.

Turkey Trots and FTP tests

I was fortunate enough to have some time off for American Thanksgiving on Thursday and the day after for a nice, long weekend. Like any wannabe athlete I worked in a little bit of extra training into my days before I overindulged in turkey and sweets.

On Thursday, I dragged my husband along for our own Turkey Trot around the neighborhood. It was chilly but not really cold, and actually a nice day for a short, easy run. And Garmin rewarded us with this badge:

We celebrated our jaunt around the neighborhood with a scaled-down Thanksgiving dinner. I baked WAY too many sweets, cooked only things I like, and had no shame in taking most of the gravy. Mwa ha ha! I also ordered myself these socks just for the occasion:

On Saturday, I finally re-tested my FTP. I have been putting it off for way too long, with no real motivation to re-test after things started canceling in March. I had to go WAY back to see that my last FTP test was more than a year ago!!!!! I knew it had been a while, but I didn't think it had been THAT long. I steeled my nerves, settled in, and got to work. I hung on for just longer than 20 minutes and ended up increasing my FTP by four points.

Considering I'd been riding mostly for fun or maintenance for the past almost year, I was very happy with those four points. This is the result of 3 1/2 years of hard work; I'm more than double where I was when I took my first test in June 2017, which I described as "enlightening." Yes, I've "failed" one or two tests, but I've seen big and small gains over the years, and I'm happy with all of them.

It was a good holiday weekend. I hope yours was also relaxing, safe, and fun.

Week in review Nov. 16-22: A MONSTER volume week (for me)

A monster week for me.

I'm a little late to the party but it's been A Week, again. I seem to be having a lot of those lately. It's been a string of bad news, trying to right the ship and re-focus, and use training as my outlet for sanity.

As a result, last week I squeezed in about the maximum amount of training I can do these days. Yes, it helped that I had a few days off work. I took some time off to celebrate my husband's birthday, but also squeezed in some extra workouts and some cleaning and other boring adult stuff.

Probably the biggest athletic accomplishment of the week was a solid 12-mile run. I had to run pre-Thanksgiving errands not far from a multi-use path I used to run on all the time, so I combined trips. I would have preferred to run later in the day when it was a bit warmer, but my fleece-lined running tights and I did just fine. And I ended up with the very last gluten-free vegan loaf of bread in the whole bakery. Yay me!

I had to work late on Thursday and cut my trainer ride short, but had already done a little extra time earlier in the week on one of my days off, so it all worked out. Now that there is snow on the ground here, I moved my bike upstairs in and in storage for the winter. Super sad face. Now there's no getting around going all-in on indoor training.

I have more time off for Thanksgiving and I hope to get in a solo Turkey Trot tomorrow morning. We are staying home and celebrating alone and I really hope you do the same. A friend of mine lost a loved one this morning. Michigan's infection rates are shooting up again. A couple of holidays celebrated over Zoom won't kill you. Look at the bright side: You can make only and all the foods you like, and you won't have to listen to your in-laws' same old stories for the 100th time. Not that I speak from experience or anything.

Drama aside, training for last week was:

Run: Four times, all on the road, for 30 miles in about 5:05. This was the aforementioned long run and some easier runs through the week. I feel like I have a weird hip/back strain on the right side, and my bad (left) knee is being finicky lately, so let me just tell you how fun it is trying to run while getting older over here. Sheesh. However, Friday's run was warm enough that I wore a TANK TOP, so that was a nice bright spot in the week.

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 56 fake trainer miles in about 3:39. This was a medium ride on my day off, a short ride after a late work meeting, and my usual longer Saturday ride. I do like that I hit the half-Ironman distance of 56 miles, though. I have been zoning out and catching up on magazines or Netflix shows. Nothing exciting over here.

Weights: Twice, one video and one heavy/body session, for about 2.5 hours. I changed it up a bit because of the back weirdness and tried weighted one-legged squat sits in a chair instead of my usual squats, and holy SMOKES was I feeling that afterward. So that was a nice reminder to keep changing it up this winter to get good results.

PT/pre-hab: SIX times, three mobility and three running rehab, for about 2.5 hours. I've been pretty good with PT or mobility work every other day, and there's usually one day where I'm crunched for time and whatever. Still, this is a LOT better than where I was even a few months ago

Yoga: Three times for 45 minutes total, which is the most yoga I've done in a LONG time. That's kind of sad, but the more important thing is I'm actually doing it, so yay me!

Total: A whopping 18 sessions in about 14.5 hours, which is a huge volume week for me.

With no races coming up, I know there's no real reason other than personal enjoyment to keep running and riding so much. And with winter finally making an arrival this week, my long runs are most likely behind me until spring, and that's OK. I'll get out when I can and enjoy the fresh air when I can, and stay inside otherwise. I'm not comfortable going to a gym right now to use a treadmill, and ours needs to be replaced. For the same reason, I'm not comfortable swimming right now, either.

I am probably going to switch to a bike focus this winter, working in one or two extra bike days per week. First off, I need to find some more bike shorts for sale this Black Friday. Ha! I am going to keep up the twice-weekly lifting, the PT, and the yoga, though. Especially now that I'm a bit older those disciplines are even more important to keeping me healthy.

For the next couple of days, though, I'm going to sleep in, relax, do whatever workout I feel like doing, eat too much, and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday. I hope you all stay safe, healthy, and full of turkey.

Week in review Nov. 9-15: Squeezing runs into a rough week

Not a bad week for training, all things considered.

Ugh — last week was a rough one. I got a one-two punch of bad work news on both Monday and Tuesday. I was able to sneak offline at the end of the day Monday to squeeze in a run before it got too dark, but I had to work way too late for a workout Tuesday. I needed to do something different so I ran trails on Wednesday, which ended up being an amazing time and just what I needed.

Things settled down and got less stressful a bit later in the week. I had to work late again Friday, but this time I knew in advance and was able to block off time in the afternoon to do an easy run before my online meeting. I was still stiff and sore from my trail run so I just did some easy miles.

Other than mid-week work stress, I managed to most of my "usual" workouts: four runs, two weights sessions, and some yoga. I only really missed one bike ride and one session of PT. So, considering everything, I'll take it.

Overall, last week was:

Run: Four times, all on the road, for 27 miles in about 4:42. Each run got colder as the week went on, which made me sad. Yesterday (Sunday) was so windy one gust of wind blew my running leg into my other leg, which almost knocked me over. But, it was good to be out there in the fresh air. I layered up and tried to make it work.

Bike: Twice, both on the trainer, for 40 fake miles in about 2:47. This was one easy ride and one easy-ish 1.5-hour ride. Nothing out of the ordinary here.

Weights: Twice, one online barre class and one heavy/body session. Again, ordinary stuff here.

PT/Pre-hab: Five times, 3 mobility sessions and 2 running pre-hab sessions, for about 1:55. Eh, at least I got my mobility work in.

Yoga: Just once for 15 minutes. Better than nothing.

Total: 14 sessions in just longer than 12 hours. A good week, considering. 

I took a few days off this week and I am hoping some rest and recharge will do me good. Michigan's COVID numbers keep going up and up so I'm sticking with the outdoor runs and inside rides. Hopefully you all are staying safe and sane out there.

My first trail run in YEARS!

I needed to do something completely out of the ordinary this week. It was a rough couple of days at work, and I was extra sad because this marked a year since the last time I'd traveled anywhere. So on my furlough day I headed out to one of my usual parks for some trail running!

The last time I had done any trail running was four years ago, when I did one or two runs to prepare for the Black Toenail Friday race the day after Thanksgiving. Four years! My "trail gear" was an old pair of road shoes. I had forgotten the park is open to bow and arrow deer hunters, but I had grabbed a bright red shirt and bright green headband, so I didn't feel I was in danger.

I did the longer yet less steep route and after taking a wrong turn ended up at 10 miles almost exactly. The trail wasn't too technical, it was challenging but not un-doable, the weather was about perfect, and I felt good. I don't think I stopped smiling until mile 9, when I finally started to get tired.

Long story short, I need to get out and run trails more often. My body is still sore a few days later, but it's the good sore from using dormant muscles. I have since learned they have built a whole new trail in the last few years, so I at last need to go check that out. I don't know that I'll go every week, but maybe even one or two trail runs a month will help me stay extra motivated this fall and winter.

Trail or no trail, be safe out there!

This hill was at the end of a wrong turn, but it was so worth it!

Week in review Nov. 2-8: Another solidly boring week

Not a bad week and some solid running.

Boring is good these days, and last week was pretty boring overall training-wise. Solid running, decent biking, a good amount of other stuff.

Of course, anyone who doesn't live under a rock understands that last week was a rough one for any American, anyone identifying as a woman, or a person of color, or LGBTQ+, or a believer in democracy, who has an inkling of politics, etc. etc. etc. etc. Let's just say I'm glad it's over and I'm pretty sure my boss is too, since we were all pretty useless last week. But one thing I did do to try to relieve election-related stress was get in some good workouts, and it definitely helped.

Last week included:

Run: Four times, all on the road, for 30 miles in about 5:02. This is a HUGE week for me. This included one butt-early run on Monday morning when I knew I had an evening work event Monday evening, a long run (11 miles) on Wednesday, a speed run Friday, and an easy run Sunday. I'm doing OK with the back-to-back easy runs on Sunday and Monday. And, I don't see myself going any longer during the week. There's really no point right now for me to go longer than 2 hours or so, except for a nice mental break in the middle of the week.

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 57 fake miles in about 3:44. Nothing out of the ordinary here, either; just two one-hour rides and my usual hour-and-a-half ride on Saturday. I've been putting off re-testing my FTP and I just need to suck it up and do it. I just don't want to accept that winter is here.

PT/Pre-hab: Six times, three PT sessions and three mobility sessions, for about 2:30. I am stubbornly doing the PT and loving the shorter yet useful mobility sessions.

Weights: Twice, one video and one heavy/body session, for about 2:30. I just feel so much better when I can lift twice in a week. I haven't done my heavy/body routine in weeks and my lats were sore for DAYS after doing pullups.

Yoga: Once for 20 minutes. I need to work in another session during the week, but my regular Sunday night yoga helps a lot.

Total: 16 sessions for a bit longer than 14 hours. A very good week for me!

There was still no swimming last week, since I'm not comfortable going to the gym, but that's OK. And I remembered that after one of the Opens in the last few weeks, I ordered a box of tennis balls, which I promptly forgot about. I should have taken advantage of one of the abnormally warm days this past week and hit, but I wanted to squeeze in as much running as I possibly could. Eh, I'm sure I'll be looking for reasons to get outside even in the snow once it gets to be officially winter.

If you're training, I hope it's keeping you balanced and not stressed. And I hope things are pleasantly boring right now. We do NOT need any more excitement for a while.

October in review: It was a "monster" month (heh heh)

I had to get in one more Halloween pun, even though October is long into the rearview mirror. Like most of the country, I've been a bit distracted for the last week. I am hoping that things will get back to normal soon and I can figure out a fall routine that doesn't involve staying up too late watching the news and worrying every night.

October was a darn good month. There was a bit of a cold snap later in the month, but October started out warm and humid and ended with nice weather, which I appreciated. I got in one more outdoor bike ride before shutting it down for the season, probably. I got into a pretty good PT and weights routine. I didn't make it to the pool at all, but I'm OK waiting until things get a bit safer.

Working a short mobility routine into my week is going well, and really took hold this October. I am doing less overall PT, but since mobility doesn't take as long (at least for now) I feel like I'm doing more sessions overall. It's not hurting, that's for sure. I don't think there's a definitive way to tell if it's helping, but I do feel a bit looser in the hips and shoulders, where I hold a lot of tension.

I also ran a lot for me. I hit 120-something miles for the first time since May. I'm not training for anything specific right now, but I'm still enjoying getting out and running long once a week, so I'm going with the flow as long as it lasts. There are still beautiful fall days to enjoy and what better way than on two feet?

October was a great running month for me.

Run: Over the month, I ran 17 times for 124.5 miles in about 20 hours, 42 minutes. I am still walking a quarter mile warmup and cooldown, and it's working for me. (I choose to count the half miles in my total since it's part of the workout.) I ran every step of this outside, bundling up when it got cold out. I still don't feel comfortable going inside a gym to run on the treadmill, and ours needs repairing, so there will be plenty of bundling up and running outside in my future.

I consistently added speed work back into the routine and, as I mentioned, kept going long once a week. Even though I'm not training for anything, I enjoy the harder work occasionally and it helps to keep me sane. And who knows if I'll do something out there like a self-supported race to break up the monotony. We'll see.

Biking was decent for October.

Bike: I also spent a good amount of time in the saddle this October. I only got outside the one time, and decided to do laps of a flat section of my route for a true "long" ride of the season, but did 12 more sessions on the trainer inside. I am finding that even for my "hard" trainer rides, I have energy left in the tank at the end, so it's probably time for the FTP test I've been putting off. It would be good to work hard all winter and come out of the pandemic a stronger rider.

PT/Prehab: I did a LOT of pre-hab and mobility work this October. I did 11 sessions of my running routine assigned to me from in-person physical therapy over a year ago now, and 10 mobility sessions of mostly moves I've picked up from Instagram. I definitely feel less tight and restricted in the shoulders and upper back area, and will keep working on the others. Just like every other runner who sits all day, I have a lot of hip and back tightness that's only getting worse as I get older. Blech.

Weights: It was a good, not great, month for weights, although I did get into a good routine of lifting twice per week. I like to lift heavy on the weekends, but at least twice something popped up at the last minute. I did an extra online barre class on one occasion but didn't make it up every week. Still, overall I managed 3 online barre classes, 3 videos, and 1 heavy/body session, which is almost twice a week and nothing to sneeze at.

Yoga: I am pretty good with yoga on Sunday nights but need to carve out time for at least one more session mid-week. It makes such a huge difference yet I can't seem to make myself do it. I still managed 6 sessions for about 1:35.

October training hours.

October total: 64 overall sessions for about 56 hours, 19 minutes, which is a lot of volume for me. It's still a super solid month and I'm happy with that.

Of course I see where I can make improvements — more consistent weights and yoga, and getting in the pool when it's safe — but with nothing to train for I think I'm doing a pretty darn good job of staying in shape and building a base for whatever, whenever, comes along my way. I'm still enjoying training and the mental break it brings me, so I say bring it on. I'm sure I'll renew some old hobbies when it gets too cold to run outside (I do crochet and play the piano, after all) but for now I'm happy with a solid month of training for life.

Stay happy, stay safe, stay training if it brings you joy and clarity during this stressful time.

Belated week in review Oct. 26-Nov. 1: Lots of running and lots of sessions

Lots of running and a good number of sessions overall.

Better late than never, I guess. We've been ... a little distracted here in Michigan and especially in Detroit.

To deal with the election week stress I ran a lot and did a ton of PT last week. I also had a complete day off for the first time in more than a month. I do OK with a couple of "easy" days rather than full days off, at least in this stage of my life. I imagine I'll be revisiting that as I get older, but for now, and for my sanity, I have been running or biking almost every single day.

The day off was Halloween, which is a pretty good day to fart around and eat too much, anyway. We got a late start on the day, and then our friends talked us into a socially distant barbecue, so we went with the flow instead of my trying to squeeze in a workout. We made it home in time to enjoy the Bing Crosby/Disney Ichabod Crane special, which my husband insists we watch every year.

I also tried to send off Daylight Saving Time with a bang by getting up early and running on Sunday, since it was supposed to rain and be windy later in the day. It might have been sunny but it was cold, and my body still hurt from Friday's speed run. I swung by home to take our hyperactive mutt with me on the last 2 miles (she LOOOOOOOVES to run with Mommeh) but she ended up turning her paw about halfway through that, and we had to walk home. I was glad to be DONE with that run, finally.

Overall, it was:

Run: Four times, all on the road, for 29.5 miles in about 4:52. This was two easy runs, a long run on my furlough day, and that speed run on Friday (alternating fast miles). This is about my max for weekly mileage, and I'm fine with that.

PT/Pre-hab: SIX!!! times, three mobility and three PT sessions for about 2:30. Not a coincidence that I'm logging high-for-me mileage and doing lots of PT at the same time. I am feeling good and noticed today that I'm doing a couple of my mobility moves slightly more easily, so, success?

Weights: Twice, one video and one online barre class, for about 2:05. I haven't lifted heavy in a while but I am keeping up with a twice-weekly routine. I just feel so much better when I lift twice a week.

Bike: Twice, both on the trainer, for 32 fake trainer miles in about 2:04. I skipped my Saturday ride to celebrate Halloween, and I'm OK with that.

Yoga: Twice for about 35 minutes total.

Total: 16 sessions for about 12:06. Not my best week but a darn good week. I'm amazed I'm averaging 2+ sessions a day, and 12-13 hours seems to be a good range for solid training without overdoing it.

I hope you're staying safe and mentally healthy out there. Go for a run if it will make you feel better. Stay in and eat dark chocolate (ahem) if it will make you feel better. I know I've been looking at a LOT of cute puppy pics. Here is a pic of my mutts to get you started:

Week in review Oct. 12-18: Some good running and a decent week

Lots of running in an overall decent week.

Last week was pretty standard. I did some decent running, a bit of trainer riding, and some other stuff. Not great, not terrible, somewhere right in the middle.

One thing that did NOT make me happy is that the weather turned early in the week. It warmed up again later, but there's no question that fall weather is here and winter isn't far behind. I feel like we don't get much spring or fall anymore; it's either hot or cold. Even my runs this week were ear warmers and gloves or shorts and a t-shirt, with not much in between.

Oh well. This season is surely going to test my outdoor running fortitude since I'm not comfortable going to the gym right now and our treadmill needs a tuneup. I guess the sooner we get it over with, the better. 

Other than running weather adventures, the week was pretty boring. Our plans Saturday fell through so I had to skip my heavy weights session, but I did an online barre class Sunday instead. I didn't do as much PT or mobility as I would have liked, but I still got some done. Outside of training, I spent some time in the kitchen (tomato sauce, pesto, zucchini bread, and chili), watched college football for the first time in a while (which I have mixed feelings about, but I did marry into a football family), scrubbed the kitchen, lazed around on Sunday and ate bacon ... you know, the usual stuff.

Training was:

Run: Four times, all on the road, for 28.5 miles in about 4:45. I am feeling good with this volume of running. I am just starting to do one run resembling speed work and just starting to hit double digits for a weekly long run, with the other two as easy. It's working for me.

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 56 fake trainer miles in about 3:38. I am delaying making Trainer Road goals because then I will have to accept I am indoors for the season -- ha. I mean, n + 1, right? No cartilage in my left knee means I'm not a skier, so maybe I need a fat bike to ride in the snow and keep things exciting this winter.

Weights: Twice, one video and one online barre class. I made it work. 

PT/Pre-hab: Four times, 2 mobility sessions and 2 running PT homework sessions, for about 1:40. I am loving doing mobility work a few times per week to change it up.

Yoga: Once for 20 minutes.

Total: 14 sessions in about 12:28. This is still an average of 2 per day so I can't even be a little mad about that.

These next few weeks are going to be stressful for me. I have a bunch of errands and to-dos to knock out this week, and then there's the election and a huge work project next week and the week after. I might have to cut back on some workouts for my own sanity, and that's OK. For now, I am going to continue my little routine of run, ride, PT, lift occasionally, yoga occasionally.

I hope you all are staying healthy and safe.

100 miles for October!

I was in my Garmin account to see today's run splits, and decided to check on my October running totals. I was blown away to see this:

100 miles for the month already, exactly! I couldn't do that again if I tried.

And most importantly, I am feeling good and doing my best to do my PT, stretching, mobility, etc. so I can stay injury-free.

Happy running!

Week in review Oct. 12-18: My highest number of sessions in a long, long, long time

A darn good week.

Except for the lack of swimming, I had a near-perfect week. Four runs, three trainer rides, a buttload of PT, two weights sessions, and even two yoga sessions. It was a TON of session volume for me.

I managed it by being the most boring person on earth and barely leaving the house. I did have to work not one but two late nights last week, which I wasn't happy about. But, I actually managed to do my PT during a Zoom town hall and wrap up a public meeting with enough time to do an abbreviated trainer ride so, I'm considering that a success.

It's getting colder and we are preparing to hunker down. I am nearly positive my outdoor cycle season is over, unless I buy a fat tire bike for snow riding. I (very unhappily) broke out the running tights and ear bands last week. I enjoyed a hot apple cider instead of a cold LaCroix after a run for the first time this season. It's enough to make me want to work remotely from Florida... if the whole country weren't in a pandemic. Sigh.

Hopefully last week presages good workouts to come:

Run: Four times, all on the road, for 27.5 miles in about 4:33. This was an easy Monday run (I'm calling them Meander Mondays, haha), one run that vaguely resembled speed work, and two medium runs. I had good intentions for a long run on Sunday, especially since it was the day the Detroit Free Press Marathon would have been, but the thought of doing 10 miles worth of laps around my usual route was absolutely unbearable. For some reason an hour didn't seem bad at all, so that's what I did instead. It was cold and breezy anyway, so better to cut it a bit short and live to run another day.

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 51 fake trainer miles in about 3:21. This was a regular one-hour ride and a longer 1.5-hour ride on Saturday, plus the abbreviated ride after my late meeting on Thursday. I could have skipped but I was very glad to do SOMETHING. That is hard for me as an all-or-nothing type person so I think I get a pat on the back for that.

PT/Pre-hab: This is probably the most PT/pre-hab I've done since I was actually going to the physical therapy clinic three times a week. I managed SIX, yes SIX, sessions in about 2.5 hours. This was three longer sessions of my running rehab and three shorter mobility sessions. I am LOVING mixing it up with the different moves and every other session taking not as long, to be honest. Hey, whatever gets me to do the work.

Weights: Twice, one online barre class and one heavy/body session, for about 2:25. This was the first time doing things like hanging pullups and weighted squats in a while and I was (OK, I still am) FEELING it.

Yoga: TWICE for 15 minute each time, 30 minutes total. I haven't done yoga more than once in a week in a while. Once a week feels good, and twice a week is exponentially better; I just need to make myself make time for it.

Total: 17 sessions (!!!!!) in about 13:19. Not a huge amount of volume as far as time goes, but that is a LOT of weekly sessions.

As much as I know winter is coming I am trying to put it off as long as possible by not making winter training goals, not moving my runs to morning, and not even looking into indoor pool swimming. Oh well. I am really hopeful fall weather will come back for another visit so I can do a few runs in the crunchy leaves and fall colors. I've even looking at coordinating virtual turkey trots among family members for something to look forward to.

What a weird year! Stay safe out there.

My new Hypervolt Plus -- EEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

A few weeks ago I WON a Hyperice Hypervolt Plus with Bluetooth! I was so excited I may have screamed! 

... Actually, yes, I did scream with delight.

I am not a spring chicken anymore (I turn 41 in a few weeks) and I noticed that right about the time I hit 35 my body started needing a LOT more rest, recovery, and supplemental workouts. The days of banging out 55-mile weeks with no stretching or pre-hab are long behind me. I have been looking at percussive massagers for a while, especially to target my tight calves, quads, and hamstrings, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to score this beauty.

From their website, the Hypervolt Plus is quiet and lightweight (true — it’s easy to carry and I don’t need to turn up the volume on the TV when I’m using it) and pairs with your phone’s bluetooth to do a guided routine. I downloaded the app and tried a few guided routines for my calves and quads; you pretty much move the Hypervolt around whatever body part you are focusing on, and the app speeds it up and slows it down. That was a little weird at first, but it was nice to not have to do any thinking.

Select a muscle group...

 

Select a routine...

And follow along.

There are also longer routines for things like hip mobility, pre-tennis match warmup with Naomi Osaka (and other fitness trainers and athletes), and more. I am definitely trying the post-run routine soon.

It comes with five head attachments, and I found that the ball attachment seems to feel best on my calves and quads. The trigger point attachment was really nice on some tight back muscles. (Well, I made my husband do it.) When you use the app routines, it also tells you which attachment is best for each routine, so I’m looking forward to trying out the others. Hypervolt also threw in a carrying case to make it even easier for me to take this to races and maybe even the next race-cation or train-cation, whenever we can travel again. 

Handy-dandy case.

This thing ain’t cheap at $400, but if you are getting older and/or getting more serious about recovery, it would be a powerful tool in your recovery toolbox. I have definitely given it a good workout already. If you're looking at percussive massagers like I was, this one definitely gets two thumbs up from me.

Even without a routine, a few minutes on my calves feels good.

Week in review Oct. 5-11: A solid week for biking and running

This week was off to a busy start right out of the gate, but I'm carving out a bit of time today to knock out some to-do list items. I went to the doctor for a checkup, I went to Target, I got coffee — the essentials. I finally have a bit of time to sit down and catch up on personal stuff.

Last week was pretty good. It was likely the last of the summer-like weather we'll have for the season, at least outside of the random unseasonably warm day. I tried to make the most of it with four runs and my longest bike ride in a year. I still have plenty of fall running ahead of me, but I already miss swimming. If nothing else, this pandemic is forcing me outside to enjoy as much of it as possible.

Other than running and biking, my week was pretty boring. We ordered in takeout and watched the presidential debate. We squeezed in one more outdoor dinner. I made some pesto with basil from my garden. Nothing too exciting, but that's OK. I feel like I don't want to invite any unnecessary excitement into my life right now.

Solid biking and running last week.

Training last week was:

Bike: Three times, twice on the trainer for 40 fake miles and once on the road for 40 real miles, for 5:46 total. After my two recent tire blowouts any descending confidence is out the window, and this was my slowest outdoor ride in a long, long time. I changed my route to do a flatter section, and it was still a fine and beautiful day, so not all was lost. Trainer rides were fine. I'm going to hold off on any big indoor ride goals until I am sure my outdoor season is done.

Run: Four times, all on the road, for 28.5 miles in about 4:49. This is coming along with two easy runs, a medium run, and a long-ish run. My knee has been kind of grumpy so I think I'm going to shift my runs around a bit so I'm not running back-to-back days, even if they are both easy. Every-other-day running without working around an outdoor ride day is more feasible.

PT/Pre-hab: Three sessions, one mobility and two PT homework routines, for about 1:25. I'm liking the extra mobility work, but still having a bit of trouble working in the longer PT. It'll probably be something I'm working on forever.

Weights: One video followed by some pushups and chinups for about 1:05. I farted around too long Saturday between morning errands and dinner, which meant I had to cut my usual weights workout.

Yoga: Just one session for about 15 minutes. 

Total: 12 sessions for about 13:20.

Not a bad week at all. Even for the not-great workouts, I tried to make the best of it. I'm in kind of a weird limbo area where I'm not ready to let go of summer, but I'm not quite ready to jump into winter training and goals. For now I'm just going to keep chugging away, trying to stay as healthy and safe as possible.

August and September: Quick reviews for posterity

I'm doing my best to stay as healthy and sane as possible during this pandemic. I am doing a bit more training and walking the dogs more than usual, and work has been pretty busy lately, so anything that isn't essential has been being neglected. Housecleaning for sure, but also this blog. So although I'm a little late to the party to review August and September, I'm doing it anyway so I can look back and see what the heck I was up to.

August was a great month overall. Running was steady. I rode my bike outside three times and had pretty high-for-me biking volume overall. I was pretty consistent with my weight lifting and pre-hab. I did yoga once a week and swam a bunch of times in my outdoor pool. My overall training volume was pretty big.

September was a good month overall. I hit 100+ miles of running for the first time since May, which was a pleasant surprise to see, partially due to my adding in one extra easy runs to most weeks. Biking wasn't quite as good, since I got a flat both times I rode outside, but I still logged 250 miles in the saddle total. I ran and biked an almost-equal amount of time, right around 17 hours for both. Weights and yoga kind of fell off and, sadly, I swam for the last time in my outdoor pool before it closed for the season. Training volume wasn't quite as big, but still solid.

Other than training, I tried to make the most out of the end of summer. We saw both sets of parents for outdoor barbecues and celebrated a friend's birthday with an outdoor dinner. I put in some solid work hours at our side business. We supported a few local restaurants with takeout and I tried a new recipe or two. I had a few evenings where I did nothing. I walked the dogs, a lot. I tried not to ruminate on the things I was missing.

I tend to beat myself up a bit when I don't have a "perfect" week of training but with no races coming up and the future in flux, I'm happy I'm keeping up any kind of routine. If nothing else, it's keeping me in shape and letting me have some semblance of normalcy during this time.

August by volume.

August was:

Bike: 8 trainer rides and 108 miles of outdoor rides, for about 18:41 total.

Run: 11 runs, all outside, for 64.5 miles total in just a hair less than 11 hours.

Weights: 8 sessions including 4 heavy/body sessions, 2 online barre classes, and 2 videos, for about 9:50

Swim: 9 sessions for 16,000 meters (10 miles) in about 7:16.

PT: 11 sessions in about 6:25.

Yoga: 5 sessions in about 1:25.

Total: 55 sessions in about 54:37, a darn good month for me.

September by volume.

September was:

Run: 15 runs, all outside, for 101.7 miles in about 17:08.

Bike: 10 trainer rides and 51 outdoor miles for just a sliver less than 17 hours.

Weights: 4 sessions that included 2 heavy/body, one online barre, and one video for about 5 hours.

PT: 10 sessions in about 4:30.

Swim: 4 sessions for 6400 meters in about 2:48.

Yoga: 2 times for 35 minutes.

Total: 47 sessions in about 46:53, still a good month for me.

Running mileage for the last year has looked like this:

And biking hour-age for the last year looks like this:

I'm pretty happy with this. I am hoping running continues to feel good enough that I can keep hitting 100 miles. I realize hitting any number is arbitrary, but I like having a solid number to shoot for, for the month. 

I don't expect to do too much if any more outdoor biking for the rest of the year, but when the weather turns I am ready with my Trainer Road subscription. I'm pretty bad about doing more than 3 rides per week, but maybe this will be my year. What else will I have to do this winter?

I also want to use the colder weather as motivation to keep on my PT, weights, and yoga. I don't know if I'll be able to swim, or feel comfortable swimming, indoors over the winter. If I can, great, but I'm not planning on it.

I feel like October is going well so far, and I hope to end it just as well as I did for August and September.