Week in review June 22-28: Swimming in a pool! Biking outside!

Lots of biking and a nice variety.

Last week was definitely exciting as far as training: I swam in an outdoor pool and I rode my bike outside. Woo hoo!

It wasn't all fun and games, as my hip is still bothering me and limiting how much I run. I also had a difficult day Thursday watching the COVID numbers get higher and higher, and couldn't muster enough energy to do anything more than make dinner. But, I came out ahead overall. Swimming and biking outside put a big smile on my face.

I've been meaning to get to my outdoor pool and it worked out perfectly on Monday. I wanted to go on a day that would be quiet, preferably when we had leftovers for dinner and I didn't have to rush home to cook. I got in 2000 meters and although my arms felt like they were going to fall off halfway through the first drill, they didn't. People were being safe, which was reassuring: Sitting at least 6 feet apart outside, and wearing their masks inside. I was careful to keep to myself and headed home to shower.

I did ride with a friend Wednesday, but we were also careful to keep our distance — I don't have the bike handling skills to ride to closely to anyone, anyway — and didn't hug or use the bathrooms at the park we were in or anything like that. I train to get away from people 99% of the time, but the once every couple of years I ride with someone I have a good time. I guess I need more slow cycling friends, haha. My confidence is NOT there; I definitely need to work on those descents.

So, even with a day off and minimal running, it was still a good week:

Bike: Three times, twice on the trainer and once on the road, for 5:16:03 as 33.38 road miles and 39 fake trainer miles.

Weights: Twice, one online barre class and one heavy/body session, for about 2:15. More pullups and chinups!

PT: Three times through my homework routine for about 1:45 total.

Run: Twice, both on the road, for 7.5 miles in about 1:20. This was two very easy loops around my neighborhood to test out my hip. I really think it's just a stubborn hip flexor pull. It's feeling a LOT better but not quite 100% yet. I'll keep doing easy runs here and there to test it out.

Swim: Once in the pool for 2000 meters of drills in about 1:05.

Yoga: One solo session for about 20 minutes.

Total: 12 sessions in almost exactly 12 hours.

Not a shabby week at all. I'm glad I was able to get out of my routine and shake things up a bit, and adapt even as my running is limited right now. And even while I'm hunkered down, at least I'm doing something.

Stay safe and healthy out there.

P.S.: It looks like Blogger had an upgrade so please bear with me if there are any issues I need to fix!

Week in review June 15-21: Long work days and a still-wonky hip

Not terrible, considering.

Last week was a perfect poop storm of my hip still being weird, a late work night, and the first plans with friends in months. There wasn't a lot of trainer riding and barely any running, but I did manage a decent amount of weights, PT, and yoga. At least I did something.

I was afraid I had really hurt my left hip, but now I think it's just a hip flexor strain. It started hurting after my 11-miler almost two weeks ago, when it was super hot and muggy. I think I just got tired and my form disintegrated to the point I was hurting myself. Doing a speed run a few days later sealed the deal. I only did two very tentative runs last week, but that was enough to determine that I need to take a few more days off yet to let things rest.

I ended up taking three days off training last week. I don't even remember what was going on Monday after work, but I ended up working in the garden instead of doing any training. I had to work an event late Thursday and I was so exhausted by the end there was no way I was doing anything, so that was another day off. And we went to an (outdoors, socially distanced) dinner with friends Friday, so I didn't do any training that day, either. I figured my hip being weird was as good a hint as any to take an easy week.

I did get done:

Bike: Twice, both on the trainer, for 40 fake trainer miles in about 2:36. Nothing exciting here.

Weights: Twice, one online barre class and one of my heavy/body routines, for about 2:15. I am happy with this, with one caveat. I was focused on improving my pullups and chinups for a while, and was doing them twice a week. Then, I really stopped caring that much, and only do them as part of my heavy/body routine. But... I'm still improving??? Last week I did more standing chinups, standing pullups, hanging chinups, AND hanging pullups than I ever have. So, even once per week seems to be enough to improve.

PT: Three homework sessions followed by rolling out my quads and calves for about 1:45.

Run: Only twice last week, and only for 5.5 miles in about 1:05. This was one super easy run with my husband and one easy run in the beating down heat on Saturday. Nothing special here. I'm going to keep running easy and infrequently until my hip stops hurting.

Yoga: Twice, on my own, for about 35 minutes. I added a few mobility-focused movements to my Wednesday session.

Total: 11 sessions in about 8:15. Not terrible, considering three days off and a niggle in my hip.

I know I'm already a day late for last week, but I've been surprisingly busy recently. I'm still working full-time four days a week, and trying to cram in a lot of training on the weekends and my furlough day. I'm still walking the dogs for an hour in the morning, and I'm still cooking dinner almost every night. I made paella last week!!! (It was amazing.) So, while I'd like to say my house is immaculate, my garden is perfectly kept, and every drawer and cupboard is organized, that would be a blatant lie.

But, I'm doing ok. I have good days and hard days, but we're staying hunkered down for the most part, and trying to stay safe. I'm glad I have my training (and my dogs) to help keep me sane through all this.

Some very delicious paella I made.

Apparently it was a rough morning of barking at the neighborhood squirrels.

Week in review June 8-14: The one with the wonky hip

Still a good week with a nice variety of training.

Ugh. Last week got off to a really good start training-wise, and veered off track. A metaphor for this year, I guess.

I usually struggle through my Monday runs, but last week's felt effortless. Whee! Wednesday, my furlough day, was hot, but I was determined to do a long run before the storm came through I made it mile 11 before I had to tap out, drenched in sweat and my hip feeling weird.

My hip (the left side, of course, like all my injuries over the past 5 years) still felt tight and strained for a few days so I skipped my easy Friday run. I felt fine on Saturday so I set out to do my usual Saturday speed run. I felt great for a warmup mile, a peppy mile, and a recovery mile. Then, amazingly, I ran the fastest mile I have ever run since I got my new Garmin, at least, and possibly ever. It was a cool 63 degrees and I'm sure that was no coincidence.

After I hit that fast mile, though, my hip started hurting again. I jogged it out, and tried to pick up the pace for a bit, but it wasn't having it. I called it early and headed home.

So, I'm going to rest and stretch for a few day and see where that gets me. I don't remember doing any one thing to make it hurt, or pop, or whatever. I'm really hoping it's just a strain or a pull that will feel better after some rest.

In other news, trainer riding, PT, weights, and yoga all went well, so at least I have some victories to fall back on. It worked out to be:

Run: Three times, all on the road, for 23 miles in about 3:49. This was the easy run, the long run, and the speed run.

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 55.5 fake trainer miles in about 3:46. Nothing exciting here, either: an easy ride, an interval ride, and a longer easy ride.

Weights: Twice, one video and one heavy/body routine, for about 2:30. Yay! I love when I do weights twice in a week.

PT: Three times for about 1:45 total. Yay! I love when I do PT three times in a week. Haha. Although, it didn't help my hip this time around.

Yoga: Two solo sessions for 35 minutes total.

Total: 13 sessions for about 12:25. Not shabby at all!

I'm not UNhappy with the week. Of course I'm bummed I had to cut a couple runs short, but overall I can't complain. Hopefully with some rest I'll be ready to jump into the next one.

May in review: Most likely my highest-volume month in five years

I'm late to review May, but I wanted to take a bit of a time away to give space to the voices who need to be heard right now. In Detroit, things have settled down a bit and our curfew has been lifted, and we seem to be moving to long-term strategies for diversity and equality.

A pretty good variety of training last month.

So, my long overdue May totals. Spoiler alert: When I added up my totals I was blown away with 64 sessions in more than 58 hours. I had to add it up a couple of times because I couldn't believe it.

The last time I had volume like this I was in the thick of 70.3 training in July 2015, when I hit 67+ hours and, not coincidentally, the most I've ever swum or ran in a month. Also not coincidentally, I wasn't doing any weights, PT, or yoga and was on the verge of IT band issues that would take me out for a while that fall. So while my volume looks a bit different these days, I am definitely feeling like a more well-rounded athlete. (Or at least duathlete, since I'm not swimming.)

What's the point, since there aren't any races coming up? Well, I'm going to try to do the virtual versions of a few of my regulars, and support local organizations. Plus, I like having a steady training schedule to keep me grounded in the midst of everything else that's up in the air. Michigan is slowly opening back up, but I won't be going back to the office any time soon, so I want to take advantage of the extra free time I have right now.

Anyway, May's totals:

Feeling good about these running totals.

Run: 15 times for 121.85 miles in almost exactly 20 hours. Hooray! This was a hair less mileage than April, but with one fewer run and about 10 fewer minutes, so I'm going to interpret that as me getting a little faster. Haha. I did my long runs each of the four Wednesdays, speed work every Saturday, and easy runs throughout the week. This 100-125 monthly mileage is a good range for me, and I'm going to try to stay in this sweet spot.

Bike: 14 times, all on the trainer, for 264.5 fake trainer miles in about 17.5 hours. I didn't make it outside last month but, honestly, I'm not comfortable riding my usual routes right now because I don't trust other people to be safe. I could go during the week, but I'm already doing my long run on my furlough day. Since any outdoor bike race is a LONG ways away yet, I'm OK with sticking to the trainer for right now. Also, this volume was a small increase from April, so there is good news in there.

Weights: 8 times, 5 heavy/body sessions (on the weekends) and 3 videos, for about 8:45. This is pretty much right where I want it to be, so yay for me.

PT: 12 times for about 7 hours. This was good but not great, although more sessions than April so I'll take that victory. I did 3 x per week most weeks, and I need to get it up to 3 x per week EVERY week. So there's a bit of progress to be made there yet.

Yoga: 10 times for about 2.5 hours. This may be the most yoga I've ever done in a month since I stopped going to in-person classes, which is kind of sad. But I'm glad I'm trying to make it more of a priority. Even shooting for twice a week instead of once makes a big difference in my flexibility and recovery.

Dryland: It seems like forever ago, but I did do 5 dryland sessions of 15 minutes each for 1.25 hours total. I kind of ... don't see the point right now, and the stretch cords I have and rigged to do dryland are just OK, so I stopped. Also, earlier in the year, I was doing dryland to warm up for weights on Saturdays until the temperature rose enough for a comfortable run. Well, since we skipped spring and went straight into the heat of summer, I definitely don't need to wait to run anymore. Eh, I don't care about dryland right now so I'm going to put my mental energy elsewhere.

Total: 64 sessions in just longer than 58 hours. A really good month that I'm proud of. I'm as proud of the variety of things I did, and how I kept the habit of supplemental training, as I am with the volume. Yay me!

June didn't start out as strongly as May so I doubt it will be as good overall, but that's OK. I feel like I got deeper into some good habits last month and can continue to build on them. Until races really come back, those good habits are going to be my goal.

I hope you are staying safe and healthy!

Week in review June 1-7: A bit of a break

Hey guys. I've been taking it easy and lying low this past week. There have been marches through my town, and we've been on a curfew, and I feel right now I should step aside and let others talk. I've been thinking a lot about the discussion surrounding being not racist vs. being anti-racist, and how I can educate myself and learn.

I've seen a lot of people sharing profiles of people of color on social media. Here are two if you don't follow them already: Sika Henry, who is trying to become the first Black female pro triathlete, and Ayesha McGowan, who recently became the first Black female pro cyclist. (The fact that it's 2020 and we are still working on the first female anything is a rant for another day.)

Not a bad week, all things considered.

The curfews and marches and work and heat and general pandemic stress got to me and I needed to take a few easy days this week. I still did my long run Wednesday, but I spent the afternoon and evening bringing a raised garden bed to my parents' house. I hadn't seen my dad, and neither of my parents had seen my dogs, since Christmas. We stayed 6 feet apart and ate dinner on their back deck and tried to make the most of it.

Friday was ridiculously hot and I tapped out for the evening, doing nothing except watching TV and relaxing. I did go out for a speed run Saturday but I WAY underestimated the heat and didn't bring a water bottle. I struggled through but was ZAPPED by the end and only did light garden work for the rest of the day. I didn't even cook dinner that night, and that's saying something.

I was able to rally yesterday and did a bunch of supplemental training after my bike ride. It felt good to finally lift some weights and stretch.

Overall, it worked out to be:

Run: Three times, all on the road, for 26 miles in 4:15. I skipped an easy run but everything else was on schedule.

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 55 fake trainer miles in about 3:39. This is a typical week for me lately, and nothing out of the ordinary.

PT: Twice for about 1:10. I slacked off in the middle of the week but did rally on Sunday for a second round, so it wasn't a total loss.

Weights: One online barre class for about 55 minutes. I was too zapped Saturday to do my usual weights workout, so barre on Sunday was a nice compromise.

Yoga: Just one 15-minute session this week.

Total: 10 sessions for about 10:14. By no means my best week, but I was tired and appreciated the decrease in volume for a bit.

Weather is supposed to be all over the place this week, and our curfew is lifted, so I'm not sure how much training I'll be able to do and on what days. I'm still going to try to be careful of the pandemic and conscientious of any marches or demonstrations taking place. Our stay-at-home order has loosed up a bit but I'm still not comfortable doing group anything right now. So, like any other time, I'll be doing the best I can with what I've got.

I hope you are all staying safe and healthy out there.

Week in review May 25-31: Training continues to keep me grounded during this time

A good variety of training last week.

It feels trite to write about training as we're in the middle of a pandemic, while people of color die at the hands of those who are supposed to protect them, but I'll document this one sliver of normalcy in my life right now for my own posterity.

My city had a curfew tonight and yesterday, but since I usually run right after work anyway, it hasn't affected me much, yet. We heard helicopters and firecrackers last night, and I detoured Friday's run because a peaceful march was heading the other way. Other than that, I am far enough away from downtown that I should be safe. If the doo-doo really hits the fan, my in-laws live out in the sticks.

Here's what happened last week training-wise:

Run: Four times, all on the road, for 29.6 miles in about 5:03. This was a fun Memorial Day "5K" with my husband (followed by pancakes and bacon), a very hot and slow-ish long run, a started-out-feeling-like-garbage-but-gradually-got-better speed run, and a slog of an easy run. The theme of the week was no frills, just get the miles done.

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 55 fake trainer "miles" for about 3:40. This was two, 1-hour long rides during the week and one longer weekend ride. I'm not doing anything special here since there won't be any races any time soon; I'm just keeping the feel for the bike in my legs.

Weights: Twice, one video and one of my heavy/body routines, for about 2:20. Since I don't have anything better to do on the weekends I've added a few extra moves for a few extra minutes here and there.

PT: Three homework sessions for about 1:45. Doing this three times per week really seems to make a difference to keeping my glutes and hips strong enough to run 30 miles a week.

Yoga: Three times, all self-guided, for about 45 minutes. I snuck in one extra session and I definitely needed it.

Total: 15 sessions in about 13 hours, 33 minutes.

Except for skipping dryland (which, as I'll write about later, I kind of don't see the point right now), this was about as good a week as I could have hoped for training-wise.

Please stay safe out there.