Quarantraining goals and toys

I've been pretty fortunate during this pandemic that I'm able to work from home, have access to an outdoor pool, and haven't, to my knowledge anyway, been infected. I've been swimming, biking, and running pretty regularly and have racked up quite a few "quarantraining" hours.

It's ironic that I have this extra time to train and races have been cancelled (rightly so), but I'm trying to make the best out of it. Lately, I've been doing things I *want* to do and trying to squeeze in as much summer as possible. Like, I'm less comfortable breathing on the left side swimming, and since I won't be racing in a lake for a while, I really don't see the point of practicing. Also, I never got the hang of flip turns and I just get frustrated when I work on them. Maybe I will revisit flip turns when and if I have access to an indoor pool this winter, but for now I don't need to waste the mental energy.

I'm going to enjoy this view for as long as possible.

There have been a few days when I would have loved an air conditioned treadmill, but our home treadmill is on its last legs so I have been sucking it up for the hot runs. I take ice water with me, take a quick break to drink every one or two miles depending on how hot it is, and call it at two laps around my neighborhood. I won't have any fall races, so there's really no need to push it on the hot days.

I thought about really trying to work on my FTP on the bike trainer, but I decided to hold off on that for now. Right now, my "big" bike workout of the week has been driving to a nearby state park with some actual hills and doing a few laps. It's safe, I can leave extra water in my car, the bathrooms are open (I pack a mask every week!), and my parents are a few miles away if I need to take an emergency shower or something. I figured I would make that my bike focus until the weather turned, since I'll have all winter to work on getting that FTP up.

I have also been doing weights pretty consistently twice per week, mixing up my own heavy routine with online barre classes and some tried-and-true videos. My quads and back muscles are as big as I ever remember them being, and I can do more chinups and pullups than I ever could in my life. Yeah, it's some extra work, but since I have the time so I might as well get a good strength base going, too.

One more thing I have done to keep pandemic training interesting is order a LOT of toys, clothes, and gear over the last few months. I got new running shoes from my local running store, and took advantage of some deals on running tanks and some spiffy shorts with phone pockets built into the legs. They are my new go-to! I bought a couple swimsuits, bike gloves, and a couple bike jerseys, thanks to the Facebook algorithms targeting me with sales until I couldn't take it anymore. But really, these jerseys were a steal.

I got a couple of these at deep discount. I'm cheap, so I love a bargain!

A couple of other random things I ordered were some new handlebar tape for my bike, a book on building good running form, and some tennis balls. I figured now is the time to take a hard look at my running form and break it all the way down if necessary. And if and when I no longer have access to an outdoor pool, hopefully the tennis balls can be another sport to keep me in shape. I used to play in high school and college, and have been on a few rec leagues in my adult life, so I'm looking forward to hitting some balls again.

New handlebar grip to spiff up my bike and a book on running form.

New bike gloves and my new handlebar grip. I only had green electrical tape to finish it off. XD

I think my next purchase will be one of those percussive muscle massagers. Any recommendations? I am probably looking in the $150 range. My coworker bought an Achedaway and loves it, but I am looking for something a bit smaller and cheaper right now.

I'm not sure what my pool situation will be after Labor Day, or how long the weather will hold out for outdoor biking. Knowing how terrible Michigan weather can be, and how this pandemic is progressing, I'm going to assume I'll be stuck inside all winter. So for now you can find me quarantraining outside as safely as possible. Hopefully you all are staying safe, finding some good deals, and getting in some extra hours, too.

Week in review Aug. 17-23: Another solid and steady week of quarantraining

Not a bad week -- solid and steady training is about all I can hope for right now.

Hello! It was another week of lights out at 10:59, so there was no staying up late to write blog posts. I had another couple of healthy goals, too: no potato chips, fruit instead of candy for a snack, and setting a Facebook timer from the embarrassing amount of time I was spending on there to a still embarrassing but slightly less amount of time. So, I'm getting there.

Last week was pretty darn good as far as training. I did three solid bike rides, including one outside. I did three easy runs and could have gone longer, but it was pretty hot all last week and I didn't want to push it. Everything was pretty darn good; not excellent, still room for improvement, but darn good.

I'm not training for anything right now, of course, so I've been trying to focus on fun things I want to do. Like, ride my bike outside. And not push a run in 90-degree heat. And buy some new handlebar tape. And walk the dogs for a hour most mornings. And maybe dust off the old tennis racket? That one has yet to be seen.

Anyway, it was another solid and steady week of training: 

Bike: Three times, twice on the trainer for 41 fake miles and a road ride of 35 miles, for 5:13 total.

Run: Three times, all on the road, for 16.5 hot miles in about 2:50. (I'm still including my quarter-mile warmups and cooldowns because they are part of the workout.)

Weights: We had a fun homeowner issue on Saturday so I had to skip my heavy/body routine, but I did do a video earlier in the week and an online barre class Sunday for 2:05 total.

Swim: Twice in the pool for 4000 meters in about 1:50. Still doing a lot of drills and going slowly but I'm getting there.

PT: Three rounds of my homework for about 1:45 official.

Yoga: One self-guided session for 15 minutes.

Total: 14 sessions in a hair less than 14 hours. Not shabby at all.

As I said, since there aren't any races any time soon, training lately has been all about fun. I'm doing pretty well keeping in varied and staying motivated, so I'm going to ride this train as long as I can.

Hope you are all staying safe and healthy out there.

Week in review August 10-16: Less volume but fewer aches and pains

Still a decent week considering the lower-than-usual volume.

I'm late to the party again, but it's for a good reason. I set a few "health" goals this week and one was to have lights out by 10:59. I usually get up at 6:30 a.m. and my bedtime kept getting later and later. So far I'm 3 for 3, even including last night before today's furlough day. That means I haven't been staying up late to write blog posts, but I think sleep is more important.

Anyway, looking back at last week, it was a bit off. It started off pretty strong, with my usual Monday recovery swim and my run plus PT on Tuesday. I had high hopes for a workout or two during my furlough day Wednesday, but my husband needed me to put in a full day at our business he runs. He usually manages things fine without me, so I can lend the occasional helping hand even when I'd rather be out on my bike.

Wednesday ended up being an intense 12-hour day and my brain was completely zapped on Thursday. I managed to get through the work day but I was too exhausted to do anything else. I laid down in bed and ended up sleeping for an hour. I was obviously exhausted. I remember hearing on a recent podcast that sleeping is never time wasted if you're fatigued and need to recover, so I justified it to myself that way. Haha.

I was able to rally to finish the week off strong, with an easy trainer ride Friday after work, my usual run and heavy/body weight routine on Saturday, and my usual long trainer ride plus PT plus evening yoga on Sunday. So, the week wasn't terrible. I did a bit of training across the board, had a rest day, enjoyed some sunshine, challenged myself, and had some fun.

By the numbers, it was:

Bike: Twice on the trainer for 39 fake trainer miles in about 2:41. The small victory here was getting on the bike at the end of a long work week before kicking off the weekend. I also finished The Office, so I think I'll start Parks and Rec from the beginning again.

Run: Twice, both on the road, for 11 miles in about 1:53. Nothing special here, just two easy runs to keep the legs moving. Both were HOT and I didn't want to overdo it heat-wise and letting my form slip-wise.

Weights: Just one of my heavy/body routines for about 1.5 hours. I am actually seeing decent progress here. I managed more pullups and chinups on Saturday than I have ever have before. I am also thinking I need to work in some new moves or do a different routine every other week. I need to do some research and see what I have in some books I already own.

PT: Twice for about 1:10.

Swim: One pool swim for 1600 meters in about 47 minutes with drills and everything. I was just happy to be there.

Yoga: One 15-minute session. I was noticeably not as stiff and sore as I usually am, so I guess that's one benefit of a low-volume week.

Total: 9 sessions for about 8:11. Not shabby at all for a step back week.

Since there are obviously no races coming up any time soon, I'm OK with my little routine here. Sure, I can shake things up at a micro level, but I feel like I'm doing enough to stay busy and relatively fit without overdoing it.

Anyway, I hope everyone is staying healthy, safe, busy, and relatively fit. I feel like that's about all we can ask for these days.

Week in review August 3-9: A surprisingly excellent quarantraining week

Pleasantly surprising myself seems to be the theme for these last couple of days adding up July and then last week. I was feeling OK about last week, happy that I'd gotten in three PT sessions but still wishing I had done an extra swim and some extra yoga. But I'm pretty sure this is my highest volume week in at least a couple of months.

I would really like to get in a third swim on Saturdays but I just haven't been making that happen. Saturday is the one day I don't set a morning alarm unless I have to, since I am usually behind on sleep by then. I cook a nice brunch, then tidy up the condo while that settles, and then go for a run and do my weights routine. The last two weeks we've taken friends or family out to dinner (safely outside and following precautions) and I didn't have time to squeeze in another swim. But... part of me doesn't even care. I've been hitting the pool twice a week, and it's not like I have any races coming up, so right now I'm not willing to give up sleep or family time for a third.

I did do my PT three times last week, which I was very happy about. I only did yoga once, which my body is not very happy about. I've been good about doing at least 15 minutes of yoga on Sunday evenings, but I am SO sore and stiff by then. My body would appreciate me carving out another day or even two for those quick sessions.

As I get older, I'd also like to work in more actual mobility work. I keep seeing social ads for functional pattern training — has anyone tried that? I need quick routines that I can tack onto things I'm already doing, or else they'll never get done. 

Anyway, last week was: 

Not a shabby week at all.

Bike: Three times, twice on the trainer for 39 fake miles and once on the road for 36 real miles, for a total of 5:07 in the saddle. I know I have to take advantage of mid-week rides to make lemonade out of my furlough days, and while the weather is still nice. Everything felt fine, both on the trainer and outside.

Run: Three times, all on the road, for 18 miles in a hair longer than 3 hours. These were all hot but I felt like something clicked form-wise and was actually lifting my knees up instead of dragging my feet and tripping. I noticed that this did not aggravate my hip flexor any more and I was able to add an extra mile onto my Saturday run. I was also super fatigued on Thursday, which I assume was from my long bike the day before, and my heart rate randomly went sky high at the very end of my run Saturday, which I assume was because of the heat. I felt fine both times afterwards with some rest and/or ice cold sparking water, though, so I'm not concerned unless either thing becomes a real issue.

Weights: Twice, one online barre class with some chinups and pushups and one heavy/body routine, for about 2:25. Twice a week is my goal so hooray for me! I can actually do three sets of five hanging pullups in a row now — the overhand, hard kind! Doing my full chinup/pullup routine an extra time during the week got to be too much, but I can bang out three sets of 10 standing chinups, and that seems to be a good mid-week challenge without going overboard.

Swim: Twice, both in the pool, for 4000 meters in about 1:55. Who ever thought I would love swimming again! I have been doing some easy drills and then a long set on Mondays, and this Wednesday I worked a few extra meters into some extra short sets. Still slow but feeling good.

PT: Three rounds for about 1:45. Twice per week is OK but three times is definitely better, I find.

Yoga: Just once for 20 minutes. I could have done this every day! A goal for next week, to be sure.

Total: 14 sessions in about 14:35. This is my best week in months — wow! A long bike and consistency in everything else seems to be paying off.

Overall, a pretty darn good week that I'm pretty happy with. I hope you also had a great week and are staying safe and healthy.

July in review: Solid quarantraining and some decent wins

Hey guys. I've been trying to keep busy for my own sanity, and my life lately has pretty much been dog walks, work, dog walks, work, train, dinner, bed. I find this helps me focus on what I can control and not ruminate on all the disaster happening in the world.

I was pleasantly surprised when I added up my July totals, which is always a good thing for me. It wasn't my best recent month, but I feel like it was moderately accomplished. I went for two long outdoor bike rides, I was consistent with the easy runs as whatever is going on with my hip started feeling better, I consistently lifted weights twice a week, and I got back in the pool.

I am bummed I didn't do more yoga and PT; I only did yoga once per week and averaged twice per week for PT. But, getting to the pool and going out to the park for a long ride is a lot more difficult logistically than doing resistance band dryland moves for 15 minutes or an extra yoga session, so I'm OK with a little bit of sacrifice for swims and outdoor rides.

My last few runs, I have been really focusing on high knees and good form, and it seems to be helping, so I'm hopeful that I can start to build my run mileage back up again soon.

Not a shabby month at all.

Anyway, for July, I logged:

Bike: 13 rides, two outside for 73.5 road miles and 11 times inside for 205.5 fake trainer miles, for just less than 19 hours. This is a great month for me.

Hey, my best biking month by volume for the past year! Hooray!

Run: 14 times, all on the road, for 77 miles in about 13 hours, 17 minutes. Not a bad month, considering these were all easy runs of about 5 miles so I wouldn't aggravate my hip any more.

All easy mileage for July as my hip is feeling a lot better.

Weights: 8 times; including 3 videos, 3 online barre sessions, and 2 times doing my heavy/body routine; for about 8 hours, 40 minutes. This is a really good month for me. I also added on a few sets of chinups and pushups to my barre and videos for a little something extra.

Pre-hab: 10 times for about 6 hours. Not great, but it was still at least twice per week.

Swim: Hooray! Swimming! I got to the pool 6 times for 9600 meters in about 4.5 hours. This was twice per week for three weeks, taking one week off for a perfect storm of exhaustion and a power outage.

Yoga: Just four times for a bit more than an hour. I'd like to bump this up to twice per week, but I'm having trouble making room for that extra session.

Total: 55 sessions in about 52.5 hours. Still a helluva month.

I was patting myself on the back pretty hard until I flipped back to the last few months and saw that this still didn't come close to May, when I logged 64 sessions in 58 hours. What the heck was I doing in May??? Like I mentioned before, dryland and indoor training is a lot easier logistically, and I didn't go to the pool or ride outside at all in May. So, there ya go. But, this isn't a numbers competition. I'd much rather ride and swim outside even if it results in fewer training sessions overall.

I ended the month healthy, sane, and still married, so I consider it a success. I am hopeful this base will keep me in good shape physically and mentally for whatever is yet to come.

Stay safe out there!

Week in review July 27-Aug. 2: Lucky 13 hours of training

Last week was both a nice variety and nice volume.

I love it when I add up my weekly totals and I'm pleasantly surprised. I haven't had a 13+ hour week in a couple of months. It's not that I am shooting for a particular training time goal, but it's nice to see that my consistency is paying off with some decent volume.

Some of the highlights from last week were riding my bike outside and hitting the pool a couple times. I've gotten into the habit of a nice recovery swim on Mondays. Even though the bar and restaurant at our pool are closed, we bring a cooler of, uh, snacks, and my husband relaxes and reads while I swim. The last couple of weeks, we've also gone on Wednesday or Thursday after work for a swim and burgers. It's a nice little getaway and a way to enjoy summer.

My outdoor ride was also a blast. I need to start going every furlough day while I can still take advantage of them. I had a doctor's appointment about halfway between home and my favorite weekday route, so I threw everything in the car, cable locked my bike to my interior, and hoped for the best. I think the only thing I actually forgot were my vitamins, so yay me! I don't have a ton of outdoor riding options, so I'm glad I took advantage. Plus, even after a quick stop at my parents for a shower and then some errand running, I still had time for an online barre video before heading to the pool again.

Overall, it was a nice mix:

Bike: Three times, twice on the trainer and once on the road, for 40 trainer miles and 36.78 real miles in about 5:12.

Run: Three times, all on the road, for 17.5 miles in a hair less than 3 hours. My left hip flexor is feeling better, and I've been concentrating on high knees and good form, so I've been doing one extra mile on Saturdays. So far, so good.

Weights: Twice, one online barre class and one of my heavy/body routines, for about 2:25. I have been following my mid-week weights workouts with some extra chinup and pushup work, for no real reason other than feeling like a badass.

Swim: Twice, both in the pool, for 3200 meters in about 1:32. I don't even care how slow this is, I'm thrilled to be there.

PT: Two homework sessions for about 1:10 total. I would like to get back to three times per week for this.

Yoga: Once for 20 minutes. I would like to add at least one more session per week here, too.

Total: 13 sessions in about 13:39. Not shabby at all!

I don't have any races coming up, but I'm still having fun and challenging myself. I don't know yet what my late summer/early fall goals are going to be, but for now I'm staying relatively fit and sane, which is about all I can hope for right now.

I hope you are all also staying fit and sane, and healthy too.