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. 

Week in review Sept. 28-Oct. 4: Gloomy weather, decent training

Run, bike, take a nap.

Hi yi yi. It's been A Week. Last week was A Week. When was the last week that wasn't A Week? I don't even know anymore.

I've been trying to cram too much into my evenings so I haven't been over here very much lately. 'Tis the season for making and freezing tomato sauce and getting into a fall running routine, and I've been working on both. Work has been busy and I have been logging off later than I would like. But I'm chugging along the best I can, running and riding and PT-ing in the evenings.

One thing that affected last week's training was a decent amount of rain. I ended up taking last Monday completely off due to the rain and to just being tired. On Wednesday I ran errands in the rain instead of doing my usual furlough day training. But honestly, I can't bring myself to care too much about keeping a strict training schedule since there are no races coming up. If I can enjoy myself and stay in decent shape to help counteract some of the pandemic stress eating, I'm calling it good.

Last week's belated numbers were: 

Run: Three times, all on the road, for 23 miles in about 3:50. This was a medium-ish run on Tuesday, an easy run on Thursday, and a long-ish run on Saturday. I ended up taking a random, long nap Saturday afternoon and then banged 9 miles, my longest in months. Usually you run first and then nap, so maybe I was a little confused? (Haha.) Not a shabby week even skipping Monday's easy run.

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 56 fake trainer miles in about 3:41. I did two shorter, more challenging rides during the week and kept my longer ride Sunday easy while watching tennis.

PT/Pre-hab: Four times, two of my running PT sessions and two mobility sessions, for about 1:40. Adding in mobility a few times a week is going well. I'm not leaping off tall buildings or anything, but I do feel a smidge less creaky.

Weights: One online barre class plus some pullups and pushups for about an hour. This was the first weights workout I've done in a while — ugh. But at least I did something.

Yoga: One quick 15-minutes session to try to stretch out my hamstrings and hips.

Total: 12 sessions for about 10:26. I mean, still not terrible? Any time I can hit double-digit training hours is a pretty good week.

I'm sad my outdoor pool is closed but I don't think I'm comfortable using an indoor pool right now, so I'm going to have to make do with a lot of running and trainer riding this fall. I'm hopeful the weather holds out for good fall running. I hope you are getting in some safe outdoor time and enough training to keep you healthy and sane.