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?
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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