Week in review July 19-25: Boring and hot

Not a bad variety last week.

It's been quiet over here. I'm going to make this quick because I want to get to bed at a decent hour, for once, and maybe even go for an early run tomorrow morning.

There really was nothing special about last week. I made it to the pool Monday, and was a bit too short on time afterward to do my usual Monday core and mobility. I got back on schedule for the rest of the week and even managed a decent speed run, 3 miles descending x 2, on a not-quite-so-hot Friday. It was gross Saturday so I didn't make it outside for a bike ride, but I still got in a solid trainer ride and heavy weights workout.

Sunday's long run was brutal. I still want to do 2 hours/12-ish miles every other week or so, since I'm holding out hope there might be a half marathon to jump into this fall. It started out with temps in the 80s and a dew point in the low 70s (!!!) and it actually got MORE comfortable as it warmed up but the humidity dropped. I really do better when it's super hot and less humid, but I wanted to get going on my day, so I decided I would suffer as best as I could. Oh well, I got my 9 miles in, and hopefully a bit of heat acclimation.

One thing I was thrilled to find is that water fountains are coming back on. Hooray! I don't mind running with a handheld, so being able to refill it and not have to worry about a Camelbak is ideal for me. So far I've found working fountains on two of my favorite routes, so I'll have to check the third the next time I'm out that way.

Not bad volume last week, either.

Last week was:

Run: Three times, all on the road, for 24 miles in about 4:01. This was a cool-ish easy run, a cool-ish speed run, and a hot-as-balls 9-miler.

PT/Pre-hab: Six times, three each mobility and running PT, for about 3:45. Skipping Monday threw off my schedule a bit and I ended up doing mobility two days in a row in there, but I don't think it matters in the great scheme of things.

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 60 fake trainer "miles" in about 3:34. This was an easy-ish ride, a hard interval ride during which I couldn't even hit my new power targets since my last FTP test, and a longer, easier ride while watching the Olympics and catching up on old Tennis magazines.

Weights: Twice, one barre app and one heavy/body routine, for about 2:30. I am now able to do more pullups and chinups than I ever have in my life. Quarantine was good for something, I guess?

Swim: Once in the pool for 2000 meters in about 53 minutes, including drills. I'm only swimming here and there lately but this felt amazing and my paces weren't bad for me. I just felt smooth in the water today. I don't know why, but I was going with it.

Yoga: Three times, both via the Down Dog app on run days, for 45 minutes total. I tried to mix it up with focus on twists, hamstring stretches, and hip stretches.

Total: 18 sessions in about 15:28. Not a bad week at all!

I took an extra day off this coming week for family in town but I might try to squeeze in an extra workout or two as well. Depending on how my knee feels, a high-volume running week will put me at 100 miles for the month so I might go for that. And I haven't even taken my road bike outside this year yet. There is still a lot I want to accomplish this summer! I don't know how people train, work full time, prep and cook healthy food, keep their dogs fed and entertained, keep their marriage intact, and keep their house not condemned. My house is barely not condemned and I am not training as much as I'd like to, so there's still a puzzle piece missing somewhere in there, haha.

Anyway, I hope you all are staying safe and sane while having enough time to clean the house just enough to prevent the health department from swinging by.

Week in review July 12-18: Back into a routine

A run-heavy but still pretty good week.

It wasn't a GREAT week last week, and I still have a lot of things to work on (an old boss called this "a target-rich environment"), but last week felt pretty normal as far as getting back into a training routine.

Because I was out of town the previous weekend and skipped a long run, I kicked off the week hard with a quad Monday: A run, my usual Monday core and Monday mobility, and yoga because it was a run day. I knew that I had to work late on Thursday, so I tried to keep it going through mid-week. I made it to Wednesday before I had to skip on a weights workout, when I was so zapped from a run in the heat I just needed to drink ice water in the air conditioning for a while. It ended up being the right decision.

I also skipped a run Friday because it was pouring rain and I didn't feel like trying to go to the gym for the first time in a year and a half. The rest did me good because I hit the weekend hard with an FTP test during which I gained 9 more watts and a heavy lifting routine Saturday, and a 12-mile run Sunday morning. It was already hot when I got out there and it ended up being the slowest I've run in a while. I may have taken walking drink breaks, but I didn't quit. And I found a cold, working water fountain, hooray!

I still need to get my bike outside and sign up for something. Other than that, the week was pretty uneventful. By the numbers, it was:

Not bad overall volume.

Run: Three times, all on the road, for 26.5 miles in about 4:29.

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 60 fake trainer miles in about 3:38. 

PT: Five times, three mobility and two running PT, for about 2:45.

Weights: Twice, one core and one heavy/body routine, for about 1:45.

Yoga: Three times on run days via the Down Dog app for about 45 minutes total.

Total: 16 sessions in about 13:22.

Like I said, nothing spectacular but enough to feel like a normal routine again. I'm already off to a good start this week, so let's see how long I can keep the momentum going this week.

Week in review July 5-11: A light week around a few adventures

Not a bad mix for a short week.

Last week ended up being a short and very easy training week. I had Monday off work, and I needed the extra time off to veg in the morning, make a bacon brunch, and get my hair cut and dyed. My husband's friends got last-minute Cubs tickets, so we headed out of town Saturday morning for a whirlwind trip to Chicago.

I still squeezed 7 workouts into the three days I did exercise, but it just wasn't a priority last week. I'm totally OK with taking an easy week after a few 14-15 hour weeks. And, I did plenty of walking around Chicago on game day, so at least I did something.

A lower-volume week but still a good variety.

A quick roundup:

Bike: Twice, both on the trainer, for 34.5 fake trainer miles in about 2:03. I finished a Netflix series and did two of my usual rides. Nothing out of the ordinary here.

PT/Pre-hab: Twice, one mobility and one runner PT, for about 1:15.

Run: Once on the road for 7 miles in about 1:10. This was just an easy run after a weights video, trying and failing to miss the heat and humidity of the day.

Weights: One mid-week video for about 1:05.

Yoga: One Down Dog app session for 15 minutes.

Total: 7 sessions in about 5:47.

I enjoyed my light week last week, but I'm looking forward to getting back to more structured training this week. We'll see if the weather holds out.

Quick June wrap-up: 100 miles running, back in the pool, stuck on the trainer

A pretty good spread for June.

I mentioned already that I hit 100 running miles for June — woo hoo! — but the rest of the month training-wise was also pretty good. I didn't make it outside to ride, but I did make it to the pool a few times and did plenty of weights, PT, and yoga.

The only thing I did less of in June as compared to May was one fewer bike ride. I did go out of state for a few days in May, so June was a bit more consistent. And, getting in the pool took precedence over that fourth bike ride of the week. But overall, I feel it was a bit better spread over disciplines.

I also had two full rest days in June, which rarely happens. One was for a family trip in a hot-air balloon, which was 100% totally worth it. I don't remember what the other was for, but it was a Friday so I was probably tired, and it was probably raining. I'm OK with that.

Even a bit of swimming in there!

By the numbers, June was:

Run: 12 times for 100.5 miles in about 16:25. These were mostly easy runs, partly because of the heat. I did throw a couple of "speedy-ish" runs and two "long" runs of 12.5 miles (to make two hours) but other than that, it was business as usual.

Bike: 13 times for 253 fake trainer miles in about 15:27. This averaged out to be three times per week, giving up that fourth ride for a few swims. I wanted to get outside this month but it didn't quite work out with the weather (we had some pretty severe flooding along one of my favorite bike routes) and life in general. Plus, my roadie needs a tune-up, and I haven't made the time yet.

PT/Pre-hab: 24 times, 13 mobility sessions plus 11 running PT, for about 14:15. This is pretty close volume-wise to what I ran for the month, which is about where I need to be at my age to stave of injuries, I think. It's working so far, anyway.

Weights: 13 times including 4 core sessions, 4 heavy/body sessions, 3 barre app sessions and 2 videos, for about 12:10 total. This is a good amount for me.

Yoga: 12 times, all on run days for 15 minutes of the Down Dog app, for 3 hours total. I am doing well with "forcing" myself to do yoga on run days and I definitely feel more limber. Plus, it's nice to dedicate a small sliver of my evening to some quiet, me time. Is it helping? It's probably not hurting. I'd like to add another session or two on non-run days during the week, but I' still finding it hard to squeeze in the time.

Swim: 3 times in my beloved outdoor pool for 4800 meters (1600 m each) in about 2:11. Slow, but I'm getting back into it and doing a lot of drills, so it's all good. The important thing right now is that I'm getting in the water.

Total: 77 sessions in about 63:27, a pretty good month for me.

The first part of July has already gone pretty wonky with family in town and us planning a last-minute weekend trip, so I don't expect there to be big numbers in a few weeks. I think my main goals for July are to be consistent and have some fun. Maybe I'll even sign up for a race, but we'll see how the month goes.

Stay healthy and safe out there!

Week in review June 28-July 4: Fitting in workouts around family in town

A darn good balance of run, PT, and bike.

Last week wasn't the greatest for swim-bike-run, but I had a good reason: My uncle came into town from out of state later in the week, and on Sunday 20 members of my family went to the ballgame. We were pretty rowdy, but we intentionally bought tickets in the shaded nosebleed seats, so no one got kicked out. Ha!

Thursday became a rest day since we met my uncle for dinner about halfway between our place and my parents' place. I have been feeling kind of stressed and overwhelmed lately so it was nice to take a break in the middle of the week and catch up with family. It was also nice to take the night off cooking.

I had one of the worst runs of my life on Friday. It was warm but not hot and humid, so that wasn't it. My legs had no pep in them and I felt sick to my stomach. I almost quit at miles 2 and 4 but I told myself to just keep going for an hour and get it over with. It was horrible and I was never so glad to be back home. I'm still not sure WHY this felt so badly other than just cumulative fatigue and stress.

I was feeling much better by Saturday for a long trainer ride and my weights workout, and got up early-ish on Sunday to squeeze in a 9-mile run before family started coming over. It WAS hot and humid again, but I stopped to drink some of my ice water every 2 miles, zoned out to a new podcast, and jogged it out. I did get a pretty bad side stitch at the very end, which I think was just because I was running low on water and trying to ration. Next time I might swing by home to fill up my bottle instead.

I didn't make it to the pool last week. It looks like we're taking a spontaneous trip out of town next weekend, so after I get home from that I feel like it would be a good time to regroup and figure out if I want to do any races yet this summer and fall so I can start training more seriously if I want.

No swimming, but that's OK.

Last week was:

Run: Three times, all on the road, for 22.5 miles in about 3:49. Most of these were hot and miserable but I got them done.

PT/Pre-hab: Six sessions (3 mobility and 3 running rehab) in about 3:45. This is almost as much as I ran, which is about where I need to be in my early 40s, I think.

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 59 fake trainer miles in about 3:33. I have been dropping my fourth trainer workout in favor of "other" lately, which I think is OK for now as long as I don't have a race on the horizon.

Weights: Three times including one core session, one mid-week barre app session, and one heavy/body routine for about 2:45. I changed up my one-legged squats this week and hoo boy did I feel it the next day.

Yoga: Three times, all Down Dog app sessions on run days, for about 45 minutes total. Never has a half pigeon hurt so good.

Total: 18 sessions for about 14:37. A pretty good week, especially considering all the ruckus sprinkled throughout.

We're looking at another hot week with thunderstorms coming up, never mind going out of town for the weekend, so outdoor runs and swims might be iffy for a while. I'm going to try to front-load this week and if I can't, eh, we'll consider it a summer break while I figure out what if anything I'm training for later on.

I hope you are staying cool and getting whatever training done that feels good for you.

100 running miles for June!

I'll do a full June recap later, but I was thrilled to hit 100 running miles for the month. I'd gotten pretty close in April and May so it was nice to hit triple digits for the first time in a couple of months.

I realize numbers are arbitrary and mileage doesn't matter in the great scheme of things and we're all just evolved monkeys on a rock hurtling through space, but it still felt good.

I hope you also had great running for June!

Week in review June 21-27: Through hell(ish temperatures) and high water

You say boring, I say consistent.

It's been A Week. It started off as most weeks do, with an easy trainer ride and supplemental work, and a run on the coolest day of the week. Even my husband came with me for a few miles.

Then, someone turned the furnace on and the Midwest became a relentless inferno. I made it to the pool once on a day I got lucky dodging rain clouds. In two separate incidents, we had to rip out drywall and repair a water line leak (!), and we had severe thunderstorms that caused flooding and kept my husband busy all day Saturday. I don't care if I don't see another drop of water for a while.

I wasn't in a great mental place Friday and ended up passing out on the couch early-ish while watching Parks and Recreation reruns, so I skipped a workout that day. One of our dogs is terrified of storms, so she kept us up most of the night Friday into Saturday. Saturday, a lot of friends were dealing with flooding and property loss, which was difficult to see. We ended up on the lucky side but it was still a rough weekend.

I knew the weather was only going to get hotter as the day went on Sunday so I went out for a long run mid-morning. It was "feels like" high 80s by the time I finished but I had enough ice water and just gutted it out. I came home to coffee (yes I drink it hot all summer long) and bacon, so it was a pretty good way to wrap up a summer run.

I'm still not signed up for any races, so I think this mix of a few runs in the heat, some bike trainer rides, a swim here and there, and my usual weights, PT, and yoga routine, and maybe a complete rest day here and there, is just fine for the time being.

A decent amount of training this week, considering.

Overall, training was:

Bike: Three times, all on the trainer, for 58.5 trainer "miles" in about 3:35. I would have liked to go out for a road ride Saturday, but the highways were and still are flooded, so no one's going anywhere for a while.

Run: Twice, both on the road, for 20 miles in about 3:24. This was one easy mid-week run and one 12.5-miler in the heat, just in case I want to jump into a half marathon this fall, haha.

Weights: Three times -- my usual core Monday, a mid-week video, and my Saturday heavy/body weight routine -- for about 2:50.

PT/Pre-hab: Five times, three mobility and two PT sessions, for about 2:45. I did skip one of my usual PT sessions for my sanity. 

Swim: One 1600-meter swim of drills and 200s for about 44 minutes.

Yoga: Twice, both Down Dog app, for 30 minutes total.

Total: 16 sessions for about 13:47. A good summer week that included some easy workouts and a rest day.

I'm not setting any records right now but I am getting out and enjoying summer when I can. I still have to take my bike out on the road and go run trails, but I'll get those done eventually. In the meantime I'm maintaining my consistency and sanity in the air conditioning when I can.