Week in review Oct. 22-29: Now two pretty good weeks in a row

Heavy on the running, but solid all around.

It was another “pretty good” week. Not a monster week, but a bit of almost everything and even one rest day.

I was happy that I hit 50 running miles for the month on Sunday, and that Friday after work was clear enough to run for the first time in a while. It’s getting colder every day in Michigan – not sure why we skipped cool fall evenings and landed smack into actual cold – but I have been braving the brisk temperatures with plenty of hats, gloves, and long sleeves. I tend to err on the side of overdressing but I have been making a good effort to dress JUST warm enough for the weather. I don't like being chilled at first but I have been warming up pretty quickly.

I had family in town from Colorado on Tuesday so that was a rest day, although we did walk all over downtown. I should have done more PT or lifted weights on the weekend, but I started reading an actual book on Friday and we had tickets to a dance show Saturday, so I didn’t. I can’t be go-go-go all the time and I enjoyed the rest and relaxation.

I also got my flu shot on Friday after work, intentionally on a Friday as I have had bad reactions before and wanted the option to sleep all day if I needed to. Happily, this year I only got a bit tender in the lymph nodes and was able to carry on as usual, with a long trainer ride on Saturday and a long-ish run on Sunday. Hooray for helping avoid the spread of infectious diseases!

By the numbers, my training last week was:

Run/Walk: Three times, all on the road, for 15.9 miles in about 2:52. I’m pretty sure this is my highest volume week since I started building back, although not by much. My left hamstring and hip was a bit grumpy on Sunday so I have been doing some stretching and foam rolling.

Bike: Twice, both on the trainer, for 32.25 fake trainer miles (one hour-long session and one hour-and-a-half-ish-long session) in about 2:37. I re-tested my FTP on Thursday by doing that stupid ramp test and increased it by 30 points. I’m going to regret that this week, but I was absolutely dead by the end and am confident I went as hard as I could.

PT/Rehab: Twice, both solo rehab sessions, for about 1:15. I should have done more, but I had to budget my time.

Weights: One video for about 1:05.

Yoga: One 25-minute self-guided session, including a lot of stretching of the aforementioned grumpy hip and hamstring.

Total: 9 sessions in about 8:14.

Nothing out of the park, but still a solid week with a few minor successes. I'll take it.