Enjoying a Mid-Year Break

I’m soaking up the final day of a 9-day break from all things work-related! My office has an org-wide shutdown for the week of July 4th so I’ve been blissfully logged off my computer since end-of-day June 30th! I runfess that leading up to the time off my fuse was getting a little short – so this mid-year break couldn’t have come at a better time! I’ve used this staycation to catch up with friends and family, do some remodel-related shopping, read, lounge on the deck (when the humidity would allow), and generally just recharge.

And yes, of course, there were workouts – here’s a quick peek into how this week in fitness played out.

Enjoying a Mid-Year Break

Monday — 3 miles. My youngest decided to join me – so fun!


Tuesday — 1.5-mile walk, Upper Body Strength & Core
Wednesday — Rest day – I was feeling super lazy so I embraced it and spent the day reading and lounging. No regrets!
Thursday — 3 miles & Core
Friday — 2.5-mile walk, Lower Body Strength & Core
Saturday — 6 miles. The humidity was absolutely soul-sucking – this was definitely a character-building run

A sweaty mess at the halfway mark!

Sunday — Yoga and Hip mobility work

This weekend marks 12 weeks until the TC 10M. It feels good to be starting this training cycle already at 6 miles for my long run – I can ramp up gradually taking the weather and my upcoming vacation time into account. I plan to stick to running 3 days a week so I’ll also start to add a bit more to my weekday runs. I also just picked up a pretty new yoga mat which I hope will inspire me to get in at least 1 yoga session a week to complement my daily stretching and hip mobility work.

How was your week? Are you training for a race?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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A Fall Race on the Horizon

Well, it’s been more than a minute since I last checked in with a weekly update. Life’s been busy but good – blogging has just taken a backseat. The workouts have pretty much been on autopilot but thanks to the Run Happy Team, I finally have at least one fall race on the horizon so in the coming weeks that will change. But for now, it was a pretty basic week…here’s a quick peek into how this week in fitness played out.

the view from Tuesday’s run

A Fall Race on the Horizon

Monday — Full Body Strength & Core
Tuesday — 3 miles & Core
Wednesday — Rest day
Thursday — 4 miles and a much-needed sports massage
Friday — 2-mile walk, Core & Upper Body Strength
Saturday — 2-mile walk, Full Body Strength & Core
Sunday — 6 miles & Hip mobility work

Medtronic TC 10 Mile

So thanks to the Brooks Run Happy Team, I was gifted an entry to the Medtronic TC 10 Mile which is part of the Twin Cities Marathon race weekend. I make no secret of my love for 10M races and this one has a reputation to be a good one! I was excited to be able to skip the lottery (yes it’s that popular) and so now I’ve got at least one fall race to look forward to!

How was your week? Any Fall race plans?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Shifting into Summer Mode

This week I got a real taste of summer running as temps touched the upper 80s a few days this week. My high schooler wrapped up classes and finishes his last exam on Monday. I started June off with a long weekend, taking both Friday and Monday off, giving me some quality time on my deck and in my garden…so yep starting to shift into summer mode around here. I was definitely feeling a little out-of-sorts this week (allergies? poor sleep? the heat?) so I appreciated the shortened workweek. My workouts were pretty low-key…here’s how the week played out.

Shifting into Summer Mode

Monday — 2.5-mile walk, Core & Hip mobility work. I woke up feeling every bit of Sunday’s five-mile race and the afternoon of gardening that followed, but getting some movement helped.
Tuesday — Rest day.
Wednesday — 3 miles & Core. OMG, was it a steamy run! This will be my last midday run until we’re well into the Fall!
Thursday — Lower Body Strength.
Friday — 4.5 miles & Core. With the forecast showing the possibility of reaching 90 I made sure to get out in the early morning for this run!
Saturday — 2-mile walk & Yoga.
Sunday — 3 miles & a couple of hours of gardening.

Overall an easy-peasy week. The temps are supposed to drop a bit this week so I’m hoping to start to bump back up my weekly mileage.

In case you missed it:

An Iced Coffee Chat for June

How was your week? Did you do any racing? Have you shifted into summer mode yet?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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A Tough Week

This was a tough week. Work was hectic, I spent way too much time in my car with multiple days of long commutes, and then there was some added family drama at the end of the week (parenting is not for the faint of heart!). Since this was supposed to be race week, the workouts were lighter than usual and I was just fine with that – Keep reading and I’ll explain the “supposed to” part.

A Tough Week

Monday — Rest day. While I usually like to start the week off strong, after another night of poor sleep it just wasn’t happening.
Tuesday — 2-mile walk, Core, & Yoga
Wednesday — 2-mile walk, Core & Upper Body Strength
Thursday — 3 miles & Core
Friday — 2.5 miles & Hip Mobility Work. I hadn’t planned on running but I received a great collection of new gear from Brooks as part of the Run Happy Team and couldn’t resist a short run. (Plus, I had some crazy to burn off!)
Saturday — Rest day.

I woke up early Saturday morning (like 3:30 early) and knew the thought of getting in my car to drive to Connecticut for Sunday’s race was bringing me no joy…so my hubby and I agreed to cancel our hotel room and take a DNS. Sorry, not sorry. After a sleepless night, I took advantage of the rainy day to park myself on the couch with my book and rest. There may have even been a nap.

The hubs and I also decided to jump in on a last-minute registration for the Run to Remember 5 Miler next weekend – there’s always another race, right?! This race is a fave that I’ve run a number of times, but I had not planned on running it this year since it was scheduled for the weekend following the Mystic 10K.

So the plan today is to get a run of 6 – 7 miles and re-group for what I hope will be a quieter, drama-free week ahead.

In case you missed it:

Ways to Beat the Heat – Summer Running Tips

Do you ever decide you’re just not feeling a race? Are you quick to make up for a DNS?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Weekly Run Down – Sleep Deprived

Happy Mother’s Day to all of my fellow moms! I hope you all get spoiled by your families today.

I swear after this week, the one thing at the top of my wish list is a good night’s sleep! Despite my best efforts sleep was pretty elusive this week – I got into a bad cycle of waking up around 3 each morning and getting back to sleep was a challenge. By the time I got to Friday, I was toast! The workouts this week were not always pretty but they were done. Here’s a quick peek at the week that was.

Weekly Run Down – Sleep Deprived

Monday — 2-mile walk & Hip mobility work. Sunday’s 7-miler plus a poor night of sleep left me feeling very creaky so the extra focus on hip work was needed.
Tuesday — 2-mile walk otherwise Rest. Long day in the office but got a post-commute walk done.
Wednesday — 3 miles including hill repeats & Core. I was feeling the need to mix things up a bit so why not some spontaneous hill work?
Thursday — Yoga & Core. Also got a much needed sports massage.
Friday — 3 miles & Core. I was so not ready for it to be 80 degrees! Thanks to another lousy night of sleep I had pushed my run to midday. Had I bothered to check the weather in the morning I would have forced myself out the door earlier.
Saturday — 5 miles & Core. What a beautiful morning and these miles felt oh so good! I also spent a couple of hours weeding and cleaning up the garden – my hamstrings hate me LOL!


Sunday — 3-mile walk & TBD. When my hubs got up for his run I decided to head out for an early morning walk. My current situation is coffee – I’ve got one more day of Week 2 of Oliva’s core challenge to complete so I may pair that with an upper-body strength workout to give my legs a break.

The highlight of the week was the return of my college boy for the summer so I’ve got the best Mother’s Day gift of having both my boys under one roof again 🙂

The upcoming week is race week so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can catch a few more zzz’s.

In case you missed it:

Five Fave Fitness Power Songs

How was your week? Do you ever struggle with getting enough sleep?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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April Wrap-up and Setting May Goals

And just like that, another month is coming to a close. I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down to wrap up April and set some May goals. But first, here’s a quick look at this week in fitness.

April Wrap-up and Setting May Goals

Monday  — 1.5-mile walk, Upper Body Strength & Core
Tuesday — 2.25-mile walk, otherwise rest
Wednesday — Lower Body Strength & Hip mobility work
Thursday — 3-mile run
Friday — 1-mile walk & Yoga (hip focused)
Saturday — 6.2-mile run


Sunday — As I sit here with my coffee watching a steady rainfall, I have no interest in a cold rainy run so I’ll be taking my recovery “run” to the bike.

I logged 64 (mostly pain-free) miles this month and did pretty well with these April goals:

  • Opt outside every day – I missed just two days.
  • Daily stretching or mobility work – Check.
  • Increase long runs to 8 miles – Nope – just didn’t happen.
  • Complete the Team Wilpers Spring Run Challenge workouts. – In progress. I just finished week 5 of this 8-week challenge.

So, what’s on deck for May? I’m extending all of April’s goals and adding

  • Mystic 10K — I’m looking forward to running my first race of 2023!
  • Return to early morning runs — I runfessed that thanks to my sometimes hectic schedule, I’ve taken the fit it in where I can when I can. I prefer to get out and get my runs done early. This is especially a must once the weather turns hot so I might as well get back in the habit now, right?
  • Stick to a set workout schedule — See above.
  • Prioritize recovery and sleep

How was your April? What are you looking forward to in May?

 

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Kind of a Cut-back Week

This week the Team Wilpers Challenge hit the pause button on speedwork so it felt like a cut-back week of sorts. The work week was hectic – (I’m starting to feel like a broken record) and sleep has been evasive, so I was happy to scale back a bit and just run without a lot of pacing math. Here’s how the week in workouts played out.

Kind of a Cut-back Week

Monday – Lower body strength, Core, and 1.25-mile walk. Since I had the day off for the holiday (Patriot’s Day in MA), I had originally planned to drive out to spectate the Marathon. But, after 4 straight days of driving back and forth into the city (first for work then for Marathon-related fun), and knowing I had multiple days of commuting on deck, my body was begging for a rest. The less-than-ideal weather sealed it for me and I happily watched from the comfort of my couch 🙂
Tuesday – 1.5-mile walk & Yoga. An in-office day, but I did take a lunchtime walk and then hit my yoga mat after I got home.
Wednesday – 3.25-mile run. Another in-office day, but thankfully I was able to leave early enough in the afternoon to log some post-work miles.
Thursday – Peloton bike, 1-mile walk & Core
Friday – 2.8-mile run
Saturday – Peloton bike, Core, & 1.5-mile walk
Sunday – 5.6-mile run

This morning’s run was definitely the highlight of the week. Despite a poor night of sleep and the weather alternating between a light mist to heavy downpours, this was one of my better runs in the past couple of weeks – funny how that works sometimes. Hip mobility work and stretching continue on the daily, keeping my hip region happy and quiet. I’m looking forward to being in my car less this upcoming week – I definitely feel it if I spend too much time in the car.

How was your week?

I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

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April Mid-month Check-in

As I find myself so often saying lately, the days are flying by…and here we are already halfway through April. Things continue to be busy in this neck of the woods, though thankfully less manic than in March. Instead of a day-by-day update on the past couple of weeks, I’m checking in to share some quick highlights.

April Mid-month Check-in

Running

I’m very happy to say that my running is feeling good! I’ve just wrapped up Week 3 of the Team Wilpers Spring Run Challenge and am really enjoying getting a taste of speedwork again. My “long” runs are holding steady at 6 miles with yesterday’s run being an especially good one where everything seemed to click – and the beautiful spring weather was just icing on the cake.

I have 5 weeks until the Mystic 10K so I’m feeling good about where I am at this point.

Mobility work and Walking

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve put a lot of extra attention on the pre-hab work including daily stretching and hip-focused mobility and yoga classes on the Peloton app. It’s clearly been helping my running. And, while I’ve sprinkled in some low-impact classes on the bike, my go-to on non-running days has been walking – keeping my #optoutside goal for the month intact. As I’ve been prioritizing focusing on my core and lower body strength, upper body work has taken a backseat – perhaps that will change in the next couple of weeks, but perhaps not. For now, I’m just kinda rolling with what’s working best for me.

New Shoes!

Thanks to being a part of the Brooks Run Happy Team I can say with certainty that I don’t need any more running shoes. But, that didn’t stop me from ordering the new Boston-edition Hyperion Tempos – when it’s a collab between your favorite professional runner and your favorite shoe brand, how can you not 🙂

Can’t wait to try these during my next speed workout!

In case you missed it:

Five More Things About Me

April Coffee Chat

How’s April been treating you so far?

I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

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Welcoming April

After the cray cray that was March, I am giddy to be turning the page to a new month and setting some new goals! But first, here’s a quick look back at how this week’s workouts played out.

Welcoming April

Monday — Core and Hip Mobility work. I woke up feeling very creaky so I decided to focus on some hip mobility work
Tuesday — Peloton Bike and 1.7-mile walk. I was determined to not let an uber-early commute to the office and crappy weather get in the way of getting a workout in so I hit the bike at o’dark thirty. I slipped in a walk later in the day when the weather improved.


Wednesday — 3 miles. The weather was spring-like and my legs were feeling good – perfect timing since I had Team Wilpers 20-min distance test to kick off the Spring Run Challenge on tap. Wanting to get at least 3 miles, I ran this as a tempo run with the 20 min. block in the middle.
Thursday — Rest day.
Friday — 2.6 miles and Core. The Challenge called for a VO2 max run – it’s been more than a minute since I’ve attempted a programmed speed workout. It was fun to do something different.
Saturday — Upper Body Strength & 2-mile walk
Sunday — 5 miles. I woke up listening to the wind whipping around the house so there was no sense of urgency to head out – coffee first!

April Fitness Goals

If you’ve been around here for a while then you know I like to set monthly goals to help keep me accountable and on track. I missed setting any March goals, so here’s what I’m hoping to accomplish in April:

  • Opt outside every day – I’ve been missing my walks and with the increased daylight and hopefully Spring weather, it feels like a good time to get back to walking on my non-run days.
  • Daily stretching or mobility work
  • Increase long runs to 8 miles
  • Complete the Team Wilpers Spring Run Challenge workouts. The challenge is an 8-week challenge from March 27 – through the week of May 15. The Challenge will be a mix of easy running, incline training, and interval work which should align nicely with my May race.

Have you set any goals for April?

I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

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A Mixed Bag

A mixed bag – that seems to be the best way to sum things up since I last checked in for the Weekly Run Down. There has been some solid running, but a bit of crankiness has returned in my right hip area as my streak of consistent PT/hip mobility work hit some bumps. Overall, my workouts have been on the minimal side…but April is coming and with it, my version of “march madness” will wind down considerably.

Yes – just a few more days…in the meantime, here’s how this week in workouts played out.

A Mixed Bag

Monday — Rest Day. Despite trying to do all the right things following Sunday’s 6+ miles, my right hip was oh so unhappy, so I skipped the recovery run and opted for extra stretching.
Tuesday — 2.25 mile walk, Core, and Hip mobility work. Despite a long day in the office, I did manage a couple of miles at lunch with a colleague and some core and hip work after the late commute home.
Wednesday — 3 miles. The hip area felt less cranky and this run felt pretty good! And the bonus – shorts weather (see the header photo)
Thursday — 1-mile walk, Core & Lower body strength.
Friday — 5.5 miles & Yoga for Runners. I took advantage of having the day off and the weather to get my “long run” done. There was a little squawking from my hip over the last half mile so I followed up with one of the Yoga for Runners classes on the Peloton app.

All smiles and ready for the weekend!

Saturday — Upper Body Strength & Core
Sunday — 3.25 miles. I’ll probably queue up another Yoga for Runners class once I finish my coffee.

Such a beautiful morning!

Looking back over the past few weeks I think jamming workouts in where I could had me short-changing myself on proper recovery and I’ve paid for it a bit. Now with 8 weeks to go until the Mystic 10K, it’s important that I’m consistent in both my workouts and my recovery efforts.

In case you missed it:

5 Sources of Mental Clutter When Training

How’s your March been? Training for any races?

I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

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