Running Down the Last Week of 2021

January 2, 2022 by 28 Comments

Happy New Year!

Thanks to a staycation and lots of fun family time, I was able to take a much-needed exhale and relax during this last week. I’m feeling refreshed and ready for 2022!

Before I turn the page, here’s a quick peek at my final week of fitness for 2021.

Weekly Run Down – Week 52

Monday — 2-mile walk, Core & Yoga.
Tuesday — 3.1-mile run, Core & Stretch. 40s and sunshine made it well worth it to push my run to the late morning.

Wednesday –– 1-mile walk, Upper Body Strength, Core & Stretch.
Thursday –– 4.25-mile run & Stretch.
Friday — 3.2-mile walk & Yoga.
Saturday — 4-mile run, Core & Stretch.

A New Year’s Day run has become a tradition of the past few years, and when you can do it in shorts and new kicks, all the better!

Aren’t they pretty?!

Sunday — Peloton Bike, Core & Stretch. I also got my booster shot and flu shot this morning. I was so happy to finally find appointments for the whole family, though it took booking at 3 different pharmacies. Hopefully, there won’t be a vax hangover to contend with – but the plan for the rest of the day is to chill on the couch and watch some football.

With the end of the year, I wrapped up both the #3for31 challenge and #FFHolidayChallenge. I finished 2021 with 654.61 miles – not bad given that there were a few non-running weeks thanks to dealing with my cranky right hip. Thankfully the hip has been happy ever since the cortisone shot, and overall running has felt pretty good. Now the goal is to keep it that way!

Just a couple of 2022 Goals

And, speaking of goals, I recently runfessed that despite being a big goal-setter, I didn’t have any big fitness goals for 2022. For now, I’ve decided to stick with the approach I took for 2021, and focus on smaller monthly goals. I do have two year-long goals: 1) Attempt to do daily strength work (I’m borrowing this one from Cari) and 2) stay off injured reserve (see goal #1). There may be some race goals down the road, but right now I only have one race on the calendar and that’s not until Memorial Day weekend. Hopefully, there will be more racing this year than 2021’s two 10Ks and I would love a blogger meet-up or two.

For January goals, I’m also taking on the 31-day Virtual Ragnar Challenge (thanks to Jenn for this one!).

How was your last week of 2021? Are you setting any 2022 goals?

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

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Christmas Week Run Down

December 26, 2021 by 27 Comments

This week was a blur and just like Christmas 2021 is in the books! Christmas Eve and Day were filled with food, family, and laughter and I am so ready to enjoy having the week ahead off from work.

As always, I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down – here’s a quick peek at the week that was.

Weekly Run Down – Week 51

Monday — Upper Body Strength, Core, Day 8 of the #12DaysofFitmas, & Stretch.

Tuesday — 3-mile run & Fitmas Day 9. The plan had been to enjoy the milder temps during an afternoon run. But, as they say, ish happens and this run didn’t happen until after dark. Thankful for having a treadmill as an option…though I still think ‘mill miles should count for double!

Wednesday — Fitmas Day 10, Peloton Bike, Core & Stretch.

Thursday –– 4-mile run, Fitmas Day 11 & Stretch.

Friday — Yoga & the final day of Fitmas.

Saturday — 4-mile run & Stretch. Icy rain had me back on the mill, but always so happy to move virtually with this wonderful group of women!

A huge thank you to Kim for this fun collage!

Sunday — 3-mile walk & TBD. My husband J and I got out for our usual Sunday walk and right now I’m all about lingering over my coffee. Some football and board games are definitely in the plans…whether there will be additional movement remains to be seen.

Tell me something about your week.

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Filed Under: #12DaysofFitness, Weekly Run Down

Week 50 – Fitting it all in!

December 19, 2021 by 27 Comments

Just as I declared last week the “season of busyness”, this week stepped up and said “hold my beer” LOL!

But it’s all good, and I just rolled with it. My son came home for college break on Thursday night and my high schooler started his break on Friday, and by this weekend I was starting to feel like I was catching my breath.

I fit in my workouts where I could – here’s a quick look at my week in fitness.

Weekly Run Down — Week 50

Monday — Lower Body Strength, Core, & Day 1 of the #12Days of Fitmas!

Tuesday — Peloton Bike, Upper Body Strength, Fitmas Day 2 & Stretch. As part of my upper body strength, I included one of Tunde’s Arms & Light Weights classes – I forgot what an arm burner those sessions are!

Wednesday — Fitmas Day 3 & Yoga. I had a run planned but woke up with a crazy headache that I just couldn’t shake, but yoga and a little Fitmas were a nice alternative.

Thursday –– Peloton Bike, Core, Fitmas Day 4 & Stretch.

Friday — 3-mile run, Yoga & Fitmas Day 5. Mother Nature graced us with temps in the upper 50s so I was all smiles to get a December run in shorts!

Saturday — 4.5-mile run, Fitmas Day 6 & Stretch. Weather whiplash as winter weather returned with a vengeance! We didn’t get the predicted snow, but most of the day was sleet and rain – thankfully I got out early enough to miss the mess.

Grey day had me playing with filters

Sunday — 2-mile walk & Fitmas Day 7. My husband J and I got out early for our usual Sunday walk, though we shortened it a bit so we could get moving on some errands. Most of today will be spent making cookies, wrapping gifts, and watching football.

For the week ahead, I’m looking forward to a short work week, catching up with friends, and prepping to host family for Christmas dinner. The goal is to continue to soak up all of the goodness of the season!

In case you missed it:

Last-minute Stocking Stuffers for the Runner in Your Life

What are you looking forward to?

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

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Week 49 – Tis The Season of Busyness

December 12, 2021 by 10 Comments

The “busyness” of the season hit full stride this week! No complaints – all good stuff happening! Suffice it to say the days have been full, but the workouts did happen.

Here’s a quick look at my week in workouts.

Weekly Run Down – Week 49

Monday — Peloton Bike, Lower Body Strength, Core, & Foam Rolling. Started the week with a focus on the legs. I hadn’t taken one of Emma’s cycle classes in a while, and this was a great warm-up before the strength classes. This ride was part of Peloton’s new series of “Stacking Stuffer” classes – short classes for the busy holiday season.

Tuesday – 1.5-mile walk & Yoga

Wednesday – 4-mile run, Core, & Stretch. I had an extra early start to the workday but was able to slip in a midday run ahead of the forecasted snow.

Thursday – 3.2-mile run & Stretch. Busyness dominated the day, but I was determined to carve out some time for a run. I finally hit the mill just before dinner. I took advantage of 2 more of Peloton’s Stacking Stuffer classes combining a progressive run and HIIT run – this really helped to make the mill miles pass quickly

Friday – 3-mile walk

Saturday – 2-mile walk, Upper-Body & Lower-Body Strength, Core, Peloton Bike, & Stretch. A poor night of sleep left me feeling a little off so I moved my run to Sunday. Still managed to get a solid workout done along with a lot of Christmas prep and shopping.

Sunday – 4.25-mile run done. Yoga is planned for later.

12 Days of Fitmas Starts Monday!

I’m looking forward to joining 11 of my fellow bloggers in hosting the 12 Days of Fitmas! This will be a fun fitness challenge with a new move added on each day. The fun starts Monday so I hope you’ll join us!

In case you missed it:

Fit Five Friday – 5 Benefits of Cross Training

How was your week?

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

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Filed Under: #12DaysofFitness, Weekly Run Down

Hello December!

December 5, 2021 by 20 Comments

Here we are at the last month of the year…can you believe it?! I’m looking forward to soaking up all the festive vibes this month has to offer!

As always, I’m setting a couple of monthly fitness goals to help finish the year strong. But, before I get to my December goals, here’s a quick peek at my workouts this week.

Weekly Run Down – Hello December!

Monday — Peloton Ride, Core & Stretch. This was my first time taking a 45 min ride and, as always, Robin delivered a great class! It was a long day back at work after having last week off, and this ride gave me the boost I needed.

Tuesday — 1-mile walk and Yoga Flow: Hips. Way too much time sitting at my laptop left me feeling creaky – time on my mat helped!

Wednesday — 3-mile run, Core & Stretch. Kicked off Day 1 of the #3for31 Challenge hosted by Peloton instructor Robin – the goal is to walk or run 3 miles each day or move for 30 minutes daily from December 1 -31. I’m already participating in the #FFHolidayChallenge with 30 mins of movement daily from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, but I couldn’t pass up a challenge hosted by one of my favorite Peloton instructors so I’ll be double-dipping.

Spied the last bit of fall color on Wednesday’s run

Thursday — Peloton Ride, Lower Body Strength & Stretch.

Friday — 3-mile run & Stretch. The wind was wicked and I just didn’t have it in me to face it again, so I hit the mill for the first time in I cannot even remember how long!

Saturday — 4-mile run, Core & Stretch. Mother Nature showed some mercy with the wind and I was very happy to get back outside.

Sunday — 3-mile walk & Stretch. My husband J and I continued our Sunday morning walk streak before prepping for a busy day of decorating.

December Goals

  • Complete the #3for31 Challenge and the #FFHoliday Challenge – This means at least 30 minutes of movement every day.
  • Continue to keep my right hip happy — Things have been going well with my right hip so of course, I want to keep doing the things that are keeping my hip happy focusing on lower body strength (especially Peloton’s Strength for Runners classes) and daily stretching/yoga.
  • Extend my “long runs” to 6 -7 miles. I’m still in base-building mode but would like to see my overall mileage nudge up just a bit.

Any goals to finish the year? 

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

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Weekly Run Down – Thankful

November 28, 2021 by 26 Comments

Happy Sunday!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. It was so nice to have this week off from work, to have my college boy home for a few days, and to spend time hanging (and eating!) with family. My heart is full and I am thankful.

As always, I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down link-up so here’s a quick look at my week in workouts.

Weekly Run Down – Thankful

Monday — Strength for Runners, Core, Peloton Low-Impact Ride & Stretch. The Strength for Runners classes have become some of my favorite classes on the Peloton app – so much single-leg work.

Tuesday — 3.3-mile run & Core. Despite the wind, this run felt really good – was it the switch to 5:1 intervals? was it the new shoes?

Trying out the Brooks Ghost

Wednesday –– 2.5-mile walk & PT exercises.

Thursday — 4-mile run, Core & Stretch. Thankful to virtually trot with these ladies!

Thanks to Kim for the collage!

Friday — 1-mile walk otherwise rest. This was a super lazy hangout day, but I did get 1 mile in for Day 2 of the #FFHolidayChallenge of 30 mins of movement a day from Thanksgiving to New Year’s.

Saturday — 4.2-mile run, Core & Stretch. The wind was just rude and made this run feel really challenging.

Sunday — 3-mile walk & Yoga.

In case you missed it:

Black Friday Runfessions

How was your week? Have you been battling the wind on your runs?

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Running into Thanksgiving Week

November 21, 2021 by 26 Comments

Happy Sunday!

That sound you hear is me exhaling after a very busy week. With a staycation on the horizon, I knew work this work would be extra crazy, but then throw in my youngest son home sick for a couple of days, parent-teacher zoom conferences, and life in general, and yeah I’m ready for some downtime. On the workout front, this was definitely a “do what you can, when you can” type of week, here’s how things played out.

Weekly Run Down – Running into Thanksgiving Week

Monday — Upper body strength and core courtesy of raking the never-ending collection of leaves in my yard. I woke up feeling sluggish so I opted to pass on an early morning workout. Nothing like old-school yardwork to work the arms, shoulders, and back.

Tuesday — Peloton Ride, Lower Body Strength, Core & Stretch. Robin’s live DJ ride offered a fun playlist.

Wednesday — 3.1-mile run & Stretch. Everything about this run felt hard…no particular reason why. As I posted on Instagram, some days you are the windshield, and some days you are the bug – this was a bug run.

Thursday — Rest Day. My schedule was cray cray, and I kept pushing my workout later and later, and eventually just waved the white flag.

Friday — 3-mile run, Core & Stretch. Wrapped up work early and took advantage of the mild mid-afternoon temps – this run was a nice bounceback after Wednesday’s rough run.

Saturday — 4.25-mile run, Core, and a couple of hours of yard clean-up/leaf-raking.

Sunday — 2-mile walk, Core, & Yoga. I woke up feeling every bit of yesterday’s rolling hills run and the yardwork, but a little movement always helps.

For the week ahead, I am so looking forward to having time off from work, to the college boy coming home, and to enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday with family.

What have you got planned for Thanksgiving Week?

In case you missed it:

Fit Five Friday – National Running Safety Month

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

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Just Rolling Along

November 14, 2021 by 13 Comments

These November days seem to be just rolling along – hard to believe we’re halfway through the month already. It was a fairly uneventful week as far as the workouts went…and sometimes, uneventful is a good thing. Here’s how the week played out:

Weekly Run Down – Week 45

Monday — 1-mile walk, Lower body strength, Core & Stretch

Tuesday — 3.1-mile run, Core & Stretch. When I saw the forecast for the day, I opted to push my run to later in the day. 72 degrees and a midday 5K – yes, please!

Wednesday — Rest day. I woke up feeling a little off and it just didn’t get better as the day went on. Add in an extra busy workday and a rest day it was.

Thursday — 3.1-mile run & PT Exercises. While I was up before the sun, a quick peek at my weather app showed another beautiful afternoon on tap, and with my schedule light on Zoom calls, I knew I could make another midday run happen. The weather was perfection and so was the view!

Friday — 30 min Peloton ride, Core & Stretch. Crazy wind and rain had me take my workout indoors, so I stacked a couple of Peloton’s new scenic rides for a change of pace and enjoyed rides through Tuscany & Tempe.

Saturday — 3.5-mile run and PT exercises. The weather app said it was mid-30s, but it felt much warmer.

Sunday — Presently lingering over coffee, but will head out soon for a 4-mile walk and then most likely a Peloton ride later.

Reconnecting with Coach Marc

Running continues to feel good and I’m enjoying this slow and easy base-building. I recently reconnected with Coach Marc as I start to mull over possible race plans for 2022. I really enjoy working with Marc and remain hopeful that road races will continue to trend towards “normal” next year.

And, speaking of Coach Marc, I want to give a big shoutout to him for his upcoming 100-mile fundraising run on November 26! He’ll be attempting to run 100 miles in 24 hours to raise funds for WholeSchool Mindfulness, a nonprofit he co-founded a couple of years ago that is focused on mindfulness in schools to positively impact the mental health of all members of a school community. Such a great mission – I encourage you to check out the work they’re doing.

In case you missed it:

Five Lessons from My Sugar Detox

I’m linking up with Kim and the birthday girl Deborah for the Weekly Run Down link-up.

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Filed Under: running coach, Weekly Run Down, WholeSchool Mindfullness

Week 44 – Hello November

November 7, 2021 by 28 Comments

I’m back from our road trip. We saw family members we haven’t seen in ages so it was nice to catch up, despite the circumstances that brought us together. After all of the driving to and from upstate New York both this weekend and last weekend, I’m looking forward to not being back on the road for a while.

I have the NYC Marathon on the DVR and have managed to avoid any coverage on the socials, so before I plant myself on the couch, here is a quick look at how the first week in November fitness played out.

Weekly Run Down – Week 44

Monday – Hello November! 3.1-mile run, Core & Stretch

Start of a new day, new week, new month.

Tuesday – 2-mile walk & Core

Wednesday – Lower Body Strength, Core, Peloton Ride, & Stretch. This was a great stack that I definitely plan to repeat!

Thursday – 3-mile run followed by a sports massage!

Friday – 2-mile walk, Core & PT exercises

Saturday – 3-mile run. After 7 hours in the car on Friday, this run felt so good. Our hotel was just a short drive to Lock 32 State Canal Park, so it was a brisk (27 degrees!) run along the Erie Canal.

Sunday – Another long car ride…there may be yoga later, but I may just become one with my couch.

November Goals

The mini-goals I set for the post-race weeks in October worked so well that I’m putting them on repeat for November (minus the 2-week sugar detox!). My hip continues to feel really good so why mess with a good thing, right?

There were so many races this weekend – congrats to all of the runners, including Weekly Run Down link-up hosts Kim and Deborah.

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A full moon kind of week

October 24, 2021 by 16 Comments

Is it just me or was this quite the week?! Everything felt just a little…off? I’m going to chalk it up to the full moon… or perhaps the effects of my sugar detox (more on that in a minute). First, here’s how the week’s workouts played out.

Full moon spotted on Thursday morning’s walk.

Weekly Run Down – Week 42

Monday — Lower Body Strength, Core, Peloton ride & Stretch. Out of curiosity, I tried one of the Barre classes on the Peloton app as part of my strength workout. I did not love it. Thankfully, I picked a short class.

Tuesday — Day 2 of the sugar detox and I hit the sugar wall (at least that’s what I’m calling it)! Felt really sluggish and had a withdrawal headache. This combine with a cray cray workday that left me spent…I took a rest day.

Wednesday — 3-mile run, Core & Stretch. Mother Nature finally hit the switch on the fall weather, my energy level bounced back, and I couldn’t have been happier!

Thursday — 2.5-mile walk & PT exercises. Another nutty workday so I was super grateful to have a sports massage scheduled at the end of the day.

Friday — 1-mile walk, Full Body Strength & Stretch.

Saturday — 4-mile run, Core & Stretch. More 50-degree perfection and this run felt so good!

Sunday — 3.5-mile walk, PT exercises, & Yoga.

Just 2 runs this week and felt great on both. Slow and steady progress!

Sugar Detox Week 1 Done.

Going into the sugar detox I had been warned of possible withdrawal side effects — headaches, sluggishness/low energy, muscle aches — check, check, and check. I definitely rode the roller coaster of these effects with Tuesday being the worst of it.  My energy level kind of ebbed and flowed so I let how I felt dictate whether I walked or ran. By Saturday I woke up with some pep in my step and that’s carried over to this morning as well. Week 2 of the detox is on deck.

In case you missed it:

Five things to consider before applying to be a brand ambassador

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

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