Taking the Long Way Home

It was an otherwise uneventful week in my life as I resumed my post-holiday routine. Work continues to be busy as the baby boom continues unabated! I can't complain. I'm grateful that almost all the parents we see are pro-vaccine. Tough times, for sure. And while this is a fitness blog, I also want to comment on how heartbroken I am for Minneapolis and the family of Renee Good. It's hard to process the news cycle these days. 

Chicago had some good news late last night as the Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers in a wild playoff game!!

As always, I lean into running and fitness to give me an outlet and relief from the anxiety I am feeling. While I'm feeling better physically after having back to back illnesses, I'm tired.  It's all been a lot lately.

Weekly Rundown:

Sunday: trail run 6.3 miles

Monday: yoga/auxiliary strength

Tuesday: Fluid running

Wednesday: trail run 6 miles

Thursday: yoga/auxiliary strength

Friday: treadmill run 5 miles

Saturday: rest

I woke up to a beautiful sunrise and, for the first time in 2 weeks, felt excited to head to the trails for a run. It was peaceful, cool, and there was no wind. The trail was snow-packed, and I started out with an easy-paced run. I didn't expect to see any deer, but sure enough, about a mile into my run, I spotted a little deer in the middle of the trail. I watched him step off the trail into the woods, and there he followed his mom across the trail in front of me and back into the woods! It never gets old. 

I did see several other groups of deer as I made my way around the preserve. I started to run out of gas, so I slowed my roll and did a lot more walking. Still, I felt good, and hopefully, I'm on an upswing!

It was back to the gym on Monday for a new auxiliary strength cycle! We returned to our previous format of 4 stations: 

Set 1:

4 rounds :40 goblet squats (30#)/:10 transition/:40 frog pump (25#)/:30 rest

Set 2:

4 rounds :40 calf raises (45# BB)/:10 transition/:40 DB (10#) deadbug/:30 rest

Set 3: 

4 rounds :40 step up with knee drive (25#)/:10 transition/:40 RDLs (85# BB)/:30 rest

Set 4:

4 rounds: :40 reverse lunge with knee drive/:10 transition/:40 bear crawl hold/:30 rest

On Tuesday, I woke up with some pretty significant doms from yesterday's strength sesh. I was grateful I had my weekly Fluid Running session on the calendar. Starting this week, my new manager changed my start time on Tuesday from 8 am to 8:40 am, giving me an extra 40 minutes in the morning before I have to get to work. The pool opens at 5:30 am--I can't get there any earlier--and prior to this, it was a race with the clock for me to do my workout, get home, get ready, and get to work by 8 am. This morning, with my new start time, felt almost leisurely! I was in such a good mood all day--it's amazing what a difference this made for me!

I got out later than usual on Wednesday--I did a deep dive into my photo library, trying to free up storage so I wouldn't have to buy more. No such luck, even after deleting over 1000 photos and videos. I finally gave my money to Apple, so I don't have to waste any more time on that thankless task. 

Anyhoo, it was a gloomy but mild morning, and mine was the only car in the parking lot. Not much to say about this run-I saw a couple of deer, some bluebirds, cardinals, and woodpeckers, and a lot of fat squirrels. The trails were very muddy and slick, so I stuck to the sides of the trail, trying to stay upright. 

Still a little sore, I returned to the gym on Thursday for my auxiliary strength class. More people came to class than on Monday, and everyone was talking about how sick they were over the holidays! I also found out that several of my neighbors had covid too. I hope that this means the worst of the sick season is over. 

The format for our workout was the same as on Monday: 

4 stations: 

Set 1:

4 rounds :40 seated overhead press (20# DB)/:10 transition/:40 banded pull aparts/:30 rest

Set 2: 

4 rounds :40 alternating bicep curls (15# DB)/:10 transition/:40 overhead triceps extension (15# DB)/:30 rest)

Set 3: 

4 rounds :40 alternating bench press (20# DB)/:10 transition/:40 upright rows (35#BB)/:30 rest

Set 4:

4 rounds :40 marching elbow plank/:10 transition/:40 prone back extensions/:30 rest

I woke up Friday morning to strong winds with gusts up to 55 mph. Combined with the darkness of the early morning, the decision to run on the treadmill was not a difficult one. Pushing through the run? A little more challenging. I'm still recovering from Covid, so I took it slow and finished my 5 miles in an hour. I had a little fun with my cooldown, which you can watch here. 

How was your week? Has it been warm where you are? Are you starting a new training cycle-be it running, strength training, or Peloton?

I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown.