Weekly Rundown- Oh, Hello June!
Well, it’s June and our rainy season has officially begun. There was a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico which threatened to head our way, but luckily all we got was two days of rain. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the first week of summer vacation! Not that I’m on vacation… but my daughter is, and that made everything easier. Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown- let’s get started. Sunday A ten mile run to the beach! This was the run I wanted to do on my birthday, but couldn’t because of my foot. Here I was, only a little more than two months later and able to do it. Hooray! I ran from my house to the beach and then jumped in the ocean. Monday I started the week with a yoga class, as always with my yoga bff Denis Morton on Peloton. Tuesday I like to call this workout a “run sandwich.” First I did a 20 minute glutes and legs strength class (all classes on Peloton), then did a two mile run, and then finished with a core class. I like this combo if I’m only running a short distance. Wednesday Global Running Day! Luckily it coincided with my day off of work, so I decided to do a 5k time trial. I treated it like a race, so I did a warm up run, and some strides and drills. Then I started my “race.” Well, it was a learning experience. The first two miles went well, and I ran at my planned pace. At the beginning of the third mile I was uncomfortable and I thought “You know, I could just stop”. WAIT! How did that thought get in there??? I suddenly became convinced that I couldn’t continue at my pace, and basically ran the last mile like a fartlek- alternating between slow and faster running. My last mile was an ENTIRE MINUTE slower than the first two. I really felt dissatisfied with the way I ran, but I certainly wasn’t going to beat myself up about it on Global Running Day (that would just be wrong!) But moving forward, I have to work on my mental game. 5Ks are hard, but it’s okay to be uncomfortable. I definitely could have run that last mile faster than I did, so it’s something to work on. Either that or I have to start specializing in two mile races. Just kidding. I have a 5K coming up on July 4th. Thursday I didn’t sleep well because of a stomach issue (sigh) so in the morning I luxuriously turned off my alarm and slept for an extra hour. I still had time to do a core class and pull-ups before work. So I got a good upper body workout, but didn’t get to do yoga. That’s okay- I needed the extra hour of sleep. I decided to try one of the new classes with Logan Aldridge, a 10 minute core class. My first thought was that there were too many breaks, and then I realized that it was a super hard class. There was a lot of time spent on moves where your head is not supported, and I’ve mentioned before that it makes my neck really sore. A couple people gave me suggestions, like Lisa said to press my tongue against the roof of my mouth, and Judy said to make sure I’m looking at my belly button and not the ceiling. I employed both those techniques, but my neck still hurt. Friday The rain has started! But luckily it was just rain and no thunder or lightning, so I got out for a three mile run. After the run I did Matty Maggiacomo’s 30 minute glutes and legs strength class from 3/22/21. This is a hard class, my friends! But I like it. I think it’s my favorite of all his lower body strength classes. While I was eating my breakfast I noticed that my throat seemed very tight and sore. Swallowing was vaguely uncomfortable, and my thought process went something like this: “What’s wrong with my throat? What if this is the start of some weird problem that’s going to get worse and worse until I can’t swallow? Will I have to have a feeding tube? I don’t want a feeding tube!!!” As the day went on I realized that it was actually DOMS from Logan’s core class! Darn you, Logan and your V-ups! I’m never doing your class again! As a matter of fact, I’m not doing any core moves where my head isn’t supported from now on. Saturday Yoga day! I did this class, which I’ve done before and liked. If you think yoga is just a bunch of gentle stretching, I urge you to try this class- it starts off with child’s pose (to lull you into a false sense of security) but goes on to some very challenging poses. Sunday On tap for today… a shorter “long” run. Everything is feeling good and I want to keep it that way, so this is a cutback week- I’ll probably run six miles. The rain has stopped so now it’s nice and steamy. That’s okay- bring it on! I’m ready for the summer heat. Do you have a favorite Peloton glutes and legs class? –I’m open to suggestions! Do you run in the rain? –I always do, unless it’s an electrical storm. My husband hates running in the rain though.