Weekly Rundown- Thanksgiving Recovery Week
Hello! Thanks for stopping by for the Weekly Rundown, hosted as always by Kim and Deborah. It was kind of a weird week- I didn’t exactly feel ill, but I also didn’t feel well. I’m pretty sure it was “Thanksgiving-itis”- I needed time to recover from that holiday. But, there were plenty of workouts, as always. Here’s how it all went down…. Sunday Trail run- 20 miles the hard way. I didn’t sleep well Saturday night; my stomach was not happy, and I was up multiple times to use the bathroom (TMI? Sorry…) I considered postponing this run, but then I thought, what if this happens the night before my race? I’m not going to DNS the race, so I might as well do this run. It actually wasn’t that bad… for the first 17 miles. I got started just as the sun was rising (see top photo- I love my trail!) but by the end, the “feels like” temperature was 88 degrees, and I felt it. But I got it done! Monday I did my usual post-long run walk one mile, run 3 miles. In the past I always took a day off after my long runs, but I’m trying to get my legs used to running the next day. I have big back-to-back long runs coming up (more on that later.) Tuesday Strength at home. Runner’s Touch, work on the pull up bar, overhead press with dumbbells, dead bugs and plank. I know I’m always blathering on about Runner’s Touch, but I love that exercise so much. It involves strength and balance, and I do it without shoes on so it works the muscles in my feet and ankles, as well as glutes and hamstrings. Wednesday WOOHOO! Our “Florida cold” front came through, and it was 54 degrees for this 4 mile run, which felt amazing. Thursday Still in the 50s! 3 mile run followed by planks, dead bugs, and more Runner’s Touch. Friday Gym day! When I got there, someone was using MY SLED. This has never happened before- I figure people use it in my absence because sometimes it’s loaded with different weights (and even that baffles and disconcerts me a little.) Not only was it being used, but it was being used by a GROUP, and they were all taking turns. What? I started off with squats and deadlifts, and then finally my sled was free. But the group had it loaded with an extra 45 pound plate. I usually have two 45 pound plates on, and they had three. I thought, “If they can do it, I can do it! After all, I am a SLED EXPERT.” Well… it was way harder, but I could do it, and it felt exhilarating to have an extra challenge. Just goes to show- sometimes it really pays off to push yourself (or, have others push you.) I finished up with leg curls, leg extensions (still working on that knee) and abs. Great workout! Saturday 5 mile run before work. Ahem. My legs were very sore. And, our heat is back- but that’s normal. It never stays cold down here for long. At night I watched FSU win! Baylor’s season was disappointing (to say the least) but luckily we have FSU to console us. Sunday OFF!!! Sleeping late, waffles, Dolphins game, and the first round of my holiday baking extravaganza. I sat down with my calendar to figure out my long run schedule. I’m leading up to back-to-back long runs on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day (rare consecutive days off work for me- I also have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off, but strangely I don’t want to do back-to-backs on those days.). ANYWAY, it works out perfectly for me to alternate Sundays and Wednesdays until then- in other words, about ten days between each long run. So next long run will be Wednesday! Let’s all beg the running gods for cool weather. How was your week? Did you need to recover from Thanksgiving? Was your weather seasonal this week? – Ours was about normal for this time of year. December could be 55 or 85- you never know.