Weekly Rundown- At Least There’s Football!
What a week! It was our second full week without my car, and there’s no end in sight. When we called the bodyshop to check on progress we found out that THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE THE PARTS YET. The parts have been ordered, but not arrived (let me guess- it’s because of Covid.) This has caused us a lot of stress, but I guess that’s what I get for demolishing my car! At least there’s pumpkins, and football- I can’t really be unhappy this time of year. Oh yeah, and there were workouts, too! Thanks to Kim and Deborah for hosting the weekly rundown. Here’s how the week went! Sunday I ran 5 miles, hooray! To be very specific, I used Jeff Galloway’s run-walk-run intervals of 4 minutes running, 30 seconds walking and it worked really well for me. My hamstring is still really achy, and I’m positive I couldn’t have run five miles straight with it. Those short walking breaks were just enough time to reset everything so I could run another four minutes. Monday I woke up with a VERY achy hamstring. I picked two things that I thought would help it the most- Marcia’s Cardio Barre Workout. (which is ten minutes of lower body barre and ten minutes of core) and then three sets of Runner’s Touch exercise. Then I did a 10 minute arms and shoulders class on Peloton, which made me feel a little… underachieving.. I mean, it was a good class, but my arms need way more than 10 minutes. Whatever! Tuesday My hamstring was feeling better enough to do my favorite 30 minute glutes and legs class with Matty, followed by a short core class. That’s all I had time for because I had to drive my husband to work, then come home and take my daughter to school, then get myself to work. Grr. Wednesday I did a 3 mile run, again following the 4 minute/30 second intervals. Again my hamstring was achy but manageable. Followed this run with a 20 minute arms and shoulders class, and this time it left me nice and sore. That’s more like it! Thursday Okay, this is getting REALLY old. Again I had to drive my husband to work, then came home for the second round of chauffeuring, and work. I only had time for a 10 minute barre and 5 minute core class. Later in the day I needed something else, so I did Marcia’s class again which is… barre and core. Well, I guess you can never have enough of those! Friday Running! I need running! Again, I ran 3 miles using the run-walk intervals and I could tell that things were better- my hamstring wasn’t looking forward to the walk intervals quite as much. Saturday I started this day with a 10 minute core class, then a newer 20 minute glutes and legs class with Matty that I hadn’t taken before. Followed this with Runners Touch- funny how hard this one is when my legs are already tired from a workout. Then I had a lovely bike ride… to work. In addition to everything else, my husband’s car had a slow leak in one tire. We just kept stopping to fill it all week but he finally decided he HAD to get it fixed. So I was on my bike! I had fantasies of doing another upper body class later in the day, but after work and the bike ride home, I was done. The good news is, my husband’s tire was easily fixed. The way things are going, I half expected them to say they had to order a new tire from Finland or something. But no- we have his car back again, phew. And then it was time for FOOTBALL! The first game of the season! Baylor won by so much, my husband started rooting for the other team because he felt bad for them. It wasn’t an exciting game, but it was great to see Baylor win. Their new quarterback is a superstar! Sunday On tap for today… a longer run. 5 miles? 6 miles? We’ll see what the hamstring says! I think it’s going to feel pretty good. So it was… a week. I know one thing- when I get my car back, I’ll REALLY appreciate having it! And I’ll never, ever crash it again. Are you starting to feel some fall weather? – We’ll be in the 90s here for quite a while yet. What was the highlight of your week? – Mine was the start of college football.
September Coffee Date- IT’S TIME!!!
It’s September! We all know what that means… Pumpkin Palooza has started. You DO remember Pumpkin Palooza from last year, don’t you? It starts September 1st and runs through Thanksgiving. Get out your fall decorations and all your pumpkin recipes. It’s time! Sit down with your beverage of choice in your favorite pumpkin mug (surely you have one) and let’s join Coco and Deborah for the ultimate coffee date! If we were having coffee (or earl grey tea) together, I would tell you that after I got back from taking my son to school, I couldn’t even look at his empty room for a couple days. The pain wasn’t quite as sharp as last year (he’s now a sophomore) but it sure didn’t get a whole lot easier to say goodbye. But then… I reclaimed my favorite pillow, which he had “borrowed” for the summer, and then the next day I moved my weights and yoga mat into his room, aka my “home gym”. Yes, I guess I can get used to this! FURTHERMORE… College football starts this weekend! The first Baylor game is Saturday night. I’m really excited and have planned a dinner of pizza and beer. Yep, definitely the best time of the year. If we were sipping together out of our pumpkin mugs, I would tell you that I recently finished this book: The premise is, every adult in the world suddenly and mysteriously receives a box with a string in it. The length of the string indicates how long each person will live. The world is quickly divided into “short-stringers,” “long-stringers” and those who choose not to look at their string at all. Despite the preposterous premise, I enjoyed this book, and there were some surprising twists at the end. Another book I just finished is this one: Yes, I’ve been trying out Galloways Run-Walk-Run method. I’ve been using run 4 minutes/walk 30 seconds intervals and it’s been working well for me, especially because I’m STILL dealing with some hamstring pain (will it ever go away???). I’m going to do a more detailed review of the book soon, but I can tell you this: doing run/walk intervals is about 1000% better than not running at all and- surprisingly- my overall mile pace using these run/walk intervals is FASTER than my pace for continuous running. Huh! I definitely didn’t expect that. How about you- are you ready for all things pumpkin, or is it too early? – You can join Pumpkin Palooza at any time- we welcome latecomers! Do you watch college football? What’s your team? If you could know when you were going to die, would you want to find out? – I wouldn’t.
My Favorite Peloton Classes
I feel like there should be a sub-title: “… For What It’s Worth.” I’m definitely not the Peloton expert! You’d have to turn to Kim or Deborah for that. Those ladies take a LOT of classes, and are full of Peloton knowledge. I shopped around a bit until I found some favorites, and now I stick with those. But I always think it’s fun to hear what classes other people like, so I’m sharing mine! Core I have a 5 minute go-to core class that I take several times a week: There’s no warmup and no breaks, and my abs are always burning at the end. As a matter of fact I’ve taken some longer classes that didn’t give me that same burn, which is why I return over and over to this one. It’s also easy to convince myself to do it after a run, when I don’t feel like doing core. It’s only five minutes, so no excuses! (The only downside is this class has ruined the song “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics for me. Now if I hear that song anywhere else, my abs reflexively start to clench.) If I can talk myself into doing a 10 minute core class, I do this one: Basically the same format as Rebecca’s 5 minute class, but she does give you a little break at the 7 minute mark. Barre I have two barre classes I rotate between: Because I frequently use barre for a warmup before I run, I like the standing classes. In addition to warming up my glutes, I feel like it gives my lower legs and feet a little warmup as well. The class from 3/4/22 is entirely standing, while the class from 2/22/21 has a couple minutes at the end where you’re lying on the floor. But in that one she does a variation on a glute bridge that I really like. Glutes and Leg Strength My boy, Matty! I know- he swears (a little), talks about dirty martinis, and instructs you to walk in a straight line “like you just got pulled over.” You may not want to take his classes if there are small children around. But I love his strength classes. My #1 favorite is: The thing I love about Matty is, he sticks to the basics- squats, deadlifts and lunges. This class is HARD, especially if you do the plyometrics. If you don’t want to do the plyos, he offers options. If I don’t want to do a 30 minute class, I like Matty’s “Lunge-a-Palooza” class: i This class is all lunge variations. I really love lunges because in addition to glutes and legs strength, they require some balance and foot and lower leg strength as well. If you like lunges, this is the class for you! Upper Body Ho ho. I really have to force myself to care about upper body, but I’ve gotten better lately. I like to take Matty’s shorter (15 or 20 minute) classes, and this is a good one: Once again, Matty sticks to the basics- biceps, triceps, and shoulders. Good class! Yoga Ah, Denis, how I miss you! One of these days I’ll do a separate post about my favorite yoga classes, but for now I’m on a yoga hiatus due to a wrist issue. I really miss it! I normally take Denis Morton’s classes- don’t worry Denis, I’ll be back. I do try different classes, but these are the ones I come back to the most. And obviously there are all sorts of classes I’m not taking- running, cycling, stretching, meditation… I really don’t have an interest in the run classes because I usually listen to podcasts while I run. But the classes I do take suit my purposely beautifully. Once again I’m linking up with Kim and Zenaida for their Tuesday Topics. Thanks, ladies! What are some of your favorite Peloton classes? If you do a program other than Peloton, what is it?
Weekly Rundown- Slowing Down
Well, this week was… special. One major glitch, but in the end it’s all good. Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the weekly rundown- let’s get right to it! Sunday I felt like I was still recovering from my big trip to Texas. I did a 4 mile run but if I recall correctly, there were a few walk breaks in there to accommodate my still-healing hamstring. Monday The week started off with a bang… literally. I had a stack of Peloton classes on tap, and my daughter had an early morning rehearsal before school. I did a 10 minute barre class, and then Matty’s “lunge-a-palooza” glutes and legs strength- the first time I’ve done this class in weeks, due to my hamstring issue. Then I took a break to take my daughter to school, planning to come back and do my core and upper body class. Except… I got into a car accident. Or I should say, I CAUSED a car accident. Luckily no one was injured- but it was at a very busy intersection, and I somehow did not see the other car as I was trying to turn left. Here’s my car: The other person’s car had about the same amount of damage. She was really shaken up, and I felt TERRIBLE. After waiting for the police and all that, I was very fortunate to be able to drive my car the short distance home, where I had just enough time to shower and call an Uber so I could get to work. Fun day. Tuesday Okay, let’s try this again. I did the core and upper body strength class from yesterday, followed by a 3 mile run. This run was remarkable in that it was the most “normal” run I’ve had since hurting my hamstring. And then I rode my bike to work! Funny story- a couple months ago, when we got my son his car, our auto insurance went through the roof. In order to get the monthly payments down, we dropped the collision coverage on my car and my husband’s car. Sooo, since I was at fault in this accident, our insurance will pay for the damage to the other person’s car, but not ours. And obviously no one is paying for a car rental. When I got to work, windblown and sweaty (but strangely exhilarated) I was explaining the situation to my co-worker and he said, “Let me get this straight- you dropped your collision insurance and then decided to crash into someone?” Er… yes. That just about sums it up! Wednesday Today my husband rode his bike to work so I could drive his car. Yes, looking on the bright side, we’re getting a lot more exercise! I started the day with Marcia’s Cardio Barre Workout-which has ten minutes of barre and ten minutes of core- and then did my favorite 30 minute glutes and legs strength class with Matty. Thursday Ah, crazy day. My husband couldn’t ride his bike to work because he had a presentation to make at night, and he had to wear a suit. I needed the car to get my daughter to and from school, myself to and from work, my daughter to an event at night AND myself to the “meet the teacher” night at her school. I really think it was inconsiderate of people to schedule all these things on the same night when we only have one car. Between driving my husband to work and driving my daughter to school, I only had time in the morning for a quick core class. But! I had a free hour from 4;30-5:30 p.m. so I decided to go for a run. In this post I wrote about my struggle with and ultimate decision to try Galloway’s run-walk method, and this was the perfect time to try it out… because it was HOT. 4:30 pm is not the ideal time for a South Florida run in August. It was 93 degrees, the humidity was high, and in short it felt like I was running on the surface of the sun. For that reason, I was actually happy to take the walk breaks. I did intervals of 4 minutes running/30 seconds walking. I thought such a short walk interval would be annoying, but actually I can see how it would work. The walk break is so short, it doesn’t seem like a huge interruption to the run. For this particular run, it worked well. Friday A more “normal” day- at least, in our world. My husband set off happily on his bike, and I did a barre class, a core class, and an upper body strength class. Saturday I forgot to mention that after my run on Tuesday, my hamstring was achy again. It wasn’t a sharp or pulling sensation, just a generalized ache. God, I hate hamstring issues- they take forever to go away. I did a barre class and then another 30 minutes glutes and legs strength class with Matty. Then I did “Runners Touch” exercise. This helps me SO MUCH. I can’t figure out why I don’t do it all the time. I’ll do it for a while and then forget about it. It really works the glute medius, and helps my hamstrings as well. Followed this with a quick core class. Sunday On tap… a longer run using the Galloway method. I’ve figured out how to program the intervals into my watch (victory!) and we’ll see how it goes. So… things are looking up. My car is in the shop and we hope to get it back this week. It’s painful to have to pay for the repairs, but when I think of what could have happened… it’s only money. My daughter, the other driver and I are all okay and I’m taking this as a warning. Driving in this area is crazy (we’re trying to request that the intersection be made into a school speed zone because it’s so