Weekly Rundown- New Planner, New Plans
I don’t know about you, but I’m still feeling the “freshness’ of a new year. I’m trying out a new system- instead of keeping a log of my workouts in one place, and using a different planner for everything else, I’m keeping it all in one planner. The new planner is bigger than what I’m used to, with full-size 9×11 pages and a two-page spread for each week. There’s room to write down goals for each week at the top, and then plenty of room in each day to record my workouts, plus any other appointments or events I need to know about. Writing out the goals for each week has been really helpful so far. Last weeks goals included “Run M-W-F-S, try a new yoga class, try a new Peloton strength class, trail run 1-2 times, finish I Let You Go, and sleep for eight hours a night.” Ahem. Let’s ignore that last one for a moment. All the other goals were achieved! Somehow, having it written down pushed me to try the new yoga and strength class, which I probably wouldn’t have done otherwise. I’m linking with Kim and Deborah for this weekly rundown. Here’s how the week went! Monday Three mile run. All my runs this week were preceded by banded squats and lateral squat walks, and I feel like it’s really helping to get my glutes activated. Tuesday I did a 45 minute yoga flow class with my favorite instructor, Denis Morton, on the Peloton app. I was starting to wonder if there were other yoga classes out there that I might like- maybe i’m limiting myself too much by doing Denis’s classes all the time. WELL! Keep reading to find a partial answer to that question… Wednesday I started the day with a new and different (to me) Peloton strength class. I tried a regular class, not strength for runners- it was a 20 minute glutes and leg strength with Daniel. I liked it, although I had to modify parts (I don’t do plyometrics with my “difficult” foot.) It was good to do something different- there were reverse lunges in this class which I haven’t done in a while. THEN! I got out to the trail for a run, yay!!! In order to get in a little more distance, I walked a mile and then ran four miles. During that early one mile walk, I saw a creature on the trail ahead of me. It could have been a large dog? Or a small deer? But… I’ve encountered these before, so I was pretty sure it was a pig. Yes, Florida is so weird- we have wild pigs. It looks like I’m closer to this guy than I really was (I had my camera zoomed in all the way.) Any wild animal could be dangerous, so I approached slowly and cautiously. He was snuffling around in the dirt and didn’t hear me at first, but he suddenly became aware of me and ran off into the woods. I was sorry to have scared him, but happy to have the path clear. Thursday I was a little sore today! No doubt from the strength class, but I think it was also from the trail run. I was sore in weird places like my calves and quads, which I usually don’t feel after a strength class. My trail run included some “Florida hills” (aka “slopes”) and maybe that did it- my usual routes are so flat. Today I tried a new yoga class- I’ve heard people talk about Yoga With Adriene on YouTube and decided to check it out. Well… It definitely wasn’t what I’m used to. Granted, this is the only one of Adriene’s classes that I’m taken, so maybe they’re all different. But this was a lot of gentle stretching. Now, I don’t deny that I need it! But… I like Denis’s class. I like how in addition to stretches, there are strength elements, and his flow gets my heart rate up and blood flowing. Live and learn! After yoga, I did some upper body strength! Yes, I did! Not only pushups, but also rows, and I even got out my pull-up bar. A couple weeks ago, Wendy talked about working towards a strict pull-up. I don’t think I have a goal anymore of doing an unassisted pull-up (that just leads to disappointment.) But I agree with Wendy that at least working at it makes my back stronger- a stronger back is a good goal. Friday Three mile run, preceded as usual by banded squats and lateral squat walks. Saturday Ah! Back to a Denis Morton yoga class. This was a 45 minute class, and I had an even deeper appreciation for him. Thank you, Denis. Sunday So how’s that foot doing, anyway? Well… it’s better. Getting out of bed in the morning is much, much easier. And it feels fine while I’m running. But as the day goes on it starts to ache. I think it’s the universe’s way of saying “Not so fast, young butterfly! Don’t get carried away with that running mileage!” Duly noted, Universe. I ran four miles today. I would like to be doing a long run, but I’m happy to be running four miles. I threw Lisa’s fartlek ladder workout into this run, and it was fun! And now… time to make waffles. I mean, obviously- it’s Sunday, right? Did you do any new workouts this week? Do you like trying new classes or do you like to stick to the same ones?
January Joy- Getting Unstuck
‘To miss the joy is to miss all.” -Robert Louis Stevenson I have to admit, I got a little “stuck” at the end of December and beginning of January. It was hard for me to move on after the holidays, knowing that my son would be leaving to go back to school. After all the excitement, everyday life seemed kind of… blah. I’m so glad I got past that! Yes, the holidays are over. All the decorations are gone, and my son is gone too. But instead of feeling empty, my life feels full. Here are a few things bringing me joy right now: The weather. I know… you hate me. It’s cold and gloomy up north . I know, because I lived in the midwest for a long time. But hear me out! In Florida, we really pay our dues for this kind of weather: From May through October (and sometimes November) our heat index is above 100 every single day. It’s extremely humid, and the sun is so strong it feels like it’s trying to kill you. This year, it was very warm through December and I was starting to wonder if we would get any “winter” at all. Not to worry! Our weather has been ideal- cool at night, pleasant during the day. If I can’t be happy in Florida in January, then I might as well give up and move to Canada. Luckily I’m appreciating our weather very, very much. Trail running I finally got out to my trail! Leading up to the holidays I was so busy, and then while my son was home there was always a reason why I needed (or wanted) to be home. But on Wednesday I dropped my daughter off at school and headed to the trail. I had the whole day ahead of me- no reason to hurry back home. As you can see, there’s no shade on this trail… so a cool January day is the perfect day for a trail run. Books! Books! More books! Ah, I love books so, so much. Another way in which I was stuck recently was after re-reading all the Harry Potter books, I couldn’t seem to get myself to read another book. This went on for all of November and part of December. It was crazy!!! Finally I read Rosamunde Pilcher’s Winter Solstice and just finished I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh- what a book. It’s a page-turner and if you think you know what it’s about, you’re wrong. Enough said! While I’m waiting for a couple library holds to come in, I’m reading Living With a Seal by Jesse Itzler. It’s the story of how Jesse had David Goggins come and live with him for a month to whip him into shape. And, I ordered and just received this book which I learned about from Nicole: In the introduction, Agapi describes the book as “fifty-two light posts guiding you back to yourself- one for every week of the year.” Nicole read a chapter every week for 2021, and I plan to do the same for 2022. Except I just got the book today, so I’ll read a couple chapters a week until I’m caught up. Thanks, Nicole! There are all sorts of other little things giving me joy these days- sitting in Starbucks with my tea, pulling the quilt over myself on a chilly morning at 5 am because I still have another hour to sleep, anticipating Friday night takeout (Chipotle has a new vegan chorizo!)… What are some things giving you joy now?
The Best Advice I Ever Got
You know the Simpsons episode where Homer gives Marge a bowling ball for her birthday? When she points out that she doesn’t bowl, Homer says “If you don’t want it I know someone who does!” and you see that the bowling ball says “Homer” on it. We have a lot of gifts that are “Homer bowling balls” around here. For Christmas, I gave my husband Katie Couric’s book, The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives. And I’ve been enjoying it immensely! Katie has compiled stories and advice from dozens of varied and notable people such as Beyonce (“Take time to know yourself”), Donald Trump (“Know everything you can”) (*IMPORTANT NOTE- this book was published in 2012*), Curtis Sittenfeld (“Don’t marry someone who’s more neurotic than you”), and Martha Stewart (“Gather the good things”)- to name a few. But my favorite essay so far is by Wynton Marsalis, the successful and well-known classical and jazz trumpet player. His story was particularly meaningful to me, because my son Paul is a trumpet player. Paul is currently a music major at Baylor University. Baylor has a great Music Education program, and a lot of people go there to get a Music Ed degree so they have something to fall back on if playing doesn’t work out. Paul knows that he doesn’t want to teach- he wants to play, so he’s there for a Music Performance degree. In the book, Wynton describes people’s reactions to his decision to pursue a career as a professional trumpet player.. His teachers discouraged it, advising that it would be too difficult to make a living. People told him he would need a “real” profession to fall back on when music didn’t work out. His mother told him if he went into music, he would struggle and suffer just like his father. But his father, a musician himself, told him this: “Make sure you don’t have anything to fall back on… because you will.” Wynton’s advice: Commit with your whole heart. This makes me think of the common practice of going into a race with an A, B, and C goal. What happens when the race gets really, really tough, and we have a lesser goal to fall back on? There’s a good chance we’ll take that option. I love this race recap by Janae, Hungry Runner Girl, where she talks about reaching her goal of a sub-3 hour marathon after years and years of trying. She got to mile 20 of her race and was suffering so much that she thought, “It’s okay. I don’t have to go any faster than this- I won’t get my sub-3, but it’ll still be a PR.” But then she thought, no! I came to run a sub-3 hour marathon, and that’s what I’m going to do. She describes how she pushed herself so hard that her eyes felt fuzzy in the last mile and she felt like she was going to fall. But she crossed the finish line in 2:59:14 because she was fully committed to her goal. But what happens if we fully commit and don’t achieve our goal? Wanting something badly and putting everything we have into it doesn’t guarantee we’ll succeed. There are always factors beyond our control, and sometimes our best just isn’t good enough. What then? Well… we’ll probably be really, really disappointed and sad. And then, after we get over that, we’ll try again. Maybe in a different way, or we’ll try something new. My son may become a professional trumpet player, and he may not. I hope for his sake that he succeeds. And if he doesn’t I have complete faith in him that he’ll figure something else out. The one thing he’ll never, ever have to do is look back and wonder what could have happened if he had just committed with his whole heart. What about you- do you believe in setting A,B and C goals for big races? What about life decisions- do you like to commit fully, or have a backup plan?
Weekly Rundown- It’s “Florida-Cold!”
What a week! After a warmer-than-usual December and first part of January, winter finally came to Florida! For us, that means nights down into the 50s and low humidity. We can turn off the AC and throw open the windows! It’s our most beautiful time of year, and we make the most of it. I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah for this weekly rundown. Let’s get started! Monday The week began with a yoga flow class (with Denis Morton on the Peloton app) and the latest installment of my “pushups project.” supervised by my son. Oof. Tuesday Running day! Last week I started running again with very short runs (after taking time off from being sick, and also getting used to my new orthotics.) I continued with this conservative schedule, but first… I warmed up with some squats. Last spring I went to PT for a hip injury, and the therapist noticed that every time I did a squat, I shifted my weight onto my left leg. I even did it when squatting with no weights, and I couldn’t even feel that I was doing it. The solution to this problem was to do squats with a band around both legs, just above my knees. During the squat I focus on pushing both legs outward against the band and that solves the shifting problem. I did three sets, and then did some lateral squat walks with the band- if that doesn’t wake up my glutes, I don’t know what will! Then I walked for half a mile, and ran for 2.5 miles. Last week every run felt difficult, but this run finally felt good! Wednesday Another yoga flow class, and pushups. Thursday AHHH! This was the first run in weeks where I really, really felt good. I started off for a three mile run… it was raining a little so I wore my visor. Our cold front hadn’t come through yet, but it was cooler- around 60 degrees. Between the light rain and the low temps, it felt amazingly cool. I blame the visor for what happened next. It made it a little harder to see all around me, so I was absorbed in my thoughts and somehow missed the turn I should have taken to make a three mile loop. I realized it about half a mile later, and at that point had committed to running four miles. BUT I FELT GREAT! I was so happy to be running four miles, and even added some fartleks in the last mile. I loved it! Friday Okay, I have an important confession. I don’t actually love the Peloton Strength for Runners classes. I know- blasphemy!!! The ones I’ve taken move too quickly from one exercise to another, and I always feel kind of rushed and frantic, rather than focusing on doing each one slowly and with good form. I get why it’s like that- they’re trying to fit as much as possible into a short amount of time, because who wants to spend a lot of time on strength. I also probably haven’t tried enough classes. But for now, I’m happier doing strength on my own. Having said that, I’m starting back pretty slowly after not doing any strength for months other than the power yoga classes. Today I did the Runner’s Touch exercise that I’ve mentioned before. I really like this because it works my glutes, hamstrings, balance, and when I do it barefoot, it works the muscles in my feet as well. When I’m doing it on a regular basis, I add weights, but for now I’m just doing it with body weight. And… pushups, of course. Saturday Our cold front officially came through! Remember, I live in South Florida. We heard it snowed in northern Florida earlier this month (gasp!) but we’re almost at the southern tip of the state, so this is just about as cold as it gets for us- it was 50 degrees for my run this morning! After my ‘long run” and “speedwork” (I use these terms very loosely and generously) on Thursday, I dialed it back to a three mile run. Preceded by banded squats and lateral squat walks once again. Sunday I kept to my plan for January, which is to run every other day. The problem with that is, it means every other week I only run three times, and I can’t run on Sunday. That’s okay- I did my third yoga class of the week (also following my plan) and completed the pushup challenge my son set for me, which was “ten down.” You do a set of ten pushups, then a set of nine, then eight, etc. down to one. Ideally you’re supposed to only wait one minute between sets, but for the first few sets I rest a little longer. After neglecting upper body strength for a while, it took me a couple weeks to work up to the full ten down. Unfortunately I had to text my son to tell him I completed the ten down challenge, because he left early this morning to go back to school. Yes… I’m sad. But, a couple weeks ago when I wrote about my word of the year, “Start,” Deb kindly and wisely left this comment: “It’s perfect for you as start back into your running gradually to avoid injury, as you start back to work after Covid, and as you start life again just the three of you when your son goes back to school. We’re always starting!” That stuck in my mind, and it really helps. Thanks, Deb! Today will be a little empty (although there is football!) but I’m looking forward to next week. We have more cool weather coming, I’ll get to run four times, and I’m hoping to get a trail run in there. Life goes on! Does anyone have a Peloton SFR class they really love? I’m willing to try again! How was your weather this week? –I know 50 probably doesn’t sound