Actually, this week had a lot of ups and downs- but objectively speaking, it was a beautiful week in South Florida. We had some COLD nights (it got down to the 40s three nights in a row) and crisp, sunny days. My favorite weather! And check out that sunset (above). Now what are these “ups and downs”, you ask? Let’s get into it! Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown.
Monday
Last day of warm weather before our big cooldown! I ran 4 miles and did my hip stability exercises.
Tuesday
Caroline Girvan deadbug workout in the morning and yoga at night. I was getting myself ready for a big long run the next day.
Wednesday
It was a CHILLY morning with “feels like” temps in the 30s!!! I went to my trail on the edge of the Everglades, which is very beautiful but completely exposed- perfect for a cold, sunny day.
I started off bundled up in a jacket, hat and gloves (and shorts- I don’t own running tights) but as the hours went by, peeled everything off. I finished 22 miles in a tank top.
This run really went well- my stomach was off in the beginning, but after ten miles or so settled down. It’s good to know stomach issues don’t need to derail an entire run.
At night I did Adriene’s yoga for lower back pain.. My low back wasn’t actually that sore, but it felt good to stretch everything out.
Thursday
Happy New Year! I got up at 6 am to feed the cats and then went back to bed till 9! Wow, that felt good. I spent the rest of the day watching football and cooking a big pot of chili. My quads were sore but overall I felt good.
Friday
One of my goals for the next three months is to do more cardio, in addition to running. My quads were still sore from Wednesday, so I figured it was a great day to get on the Stairmaster.
40 minutes of climbing, and an upper body strength session. So far, so good, until…
At night I got hit with a wave of sadness, which always happens to me at some point after Christmas. Ugh! I took an Advil PM, got in bed and figured a nice run in the morning would fix everything. Let’s just see how that worked out…
Saturday
I slept AMAZINGLY WELL- that Advil really knocked me out. It was chilly (although not as cold as the previous days) and I was set up for a great run. 3 and 1/2 miles WERE great, and then (cue ominous music) something felt weird in my calf. Is that a spasm? What is going on, GAAAAAAAH! I ran/walked the rest of the way home- walking didn’t really help, so I mostly just ran.
Something is definitely wrong but I don’t know how bad it is. I went to work limping in an effort not to stress the muscle any further. I felt like the universe said “Oh, you want to be sad? I’ll give you something to be sad about!” I mean- WHY was I sad yesterday? Things were GREAT and I just didn’t realize it! Ugh, ugh, ugh. By the way, I totally blame the Stairmaster for this. I’m never getting on that machine again!
Sunday
Well, this is a conundrum. I don’t know what my calf will be feeling, but I’d like to do a lower body strength workout. We’ll see. It’s such a bummer to end the week on a low note, but here we are.
How was your week? Any big ups or downs?
31 Responses
I had a mellow week of feeling “in between” and wishing I had something big to look forward to but not having enough energy to actually plan something. I finished a book I liked and am not really into my new book — but don’t dislike it enough to DNF, so it’s become more of a chore to see what happens then something I’m looking forward to. Maybe it will suck me back in.
I hope your calf feels better and your mood lifts!
Thank you Coco!!! And, I know those books. A lot of people would tell you to DNF right now. I have a lot of trouble DNFing books though- I always think they’re going to get better. Hope you get through it soon (of DNF) and get on to something more fun.
Oh no! I’m so sorry you had this random pain out of no where! Can’t you just have a normal week! I am glad you got some good sleep and enjoyed cooler temps, though. I hope that you get some more cool runs this winter.
I had a pretty good week of workouts. I went to OTF twice during the week and then did a CG iron series workout another day. I will go to OTF this morning. It’s been a weird week of not knowing what day it is so I am looming forward to getting back to a more normal schedule!
YES, this is the week where no one can figure out what day it is! It felt super weird to me too. I can’t say I’m looking forward to getting back to a normal schedule- life is much easier for me when there’s no school. But- I think I’ll be more motivated to start some 2026 planning when all the holiday decs are down and things are back to a normal routine.
Ha ha if there is anything that I know for sure, “I’m never getting on that machine again” will not prove to be a true statement. Is it the same calf of Calfgate or is it the other leg? Anyways this sucks, but you will be back my friend.
My workouts are pretty tame. 30 min of cardio on the treadmill most days and I still have a weird pain in my ribcage that is making strength a no-go. I mean I could do lower body stuff but I’m really in it for the pushups. It’s got to get better some day? Or since it’s last 6 weeks is it going to last for the rest of my life? One of those two things will happen. We’re just coming off our cold snap which means that hiking is now back on the table! I’m hoping to get out 3-4 times this week.
Ha, I know. I’ve even started thinking I should get out the pull up bar again, and I’ve sworn that off MANY times. This is not the same as calfgate- it’s the other leg and lower down. Grr.
I know your rib pain feels like it will last for the rest of your life (I mean- six weeks is a long time) but it WON’T, I promise you. Everything heals! I’m glad you’ll be able to get out hiking this week- that’s more fun than pushups anyway, right?
Freezing here and icy, so while I’m very chuffed to have done 10.5 miles this week (the furthest I’ve gone in a week since 28 Jul – 3 Aug!!!), it was sad to have done 6.4 miles of them on the dreaded treadmill! Hope the calf feels better soon. I bet it was the stairmaster!
Yes, I’m blaming the stairmaster and no one can convince me otherwise. Honestly, the treadmill isn’t that bad for me. Of course, I rarely need it, living in Florida, but when I do use it I listen to a good podcast or music, and am just happy to be running. Congrats on getting your mileage up! Treadmill bets slipping on the ice any day.
A lot of people feel sad after the holidays and or after the kids leave again. That is cold weather for you all! Do you like running in cooler temps? Hope your calf is nothing major. Happy new year Jenny and hope this week has something to make you smile again
40s is a little cooler than I would like it! 50s is really my sweet spot. It’s amazing how much easier it is to run when it’s in the 50s, or even low 60s. When I started that long run I was way too cold, but I just kept telling myself it would warm up, and of course it did.
I think the sadness was justified, having your son home and your daughter’s birthday and Christmas really brightened your life, and now those are all in the past. I’m glad you had a mostly really good week though, and I hope your calf settles down and doesn’t give you a ton of grief. Like Birchie, I want to know whether it’s the same calf as before, or the other one?
Different calf, and different area- this pain is lower down and toward the outside. It’s amazing how many different muscles there are in the body that can mysteriously start hurting.
And, I know. All the fun stuff comes in a big bunch, and then it ends and everything feels so blah. It would be impossible not to feel sad. I feel it every year and just have to remind myself that I ALWAYS get through it- this year will be no different.
Ugh, here’s hoping your calf pain amounts to nothing more than a day or two of discomfort. I understand the post-holiday sadness and our annual winter trip south helps get me over the hump! And this year I plan to meet you for the first time and I’m really looking forward to that!
Happy New Year, Jenny!
Happy New Year Debbie! We’ll try to keep the great weather going for your arrival.
Noooooo!! I hope your calf and mood are better today!
That sunset and clouds 😻 amazing!
Both are better, although the calf is still aching. I’m hoping that another day off (or two?) will do the trick.
Oh NO about your calf! So distressing! Why do we always have to have something??! I hope it settles quickly! Do you have any ideas? Something similar to what you’ve had in the past?
I’ve been able to keep up some lifting during the holidays and I did some good things at home with dumbbells but it was nice to get back to the gym.
I’ve had other calf problems, but not quite like this. Which is probably a good thing, because a couple of my calf problems took forever to heal up. This one is already feeling better (although not 100%) so I’m hopeful. Yes- it’s always something.
Oh no, I hope your calf improves! That’s so frustrating to not know what caused it.
I kind of started my taper this week since my race is now 13 days away, but I started the week with a 13 mile run and finished with an almost 11 miler yesterday, so I still got in decent mileage, just not as much as the 50 miles I got during Christmas week! But it was nice to just be able to relax after my runs and not have to wake up early to get them done. But this week, I have to go back to 5 am alarms and running before work, ugh!
Yes, I’ll be back to 5 am alarms next week (since I have to get up earlier when my daughter has school) and I’m pretty bummed about it. But- that’s exciting you’re in your taper!
The calf is better today than yesterday, but still not good enough to run. Grr. I’ll be on the bike tomorrow and I’m super cranky about that!!!
Ugh on the angry calf! I agree, it’s ALWAYS something for us runners. I’ve been on the couch a lot the past 10 days or so (I blame all the Christmas’s shenanigans with the kids…Netflix games and movies, etc.)…and my lower back is not feeling too happy at the moment. At least my grumpy hip/TFL is feeling better. I took down most of my Christmas decorations yesterday (I left a few snowmen/snowflakes stuff out…since we’ll most likely still have some of that in the next few months)…and I didn’t feel an ounce of sadness this year. My house doesn’t look as bright and sparkly, though as it did in December…
Well that’s good- you got the decs down without feeling sad! I took most of the rest of mine down today (it’s a big job) and I have to admit it’s a relief to get it over with. I’m leaving up one strand of white lights to cheer me up.
Glad your hip is better!!! Now we need that cranky low back to behave.
I thought it sounded like a great week until I got to the calf part :(. ugh Hope it’s nothing Jenny!!!
I think I’m going to finally look at that dead bug workout and maybe even do it. My revalidation doc said I absolutely must improve my core or nothing will really get better…
fingers crossed the calf issues are solved QUICKLY.
Thank you Renee! And- I hope you like that workout! You can do it without weights, or with very light weights to start with.
I know that sadness well! I was putting all the Christmas decorations away today and had some waves of melancholy roll over me. I always miss when the boys were little around this time of year. It passed quickly, though.
What the heck, calf? I would blame the stairmaster too! I hope it resolves quickly. I had calf pain during covid and convinced myself I had a DVT, lol. Thankfully, it resolved after a couple of days. I had to talk myself off a cliff there…
Well thanks a lot for putting that thought in my mind, lol. And yes- Christmas nostalgia can morph into sadness really easily. I agree that it passes fairly quickly. I took down most of my decs today and it felt good to get it done.
It was a delightful week for me. I worked two days, had two days off, worked one day, had two days off. Now I have to work for FIVE DAYS IN A ROW. How is that even going to work?
I was also able to get a lot of exercise in and that felt like a great way to start the year.
When I first started reading your blog you were having issues with your foot and were having all sorts of work done on it. Whatever happened with that?
We had a good week – kids were still on break so I got to do my favorite – sleep in! I was able to set an alarm for 6:30 and get in a workout before most people in my house woke up, which was definitely amazing. Ah well – back to reality this week as kids go back to school Tuesday. Hope your calf feels better soon. It’s always something isn’t it?
I haven’t been on a stairmaster in YEARS but it is the climb to NOWHERE. Both boring and depressing. I fully support you not using it again.
My week was good; sleep was a bit wonky and I had no idea what day it was because of Christmas Break, but nothing major to complain about. That said, I was very happy the kids were back to school today!
Ugh! I’m so sorry you’re hurt again! That is NOT the way to kick off 2026!
Stairmasters are awful, but they are better than treadmills, so I don’t mind using them.
We were traveling last week, but also we came home to issues with our sweet pug boy, so it was kind of a roller coaster week. I’m finally getting into the mental space to handle purging, cleaning, and putting away Christmas.
Hope your calf feels better. I only use the arm and hip machines at the gym. Maybe that’s good thing.