Before we get to the weekly rundown, let’s talk about Eliza Fletcher. In this episode of the Running Rogue podcast, Chris McClung had some powerful words. He said this is not a safety issue, but a misogyny and violence issue. We shouldn’t have to carry weapons and modify our already busy schedules to go for a run. I know we’re all sickened by what happened to Eliza- and angry that this is the world we live in.
While my thoughts are with Eliza’s family and everyone affected by this tragedy, I don’t want this post to be a downer so I’ll move on. My car is still in the shop- but there’s hope! The parts have arrived and they said it would be ready “next week.” In the meantime, my husband has discovered that he actually likes riding his bike to work, and one day even chose to ride carrying his suit in a bag to change into later on. So we’re coping… but I’ll be happy to get that car back!
Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the weekly rundown. Let’s get into it… finally.
Sunday
Long(er) run of 6 miles! For all my runs this week, I used intervals of 4 minutes running/30 seconds walking. I’m experimenting with this method, and with this incessant Florida heat and my achy hamstring (will it ever go away???) I’m liking it.
Monday
Arg! Hamstring is just so achy. I wanted some movement, but nothing too strenuous so I did Marcia’s Cardio Barre Workout. I have done this workout many times now! It’s lower body body and core, and just what I needed to get my legs moving but not stress them too much. I also did an arms and shoulders workout (all workouts other than Marcia’s were on Peloton.)
Tuesday
Okay, legs felt better. I did one of Matty’s 30 minute glutes and legs workouts, and a short core class. Later in the day I had to attend a band parent meeting, so, since my husband had the car, I rode my bike to my daughter’s school and back. I’m enjoying these bike rides. Oh, and the meeting was about fundraising. Great- I can’t wait to start harassing my coworkers about buying cheesecakes again! SIGH.
Wednesday
Since I knew I would stay up late on Saturday night for the Baylor game, I decided to make this my longest run of the week. I don’t work on Wednesdays, but I still had to take my daughter to school. After I dropped her off I went to Yamato Scrub Natural Area, where I had a very hot and sandy trail run.
I wrote more about this adventure here. I loved exploring the area, but the heat and difficult terrain made it tough. I ran 5 miles and was ready to call it quits, but I was having a little trouble finding my way back to the trail head. I walked for another mile until I found it. Fun morning!
Thursday
My legs were feeling that sandy run! Once again, I did Marcia’s Cardio Barre Workout. Marcia has a bunch of other classes and I always say I’m going to try them… but then I keep coming back to this one. I followed it with a 20 minute chest and back workout. I haven’t done chest and back in a while, and I was severely punished for my neglect- I was sore from this for a couple days.
On a side note, I’ve never been overly interested in the royal family- but the death of Queen Elizabeth jolted my world a little! She’s been queen as long as I’ve been alive- somehow I just assumed she would be there forever.
Friday
I had a nice 3 mile run, followed by a core class. After all that sand, it felt good to run on pavement again!
Saturday
Another run- this time just a short 2.5 mile, followed by a glutes and legs workout. I felt like lunges would aggravate my hamstring, so I did Matty’s class from 8/1/21 which is all squats and deadlifts (it’s a companion class to “Lunge-a-Palooza.”)
I took a long nap after work because I knew I would being stay up for the Baylor game! They’re in Utah with a late start time. Go Bears!
Sunday
On tap for today…. rest. I always think I’ll enjoy a rest day, but then end up feeling groggy and awful. So we’ll see- maybe I’ll sneak in a little core class or something.
Moving forward, I’ve decided to shift my running schedule around. I’m going to try running M-W-F-Saturday, with my long run being on Wednesday. My days off from work are Wednesday and Sunday, and when I do a long run on Sunday morning I always feel pressured to get back home, like I should be spending time with my family (and waffles, obviously.) Now that school has started, I have Wednesdays to myself. We’ll see how this works out.
I hope everyone had a great week!
Do you carry a weapon when you run? – I don’t, but I guess I should. I’m open to recommendations!
Have you ever taken a self defense class? Once again, I haven’t- but am thinking I should.
38 Responses
Glad to hear the run/walk intervals are working well. I just realized I forgot to use them this past week (probably because most of my runs were with friends. Oops. So, you’re starting to like biking a little? Careful…it can get addictive:-)
Ha, every time I get on my bike I think about you!
Happy to hear that your running is going well.
The opposite of Kim. I only use them with friends.
I wish I could switch my long run day. sigh.
I don’t know why I’ve never tried switching my long run before. We’ll see how this works for me.
Sorry to hear that your hamstring is so achy! Do you have a colleague who can massage it out? Or cupping?
That trail looks awesome but yes, the sand would be challenging! I’d love to check it out.
Yes, I need to schedule a massage- that might help tremendously.
I don’t carry anything with me when I walk/hike these days, but am almost always in a very public place AND go out in the middle of the day. A few years ago, though, I did some long solo trail runs (during the day) and would have something like a podcast playing OUT LOUD, so it sounded like I was talking on the phone with someone.
That reminds me of the “invisible man” ploy that I read about a long time ago. If you’re on a run and feel threatened by someone, call out something like “Tom! Hurry up, there’s someone trying to hurt me!” As if to imply that your running partner is right around the corner or coming up behind (whatever seems feasible.) That could work, in certain situations.
When I had a partially ruptured hammy at the insertion point, my sports chiro sent me to a massage therapist who used to work for the US women’s gymnastics team. He did some sort of accupressure that was AMAZINGLY healing. It was about breaking up scar tissue in the area. Sadly the guy move to CO shortly thereafter but that treatment made a huge difference. Hamstrings take a loooong time.
I love that you’re coming back to Cardio Barr! I so appreciate it! 😀
Another time I had a hamstring issue, my sports chiro did ART on it and it helped tremendously. Maybe I need to go back to that guy!
That’s such a good point about it not being a safety issue, but a misogyny and violence issue. My husband never thinks twice about running alone.
I’m glad the run/walk intervals are helping you right now! They work well for many! I basically used them on the hilly trails in the Heath as I’m used to flat pavement 🙂
Well, ultra trail runners use run/walk intervals all the time. You’re very smart to use them on the hilly trails until you’re used to them- you don’t want to risk an injury so close to your marathon.
Glad to hear the intervals are working well for you and you are getting longer runs in. Sorry the hammy is still an issue. Mine have been super tight too. Those upper body workouts will get you if you skip them for a while.
For me it’s just the left hamstring! The right one is perfectly fine. But the intervals are working and allowing me to run.
I do not carry a weapon when I run. That said, I tend to run at times that there are many people up and around, as opposed to very early or late. I think it’s sad that we have to think of this at all, but it’s the reality of our world.
Regarding fundraising! I have in the past just paid the fee to NOT sell things. Some things I don’t mind – like the spring plant fundraiser or the one where you sell gift cards – but one year it was poinsettias and I refused. I just paid a fee to not harass people to buy useless shit. I have organized fundraising events and book fairs and silent auctions and I am more than happy to do it, but there is a line I will not cross and apparently that line is poinsettias.
Ha ha, what about cheesecakes? I don’t even eat cheesecake, and I feel bad about asking people to buy things that are so unhealthy. But I do have to say last year people seemed to like them. Not sure how they’ll respond a second time.
100% what happened to Eliza is not a safety issue. I do take self defense classes from time to time and have a few general precautions in place, but my overall feeling is f-it. I’d rather be out in the world than hiding under the covers.
Here’s hoping that this next week will be the same “next week” that the car place is talking about!
Yes, we also hope that! It SHOULD be… but nothing would surprise me at this point.
No I don’t carry anything. Except my cell phone (which can potentially be a SOS device but it’s kind of cumbersome for that).
My mom is only a year and a half younger than the Queen . . . I really am not a royal family follower, but I did think about all the things that have changed since she became Queen (still before I was born!). Makes you think, doesn’t it?
Glad your car is making progress! You are both taking that with much grace.
I doubt the SOS function on our phones would be of much use in a situation like Eliza’s. As a matter of fact I’m not sure any weapons we could actually carry would help much.
Ha ha… we have our moments of frustration still! But what are we going to do? The car will be ready, eventually.
I think the thing with Eliza Fletcher is that it’s big news because it’s so rare. I hesitate to get myself hepped up about it when there are real dangers in political instability, climate change, and biological warfare. I mean, I guess we all stay up at night with our own worries, but getting abducted and killed while on a run is pretty far down my list of worries.
I am waiting on tenterhooks to see if any of the cycling habits you and your husband are developing continue even after you have a second car. Please keep us updated!
Yes- even though this is terrible, it is very rare. I think this hits hard because it’s easy to think “that could have been me!” whereas the worries of the other things you mention don’t seem as concrete. But you’re right- those things (and others) probably do pose more of a threat to us than the very unlikely possibility of being murdered while out on a run.
I nodded my head in agreement at the title of your post.
I’m really sorry your hammy woes continue. Great that the intervals are allowing you to get your runs done.
Yes, the run/walk intervals are saving me right now!
My friend said it best when she posted that the larger and stronger will always prey on the smaller and weaker all across the animal world. It’s sad, but true that it applies to humans, too.
I love that you’re enjoying biking when you need to – if you have no other choice, it’s good to enjoy it! With that being said, I hope your car is ready to be picked up this week.
Somehow I would hope that humans would be able to behave with more ethics than cougars and lions… but I guess you’re right.
Yes, being forced to get out my bike has been a great thing! And my husband is really embracing it. I think he might even continue to bike to work even when this is over (not every day, though.)
Oh, it’s absolutely true that it’s a misogyny and violence issue. Just sad that only women have to think about it constantly! After an early morning incident at the park where I run about a year ago, I carry pepper spray and a personal alarm when I run in the morning. I never got before it gets light out and usually by that time there are people around, but still… makes me feel a little safer.
A personal alarm would be good… I can see how that might deter a potential attacker. These days I’m usually out running in the daylight, but next year when my daughter’s school schedule changes my schedule will shift earlier as well.
My heart breaks for Eliza’s family, especially her two young children. Yet another senseless act because men think they have the right to attack women,. It’s all so sickening and sad.
Yes, it’s especially sad for her kids. But no one should have their life snuffed out like that. So senseless.
The Eliza Fletcher murder is so horrible. But you are right, it’s absolutely a misogyny and violence issue. And like others have said, it’s sad that my husband doesn’t really need to worry about this. I only run by myself in daylight, though. I know these situations are very rare but it’s not worth the risk and I don’t enjoy running in the dark anyways. I ran at 5:30 with my neighbor last Friday. It was nice to fit a workout in but it was not all that pleasant. We both wore headlights but I still find it disorientating to run in the dark. At one point, I tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. That is less likely to happen in daylight! So I will stick to running in daylight alone or with someone in the dark but only if I absolutely have to! I carry my phone with me when running alone but I don’t carry a weapon. My husband and I have talked about it and he feels I’d be more likely to have any weapon I’m using used against me and I think he is right about that.
You had a great week of workouts! Last week was not good since I was in the office, but I ran on Fri, Sat and today and finally did a strength training workout yesterday. I liked the one I did but oof I am sore. It was chest and triceps, followed by HIIT, followed by some core. I liked the workout a lot so will keep going with it!
Yes, I don’t like running in the dark for all the reasons you mentioned. I’ll only do it if I HAVE to.
That workout sounds great- years ago when I was working with a trainer he was always nagging me about triceps and core. And he liked HIIT as well- he would like that workout!
Thank you for mentioning the Queen. I’m far from a Royalist but I cried when I heard the news and feel very rocked by it all, the whole nation on a different footing. Also had logistical nightmares around shall we run parkrun (we did, with a minute’s silence; participants appreciated both) and when is the national day of mourning so I can tell my clients (also now sorted out).
Yes, I would imagine it’s affecting everyone in England. People have grown up with Queen Elizabeth- it’s going to feel so strange to say “King Charles!”
Bummer that the hamstring is still achy. I have carried my phone and pepper spray on every run unless I’m with a group. I always run by myself in the country and never see anyone, but I like being prepared. I agree with you, we shouldn’t have to.
I’m usually in more populated areas when I run- unless I’m on the trail. Then it’s really isolated and I should probably have some sort of protection. Somehow I always feel like the bad guys won’t make it out to the trail- too inconvenient for them.
Great job! I find trail sand so much more difficult than beach sand, but you are out there rocking it.
And you’re right. It is a misogyny and violence issue. I truly wish this wasn’t our reality but here we are.
I can barely stay up for A’s Friday night games. It’s exhausting.
I don’t know, you run on the beach all the time! That’s hard.
Yes, those live football games are tiring! I’m looking forward to them though (we’ll be there next year!)