Week 18

18 weeks.... that's as long as a marathon training program. Whew.

Monday

Did: rest

Today was an emotionally hard day... did not exercise. 

Leo, 2010-2020 🐾

Tuesday

Did: 6.27 mi @ 9:24/mi avg

A good 10k Tuesday! Got out early (though did not want to wake up) and beat the heat through the neighborhood. Ran the whole time except for a couple of tough hills, no hip flexor issues felt at all. Yippeeee. 👍

Wednesday

Did: 4.02 mi @ 8:42/mi + 60 min Soul Sculpt w/ Katie

Got out for a quick out-and-back on the Swamp Rabbit after dropping D off at "summer camp" this morning. It was only 9am but it was HOT already. I thought about making this some kind of tempo run, but I wanted to be cautious since I'm still rebuilding mileage and making sure to not anger the hip flexor. 😬 So I decided after I did my 2 miles "out" at a comfortable pace, I'd push to go a little faster for a mile on the return before slowing for a final cooldown mile. 

Um, what happened to my heartrate?

Mile 1 = 9:32

Mile 2 = 9:12

Mile 3 = 7:51 (🎉!)

Mile 4 = 8:14

Generally executed the plan accordingly, although the final mile was still pretty fast. 😏

And the best part? NO HIP FLEXOR PAIN STILL! 🙌

Lunchtime Soul Sculpt w/ Katie kicked some butt, too - lots of squats, not as many arms as I would have liked, but still a good class.

Thursday

Did: 17.25 mi @ 13.2 mph bike ride

Biked down to The Commons for a date night with Scott - first kid-free night in 4 months! We enjoyed some food and beers before biking back home. Casual ride, but nice to be out on two wheels :)

Friday

Did: 4.04 mi @ 9:22/mi + 60 min Power Flow w/ Karina

Got in some morning miles through Green Valley before diving into work for the day. It was not comfortable - super humid. Ugh. But pain-free so I'm calling it a win!

Did some late afternoon yoga to finish out the day - it was a tough flow from Karina, but a good one.

Saturday

Did: 9.05 mi @ 9:32/mi avg

Set out from the house and didn't have the mental fortitude to attack Green Valley for a long run today, so I headed over to the Swamp Rabbit Trail for the bulk of the miles. It was crowded... ugh. But I stuck with it and got my 9 miles in as planned. I'd thought about 10, but decided sticking with 9 was the smarter idea.

Sunday

Did: 1.14 + 3.12 mi walks

One loop of the neighborhood with D was all I could convince him to do... plus it took us 30 minutes, so that was enough for me. Later I went out on my own and did another 5k - did not even attempt running in the heat of the middle of the day, plus the increased mileage for the week was enough to make me take it easy.

Total Miles: 27.65 mi runing + walking

Woohoo, reached my 25 mpw goal, finally! 

Week 17

Ok, trying to go back to daily posts just to get my head back in the right place. I feel better with the daily consistency, even if I'm not super active.

Monday

Did: 45 mins self-directed yoga + PT

Made up my own yoga routine since a live virtual class didn't fit in my schedule today, then followed it up with ALL of the PT exercises (glute/hip strengthening) I've been neglecting. Did some single-leg deadlifts and modified pistol squats which I'm sure I'll be feeling tomorrow.

Tuesday

Did: 6.22 mi @ 10:04/mi

A slow but steady (and hip-flexor-pain-free) 10k in the rain early in the morning. I stayed close to the house so ended up doing lots of small neighborhood loops. My lower back and area right around my tailbone were kind of sore today, so maybe those deadlifts and things did something?? 

Wednesday

Did: 60 min Soul Sculpt w/ Brionna + 9.5 mi bike ride

Ohhhhh yes I've missed this class the past few weeks! Being at home solo today, I was able to unroll my mat and crank up my music in the basement for class, which made it extra kick-ass. Hoping the rain holds off tonight so that I can ride my bike downtown for a neighbor's birthday gathering (at an outdoor bar, obviously 😷). 

I got to ride! It turned out to be a beautiful evening, the rain stayed away completely, so I hopped on my bike after I wrapped up work and pedaled down to Birds Fly South Ale Project (pictured above). It was just a casual spin on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, but nice to get out a bit and especially use the bike for commuting!

Thursday

Did: 3.7 mi trail run 

I got to run my favorite DuPont trail today!! I had a PT appointment and an afternoon free of meetings, so I left a little early and did a short run from Corn Mill Shoals parking lot. I wanted to run Burnt Mtn trail, too, but was short on time and decided to just stick with Cedar Rock / Big Rock trail. I took lots of pics because I was excited.

Not far in, already smiling. 

So much green 💚

I tried to do a self-timer action shot. Need more practice lol.

This trail offers so many cool features - love running on the slick rock.

Top of the mountain!

Favorite view

Watching the storms roll in the distance.

Through the rhododendron tunnels

Physically felt fine on this run... a little tightness in the lower back / hips around the tailbone, but I took it pretty slowly and walked a bunch of the steep uphills, and after we worked on it in PT it felt much better.

Friday

Did: 60 min Power Flow w/ Julie

Had a sub for this class who I didn't love but was still a nice flow and good midday stretch. 

Also decided to wear part of my first Ellie box today - turns out they ran out of the capri leggings that went with this set, so I'm getting an alternative item (different top) as a replacement. It'll come eventually. But I love the back detail of this sports bra and the crop top that goes with it is super fun - stretchy and soft and comfy and just long enough to not feel like my shirt is riding up all day, but short enough to feel cute. 

Saturday

Did: 4 mi hike w/ D at DuPont

Took the little man on a hike at DuPont to Wintergreen Falls. Started on Tarklin Branch Rd to the Wintergreen Falls Trail, then looped around on Sandy Creek Trail, Thomas Cemetery Road, and finally back to Buck Forest Rd to complete the loop back to the car. It started out rough with D puking about 3 miles before we got to DuPont, but he toughed it out and we had a great time!

Heading down the trail

Intersection

Climbing up to the view of the falls

We made it!

Pretty falls in the background

So peaceful

Not exactly a strenuous hike but certainly a good morning in the woods. 😊💚

Sunday

Did: 9.00 mi @ 9:36/mi avg

Wooooo another distance achievement unlocked without any significant hip flexor pain! Only walked a few hills and generally was a good run. Not too hot when I started, either, which was super nice.

Almost 23 miles total between hiking and running this week - wow, not too far behind my target 25-30 mpw! Super happy with this, hopefully I can maintain a consistent weekly mileage while still building my long run mileage and keep the hip flexor happy. 🙌

Ellie subscription box review - Box #2

Ok, so a while back I signed up for the Ellie Activewear subscription box. It's $45/month for a 3-piece box (top, bottom, sports bra) and you can skip anytime you want to skip a month until you decide to cancel. There are new collections released each month, and you pick which one you want, then they send it to you. Pretty simple! (You can also refer friends and earn credits... just sayin')

I finally got a box with my first full outfit in it, so I figured I'd post a little review... this is actually my second month's outfit, because the first one had a few delayed items that I'm still waiting on. 😒 That's my only gripe so far is the speed of shipping and getting items... their customer service has been pretty responsive, though, so I'm still giving it a shot.

Anyway!

This is the "Coastal Cool" collection from June 2020. 

It's heeeeeere!

Everything present and accounted for - w00t

Front of the full outfit

Back of the outfit - I love the open/wrap back of this tank top!

Good fit for the sports bra, will be good for hot yoga.

Love the pattern on these capri leggings

So I really love the outfit! The leggings are almost full-length on me, but the fit is great. The waist is pretty high and snug, so I'm not worried about it sagging during a bunch of down dogs in yoga. 😂 The leggings don't have any pockets or anything, which is a little bit of a bummer, but I also like that it makes them very smooth (no zippers or anything to poke me when lying down). Everything seems to fit really well, which is exciting, and I think the sports bra will be supportive enough to run in (not that it takes much). 

Looking forward to my next (i.e. the first box) order arriving so I can do a complete review of it!