14 in 2014 Challenge Halfway Update

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2014 Challenge, Biking, Exercise, Mental Health, Pilates, Planks, Race, Relationships, Running, Walking

Happy July! Are we seriously half way through the year already? This has been such a strange year of my life, and so different than the last few years, so it’s been hard to judge the passage of time the same way. Since we’re now halfway through the year, I thought I’d do an update on my 14 Challenges in 2014.

I challenge myself to run 200 miles. Running has gone much better this year than last year, and I’m not fully sure why that is, but I’m not complaining. So far I’m at 147 miles for the year.

I challenge myself to walk 275 miles. Last year I had to stop walking quite so much due to my tendinitis and IT band syndrome, but this year has felt ok. I try to hold back on pace and distance just so I don’t put extra strain on everything, since I don’t want to have to stop running. So far I’m at 177 miles.

I challenge myself to bike 900 miles. I’m right at 516 miles for the year. Many of those miles have been done on my bike trainer, and most of the first 3 months of miles for the year were spent studying for my big test I took in mid-March. Since then I’ve had some great outdoor rides too!

I challenge myself to 75 hours of pilates. 75 hours may have been a little too high, and I refuse to push myself to do it just because I “HAVE to”, and then get burnt out on it. Either way I’ll end up pretty close. Right now I’m at 38.25 hours for the year, which definitely has me on track. We’ll see. I’m still really enjoying pilates though, and really appreciate all that it gives to my body.

I challenge myself to 250 minutes of planks. This one has been pretty easy so far, although less so now that it’s warm. In cold weather (October-March) I seem to have no problem doing planks, but the summer months I definitely cut down. No idea why? So far I’ve clocked a total of 152 minutes for the year.

I challenge myself to run 10 races for the year. Like 2013, these races can be in person or virtual, but I’d like at least 5 of them to be in person! So far I’ve done 4 races in person and 5 virtual races, so I’m doing well! I have a few more races set for the rest for the rest of the year too!

I challenge myself to read at least 14 books. This one has been so fun, and now that summer, it’s been REALLY easy. So far I’ve read 13 books this year, and have really gotten into crime books that have me on the edge of my seat (like John Grisham novels!). I’ve also read a few inspiring books like The Hiding Place and Notes From A Blue Bike. 

I challenge myself to go through all the clothes that I own. This one I finished at the end of January when I got rid of 54 or 56 (I forget which) items of clothing. I just did another haul at the beginning of June, getting rid of another 75ish items. I think that just shows how much I’ve really held on to over the years that’s been ridiculous! This podcast (Freedom From Stuff) has been inspiring!

I challenge myself to continue to be present. Am I present every single moment of every day- no, but I don’t think that’s fully possible for most of us! But being present has really changed my life, and I’m continuing to enjoy this challenge!

I challenge myself to continue to hunt for provisions and blessings (continuing to develop gratitude in my life). Yes! I’ve written it down twice a week, and am really enjoying it. I even started a gratitude journal outside of this blog, and it’s great to have a hard copy I can flip through.

I challenge myself to read the entire Bible this year. I found a plan online (it’s this one if you’re interested) and have been following that. I don’t necessarily exactly read what is outlined on the day, as sometimes I get ahead or behind (and then have to catch up). I’m just a few days behind on the reading plan, so I’m close to being on track!

I challenge myself to publish an article this year. I haven’t published it yet but I’ve written it and it’s gone through a few rounds of revisions now! We’re close to submitting it to the review board now!

I challenge myself to put more time and energy into friendships and relationships. YES! This one has been so much fun, and I’m loving the relationships that I’ve either strengthened or built over the last three months. I’ve even made some new blogging friends, like Melissa and Meg.

I challenge myself to be brave. Oh yes! I wish I could write blog posts about this, but at this point I can’t so much. Brave (or courage) is my word for the year, and while this probably deserves an entire post of it’s own, I thought I’d throw it out there anyways. I want to continue to push myself to be brave in any area of my life…

So, overall, I’m pretty much on point with where I “need” to be for the year in each of these goals, although slightly behind with one. It really hasn’t felt like too much effort, but knowing these goals are out there helps keep me motivated. So, we’ll see how this next quarter goes–

Now it’s your turn to share! How are you going on your goals/challenges/resolutions etc… for the year? Is there anything that you hope to accomplish in the next three months?

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Cornfields and a 50 Mile Biking PDR!

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Biking, Nature

On Wednesday morning I set out for what I was planning on being about a 25-28 mile bike ride. I’ve been sticking in the 20-22 mile range since hitting the road again, so I thought this would be a nice step up. My first few miles flew by, and I was feeling really good. I decided to try a new-to-me part of the trail, and ended up going about 14 miles before deciding to turn around, which would put me at home around mile 28. I enjoyed biking alongside the corn and soybean fields- I think they’re beautiful and really peaceful. The trail had people biking and walking on it, but there were plenty of times I didn’t see people for a few miles. (I do bring pepper spray with me though!) I listened to a few Jillian Michael’s podcasts, a podcast from How To Blog, and enjoyed a few miles of silence in the middle of all that too. When I hit mile 26, I decided I was feeling good, so I kept going on the trail in the other direction. At some point, I think around mile 32, I realized that I was feeling great, didn’t want to stop biking, and could easily beat my bike PDR I set last August at 40 miles, so I kept going!

That’s when I realized that I definitely wasn’t prepared. I had brought enough fuel to easily get me through about 30 miles, but not much beyond that. I hit hills around mile 32, and that, combined with it being the longest ride I’ve done since August 2013 and the lack of fuel really caused me to start bonking (although not nearly as bad as this ride!). Around mile 38 I stopped back by my place, grabbed about 14 ounces more to drink, ate a string cheese and two more shot bloks, and finished up my last 12 miles. Those miles felt strong, and I was able to maintain a pace fairly similar to my first few miles, which I was happy about!

My bike, biking alongside a farm, and a new-to-me gel to try.

I loved getting to spend so much time in nature! I loved seeing the fields, the flowers growing alongside the train tracks, another muskrat running down the trail, birds chirping, and chipmunks playing alongside the trail. The sun was shining (I have some awesome lines from my bike shorts now), there was a gentle breeze (but not bad enough to make it difficult to ride except for maybe 2-3 miles)- all in all, it was a fantastic day for a ride!

I definitely could’ve kept going, but had to shower to head in to work for the afternoon, so I cut my ride at 50… which is probably better for my body anyways!

50 miles done! And a stream I biked over at one point…

Here’s what my nutritional breakdown looked like: I started the day by eating a bowl of oatmeal with almond milk, blueberries, and a handful of life cereal on top, with 10 ounces of orange juice. Then while riding:

• mile 6.5: 2 fruit punch (extra caffeine) shot bloks
• mile 14.8: half of a gel
• mile 21.5 other half of a gel
• mile 38ish: 1 cheese stick, 2 margarita shot bloks
• To drink: 20 ounces water w/1 camelbak elixir electrolyte tab in it (orange- w/caffeine), 12 ounces water w/half of a nuun tab in it, about 6 ounces of plain water.

I definitely would’ve liked some fuel between mile 21 and 38, but I’m glad I had something other than water with me, so at least that provided me with something! I’m definitely getting my nutrition down more and more each ride that I do. I actually was thinking about a PB and honey sandwich at some point along the way. Would that be weird to bring a sandwich with me? 🙂

I use runkeeper to track my mileage and pace, and I enjoy that it’ll talk over my music at regular intervals! I put one earbud in my right ear, but leave my left one out so I can hear my surroundings better. All in all, this bike ride was one of my favorite rides I’ve ever done. The time flew by, I felt strong (minus the few miles when I ran out of fuel), and it was really peaceful.

Now it’s your turn to share! Tell me about one of your favorite experiences outdoors? What’s your favorite fuel for a long bike ride?

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Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 8 Recap

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Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

Alright- this is it. Actually, I might do one more recap to show what my recovery looks like, but after doing training recaps almost every week of this year, I finally have about a 2 month break before I hit training again. I have great plans for the summer in terms of my running and physical fitness, and I’ll share that along the way. Here’s how my final week of training (and taper) looked:

• Friday (5/30): 30 minutes barre (while teaching), 1 mile walk, 25 minutes strength training (arms)
• Saturday: 3.1 mile walk (with a friend from high school who came to visit!)
• Sunday: 2.15 mile run
• Monday: 30 minutes barre (while teaching), 25 minutes strength training (arms)
• Tuesday: 40 minutes gentle pilates, .75 mile slow walk
• Wednesday: 20 minutes strength training, 20 minutes pilates (while teaching), 1.25 mile run (last run of training cycle)
• Thursday: 1 mile slow walk
• Friday: REST
• Saturday: 13.1 mile half marathon race, 1.8 mile recovery walk

The time I spent working out the week leading up to the race was about 1/3 of the time I normally spend, and I could really feel it. My runs were gentle, my walks were at a slower pace, and pilates was gentle as well. I wanted to keep moving and keep my muscles loose, but wanted to let them fully recover too! Thanks for following along with my training!

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Indianapolis Women’s Half Marathon 2014 Race Recap

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2014 Challenge, Exercise, Friends, Half Marathon, POTS, Race, Racing, Running

“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, ‘I have finished.’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that.”- Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon Co-founder

On Saturday afternoon, Melissa and I were at the pool, and she (I think it was her anyways and not me- haha) mentioned that she had no idea how to really recap this race, and I immediately agreed. This was by far the most strange half marathon I’ve ever run, and it seriously can’t be compared to any other half marathon that I’ve run so far (this was half marathon #6). This was a totally different game, and one that I said on Wednesday last week might be totally different due to weather.

My alarm went off at 5, and I checked the weather (humidity at 94%-ugh), and ate my traditional pre-race meal: 12 ounces orange juice, 1 luna bar, and 1 medium sized banana. I got ready quickly and warmed up. Melissa accidently turned her alarm off, so I finally woke her up at 5:45 (we were planning to leave right around 6). She had gotten sick in the middle of the night- a great sign of the day to come. We hit the road and got to the corrals about 15 minutes before the start. We warmed up quickly and jumped in the corrals ready to go. Race start temperature was about 60 degrees with 92% humidity, but we knew the temperature was going to shoot up quickly. I took a salt packet about 30 minutes before the race, hoping that would help any cramping issues.

I need to mention again here that, because I have POTS, exercising in the heat is pretty difficult. I can’t cool myself appropriately, so anything over about 50-55 degrees is really warm for me. Going in I knew this was going to be the case, and Melissa and I decided that it was better to be safe than to put ourselves in a dangerous situation (she also doesn’t do well in the heat). Safety was the name of our game.

At the starting line

The first 5 miles flew by pretty quickly, and the temperature felt ok for us too. We started off doing a 2:1 run:walk ratio, and we decided to keep our pace equivalent to training runs until we felt like it wasn’t safe anymore. The first 5 miles we hit in the 11-11:25 range, and that felt awesome. At that point the sun had really come out strong and the temperature was rising. Melissa wasn’t feeling great, and somewhere in the 5-6 mile range my heart rate got out of control fast. We both walked for a good chunk of that mile- remember our motto? Safety first.

We hit the half way point and I was hurting from walking so quickly. When we walked, we were keeping about a 14:40 pace, which is far faster pace than I normally walk at. My right arch was hurting and my left piriformis was unhappy. I remember taking inventory of myself, looking at Melissa, and wondering how we were going to make it through the rest of the race. Running felt better than walking at this point, even though running wasn’t good for me.

At mile 7 we hit a water station and there was no line at the port-a-potty. SCORE! I hopped in and went quickly- a first for me at any race. It was worth it though (one thing I will say is that I feel like I was hydrating well throughout the race. I drank water and powerade at every station the first half, and also carried gatorade in my handheld water bottle). Melissa told me to run ahead and she’d catch up, so I grabbed the powerade at the station and walked along, eating my race fuel (cran-razz shot bloks. I also had margarita shot bloks at mile 3.8 and 10ish). I also took half a salt packet at mile 7, not because I was cramping, but because I was sweating and losing so much salt, and didn’t want to cramp at the end.

Right after mile 7 was a huge hill, and I definitely walked up it. Melissa caught up at the top, and told me that she threw up again. I felt so bad for her, and even though she told me to run ahead, I refused. We signed up together, and we were going to run it together! And honestly, I didn’t know how I was going to make it through the 2nd half without her next to me anyways.

Honestly, those last miles went by in a blur, and I felt like they went by pretty quickly too. We walked a lot, and ran as we could. Neither of us felt fantastic. The second half of the course I only took powerade at the stations because the water was too warm to be refreshing at all, and I couldn’t stomach the thought of it. Right around mile 9 I looked as far ahead of me and behind me as I could, and every single person I saw was walking. That’s when I realized how tough this weather really was.

Somewhere around mile 9 we set a goal for ourselves- we would come in before my slowest half marathon time (set at my first half marathon at the Indy mini), and that pushed us to run just a bit more. Right about mile 12 I suddenly started to shiver a bit, and said “Oh my gosh Melissa, I’m getting goose bumps.” At this point it was still high humidity about almost 77 degrees, and I shouldn’t have been shivering at all, so this was clearly a sign that my body wasn’t doing well. Honestly, if I had more than a mile left I would’ve been pretty concerned, but I felt ok continuing on, knowing that it would all be over in about 10 minutes.

Right around mile 12.5 we ran past some of Melissa’s co-workers who brought out ice cold water bottles for us. I handed off my hand held, and it felt absolutely amazing to hold something that was so cold. Once we saw the finish line Melissa told me to run ahead so I could make sure that I was under my slowest time. I ended up crossing the finish line about 20 seconds before her, but both of us ended with a time of 2:55. It’s certainly a far cry from my half marathon PR, but as I said, this race can’t even be compared to my other races.

I felt more emotional crossing that finish line than in any finish except for first half marathon- I guess because my body felt pretty off at that point. Men who were in the military were passing out the medals, and we also got roses (along with the standard banana, nuts, water, etc…).

Melissa and I took a few pictures, and then headed back to stretch.

Honestly- I wasn’t at all disappointed in our time. This race was really tough for both of us, and in many ways I had to push myself much more than in other races. I ran a relatively safe race with POTS (minus when my body started to hit heat exhaustion), and was able to finish strong in that last mile. I had fun for a good portion of the race, and this race was another example of proving that I am stronger than I thought I was, and my diagnosis doesn’t have to hold me back completely. I think that long distance summer races are just something that I can’t really do because of POTS, and that’s ok. Honestly, looking at the big picture, the time doesn’t matter to me. Me pushing myself, being safe, growing, learning, and just being able to run is what’s most important. I’m so thankful that I can run, even in the tough, hot, and disgusting races. I’m thankful for this race, safety in running, and for the lessons learned through it.

Overall the race was organized well. The course was fine- nothing special. There were plenty of aid stations with water and powerade. I wish the water had been kept cooler, as it was just gross and not refreshing the 2nd half of the race. The volunteers were really encouraging, but there was minimal spectators cheering on the side of the road.

I’m interested to see how I view this race in a few months, but right now I’m not disappointed at all. Despite having to drop our pace, we didn’t quit, and that was huge for us. More on the expo and post race fun later this week!

Check out Melissa’s recap of the race too!

For more information on POTS, click here. For other race recaps, click here. To see how this race compares to the Monumental Half Marathon, the Indianapolis Mini Marathon, and the Carmel Half Marathon, click here. For more information on my Bioskin calf sleeves, click here. 

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Group Riding

Tags

Biking, Exercise, Training

In the fall of 2013 I was invited to join a group ride through a cycling shop in town. I’m not the fastest rider, and biking scares me a little bit (especially in large groups), so I held off on going all fall. Then I went into the bike shop to get my back tire changed (since the tread was rubbed off due to the constant rubbing on the trainer), and the guy invited me to join the ride. I told him my average pace, and he said they had a slower group that I’d be fine riding with.

I got there on Tuesday (this was May 20th), and was the only female there. Everyone else looked like they were solid riders, and I was sitting there in my running shoes and my white and pink helmet. I felt ridiculous, but also couldn’t help but laugh at how silly I was in the middle of this group of solid male riders. Luckily right before the ride started another female came in, and she stuck with me. She said her average pace was in the 15 mile range, and I said that right now most of my rides are about 14 but I wanted to get faster.

Within a few miles we were dropped by the male riders (see- I’m so glad she showed up or I would’ve been stranded out in the country on roads I don’t know!), but we had a great time riding together. Around mile 10 I stopped to get some sports beans. At this point I really realized my mistake. When I’m on my trainer in the winter, I usually went through about 16 ounces of water and no fuel for a 20 mile ride. However, the bike trainer doesn’t have wind resistance or hills, so it wasn’t as intense. I had grabbed about 20 ounces of water and a half a packet of sports beans before I headed out the door, and that was clearly not enough.

By mile 15 I was almost completely out of water and felt really depleted. The woman that I was with had forgotten fuel as well, so we were stuck. I kept trying to power through as best as I could. The last 4 miles I rode with another guy in the group who had also hit a wall due to a lack of fuel (clearly it’s the start of the season and we’re all trying to remember what we need to bring), so it was a struggle-fest for us as we got back to the shop.

These rides intimidate me. They are FAST, but I also know that, as I stick with the woman who is faster than I am, I can also get faster. When I got back to my car, I realized that perhaps my pace had something to due with why I sort of hit the wall during my ride: I was hitting 14.5-15.5 mph while on hills, with wind. While this is great to push myself, 20 miles at this pace when I’m not used to it at all, and only my 2nd ride on the road for the year, was a little rough. I’ll be back, but it’ll have to wait a few weeks because of my upcoming half marathon.

At least the next 20 miler I did brought a little redemption…

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Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 7 Recap

Tags

Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

First of all- Happy June! Seriously- how are we in the 6th month of the year already? I feel like this year has flown so quickly- yikes! I wish it would slow down a bit!

Well, this training cycle has been a short(er) one, but I can’t believe that it’s almost over! The next time I post a training recap, my race will be over. EEK! This week was pretty solid on the fitness front, but tapering didn’t quite happen the way that I wanted it to. I cut down on running but increased walking mileage, which I will force myself to decrease next week too. I seriously need to buckle down a bit more to let my legs rest up! Here’s how the week looked:

• Friday (5/23): .5 mile walk, 30 minute strength training (arms)
• Saturday: 4.5 mile walk
• Sunday: 3.6 mile run (5k Memorial Day Race plus an extra .5 cooldown), .75 mi walk
• Monday: 3.5 mile walk, 20 minutes core/abs
• Tuesday: 21.5 mile bike, 2.25 mile walk
• Wednesday: 20 minutes pilates (while teaching), strength training (arms)
• Thursday: REST

So, there you have it! I got in an extra lifting session this week, which was nice! Now that my brother isn’t here anymore, I’m left to lifting on my own. I’m trying to keep up the intensity I lifted at with him, and am trying not to take a break from it. I know if I stop I won’t pick it back up in the same way since he isn’t here.

Now it’s your turn to share! Do you lift? If so- do you do it by yourself, with others, or by following a pre-written plan?

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A Muskrat and 21.5 Miles

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Biking

I just wanted to pop in to chat quickly about the awesome bike ride I had earlier today. Yes- it’s taper time, and I really shouldn’t have gone as long as I did (but to be fair… it’s still the start of taper so I have some time…), but it was sunny and it’s what I really wanted to do today! Today is also the first real day of my “summer break” (where I work far fewer hours), so I had the entire day free after about 10:30 am.

I decided to do part of my ride on a new-to-me part of a trail, and had a great time. It was about 83 and sunny when I left, but the trail had lots of shady spots for most of the 21.5 miles that I went, which was nice. I brought appropriate fuel and gatorade & water this time (unlike a group ride I did last Tuesday), which definitely helped.

Around mile 10

The first few miles felt pretty easy. I clocked them in at 13.31, 14.98, and 14.05 mph respectively. The next few miles were uphill and straight against wind- TOUGH. I clocked those in between 11.75 and 12.4 mph respectively. I initially got annoyed knowing that my pace was dropping, but then I realized that uphill against wind is excellent training, and that a stupid number at the end doesn’t matter as much as how the workout went. I put my head down and pushed through, trying to enjoy the fields I was biking through. I turned around, knowing that I’d head downhill! I clocked those next three miles at 17.8, 16.7, and 15.3 mph, and enjoyed the breeze as the uphill portion had been in straight sunlight and heat. The rest of the ride was smooth sailing, and I ended my last three miles of the ride with paces between 14 and 15.2 mph- a solid finish to the ride. I ended up eating half a package of sports beans and 2 shot bloks on the ride, and that with the gatorade was sufficient (It’s so funny how different road vs. trainer biking is. On the trainer I didn’t need any fuel for a 20 mile ride, but on the road with hills and wind I definitely need some!).

What I love most about biking outside is seeing all of the wildlife and nature (flowers, trees, the fields, etc…). I ended up having to slow down because a muskrat was running down the trail ahead of me. Once I got close to him he ran off to the side of the trail and laid flat against the ground and didn’t move until after I passed. It was pretty cute- I wish I had a movie of the entire thing. I ended the ride smiling, happy to be out in the sunshine flying down the trail.

Now it’s your turn to share! Do you enjoy biking? If you do- what’s your favorite part about it? 

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Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 6 Recap

Tags

Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

This is my final hard workout week, as next week starts taper time. Oh boy. I’m still hoping that race day is nice and cool so I can run fast (for me) and not run one of my slowest half times. We’ll see- that’s definitely not something I can control 🙂 Here’s how the week looked:

• Friday (5/16): 30 minutes pilates
• Saturday: 9.8 mile run
• Sunday: 40 minutes pilates, 13.75 mile bike (first on the road for the season), 1.75 mile walk
• Monday:40 minute strength training (arms & abs with my brother!), 4 mile walk
• Tuesday: 23 mile bike ride (my first group ride!)
• Wednesday: REST (active rest) 1 mile walk (needed to rest but needed to try to move my legs a bit after my ride the day before)
• Thursday: Active REST- 1.8 mile walk (nice and slow with a co-worker at lunch- awesome way to enjoy the sunshine!)

So there’s the week. Not only did I hit my peak running mileage, but this is pretty much the highest number of miles biked in any given week since sometime in late summer/early fall. I’m trying to keep my legs moving (nice, slow walks) to avoid them getting stiff, and adding pilates in there to keep myself stretched out! I’m definitely looking forward to some more light pilates during taper to keep me nice and loose! Good thing I made homemade peanut butter cups to keep me fueled this week 🙂

Now it’s your turn to share! What was your favorite exercise for the week?

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First Bike Ride Of The Season

Tags

Biking, Training

On Saturday I finally sucked it up and took my bike to the shop to get my back tire changed. Because I’ve been riding on my trainer since the start of December, my back tire has been rubbed down such that it wouldn’t be that safe to ride out on the road. (I just checked and I rode about 462 miles on my trainer from December-mid May).

While I was excited to finally hit the road biking again, I was also a little nervous. Biking has been a nerve-wracking thing for me. These nerves kept me from biking for 11 years, but biking has also been a place where I’ve gotten to practice overcoming fears. Biking has led to exciting moments, like my first triathlon, as well as my second triathlon, and a great 40 mile ride at the end of last summer. To me, biking feels like fear, but it also feels like freedom.

So, while I was nervous, I knew I just needed to get back out there to re-discover why I loved it so much. The first three miles felt a little tough. I wasn’t used to standing up while going over bumps, I wasn’t used to biking against the wind, and I had just done my long run 24 hours before, so my legs were a bit tired.

By mile 4, I’m pretty sure that a smile had found its way to my face, and I felt like I was flying again. I forgot that biking gives a sense of freedom that running and walking can’t give- to fly down the road with the wind feels awesome.

All winter I wondered if I was going to lose any of my biking fitness over the months; I wondered if my pace would drop back down again. When I finished the ride, I was happy to see that, even with tired legs, my pace matched my two fastest rides last year, which happened right before I switched back to my trainer.

So, I’d say that I’m happy with the way I trained over the winter, and I’m happy where I’m at going into the summer. My goal for the summer is to try and pick my pace up 2 mph or so for many of my bike rides- we’ll see how it goes!

Now it’s your turn to share! Have you done anything lately that’s scared you?

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Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 5 Recap

Tags

Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

Week 5 down! BAM. Only one more actual week of training before taper begins for my next half marathon! This week felt pretty solid. Allergies have been a bit more sleepy than normal (but I’m sleeping worse than normal too due to them), so I know that’s made work outs feel just a bit more difficult (this got much better later in the week when the rainy came…). Here’s how the week looked:

• Friday (5/9): REST
• Saturday: 8.85 mi run, 1.5 mi walk
• Sunday: 1 hour pilates, 1.75 mi walk
• Monday: 45 mins strength training (arms & core), 1.25 mi walk
• Tuesday: taught barre class, 1.1 mi walk, 12 mi bike ride
• Wednesday: 9.5 mi bike ride
• Thursday: 15 mins pilates (while teaching class)- mostly REST day- just wanted to get in a few good stretches

Pretty good week overall, with lots of good cross training. I’m stretching almost every day to try to keep myself from getting too tight in any places. My left hamstring has been a little tighter than normal the last few weeks, but I stretch it out daily and that’s been that. I hope it stays that way 🙂

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