Hello there and once again happy weekend! Yesterday was a very busy day for us so I’m writing to you this week on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. This week has been a mix of pretty much all 4 seasons which sure keeps things interesting but is awfully confusing to my mind and body! It has been an almost successful week for me in terms of my training plan. Last weekend ended with a recovery day from the Birthday shenanigans that took place for my fiance Saturday night. We had a great time getting together with everyone in the wedding party plus some and watching everyone get to know each other. I was very relieved that everyone got along so well and there didn’t seem to be a bit of awkwardness around! It was a great group of funny people, and those are always the best.
Monday started out gloomy and chilly, and I was grateful to have a spin workout on the schedule. I started coming down with a cold on Monday so it was nice to be able to pick the length of my workout and know that I could do it in my living room while watching TV. It’s always the little things that make Mondays better, and spin combined with the Bachelor always give me something to look forward to at the start of the week!
By Tuesday my cold had really hit full force, which was unfortunate because it was Valentine’s Day. The elementary kids had their Valentine’s Day parties during school (I am reminded each year how ridiculously important this holiday is to children under the age of 10), so they were off the walls hyper from all the sugar by the time they got to music class. A day full of hyper children on a sugar high, combined with a cold that makes it impossible for me to sing as a music teacher made for a very long day. By the time I got home I was feeling even worse. I had 10 x 800s on the schedule and most definitely did not want to do it! Fortunately it was sunny and beautiful outside so that helped me motivate myself to get outside. Since this cold seemed to be full of chest congestion I decided to run the distance of my planned workout (2.5 miles) instead of speed to make it a little easier for my cough. I’ve always found that exercise makes me feel better and helps clear things up (which it sure did!) but there seems to be a fine line of pushing it too much, which causes things to get worse when I am done, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t do that today. The rest of our Valentine’s Day was spent at home, which I definitely appreciated, but we were still able to celebrate by cooking together and eating dinner with champagne and binge watching our favorite show.
Wednesday was back to the gloomy cold weather, which some snow showers thrown in as well. I did not get in my full workout today (4 miles) because I went over to my Aunt’s house to walk with her. Her daughter, my cousin, passed away unexpectedly a few weeks ago and we are all still trying to cope with and make sense of the situation. It was nice to get together with her and walk outside to clear our heads and share some of the struggles we’ve been experiencing. We walked a total of 2.5 miles and I definitely underestimated how cold it was outside again because by the time we got back I sure was freezing!
By Thursday my elbow problems had started to resurface slightly and I couldn’t put much weight on them when my arms were straight (like push ups, burpees, etc.) so I did my Kayla Itsine’s ab workout in the evening instead of Iron Strength. These ab workouts sure are killer and I love that the moves continue to get harder each week so my body never adjusts to it! My arms were still a little sore on Friday so I did a 45 minute circuit workout that I found online. I replaced pushups with chest presses and mountain climbers with planks on my elbows, but other than that the rest of the moves were very manageable.
Saturday morning was another beautiful day, the best we’ve had since the fall I’d say! It was about 60 degrees with blue skies when I went running outside and it is supposed to be like this for the next 3 days. I am absolutely a winter lover, but by February it is always so refreshing to see the sunshine and feel warmth when you walk outside! I ran 9 miles while talking to my mom on the phone. My legs felt fine while running, but my chest was still congested from my previous cold so I had to stop and walk up most of the hills. The run was definitely slower than normal but I am proud of myself for completing all the miles since I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do so when I started.
There are only two weekends left until the half marathon I’ll be running! This coming week is my peak week with a long run of 12 miles, followed by a taper weekend and then the race. I am feeling great and can’t wait to run this one! Yesterday I signed up for a half marathon in Grand Rapids which will take place in late April. This is my goal half for the year where I want to PR! I’m hoping that this first half will serve as a great excuse to get my mileage up and get used to speed training, so for the month and a half between this and my April race I’ll be able to focus mostly on speed and intervals. Fingers crossed, you never know how it will go until you try!
I hope you all have a great week! The weather is supposed to be warmer and sunnier than usual here which always boosts my spirits. Enjoy all those leftover Valentine’s Day treats this week!!