Running took a bit of a hit this week thanks to a pretty hectic work week. There were early starts, multiple days of commuting, and long hours leaving me with absolutely no desire to hit the mill post-work.

After taking a look at what’s on the deck work-wise for the next few weeks I’ll be making some changes to my workout plan. But, before I get to that, here’s a quick look at this week in fitness.

Week 7 – Creating a New Plan

Monday — Peloton Bike, Core & PT session
Tuesday — 2.5-mile walk, Core & Lower Body Strength
Wednesday — Core, otherwise rest
Thursday — 3 miles & Core
Friday — 2.5 mile walk, Core & Upper Body Strength
Saturday — Peloton Bike & Core
Sunday — 5 miles, Core & hip mobility

While I am not thrilled to get just two days of running, the plus side was both runs felt really good. My hip flexor definitely starts talking to me post-run, so there has been a lot of extra stretching. My PT wants me to hit the bike at least a couple of times a week so I’m glad I got that box checked.

Creating a new plan

Looking at what’s upcoming work-wise for the next few weeks and thinking about my ideal schedule (3 days of running, 2 – 3 days on the bike, plus strength training and a rest day), I’ve decided to shift my “long” run back to Saturdays. I’ll plan to run Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, leaving me Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays for time on the bike and strength training. Tuesdays (and often now Wednesdays) are office days so I think sticking to trying to grab a walk at lunch and perhaps some yoga (or just rest) after the long commute home is my best bet. I’ve also shifted my PT appointments from Monday to Friday mornings. Hopefully, this plan will make it less stressful to fit workouts in and avoid having to run on back-to-back days which my hip doesn’t love at the moment.

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Do you follow a set schedule every week or do you find yourself adjusting week-to-week?

I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

Amazing to think that we are quickly approaching the halfway point of this month! The days are flying for sure. While I missed last week’s Run Down, the workouts have continued. Instead of recapping each day, I’ll just share some quick highlights.

February Mid-Month Check-in

Running

For the most part, running is feeling pretty good. I’m still following the Team Wilpers Half Marathon Challenge – though with no half marathon on the horizon, I’m following the PT’s advice to build my “long run” distance slowly. Mother Nature gifted us with 60-degree weather on Friday – so running in shorts was definitely a highlight!

Strength Training & PT

I’ve been diligently doing my PT exercises to help wake up these lazy glutes and improve my hip mobility. I’ve started Matty’s enCORE daily core challenge for February on the Peloton app. And, this past week I decided to do another Split Strength Program, this time with JJ.

I liked this program and plan to repeat it this upcoming week.

Throw in a couple of rides on the Peloton Bike and that’s the way my last couple of weeks have played out. The one area that has taken a hit is my daily walks. Icy roads and/or a tight schedule have sometimes sidelined my plans. The forecast looks fairly mild this week (especially for February) so hopefully, I can log more time outdoors.

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Tell me, how’s February treating you so far?

I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

It’s taken all month, but it finally feels like things are settling down a bit. Here’s a quick look at how my workouts played out.

Running out of January

Monday — Upper Body Strength & Core – I decided to do another week of Robin’s Advanced Strength split program on the Peloton app.
Tuesday — 4 miles. A snow-sleet mix left the roads and sidewalks an icy mess so there was shoveling and then a treadmill run.
Wednesday — Day 2 of Robin’s split focuses on legs. Later in the day I finally got to my first PT appointment – perhaps, in hindsight “leg day” was not the best idea LOL I was toast by the time I finished my PT work. I also hit reached my first 1,000 minutes on Peloton.
Thursday — Rest Day. Holy DOMS Batman – everything was sore! Aside from lots of stretching, I gave my body the break it needed.
Friday — 2-mile walk, Core, and Day 3 of the Split. The last day of the program focuses on back and biceps.
Saturday — 3.2 miles. Finally, the sun returned it felt glorious! (See the header photo)
Sunday — 5.5 miles. I don’t usually run back-to-back days, but after taking Thursday as a rest day, I didn’t want to miss completing 3 days of running for the week. I was a little concerned when I started since my TFL felt super tight. It did squawk a little during the later part of the run, but overall this was a pretty good run.

Although I didn’t get any time on the bike (something my PT wants me to do), I feel like this was a more balanced week and my best week of January. Fingers crossed this continues as we head into February.

In case you missed it:

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Tell me something about your week. Do you feel like you’re finishing the month strong?

I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

This week kicked my butt! I’m not really sure what it was but I just felt off all week. I’m sure it didn’t help that I was in the office two days. Those extra early mornings and long commutes (not to mention meeting-filled days), left me feeling especially drained – I often marvel now at how once upon a time commuting was a 5-day-a-week thing for me! Despite Monday’s holiday, this was a very long week!

Weekly Run Down – A Very Long Week

Lots of gray skies this week!

Monday — 2-mile walk, Core, & Day 3 of Robin’s Strength Split – Back and Biceps
Tuesday — 3-mile walk otherwise rest
Wednesday — 2-mile walk, Yoga, & hip mobility work
Thursday — 3.5-mile run & Core
Friday — Peloton Bike & Core
Saturday — Rest – didn’t feel so hot
Sunday — 5.5-mile run

I was definitely off my game this week and just did my best to power along. I kept up with my commitment to daily stretching but only ended up running twice. The combination of the week’s crazy schedule and feeling less than stellar had me shuffling my runs around, and eventually, I decided to take a pass on my planned hill workout. Given where I live, I run hills on the regular so I’m not too concerned about missing this run.

The highlights of the week were definitely completing Robin’s Strength Split Program and getting a much-needed deep tissue massage on Thursday. I really enjoy the structure and challenge of this split program and have it cued up to repeat this upcoming week.

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Did anyone else feel like this was a long week?

I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.