Welp. It was bound to happen.
An action-packed weekend, in the heat and humidity, can make one a bit tired. Even those of us who thrive on limited sleep (as well as the heat of summer, LOL), can feel the effects.
The solution: a Week of Recovery.
I love hosting this link-up with Deborah (from Confessions of a Mother Runner)! If you write a fitness-based blog, you're invited to join the party. The link-up opens at 8:00AM (EST) on Sundays and remains open through noon on Monday. We love reading about everyone's weekly fitness endeavors, training highlights (or low lights) and race recaps. We ask that you link back to both hosts, and we encourage you to read/comment on the other linked blogs as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)
Anyways, here's what went down in terms of recovery (some of it active; some not):
A sun-sational day of active recovery for Sunday...
After a slight sleep-in (I swear, this is becoming a Sunday habit, LOL), I saddled-up the bike and hit the road. I'd heard World Bicycle Day was coming, but had (momentarily) forgotten about it until Garmin rewarded the badge for my "activity" the day prior...you know, the DAM to DSM Half Marathon. Ummm, I'd run that on foot, not on wheels, so I decided to make things right (for my own peace of mind), and went for a 13.1-mile bike ride. Totally a win-win, because I not only got outside, but my legs enjoyed some low-impact recovery time as well. Later, I got in a couple hours of intense garden squats, a 2-mile walk and a full moon 5-miler in the evening (see below).
A very easy-peasy Never-Miss-a-Monday...
Saturday's half and Sunday's full moon run had my body feeling pretty depleted come Monday morning. For a split second, I considered taking a pass on the ritual Monday run. It was a nice morning, though, and I was planning on a walk anyways. I rationalized that I could walk one mile, reassess my situation, then maybe run back (or walk, if things were still feeling creaky). Well, you can probably guess how this ends...after the 1-mile "warm-up," my legs came to life (sort of, LOL), so I was able to run the mile back home, albeit at a very conservative pace. We got in a couple of 1-mile walks at work, and I took another 2-mile walk after dinner. Things were definitely feeling better, and I enjoyed a good night's sleep.
Taking it (somewhat) easy on Tuesday...
Oof, I awoke feeling like a train wreck, with some nasty late-breaking DOMS. Again, I got out for a 2-mile sunrise walk and felt much better. I'd been planning on starting a new strength challenge (via Peloton), but elected to "defer" that for a week, and did some light arms/shoulders work instead. My friend and I got in our two walks at work, but Holy Humidity, it was icky and sticky outside.
After work, Amy and I tried to sneak in our weekly hilly bike path ride...only the forecasted rain showed up much earlier than it was supposed to. We got through the first "valley" of our ride and decided to turn around and head back home. The sky turned really dark, we got hit with a few sprinkles, and the wind took on a life of its own. Seven total miles, and I got home just before Momma N's wrath was unleashed. And, not even 20 minutes later, the sky cleared and the rain was history...so I headed back out for a 2-mile walk.
Double Workout Wednesday...
In celebration of Global Running Day, it was only appropriate for Barb and I to meet for a #5at5. The temps were mild (low 60F's, with minimal wind), but my-oh-my, was it humid.
Later, after work, it was Hilly Bike Path Ride: take-2. The temps weren't as warm or humid as the day prior, but the wind was evil (again!). Nonetheless, we got it done. I also knocked-out a 2-mile walk & talk (on the phone) with a friend, as well as another round of garden squats. Yes, I slept quite well that evening also!
Thankful Thursday...
The early morning weather was looking questionable, but I really wasn't "feeling" the spin bike, so I grabbed my umbrella and walked four miles "with"
Deb. Proof positive, we did see the same sun, but definitely not the same sunrise. Later, the day kept me busy, but in a low-impact way: two 1-mile walk breaks at work, a 14-mile bike ride after work, and a 2-mile walk in the evening (yes, that amounts to eight total miles of walking!).
Finally Friday...
Although most of the week's fitness had been low-impact, and I'd kept things low-key (in terms of intensity), Friday morning had me snoozing-in a bit. I tried my first-ever Pilates class (Peloton app), and that was a bit of a snoozer as well. In all fairness, it was a beginner-level class, but I didn't know just how much of a "beginner" it was intended for. It was a 20-minute class and I finished feeling like I'd gotten absolutely nothing out of it. Oh well, not every fitness endeavor is gonna be our gig, right? Even with a 1-mile walk at work, and a 2-mile walk before dinner, Friday felt very much like a rest day. And I was quite alright with that.
Back in action for Saturday...
With no big races on the horizon, I had no grandiose plans for any specific distance to run. A couple of friends are doing Grandma's Marathon, next weekend, so a few of us rallied and ran a few miles with them. Our route took us out of town for a few miles, on gravel roads. I peeled off, when I hit six miles, because I wanted to save my legs for another run...
After the early morning miles, I walked back home and changed into dry socks (and under garments, LOL), and then walked downtown. This was a local fun run, coinciding with a day-long gravel biking event, and it didn't start until 9:30. Barb and I reconvened at the staging area and ran the 5K, along with a few other friends. This was advertised as a "fun run, not a race," so it wasn't timed, but my Garmin showed a finish time of 29:46, with splits of 9:37, 9:36, and 9:32...how's that for consistency? Afterwards, I walked the mile back home, did a Peloton yoga flow (for some post-run stretching), and crashed on the couch for a good 30 minutes. Later, I tackled 90 minutes of intense weed-pulling. To say my back and legs were done for the day would be an understatement.
...and what's on tap for Sunday?
Tentatively, I'm planning on some early morning strength work. I'm due to hit my 1,000th Peloton workout, so I want it to be a significant sweat session. I'll probably head outdoors, for some walking and biking as well.
So how did this week of recovery go? For me, it was very much an active recovery endeavor. I kept the running mileage pretty low-key (until Saturday), ending with 20 miles. Biking was somewhat conservative, with 49 miles. Walking, as always, served me well with 30 miles this week. Low-impact cardio for the win! I even kept the strength-training on the down-low...just some light upper-body work here and there.
In case you missed out, here's what went down on the blog this week:
In other news:
Friday Fashion Flair. The summer heat has me in sleeveless tops on the regular, and the summer season has me in floral prints frequently. What I love about said floral prints, is that you can vary which color(s) to highlight form time to time. I mean, why wear the same "outfit" repeatedly when you can mix-it-up with different color combos, right?
Last Sunday evening was another full moon run. We met at 9:00, and after five miles of running, the moon still was late to the party. Full disclosure: we resorted to posing under a streetlight for our "full moon" selfie. Rest assured, the moon did eventually arrive...I saw it high in the sky about 30 minutes later, when I was outside with Max.
Finally, this proved to be a busy week of badges, via my Garmin! Saturday, alone, rewarded me with three unexpectedly.
So, that's that. I managed to keep the fitness active, but with a twist of recovery. I caught up with a little bit of sleep, and even snuck in a few short naps (10-20 minutes) throughout the week.
How was your week? When it comes to recovery, do you prefer active recovery or full-on rest recovery? Did you run any miles on Global Running Day?
"Scratches head"-- your recovery sounds exhausting to me, lol! You had a very busy week. That full moon caused some full on chaos at my house!
ReplyDeleteNot sure why the full moon was so late to the party...Barb said she'd seen it the evening prior at 9:30.
DeleteIt sounds like it was more Badge week than recovery week. Congrats on your upcoming "comma" Peleton workout.
ReplyDeleteToday is the last day of vacation for me! 83 miles of biking so far with 10-15 more to come before heading home. I didn't know about World Bicycle Day, but it turns out that I observed it after all.
That's a lot of biking!!!! Would you believe me if I bike-fessed that I was a tiny bit jealous?
DeleteYou're always good at giving your body what it needs. It's pretty rare I have a full on recovery day, there's Bandit to walk, and I'm often playing catchup with other things -- I do my best though!
ReplyDeleteVery nice job on your 5k.
The full-on recovery days are beneficial for many, but some of us are just fine without them. As long as we know to keep them low-impact and low-key, we're good ;-)
DeleteHah! 20 miles of running would be a high mileage week for me these days. Running three days a week with no long run I’m lucky to hit 15.
ReplyDeleteWell, nine of those 20 miles came from Saturday, LOL. I'm usually in the 15-20 (weekly) range with 3-4 days of running.
DeleteA very busy week for you. It is important to give your body rest when it needs it even if it is not what we want. I am not a fan of Pilates myself but people do like it
ReplyDeleteI had heard so many great things about Pilates, I was really disappointed with my experience. I do think I need to try a more advanced class, though, to get a better perspective...so that's on me.
DeleteSounds like a good week- that is a LOT of walking miles! Bummer about the Pilates class- it is frustrating to take a class that's way too easy. I used to do some Pilates videos (back in the day) and they were hard- so the level of that class was probably too "beginner" for you.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got some naps in! I love naps.
I got another nap in this afternoon, LOL. I should be all caught-up now ;-) I love walking, especially in the summer with the warm weather and expended daylight, so the miles add up quickly in comparison to the colder months.
DeleteAlways love all your colors, but the one with the prairie burn bib just wins. And yes, I think sundays are for slight sleep ins even though I was wide awake at 6a despite yelling at my alarm at that time yesterday.
ReplyDelete(Also, can I actually log in and comment!? It appears to be working! If not, it's Cari
Thanks, you know I'm a color freak, LOL. Even on my sleep-in mornings (rare as they may be), I still wake up early...but I try to stay in bed and doze for awhile.
DeleteI haven't done any of the Peloton pilates yet, but the in-studio classes I took were pretty hard in the past! A speedy run friend of mine swears by Pilates...so I'm sure there's something to it! Good for you for trying something new, that's the joy of Peloton, it offers so much!
ReplyDeleteI think I should have tried a more advanced Pilates class. I had no clue what it was all about and erred far too far on the side of caution, apparently.
DeleteBusy week, even as a recovery one! Lots of badges to be obtained :) Great job on the full moon run. Enjoy that summer weather!
ReplyDeleteOh, it's a given I'm enjoying the summer weather ;-)
DeleteWhat a busy week!! And those look like some badges. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteIt was crazy how many Garmin badges were up for grabs this week!
DeleteBadges galore! There were quite a few to earn this week on Garmin.... and for calling this a recovery week, you still got so much movement in. Bravo.
ReplyDeleteI was active on the daily, no doubt, but I kept most of the action low-key (until Saturday, that is, LOL).
DeleteI second what Wendy said... your recovery is more active than most people. Love when runners help each other.
ReplyDeleteI'm quite grateful for my energy, LOL ;-)
DeleteYard work - it's exhausting!! I think we should get Garmin badges for it :)
ReplyDeleteYard work is a major workout, especially on a hot summer day!
DeleteNot really a recovery week, in my opinion it was a busy week!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the finishing time in the 5km race and, however, a race is never a "fun" race ....... difficult to slow down in such events.
I kept busy, but I did scale-back from my usual activity ;-)
DeleteYour recovery is definitely busier than mine would be LOL - sounds like a good week for you. I definitely wouldn't judge Pilates based on the Peloton class. I did in studio classes for years and found it to be a great and challenging workout. I haven't tried the classes on the app because I couldn't imgaine they'd come close to replicating a studio experience.
ReplyDeleteYes, I need to really give a true Pilates studio class a try (we just don't have it in my area).
DeleteYou had a great week for a recovery week and I was happy to be part of it by "joining" you for a walk. I bet your fun run was indeed fun with no finish time expectations all while being joined by friends. Nice consistency on the splits, too!
ReplyDeleteThe fun run was indeed fun (the earlier 6-miler with a bigger group of friends was even better!), but the late morning heat made it more challenging. Still, no regrets!
DeleteI would say that you more than earned a week of recovery!
ReplyDeleteThe previous week (and weekend) was a little nutzo!
DeleteWow! What a week! You accomplished so much! I haven't re-synced my Garmin with my new phone, so I haven't gotten all those badges! Dang it! I like an active recovery. It helps me feel better. Also, I've been sleeping in more than usual. I'm tired.
ReplyDeleteActive recovery is what works for me...I've tried the other, and I go stir crazy, LOL
Deletegoodness Kim, while it sounds very "you" I'm not certain you had a rest and recovery week! LOL! but I love how you do it your way every time. That's what is most important. Any week that contains all that running and biking is definitely not a recovery week for me. Then again we are all different and ain't that beautiful?
ReplyDeleteYes, it's great that we get to personalize our fitness routine ;-) It would be pretty boring (and quite dangerous) to all be doing the exact same thing!
Delete