Saturday, November 2, 2024

CRaZiNeSs

 


It was a cRaZy week!

You know how it goes…a change in schedule, a major shift in weather, a new ride to troubleshoot, and fitting in the fitness as best you are able. Let’s not forget a few random late nights watching baseball. Whew!

I’ve said before that sleep is overrated, but this week it was a rare commodity. Oh well, onward!

Before I get into the nitty gritty deets of the week, welcome to the Weekly Run Down!

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 blog as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)


Anyways, here’s what went down in this week of cRaZiNeSs:

Sunday - Crazy ideas…
I’d seen there was a 40K Cycling Ride up for grabs with the Garmin badges. Having not been in the saddle as much as I’d prefer (in recent weeks, that is), I thought a good 25-mile indoor ride would be a great way to start the day. Granted, it had to happen indoors given the early morning darkness. I finished off with some upper-body work before my real breakfast of French toast, LOL. Max took me for a walk later, in the afternoon, and that was all she wrote.

 
Never miss a (crazy) Monday…
I had an unusually early start to the day, and didn’t feel like layering-up for a run, so I hit the elliptical for 4-ish miles (26 minutes) before cleaning-up and heading to work.


Despite the chilly morning, the temps were flirting with the mid-70F’s range by the afternoon. I got out for a quick 2-miler after work. The setting sun peeked out from the cloud cover just as I was finishing the second mile, and it was a beauty!


Tuesday - the crazy summer temps were still around…
I was all set to hop on the bike, but when I let Max outside, the early morning 73F temps were just too enticing to stay inside. I promptly grabbed the Noxgear vest and headed outside for a quick 2-mile walk in the balmy air before heading to the office.


Wednesday - the crazy wind prevailed…
The forecast was showing insane wind (13mph), but it actually was blowing with a 15mph gusto when we met for our weekly morning run. Thankfully, the temps were still warm. Bill took off after the usual three miles, but Hannah and Kelly stuck around for a bonus mile with me. Spoiler: the temps took a major dive by mid-afternoon (55F), and we were treated to several hours of heavy rain, which continued through the night.


A not-too-crazy Thankful Thursday…
My Halloween spirit wasn’t too strong in the confines of my basement (in the early hours) when I met-up with Deb. The lovely towel was my best attempt at a “ghostly” image, LOL. Fourteen miles on the bike for me, then off to the shower…


After work, I talked myself out of skipping the group run. The weather had been cold, damp and windy all day, but the sun popped out late in the afternoon, causing a change of mind. Besides, it’s not everyday there’s an opportunity for a group run on Halloween, and this one came with some nice negative splits (9:04, 8:56, 8:51).


A fatigue-laden Friday…
With an accidental slight sleep-in, there was only time for a quick 3-miler on the bike and some upper-body work before jumping in the shower and hitting the road. After work, I got out for a 2-mile walk, and kept things low-key thereafter. 


Long run Saturday, with a crazy mileage boost…
You know my body is tired when it snoozes until 7:45AM! Yeah. It was close to 8:30 when I finally hit the pavement, with six miles in mind. The 39F temps felt especially cold, given the warmer temps we’d had a few days prior, but I did well with the layering game. I didn’t map-out the route too precisely, though, and there still was a good 1/2-mile distance to go when I hit the 6-mile mark. I contemplated  simply walking back to my house, but opted to just extend the run to seven miles instead. Despite the tiredness, I finished with a 9:53 average pace. Things that make you go Hmmm, right?

So, it was quite an interestingly crazy week, on many fronts. First, there was the weather, with a serious pendulum swing from summer to (almost) winter within a few hours on Wednesday afternoon. Then, there was the acclimation to the new car (all the controls are in different places, and have different features, LOL). Oh, and did I mention this was Week-1 at my new job, with a much earlier work day start? I managed 16 miles of running, 42 miles of biking, and a measly six miles of walking this week. The daily core work continued, and I squeezed in a few upper-body strength sessions. Yadda yadda yadda.

In case you missed out, here’s what went down on the blog this week:

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Sometimes you gotta be in the red. An extra layer never hurts, either, especially when it’s a matching color. My bad, I totally spaced-off that this weekend’s Hawkeye game was against the Badgers, LOL (I trust you all know where my loyalties lie despite the colors I’m sporting). Nonetheless, the Hawks prevailed with a nice 46-10 win on Saturday evening.

So, that’s what went down this week. I seldom, ever, experience the fatigue that I did this week. My new job wants me there by 7:00, and their current location (for a few more weeks) is about a 30-minute drive. That has me pulling out of my driveway around 6:20, but that will be changing when we’re in the new location. I anticipate my workday will be starting a little bit later, as well, after my onboarding is complete. For now, I will be prioritizing sleep MUCH more than usual, as my body is feeling the effects  from the extra hours and my brain is fried from the information-overload that comes with a new job, for a new-to-me company, in a much different industry. It’s all good, though. I’m excited for this new adventure!

How did your week play-out? Did your weather do a nasty pendulum swing as well? How’s the fitness…any big training runs, workouts or races?


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24 comments:

  1. I didn't realize you were starting a new job! What will you be doing? It's like a whole new you, my friend!

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    1. Yes, another major life changing event…I’m hitting a lot of them recently, LOL.

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  2. Eek on the 7:00 start time for work. I'm a big fan of switching jobs, but it is true that there is a startup effort of getting up to speed and getting used to the new place. At least it's only for a little while and then it all gets easier.

    We're still rocking mostly warm temps. I wore shorts on Halloween! Yesterday the Hubs and I got out for a hike and due to a trail closure and trying to reroute ourselves we ended up going way longer than we planned for. We're hoping to get out on another hike today.

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    1. I hope hike-#2 went well! The on-boarding gig is tough, but Iknow that happens to most people. Information overload is stressful!

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  3. Oh, I didn't realize either that you had started a new job, too! Another change to go through, kudos to that! Is it similar to the one before? Or a completely new area?

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    1. My new job has me in a very similar role, but an entirely different industry. My poor brain is exhausted, almost more than my body, LOL.

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  4. I’m glad you’re giving your body the sleep it needs — it deserves it! Getting used to a new schedule is tough, but hopefully it will get easier. I have to leave the house by 7:10 to avoid getting stuck behind the school bus and that’s early enough!

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  5. I was also very tired this week, but I didn't have to start a new job! A 7 am start... ouch. Will you be able to work from home at all?
    Nice job getting those workouts in. We have to keep moving no matter what, right?

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    1. This new job will br pretty much on-site, which is what I’m used to anyways.

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  6. I was also really tired this week and had a hard time getting up some mornings. But I loved our warm weather! Running in shorts in October is amazing.

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    1. Right? I don’t remember ever wearing shorts (and tanks!) so much in October!

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  7. I was thinking your new job would give you more time! For me, sleep is my super power and definitely not over rated. You were busy this week!

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    1. Thankfully, my commute is shorter, but the extra early hours are taking a bit of an adjustment. I’m hoping after a few weeks, I’ll have a good routine in place for all of my fitness stuff.

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  8. It will take a little adjusting fitting in your workouts around the new earlier work hours, but I'm sure you'll find a way. Like we talked about, getting to bed earlier is huge for both of us.

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    1. I’m really making an effort to get to bed at an earlier time…ugh, that’s not easy for a night owl!

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  9. Wow, seems like you've had a lot going on recently! A new job can be quite overwhelming! I hope it'll be good for you when you settle into your new routine. An earlier start time certainly can make things tricky.

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    1. The early start is manageable, since I’m used to getting up early, but it’s cramping my workout schedule.

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  10. Oh wow, a new job! Congrats on your change. That early time is a bit tough and I'm extra impressed you fit all of those workouts in before work. Good for you!

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    1. I’m getting in the early workouts, but they’re not as long as I’d like…hoping that will improve in a few weeks.

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  11. You are juggling a lot with the new job and all the house freshening up! Add in a weather swing and I bet that answers your questions! It's back to hot here, and I don't love it. Plus, another hurricane is brewing in the gulf. It might not head here, but who knows.

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    1. Things are a bit crazy for the moment, but I think all will settle down in a few weeks.

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  12. Oh goodness, you have a lot going on, Kim... I also recently moved, got a new car and was traveling for work and I FEEL you on the tiredness. It's hard to juggle all this AND keep up with the workouts but you're doing a great job!!

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    1. Yeah, there’s been a little bit of stress and juggling going on, LOL.

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