Deb Bikes?

I finished the week with 134 miles in the saddle and at that rate I’m contemplating renaming my blog Deb Cycles… just kidding. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a cardio junkie and I’ll take my cardio high from where ever I can, but my first cardio love will always be running!

 

Overview of the Week

Before discussing each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from this past week. Scroll down for daily details…

 

Sunday

The women’s cycling group that I formed just over a month ago had our first organized ride on Sunday morning. The remnants of Tropical Depression Laura had moved out overnight and we were left with low humidity and 68° for the 8 AM start. I rode to and from our starting point which turned our 30-mile ride into a 36-miler with an overall average speed of 15.2 MPH. It was fun making new cycling friends and I suspect we’ll be riding together a lot in the future.

 

Monday

I was up and raring to go on Monday morning and finished my 4-mile 3:00-run/3:00-walk just as the sun was starting to wake up. It was 65° with low humidity and hardly felt like summer. My early start even allowed me to lift and do my physical therapy homework before seeing my first client!

 

Tuesday

Bill and I rode out into the country in the western part of our county on Tuesday morning. We stayed mostly on the W&OD Trail, but hopped off to make a fun loop past some farms. We finished our 32-mile ride with an average speed of 14.6 MPH in the refreshing 66° low humidity air.

 

Wednesday

It was 6 AM as I headed out the door for my 4-mile 3:00-run/3:00-walk  on Wednesday.  The humidity was noticeable the second I stepped outside and I couldn’t believe it was only 72°. It was quite the slogfest, but I managed to maintain an 11:32 average pace. My first client woke up sick and canceled so I suddenly had a spare hour for my own strength training session. I fit in my physical therapy homework later in the morning.

The transition from 2:00-run/4:00-walk to 3:00-run/3:00-walk this week went fine. I had a little bit of tingling in my right foot later in the day both days, but it had gone away by the time I went to bed.  I had the same thing happen when I first started my run/walk intervals in mid-July and that lasted about two weeks before completely going away. Hopefully, the same will happen again as my body adjusts to its new demands.

 

Thursday

I joined my Cruiser friend Chuck for 32 miles (15.1 MPH average speed) on Thursday morning in his endeavor to ride 1,000 miles in September to raise money for the Great Cycle Challenge with proceeds going to fight kids’ cancer. Chuck rode 1,000 miles in June before the event was rescheduled as a September virtual ride, but plans to repeat the mileage in September. If you’re interested in donating, please click here.

 

Friday

Friday was a planned cardio rest day after five consecutive cardio days. I did strength training and my physical therapy homework early in the morning so that I’d have 24 hours of recovery before my Saturday morning ride.

 

Saturday

On Saturday morning I met my two new biking friends Mary and Amy for a 34-mile ride. Once again Amy suggested a ride that she had done with her other bike group. I liked this week’s route better than last week’s even though we were on some of the same roads. It was 63° when we met at 8 AM at a local shopping center – well, two of us met there and we had to go in search of the other (details in my recap on Tuesday). We finished with huge smiles on our faces, grateful for new friends. We averaged 15.2 MPH and most importantly, we all felt great at the finish.

 

After our ride, I returned home for a couple of hours of gardening (pulling weeds and cutting back dead flowers and leaves). Now everything looks so nice again and I can coast into the rest of the weekend. Well, except for this morning’s 40-mile bike ride with my other cycling group… cardio junkie indeed!

 

Here’s What You Might Have Missed

In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…

 

Questions:
  • • What was your first cardio love? Are you still able to do that activity?
  • • Have you run or ridden for a charity?
  • • Are any races opening up where you live?

 

And that’s my rundown… Have a great week!

 

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I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Be sure to check out not only the hosts’ posts, but those of the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!

 

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