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Taking a Little R&R
We rarely travel over the Memorial Day weekend, but this year is an exception, and a good one at that. As I type on Sunday morning, it’s 49° and rainy at home and 79° and sunny here in Fort Meyers, Florida. I’ll be popping on and off my blog over the next few days, but will catch up when I return to the rat race at home mid-week.
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
Bill and I joined our Dawn Patrol friends at 9 AM for a going away ride for our friend Terry who is moving to Florida (not near where we’re visiting). Bill planned out a lovely 30-mile loop through the farmland around Middleburg and the sunny blue sky just made the ride all the more beautiful. Temps climbing from 76° at our 9 AM start to nearly 90° made it quite challenging. We’ve had such a cool spring that we just aren’t acclimated to the heat.
After our ride we took Terry to Lost Barrel Brewing for lunch. It’s a new local brewery with great food. I had a margarita flatbread with the most amazing pesto drizzled across the top. Since I’m not a beer drinker, I ordered a mint mango lemonade which was quite yummy.
Monday
I ran prior to seeing my 6:30 AM client which proved to be a really good call. I was surprised when I stepped outside at 5:50 AM into a light drizzle and after suffering through the heat on the previous day’s ride, a slightly wet 71° felt amazing – I finished my 5K with an average pace of 9:12. By the time I finished with my last client, it was 59° and raining steadily, and I was happy that my run was behind me.
I lifted for an hour mid-morning between clients and spent 20 minutes total foam rolling and stretching.
Tuesday
I planned my ride around Bill’s work schedule so he’d be able to join me for at least a few miles. It was noon by the time he was free and we rolled out of the garage, but at 67° and cloudy it was very comfortable. We rode westward on the W&OD Trail, and again did a side trip up Thomas Mill Road, a very steep (15.1% grade at one point) 1.55-mile climb. At the top we relaxed and took a few pictures before making the fun ride back down. Once at the bottom, Bill headed home and I continued on toward Purcellville. By the time I had finished my delightfully relaxing ride, it was a sunny 80° and I’d gone 45 miles at an average speed of 13.8 MPH.
Wednesday
My Garmin recommended a 17-hour recovery after the previous day’s longer ride, but my schedule demanded otherwise and I was out the door at 5:40 AM (about 13 hours recovery) for a 5K run. It was 69° humid with a welcome light spitting rain for the first 10 minutes. My legs felt heavy on the first lap, but quickly woke up and carried me to an average pace of 9:08.
As with most MWF’s I spent an hour strength training during a hole in my morning schedule. Once I wrapped up my last client I spent 20 minutes foam rolling and stretching.
Thursday
Bill and I were out the door at 6 AM in the delightfully low humidity of 68° for a 32-mile part paved and part gravel ride. The combination of riding my 6-pound heavier gravel bike with the tire pressure (intentionally) dropped to 35 pounds (versus 80 pounds for my road bike), the annoying sound of my Garmin beeping every 5 seconds because it couldn’t find the cadence sensor, AND riding through poop on the trail early on and having that wonderful aroma sticking around for the rest of the ride made it a somewhat difficult, but very memorable ride. I was struggling on the first half of my ride; however, I eventually found my groove and had fun. By the time we rolled back into the driveway and washed my tires, the temperature had climbed to 76°.
Friday
Unless running errands counts as cardio, I skipped any organized form of aerobic activity. I’d planned to run, but decided my body would benefit from a rest day and reduced my workout to an hour of strength training followed by 10 minutes of stretching.
Saturday
We left the 50’s something rainy day at home to fly to sunny and 90° Florida with our son and future daughter-in-law to check out the various venues booked for their upcoming wedding. Other than a lot of walking around Fort Meyers from our airbnb to their wedding venue and various restaurants, there was very little exercise. We did confirm, though, that we love their choices for the wedding and the rehearsal dinner.
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:
- • How was your week of fitness?
- • How’s the weather in your neck of the woods?
- • Did you run in a race this weekend? If so, was it live or virtual?
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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hope you have a great time in Florida! VA weather is not so great at the moment. I am enjoying a few days in Chicago visiting my daughter
Thanks, Deborah, we have had a great time! Hope you’re having a wonderful time in Chicago as well. We’re flying home later today, you?
You picked a great time to go down to Florida – it’s so rainy and cold here! That’s great that you love all the venues selected for the wedding too 🙂
Yes, we escaped a miserably cold and wet mess back home!
Enjoy your time away – you must be getting so excited for the wedding.Mint mango lemonade sounds delish!
Cari recently posted…um, who stole May?
We are and it was! 😀
Have fun in Florida! Good choice to get away this weekend and escape the gross weather.
It sounds like it was really miserable there while we were away. We’re flying home later today.
Enjoy Florida! How exciting to have a wedding coming up there! Glad you like their choices in venues.
Our legs can surprise us sometimes! I never trust that first mile. Sometimes its about 11 min/mile for me as I wake up!
Fun week for you- and full of activity!
Thanks, Jessie! We especially wanted to check out where we’d booked the rehearsal dinner – we loved it!
Currently we’re “enjoying” some record lows & rain. Although I wouldn’t be happy with hot, humid FL either — but it’s for a very happy occasion! Enjoy!
Eww to the poop scented ride, but then we’re always carrying around poop bags.
We were so happy to escape Virginia’s crappy weather. Surprisingly, the humidity has been quite low here (40%) even though it’s gotten up to 90° each day.
How exciting to be checking out the different venues for the wedding. Enjoy your time in FL!
Zenaida Arroyo recently posted…Fit Five Friday and May 2021 Runfessions
Thanks, Zenaida!
You timed your getaway very well! I hope you’re enjoying Ft Meyers and that the cold weather is gone when you return home. Safe travels!
Thanks, Wendy!
How exciting that your son is getting married in Florida! I hope you’re enjoying your weekend in the Sunshine State. If you’re looking for some warmer temps, you definitely came to the right place.
Jenny recently posted…Olympic Controversy, Fight or Flight, and a Guided Run
Thanks, Jenny, we’re having a wonderful time in the Sunshine State and are flying home later today.
Mano and mint, my two favorites.
Enjoy your time away. I love that area.
Our weather sucks. As Judy said – record cold and rain. Yes I had a 10 mile race in that. Fun!
Then you would have loved the lemonade!
Thanks, we’ve had a wonderful time and are flying home later today.
Even though I’ve been riding consistently indoors (over the winter and on the icky days of spring), today’s 46-miler has left me mucho fatigued LOL My quads feel like over-cooked pasta. Indoor cycling is a great substitute, but definitely not an accurate replacement (at least in my case). Oh, the wind, constant pedaling (of a rail trail), and the distance…but I’ll gladly do it all over again when another ride is added to the schedule 😉 Enjoy your time in Florida!!!
Yes, even though indoor cycling over the winter leaves you much better prepared for outdoors when the weather warms up, it still takes a little while to get used to the hills, wind, and traffic again. You’re so strong you’ll be back to last summer’s cycling shape in a matter of weeks!
What a great week! a nice amount of riding, running and strength training! Nice that you got to escape to Florida as well!
Our weather is on drugs but seems to be coming off of whatever she was on… I’m not keeping my hopes up but it sure has been nice the last couple of days!
I had a good training week. Lots of walking, but finished my challenge to the feet are currently UP and resting.
Thanks, Renée!
Here’s hoping your weather stays nice for a while!
I hope you had a lovely time in our state!
This was a low-mileage week for me because of my surgery, and I skipped out on a race this week, for the same reason. I was bummed, but there are other races.
It’s been hot here, although pleasant enough in the morning and evening, so that’s a plus.
Jenn recently posted…week 22: out of commission. again.
Yes, we have had a wonderful time in Florida, Jenn! The weather here has been very cooperative with low humidity despite the 90° temps. Sadly, we fly home later today.
Hope you’re recovering well from your surgery!
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