We’re Back, Baby

I walked out of the 55+ community gym on March 12, 2020, and as a non-resident, I wasn’t cleared to return until two weeks ago. Once the clubhouse opened up to normal hours and without temperature checks, hourly closings for cleanings, etc., management wanted to get it back to normal as quickly as possible and invited group exercise instructors and trainers to resume our classes. By this week, I was pretty much up and running close to where I was pre-pandemic.

One of the first classes I wanted to get back on the calendar was Fitness Machines 101, a 2-hour gym orientation class I teach twice a month. After a 15 to 20 minute presentation on the importance of exercise as we age, I take my students through the gym demonstrating how to use each piece of equipment. Tuesday class was filled to its 12 student max and Saturday’s class had 8 participants.

This past week also saw my balance and stretching class move back into the gym and off of Facebook Live, a welcome relief. The smiles on my students faces as they filed into the room, happy to be back, warmed my heart and reminded me of why I love my job.

Interestingly, several of my clients I’ve been training on FaceTime are opting to stay virtual while others are raring to get back into the gym. I’m thrilled to have both options available as we navigate our way back into the real world.

 

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

I took Pablo on a morning walk, but as the heat rapidly climbed into the mid-80’s he got hot and tired. He laid down several times to rest on our way home and needed quite a bit of coaxing to keep going. Pablo’s humans picked him up mid-afternoon so Bill and I took a relaxing 5K walk without our buddy just before dusk in the 91° heat (19:04 pace).

 

Monday

Up and raring to go without my usual early client (I’d seen her on Sunday), I headed out for a run at 6:30 AM. It was 75° and delightful and I was happy to get my run behind me before the temps climbed into the 90’s. Once home, I had time to lift for an hour prior to seeing my first client, but it wasn’t until later in the day that I had time to foam roll and stretch for 10 minutes each.

 

Tuesday

With my first gravel grinder bike race scheduled for Sunday, I opted to ride earlier in the week and let my legs rest until Sunday’s big event. Even though we had no intention to race the event, I was disappointed when we received emails saying, “This is not a race.”

It was 74° and cloudy when Bill and I rolled out of our garage at 6:45 AM for what’s becoming my favorite local loop – part W&OD Trail, part the ginormous hill I’ve mentioned several times, and part country roads.

At the top of said 1.55-mile hill we purchased a special treat from two young entrepreneurs (7 and 5 years old) who had a lemonade stand set up in their driveway directly across the road from where my bike is parked. Yes, they were out at 7:50 AM selling lemonade for $1 per solo cup. It hit the spot and was worth every penny.

 

We finished our 36-mile loop with an average speed of 13.7 MPH, after the temps had climbed to 85°.

 

Wednesday

I had every intention to run later in the day, but it just didn’t happen so my daily workout consisted of an hour of strength training during the morning and a relaxing post-dinner 1-mile walk with Bill.

 

Thursday

Needing sleep, I opted to skip my early morning run prior to my 8:30 AM dermatologist appointment. Once home, I had stacked clients so it was 1:15 PM and hot before I could get out for my run. At 90° (feels like 94°) I was pleasantly surprised to maintain a 9:25 pace. Even though it was cloudy, I stuck to the shaded neighborhood trails where it felt pretty good.

Luckily for me, I ran along several mulberry trees – even if you’re not looking up, mulberry trees are easy to spot in June by the purple stained trail. I stopped about a half mile from the end of my run for a quick and delicious snack.

 

Once home, I foam rolled and stretched for 10 minutes each.

 

Friday

I lifted weights for an hour between my 2 morning clients; and after 15 months, I was back in person with my balance and stretching class. When I’m in person, I spent more time walking around the room checking on form, something I couldn’t do on Facebook Live. Even though I’m still demoing all of the exercises, drills, and stretches, it’s a more passive workout for me.

 

Saturday

Without plans for a specific workout and wanting to rest for Sunday’s gravel grinder, I slept in until 8 AM. From 1 to 3:15 PM I taught the gym orientation class I mentioned at the beginning of my RunDown. Even though I demonstrated how to use each piece of equipment, I didn’t break a sweat.

 

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:
  • • Are you lucky enough to have fresh mulberries (or another fruit) to snack on during your run or walk?
  • • If you workout at a gym, have you gone back?
  • • 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!