Giving My Back a Little Rest

I intentionally didn’t run this past week because my lower back/SI joint area had been feeling a little wonky from sitting on a little stool or crosslegged on the floor for 15 hours over the weekend installing hardware on our kitchen cabinets. I’d worn a back brace for support, but I could still feel the effects of sitting without back support. 

As the week progressed, my back felt back to normal, but I decided the smart thing would be to stick to my plan and let it recover completely before running again. It was a good decision and I feel ready to run again this coming week… assuming my knee is okay (see Saturday). 

 

Overview of the Week

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

 

Sunday

Cycling: 38 miles
• Average speed: 14.6 MPH
• Bike: Specialized Roubaix Comp
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 1,837 feet
• Start time: 10:47 AM
• Location: W&OD Trail and side roads
• Weather: 70° and cloudy, climbing to 80° and sunny
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

 

Walking: 1 mile
• Average pace: 16:04
• Start time: 4:18 PM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 83° and sunny
• What I wore: shorts and s/s shirt

I got out for my ride a little later than planned, but still had time to get in my favorite loop including climbing Thomas Mill. Later in the afternoon I walked to the butcher shop with my husband to pick up chicken to grill.

 

Monday

Strength training : 1 hour of total body

Walking: 2 miles
• Average pace: 15:08
• Start time: 9:08 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 69° and cloudy
• What I wore: shorts and s/s shirt

 

Tuesday

Cycling: 32 miles
• Average speed: 13.7 MPH
• Bike: Specialized Roubaix Comp
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 1,227 feet
• Start time: 3:55 AM
• Location: W&OD Trail and side roads
• Weather: 80° and sunny with 20 MPH wind gusts
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

I knew the minute we rode out of our cul-de-sac that it was going to be a tough ride. My legs felt like lead from Sunday’s ride and Monday’s strength training (I go heavy on legs on Mondays). To add insult to injury, we faced a fierce headwind as we headed west. The pollen became projectile, filling my eyes even though I had on sunglasses, and by the time we finished our ride, pollen was clinging to the sunscreen slathered onto my skin.

 

Wednesday

Strength training : 1 hour of total body

Walking: 2 miles
• Average pace: 17:10
• Start time: 7:54 PM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 68° with the occasional spritz of rain
• What I wore: shorts and s/s shirt

After dinner, I headed out for a very leisurely walk and was surprised when the occasional spritzing of rain fell.

 

Thursday

Walking: 5K
• Average pace: 14:14
• Start time: 8:10 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 61° and sunny
• What I wore: shorts and s/s shirt

 

Friday

Strength training : 30 minutes of upper body

Balance and stretching: 45 minutes

I intentionally skipped working legs to allow them to rest prior to the next day’s hilly metric century ride; however, I had no choice but to lead my balance and stretching class which includes a lot of leg work, single-leg standing, etc.

 

Saturday

Cycling: 58 miles
• Average speed: 14.6 MPH
• Bike: Specialized Roubaix Comp
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 3,258 feet
• Start time: 7:16 AM
• Location: Madison County, VA
• Weather: 71° and sunny, climbing to 90°
• What I wore: bike bibs, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

For the second year, Bill and I rode in the Tour de Madison. Like last year, we registered for the metric century, but this year’s heat had us on the fence as to whether we should do the full 66-mile ride or keep it at 58 miles. When my knee started screaming at me at mile 51, I popped a couple of Advil and saw that as a sign not to ride any farther than necessary, skipping the 2-mile long final climb which I knew would do a number on my already painful knee. Overall, we had a great time even though none of our friends could join us. I don’t plan to recap the ride, but you can see details of the tour from last year’s recap here.

 

Last Week’s Blog Posts

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

 

 Questions:
  • • Are you good at listening to your body and taking breaks as necessary? ~ I didn’t use to be, but I’m getting better.
  • • Have you ever come up lame during a race or other athletic event?
  • • Did you run in a race this weekend?

 

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!