Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links
Fitness Trackers
I really like my Fitbit Alta (affiliate link), but it looks like it’s on its last leg. I’d replace it with the same in a heartbeat, but it’s been discontinued so the price has been jacket up on those remaining in stock. Do I replace it with the current similar Fitbit, another brand, or an Apple watch (affiliate link)? If you have an Apple watch, do you like it and how well does its battery stay charged?
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: 25 miles
• Average speed: 17.0 MPH
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 9:38 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 66°
• What I wore: bike shorts and jog bra
Strength training: 1 hour, 15 minutes of total body
Once again I opted to stay inside on my spin bike (affiliate link) rather than riding with the Gravel Rats. It started drizzling during my ride and I was happy to be inside and dry. After my ride, I lifted weights because my Monday would be slammed with clients and with little time to workout on my own.
Monday
Walking: 5K
• Average pace: 14:38 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 111 feet
• Start time: 10:04 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 44° (feels like 42°) and overcast, climbing to 48° (feels like 46°)
• What I wore: capris, l/s shirt, puffer vest, gloves, and visor
When three clients cancelled their appointments (2 due to illness, 1 due to work), I suddenly had time on my hands to workout, but since I’d lifted the day before, I opted to go out for a mid-morning walk.
Tuesday
Cycling: 10 miles
• Average speed: 16.7 MPH
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 6:23 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 62°
• What I wore: bike shorts and jog bra
Running: 5K
• Average pace: 9:44 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 95 feet
• Start time: 12:59 PM
• Location: neighborhood streets
• Weather: 38° (feels like 33°) with drizzle turning to rain
• What I wore: capris, s/s shirt, nylon shell, gloves, mittens, ear warmer headband, and visor
Foam rolling: 10 minutes
Stretching: 10 minutes
For the forth Tuesday in a row, it rained all morning. I waited around until it lightened to a drizzle before donning my running shoes for a run through our community. The different about this week’s run was that the drizzle didn’t taper off, instead turning to full on rain about half way through. I laughed when I saw that a rain drop on the lens of my camera made it look like I had a giant hump on my back.
Wednesday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
Walking: 2 miles
• Average pace: 14:18 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 95 feet
• Start time: 4:42 PM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 34° (feels like 30°) and clear
• What I wore: capris, l/s shirt, puffer vest, gloves, mittens, and ear warmer headband
I had a very light client schedule so I took advantage of my extra time to work on the Parkinson’s Foundation physical therapy class I’m taking. After spending four hours sitting during the class, I took it outside for a quick walk.
Thursday
Cycling: 20 miles
• Average speed: 17.0 MPH
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 5:47 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 62°
• What I wore: bike shorts and tank top
It was another fun morning on the spin bike riding virtually with Kim. I’m so grateful for our early morning rides. And as always, thanks, Kim, for the post race collage!
Friday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
Balance and stretching: 45 minutes
Saturday
Running: 5 miles
• Average pace: 9:55 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 119 feet
• Start time: 9:02 AM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 16° (feels like 15°) and sunny
• What I wore: capris, l/s shirt, light jacket, gloves, mittens, ear warmer headband, and visor
Foam rolling: 10 minutes
Stretching: 10 minutes
With temps in the teens, I wasn’t sure what to wear and opted to wear a long sleeve shirt under my light jacket (it’s rare that I wear long sleeves and a jacket). My friend Shawn and I laughed because she had on two thick shirts under her jacket, two pairs of tights, and a knit hat.
Shawn and I had both set out to run 4 miles, but ended up running 5 because we were having such a fun time chatting.
Last Week’s Blog Posts
In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…
- • Sunday – Weekly RunDown: January 22 -28 / No Snow Means Easier Outdoor Runs
- • Tuesday – It’s DebRuns’ Blogiversary: Happy Ten Years of Blogging to Me
- • Friday – Catching Up Over Coffee: Air Fryers, DIY Projects, and Finally Some Snow
Questions
- • Would you rather run in temps in the teens and sunny or low 30’s with rain? ~ I’d prefer the dry teens. Getting wet makes me feel so much colder.
- • What was your favorite workout of the week? ~ Shawn and I have been so bad about scheduling runs together the last few years… It was so nice catching up!
- • Did you run in race this weekend? ~ No
And that’s my rundown… Have a great week!
*********************************************************************
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!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on the blue product link and then make a purchase, I will receive a small commission for referring you. You will pay no more or less for the product; however, Amazon will show their gratitude for my referral by paying me.
Sounds like you had a great week! To answer your question, I would rather run in teens and sunny than 30s and rainy- Rain is SO cold in the 30s.
It’s fun to see you and Kim posting about your virtual rides together! I think you need some matching outfits or shirts to kick it up a notch.
Uh-oh, it sounds like Kim and I need to up our game! 😀
I hate being cold, but Id also choose the colder temps with sunshine. Rain is a downer unless it’s a hot summer day 🙂 I’m so glad we’re doing these virtual rides! I look forward to them each week <3
Yep, cold rain is the worst!
I really look forward to our mornings together, too. ☺️
Looks like a solid week of activity as per usual. I’d definitely take teens in the sun vs cold rain. Ugh!
Thanks, Marcia!
The temps in the teens depends on the wind. Wind & sun make all the difference! In our small group of runners. the outfits are always quite varied on any given day. We all have different tolerances!
Yes, we’re all so varied in how our bodies handle different temperatures. My running friends used to say that they’d watch me get out of the car before our group run and they knew if they added a layer to whatever I was wearing, they’d be perfectly layered. 😉
Sounds like you had a good week! I really like that picture of you and Kim, and I totally agree with what Jenny said about matching clothes!
I think I’d prefer running in the rain if it was summer and quite warm because then the rain would be refreshing rather than annoying. Now in the winter, definitely dry weather is the best. My favourite workout of the week definitely was the Friday weightlifting session. I felt I had my focus and attitude back and no distractions.
Yes, rain which cools me down on a hot summer run is always welcome!
Your Friday weightlifting session sounds like it was a great one!
So nice you and Kim are doing virtual rides together! Biking in the rain…no thanks 🙂 Running in the rain is okay, but rain and 30s can be quite tough!
The general consensus seems to be that no one likes running in cold rain.
I much prefer cold and sun than 40s and rain. The sun definitely helps it feel better. That photo of you with the red blob is funny!
I have an Apple SE watch, which I love, but I still prefer my Garmin for fitness. The Apple watch just doesn’t give me all the data I get from Garmin, even though I have the low end Forerunner. I guess it’s really a matter of what data you want.
I’ll definitely keep using my running and bike Garmins for those activities. I’m looking mostly for the replacement device to track steps and my sleep, and look nice in the process.
What do you use the Alta for? I like my Garmin Venu SQ — it looks like a small Apple watch, and it’s small enough to wear 24/7. (I save my Fenix for long rides).
I don’t run or ride in the rain if I can help it.
I use the Alta as my watch (I love it’s super slender profile), and most importantly, for tracking my sleep, my weakest link in living a healthy lifestyle. I prefer Garmin for running, walking, and cycling.
I love that you have a virtual cycling buddy in Kim – I have a virtual cycling buddy too and I just love knowing she’s sweating it out alongside me 🙂
That’s awesome that you have a virtual cycling buddy, too. Having a friend to chat with makes the miles go by much faster!
No thanks in the rain. I prefer dry. I’m like you I don’t overdress.
I ran 12 today in preparation for a half in two weeks. I could never do it without friends. Well I could but it would seem much longer.
Nice job on your 12-mile training run! And yes, friends make it seem to go by so much faster.
Well, you know how I feel about running in cold. Our weather has been so crazy up and down this month you never know what season you will wake up in! I am more of a Garmin person but only wear it for workouts and not all day
Oh to clarify, I will still use Garmin for running, walking, and cycling. I’ll use the tracker as a watch and to track my steps, and most importantly, my sleep.
You had a solid week! I love your infographic with goals. I might have to steal that idea for myself. I think it’d motivate me. Um, I don’t like either one of your temperature scenarios – both I’d probably resort to the treadmill.
None of my workouts were my favorite this week, haha. I was just happy to do something! My cast came off this morning so I feel like I’m going to finally be able to do some real workouts (soon).
I don’t have any great watch advice other than next time I buy one I’m going to spend a lot more time thinking about what exactly I want in a watch before I buy it.
Go for stealing the infographic idea with my blessings! And yes, it’s a great motivator to make sure I get in the workouts to fill in the spaces.
I plan to continue using my Garmin for cycling and running/walking so the watch will be just that, a watch, plus a step and sleep tracker. I also want it to have a HR monitor. My husband loves his Apple watch, but it seems to be on the charging station a lot.
Lol, you may see an infographic in my next weekly.
Awesome!
Teens and sunny!!! No rain for me, ever!
I had a really great run on Wednesday. That was fun.
I have an Apple Watch and I love it, but I don’t know how long it will stay charged when doing big workouts. I still “cheat” and use my Garmin for interval training, too.
Jenn recently posted…back to your regularly scheduled running content
I plan to continue using my Garmin for cycling and running/walking, but don’t want to wear it all of the time. My husband loves his Apple watch, but it seems to be on the charging dock a lot.
A run with a friend can really make such a difference! The conversation makes those miles tick by so fast! Funny you should ask about running in the rain! We’ve not had a lot of rain here this summer. But this morning I did a 6km run and it rained throughout. It’s summer rain so never really cold – about 18C when I set out, maybe? I loved it, just because it has been terribly hot (around 35 – 39C) But I’d probably not be keen to run in the rain when it’s cold!
These days I do so many of my runs alone that it really is special when I can run with a friend!