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Delayed Leaf Peak Equals Perfect Timing
After a fabulous vacation to New England last fall, my husband and I chose to make a similar trip this year. We hoped for an encore performance by the various maple, birch, ash, and beech trees trying to outperform each other’s leaf brilliance and that’s exactly what we got. Because of my recent skin cancer surgery we had to reschedule our trip for two weeks later than planned, but luckily for us, the trees were on an equally delayed peaking timeline.
Worth noting, this weekly rundown features two weeks of workout recaps because I was out of town and didn’t write a post last weekend. Even though my husband and I were on vacation, our favorite trips are focused around enjoying the great outdoors while either hiking or biking and this trip was exactly that.
Overview of the First Week: October 8 – 14
Before discussing each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from the first week. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…
Sunday
Cycling: 20 miles
• Average speed: 16.1 MPH
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 10:10 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 65° in basement
• What I wore: bike shorts and jog bra
Walking: 2 miles
• Average pace: 14:53 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 101 feet
• Start time: 4:26 PM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 60°, sunny, and windy
• What I wore: shorts and l/s sweatshirt
I was still stuck inside on my spin bike (affiliate link) because I couldn’t ride outside until I got my sutures removed from a basal cell carcinoma removal the previous week. Stuck inside, but grateful for the option to ride indoors…
Monday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
Walking: 2 miles
• Average pace: 14:28 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 94 feet
• Start time: 4:50 PM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 62° and cloudy with the occasional sprinkle
• What I wore: shorts, s/s t-shirt, and nylon shell
Tuesday
Running: 3 miles
• Average pace: 9:47 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 96 feet
• Start time: 5:57 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 46° and mostly cloudy
• What I wore: shorts, s/s t-shirt, gloves, and mittens
Walking: 2 miles
• Average pace: 14:34 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 94 feet
• Start time: 7:59 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 50° (feels like 46°) and partly cloudy
• What I wore: shorts, s/s t-shirt, nylon shell, gloves, and mittens
I was dressed perfectly for my run and my fingers even started to get a little toasty toward the end when I had to rush back into the house to log on with my first client. Two hours later when I added a nylon shell on top and headed back out for a walk, I never really warmed up. I had to keep my gloved fingers curled up inside my mittens to stay warm and the light breeze that had kicked up after sunrise cut right through my added layer.
This glorious sunrise happened between my run and walk and I just happened to look outside at the right time to see it.
Wednesday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
Drive to New Paltz, NY
Walking: 2.5 miles
• Average pace: not recorded
• Elevation gain: not recorded
• Start time: 5:11 PM
• Location: downtown New Paltz
• Weather: 65° and sunny, dropping to 57° at sunset
• What I wore: shorts, s/s tee, and jean jacket
After a long day in the car, my husband and I decided to walk to dinner in downtown New Paltz. I didn’t wear my Garmin (affiliate link), but he recorded our walk on his Apple watch (affiliate link) and gave me the distance.
Thursday
Cycling: 41 miles
• Average speed: 9.6 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: gravel
• Elevation gain: 2,343 feet
• Start time: 10 AM
• Location: Mohonk Mountain trails, Empire State Trail, and Wallkill River Trail
• Weather: 53° and sunny, climbing to 70°
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, arm sleeves, light jacket, and fingerless gloves (took off arm sleeves and jacket a few miles in, put jacket back on later in ride)
It’s no secret that I like climbing and this route was supposed to provide all that; however, the route we’d loaded from Ride with GPS failed to mention that the second 5-mile climb was on a trail that didn’t allow bikes so we had to make a detour and lost several miles and over 2,000 feet of vert. We still had a fantastic day and with so much climbing (over 2,000 feet were in the first 16 miles), we returned to our hotel very tired.
Friday
Cycling: 24.6 miles
• Average speed: 8.3 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: gravel
• Elevation gain: 2,018 feet
• Start time: 12:28 PM
• Location: Lake Minnewaska carriage trails and some gnarly technical trails
• Weather: 48° and sunny, climbing to 66°, dropping to 49° at highest elevation, 57° at the end
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, arm sleeves, light jacket, and fingerless gloves over rubber gloves
Drive to Troy, NY
Showered and in relaxing travel clothes, we decided after checking out of our hotel to drive to Lake Minnewaska State Park for a ride before driving north to our next destination. Luckily, we’d both randomly packed our previous day’s bike kits in our bike bags and could easily change in the car before heading out.
This ride proved well worth the change in plans treating us to waterfalls, over 3 miles of epic technical trail that I had a blast riding, and finally majestic views from the top of Millbrook Mountain.
Saturday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
Walking: 2 miles
• Average pace: 14:50 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 9:10 AM
• Location: Troy, NY hotel gym
• Weather: 67° in gym, 47° and overcast outside
• What I wore: shorts and tank
With 70% rain forecasted for the next several hours (it never materialized) and exhausted from two days of riding and a late arrival at our hotel, we needed a down day so we slept in and worked out in the hotel gym before a laid back afternoon of watching college football.
It was worth every relaxing moment; however, I regretted not contacting Darlene Friday evening because while I was working out inside, she was running her 20-mile training run just across the river from where we were staying.
Overview of the Second Week: October 15 – 21
Before discussing each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from the second week. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…
Sunday
Walking: 3 miles
• Average pace: 14:41 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 8:57 AM
• Location: Troy, NY hotel gym
• Weather: 67° in gym, 49° and sunny outside
• What I wore: shorts and tank
Drive to Burlington, VT
Before checking out of our hotel and heading to Burlington, VT, my husband and I hit the hotel gym one more time. The cardio equipment faced the windows which faced east so I had the sun glaring in my face for the last two miles after the sun rose above the building across the street.
Monday
Strength training: 15 minutes of core
Cycling: 32 miles
• Average speed: 11.8 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: paved, some gravel
• Elevation gain: 909 feet
• Start time: 1:34 PM
• Location: downtown Burlington and along Lake Champlain
• Weather: 55° and cloudy, dropping to 54° with a quick shower
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, arm sleeves, light jacket, and fingered gloves
Other than time riding along Lake Champlain, both along the shore and across the lake on the causeway, this ride was rather boring. It was mostly paved and around more traffic and people than I like. The causeway ride was terrifying at times because the wind was whipping our bikes around and I was afraid I’d go flying into the lake. HaHa!
Tuesday
Cycling: 24 miles
• Average speed: 9.8 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: gravel
• Elevation gain: 2,421 feet
• Start time: 11:22 AM
• Location: Northeast Kingdom of Vermont
• Weather: 52° and cloudy, climbing to a high of 58° with a few rain showers, and dropping to 50° by the end
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, arm sleeves, light jacket, fingerless gloves over fingered gloves, and headband ear warmer
Now this was a ride – when the number of miles matches the number of feet of elevation gain, you know it’s going to be epic – a couple of class 4 roads, rain, and a mud splattered face just added to the adventure. Full disclosure, though, I cried at one point because I was so incredibly cold. Once I got wet, if I wasn’t climbing, I was freezing.
Wednesday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
Drive to Lake George, NY
We toured Crown Point State Historic Site and Ticonderoga Fort and did quite a bit of walking at each park, but I didn’t record any specific walks.
Thursday
Cycling: 24 miles
• Average speed: 10.4 MPH
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 2,218 feet
• Start time: 11:02 AM
• Location: Prospect Mountain and the Hudson Valley Trail in Lake George, NY
• Weather: 55° and overcast, 52° at the top of the mountain, climbing to 61° and partly sunny by the end
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, arm sleeves, light jacket, fingerless gloves over fingered gloves, and headband ear warmer (removed fingered gloves, headband, and jacket about a mile up the mountain, but put jacket back on at the summit)
Even though it was an all-paved surface, this was the ride of the trip! I love a good challenge and when I learned that riding to the top of Prospect Mountain was a possibility, I knew we had to do it. My husband was game and put together a Ride with GPS route which we ended up modifying after getting off of the mountain.
BTW, if you’ve read Darlene’s Prospect Mountain Road Race recap, you’re familiar with this course, and I think Darlene may have run up the mountain faster than we rode! On the flip side, we were flying riding back down. The speed limit was 30 MPH, but I noticed that I was going slightly over it during the steeper upper miles, even getting up to 35.9 MPH at one point.
The view from the summit was well worth the climb!
I forgot to take a picture of my Garmin (affiliate link) at the summit, but my husband noted that at that time we were 7.56 miles into our ride with 1,756 feet of climbing under our belts already.
Friday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
Walking: 2 miles
• Average pace: 16:44 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 1 foot
• Start time: 10:55 AM
• Location: Otsiningo Park in Binghamton, NY
• Weather: 58° and partly sunny with a light breeze
• What I wore: capris, s/s tee, and hoodie
Drive home
We hit up the hotel gym before checking out and then stopped for a relaxing walk a couple of hours into our trip.
Saturday
Rest day
Can I just say my quads felt like I’d run a marathon? I spent the day limping around like I used to the day after a marathon. I guess I should expect as much after sitting in a car for so long the day after such an epic climb on my bike. I was grateful to be home and have my trusty TheraGun (affiliate link) to work out the kinks.
Last Week’s Blog Posts
In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…
Questions
- • Have you visited New England? If so, which states and during what seasons? ~ Until last fall, I had only been to Vermont and New Hampshire during the winter months to ski, and had visited Massachusetts and Connecticut during the spring and summer. Last fall was my first trip to Maine and I’ve never been to Rhode Island.
- • Which workouts were your most enjoyable, toughest, and/or memorable? ~ Ah, so many to choose from, but this past Thursday’s epic climb up Prospect Mountain was all three: enjoyable, tough, and memorable!
- • Did you run in race this weekend? ~ No
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!
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.
Sorry that we couldn’t plan a meet up. But you were busy riding up mountains.
After my 20 miler last Sat I ironically drove to meet friends for dinner in Lake George.
We’ve had so much here. So my favorite of the week was hiking in the rain on my day off Monday.
Yes, bummer that a meetup didn’t work out, but I put that on me because I didn’t reach out sooner. You stay so busy (and a lot with friends) that it must be hard to pick a favorite workout. 🙂
It looks like you had a wonderful trip! Cycling is such a great way to see everything. My sister and I are talking about New England for our next trip. So many beautiful places…so little time!
“So many beautiful places…so little time!” Exactly! And now your visit has moved Banff to higher on my bucket list.
What perfect time to go cycling in New England! Looks like you were gifted with some beautiful scenery
It was so beautiful up there, and if we’re lucky, in about two weeks we’ll be enjoying a beautiful fall here in Virginia. 🙂
This looks stunning!! I love that vast countryside where you can see nothing but endless forests.
We once visited New England in the 90’s. It was November and obviously way past autumn, but I still loved it.
We need to go again! With our bikes!
You should meet us in New England and we’ll all bring our bikes! 🙂
Wow, what a trip! All that cycling sounds crazy invigorating, especially with all the climbing and then the views 😉 Glad you had a great time!!
You would have loved this trip and the associated bike rides! Can’t wait to tell you more about it on Thursday.
This looks so beautiful!!! What an amazing trip. To answer your question, I’ve been to Lake George! When I lived in NYC I had a friend whose parents had a lake house there.
i’m glad you were able to make this trip happen in the beautiful fall weather!
How fun to visit Lake George on a regular basis with your friend.
You were near my old stomping grounds! I grew up in Albany but was born in NYC so I know the area you were riding, etc. Growing up there I’m very familiar with New England and I even went to school in Boston.
Very cool, your old stomping grounds are beautiful!
Looks like you had a wonderful getaway. Is there anything better than New England when the leaves are at peak color? I think not. I’ve been to Maine and New Hampshire back in high school, and we took a family trip to Maine over 4th of July several years ago. I’ve made the drive from Boston up to Bar Harbor in Fall and that was amazing
It sounds like you’ve hit many of the same places we’ve visited. And yes, New England during peak color is beautiful!
Oh, I am so sad you didn’t reach out to me! Do you know how close I am to Troy? Ah well. Minnewaska, New Paltz, Burlington — all places I’ve either lived near or been to (and Troy for sure, as well as Lake George, of course!).
You definitely hit some great places at the right time!
Oh no, Judy, I had no idea you lived close to Troy. I knew that you and Darlene saw each other at races, but I assumed one of the two of you had traveled a distance to the race. I only knew that Darlene lived nearby when she mentioned it in a recent blog post. Next time for sure!
That trail at Lake Minnewaska looks super bumpy. Your gravel bike doesn’t have suspension, does it? It’s a comfy ride though?
Your trip looks really great! Did you plan it yourself?
Yes, that 3-mile section of the trail was super bumpy and I don’t have suspension on my gravel bike. I stood up on the rougher areas when I could so I wouldn’t jar my body as much.
My husband pretty much planned everything, including the routes we rode.
That looks like a fantastic getaway and what a colour show! What I know about the northeast is in fact an amazing colour display in autumn. Cycling must be a great way to see places and especially in the mountains if you’re fit for it!
Susanne, it was even more beautiful in person!
What a pretty getaway! Love those fall colours, stunning. You can cover a lot of ground and see quite a bit on a bike!
Running is such a great way to tour a city and I’ve learned that biking is another great way to tour a new place, too. Although, I’m more comfortable in a more rural setting when on my bike.
Ah, I love all your fall foliage pics!
I like climbing on my bike, but maybe not as much as you — and only on paved roads. 😉
The foliage was beautiful!
Climbing on gravel can be tough when the gravel is loose or there are lots of ruts. There were two places like that where we had to get off and push. 😉
Oh, wow! What a trip! I love the look of that causeway (but I’d be happier on my own two feet and not a bike lol). And look at all the leaves.
I was born and raised in NJ, so I was in every part of New England, except Maine, although we remedied that a few years ago. I love it there, and it’s just gorgeous in fall.
I’m glad you are back on track after your procedure!
Thanks, Jenn! I’m back to 100% and don’t even wake up when I roll onto that shoulder while sleeping so that’s huge!
I didn’t realize you were born in NJ. Since both you and your parent live in Florida, I guessed you’d always been a Florida girl. 🙂