Fall in New England First, then Virginia
We arrived home from our New England trip where we enjoyed spectacular fall colors to a mostly green northern Virginia. Leaves are starting to turn, but it will be another couple of weeks before we see full color here. As with the past two years, we’ve set ourselves up to enjoy two autumns, possibly three if the leaves have turned by next weekend in the higher elevation while we’re down at the farm.
Sleep Versus Steps
Just for fun and worth noting, I blew out of the water my goal of averaging over 7 hours sleep per night, but missed my daily average step goal of 15,000 for the first time in ages. I guess I’ll just have to decide which is more important, sleep or movement. I’m sure sitting in a car driving around sightseeing had nothing to with my lack of steps. 😉
Edited to add: Just as I bragged about upping my sleep average, all that sleep was too much for me. After going to bed at 11 PM last night, I woke up this morning at 3:25, tried to go back to sleep, couldn’t, and finally got up at 4:35. That’s not a very good start to this week’s nightly sleep average…
Overview of the Week
Before getting into each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from this past week. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…
Sunday
Road trip day 4: Weston, Vermont
Walking: 2.17 miles
• Average pace: 20:16 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 6 feet
• Start time: 10:39 AM
• Location: Weston, VT inn parking lot
• Weather: 52° and sunny
• What I wore: capris, s/s shirt, velour jacket, and gloves (removed jacket and gloves after first mile)
After my crash on the single track during Saturday’s Vermont Rare, I woke up with a stiff and sore right glute. When I fell, my leg somehow got caught in the bike frame, but my body lunged beyond my bike overstretching my glute. To loosen it up, I took an easy walk around the grounds of the cute little inn where we were staying before getting in the car for an afternoon of leaf peeping.
Monday
Road trip day 5: Weston to Middlebury to Ludlow, Vermont
Cycling: 27.76 miles
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Average speed: 11.9 MPH
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 1,831 feet
• Start time: 12:47 PM
• Location: Middlebury to Vergennes loop
• Weather: 64° and cloudy
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves
I was apprehensive about how my deep glute area would do during our planned road ride, but it felt better on the bike than sitting on a chair or in the car. I could tell that it was getting progressively better and was incredibly grateful that apparently I’d only over stretched it.
Our ride was all paved, but still took us out into rural areas. We had a headwind going out which should have meant a tailwind on the return trip, but noooo. Somehow the wind shifted and we had a headwind in the later part of our return. We did beat the rain that threatened much of the ride, though.
Tuesday
Road trip day 6: Ludlow, Vermont
Cycling: 42.18 miles
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Average speed: 8.9 MPH
• Surface: gravel
• Elevation gain: 4,318 feet
• Start time: 10:46 AM
• Location: Mt. Ascutney/West Windsor loop
• Weather: 50° and sunny, climbing to 54° and partly cloudy
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, arm sleeves, light jacket, bandless ear warmers, and fingerless gloves over nitrile gloves
We drove to Mt. Ascutney to re-ride a favorite picturesque 4 covered bridges route that screams autumn in New England which I recapped here. This route which my husband created two years ago covered some of Vermont’s best gravel and even took across a class 4 road, and when there’s more that 100 feet of climbing per mile, you know it’s a good workout. This year the leaves seemed a little past peak, but it was still beautiful. We were surprised at how much more difficult it seemed this year. Was it that we are 2 years older or that our training for hills this summer was lax because of our late summer road trip where most of our rides were relatively flat?
Wednesday
Road trip day 7: Ludlow, Vermont to Lake Placid, New York to Hyde Park, New York
Hiking: 1.45 miles
• Average pace: 21:14 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 296 feet
• Start time: 12:35 PM
• Location: High Falls Gorge Trail
• Weather: 44° and mostly cloudy with occasional drizzle
• What I wore: capris, l/s shirt, down coat with hood up, and gloves
A rest day from cycling, we drove to Wilmington, New York for a short hike to and around the High Falls Gorge. Afterward, we drove on to check out Lake Placid before heading south as we made our way home.
Thursday
Road trip day 8: Hyde Park, New York
Strength training: 1 hour total body
Walking: 3.11 miles
• Average pace: 15:29 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 210 feet
• Start time: 11:31 AM
• Location: Inn at Bellefield parking lot and surrounding area
• Weather: 55°, sunny, and breezy; climbing to 57°
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor
We’d planned to ride in the Minnewaska Preserve, but I needed another recovery day from Tuesday’s difficult ride. Instead, we hit the gym and then I went for a walk around the hotel grounds – same hotel as the previous Thursday on our way north. The gym was very well appointed and my husband and I were the only two people in it.
Friday
Road trip day 9: Hyde Park, New York to home
Rest day
Saturday
Walking: 3.12 miles
• Average pace: 15:15 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 64 feet
• Start time: 10:09 AM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 72° and sunny, climbing to 74°
• What I wore: capris, s/s shirt, and visor
Back home and with a busy afternoon of family fun, I waited until it warmed up to head out for my walk. Ha, I wasn’t in New England anymore and didn’t realize how warm it was outside. As soon as I stepped outside I realized I should be wearing shorts instead of capris, but was too lazy to go upstairs to change.
Last Week’s Blog Posts
In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…
Questions:
- • Have the leaves started turning colors where you live? ~ barely
- • Do you usually hit your sleep goal? How about your steps goal? ~ I rarely miss my goal of averaging 15,000 steps per day, and I’m about 50/50 on reaching my goal of getting at least 7 hours sleep per night.
- • Did you run in a 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!
Ummm, sleep goals? My only sleep goal is TO sleep, LOL. Your trip looked so fun, and you definitely got in a lot of fitness (in between all the time in the car).
Thanks, Kim, it was a great trip!
I used to be just like you with sleep, but the last couple of years it’s caught up with me and I really feel it if I don’t get enough. I think it’s an age thing. 🙁
Our leaves are changing slowly! It seems as if fall comes later every year. Your road trip looks beautiful and I’m glad you get to enjoy 2 falls this year!
Glad the glute was nothing serious.
Thanks, and yes, I could have been hurt much worse. I feel lucky that it was just an overstretched muscle.
Such lovely areas for bike rides, and the hike must have been stunning!
And I’m glad your glute calmed down.
I hope to get at least 7 hours sleep but I’m happy enough if I fall asleep ok and can get back to sleep quickly if I wake up during the night. If I then feel good in the morning, I’m happy enough. My Garmin doesn’t always agree!
We love that there’s very little traffic and the gravel roads are in such good shape in Vermont (we nicknamed it gucci gravel LOL). I’m still mildly aware of my glute (like when I try to put my right sock on), but it seems to be feeling better every day.
Agreed, 7 hours minimum per night seems to be my sweet spot. I don’t expect to hit an average of 8 very often.
What a lovely adventures. Those falls are gorgeous!
I almost always hit my step goal, and very rarely my sleep goal. I try.
No leaves to change here. Palm trees and tropical plants stay as is.
Jenn recently posted…Up In The Air + Back Again
I do love waterfalls and enjoyed stopping to explore.
It sounds like a lot of people have trouble hitting their sleep goals.
Well done on your sleep, Debbie! Let’s hope that it continues, despite the 4.35am wake up this morning. My Garmin says my average sleep last week was around 7:49, which is on the lower side for me.
Your bike rides look stunning! Our leaves here in Switzerland are all colourful right now, I guess about two weeks behind Vermont.
And yes, I did race yesterday – more about that tomorrow!
Thanks, Catrina! I wondered if I couldn’t go back to sleep because my body said, “That’s enough, you’re well rested.”
Heading over to read your race recap shortly!
Great job on your sleep! I get up at 4:15 every morning, so I never get enough sleep. But I know that’s just the season of life I’m in and it will change in a few years when my kids are older! Gorgeous leaves! I love fall in Vermont and the east coast!
4:15 is early, but you’re right, it’s just your season of life right now. Your children will grow up fast and they’ll be teenagers sleeping late into the morning before you know it.
Ooh, two falls! I’m doubly jealous. I love all your autumnal adventures. Great job on all that sleep! Did you feel any different? I feel about the same whether I get 6,7, or 8 hours (less than 6 and I definitely feel it though.) I don’t usually have a sleep goal or a steps goal- maybe I should start!
For me, a 7-hour average seems to be pretty good. I can definitely feel it if my average drops into the low-6’s or below.
Stay tuned, we’re going down to the farm this coming weekend and just might have a third fall if the leaves down there in the higher elevation are more advanced than here at home.