Catching Up to Goal Pace /

I’m having a lot of fun participating with my Dawn Patrol teammates in the Great American Ride. It was just the push I needed to get back on track with my goal to ride 5,000 miles this year. I’d fallen to well over 300 miles behind pace (after being about 150 miles ahead of pace) back in the winter when I was sick and just sort of gave up on getting back on track. Not only am I rallying, but I’m having a lot of fun jockeying with my friend Chuck for first place on our team.

 

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

Cycling: 44 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Average speed: 16.1 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 6:29 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 67° in basement, 70° and cloudy outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra

Even after not getting into bed until 11 PM after the Easter vigil mass the night before, I woke up at 5:30 AM and couldn’t go back to sleep so I got up and hopped on my spin bike. I had a full day of Easter prep and celebration with family ahead of me so it seemed like a good idea to get a head start on my day.

This ride unlocked the Great American Ride Sunday Ride and 300 Miles badges.

 

Monday

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Cycling: 15.3 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Average speed: 15.3 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 9:44 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 63° in basement, 58° and mostly cloudy outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra

Walking: 2.1 miles
• Average pace: 17:45 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 98 feet
• Start time: 2:22 PM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 72° and partly cloudy
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

In order to unlock my Great American Ride 5 Day Streak badge, I once again rode on a day I don’t usually ride. It worked out great for me to ride while virtually training a client and I only had to hop off my spin bike a couple of times to demo an exercise. And I must admit that I had the Boston Marathon on in the background!

 

Tuesday

Walking: ~ 1 mile
• Speed: 1.7 – 5 MPH
• Elevation range: 0 – 18%
• Start time: 9:02 AM
• Location: doctor’s office
• Weather: ~ 72° inside, 67° and partly cloudy outside
• What I wore: shorts, sports bra, and 10 electrodes

Cycling: 34.18 miles
• Bike: Specialized Roubaix Comp
• Average speed: 12.5 MPH
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 1,411 feet
• Start time: 10:50 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 75° and partly cloudy
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

After a stress test at my doctor’s office where I walked (and eventually ran) about a mile on the treadmill (more on that next week), my husband and I were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather and got out onto the W&OD Trail for a ride on my favorite loop. This ride earned me the Great American Ride 350 Miles badge.

 

Wednesday

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Walking: 3.07 miles
• Average pace: 15:29 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 182 feet
• Start time: 11:54 AM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 73° and mostly sunny
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

After my walk, I rode around our neighborhood circle to connect the various sensors (cadence, speed, and power) back to my two bikes after my husband replaced their batteries. I rode a total of 1.58 miles and you can bet I logged them onto my Great American Ride miles.

 

Thursday

Cycling: 26 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Average speed: 16.1 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 6:56 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 63°in basement, 50° and partly cloudy outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra

Cycling: 35.09 miles
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Average speed: 13.1 MPH
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 1,240 feet
• Start time: 1:10 PM
• Location: W&OD Trail Ashburn/Hamilton loop
• Weather: 78° and mostly sunny
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

Balance and stretching: 45 minutes

I started the morning enjoying a virtual indoor bike ride with Kim even though I planned to ride outside later in the day after teaching a class at the 55+ community – I’d moved the class up a day earlier due to exploratory surgery the following day.

My husband and I had a fantastic ride and I ended up with a lot more miles on the day than originally planned. This ride earned me the Great American Ride 400 Miles badge and put our team half way across the USA. We’re all working really hard and having lots of fun!

 

Friday

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Cycling: 10 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Average speed: 15.7 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 6:29 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 63° in basement, 55° and partly cloudy outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra

I got up super early to fit in my workouts prior to surgery. After lifting, I hopped on my spin bike for a quick ride while virtually training a client.

I got good news from the doctor after surgery. My ureter has improved greatly in the 2-½ weeks since my last CT scan and urine appears to be flowing much better now. The doctor put a stent in which will be removed on Wednesday and is hoping that takes care of things and I won’t need that follow-up surgery I was dreading. I do have to have one more test to make sure the right kidney wasn’t damaged during my bout with hydroureteronephrosis and that it is working properly before this saga ends.

I’m managing the pain with Tylenol and not having to take the stronger pain killer prescribed by my doctor. I have the sensation of having a mild UTI which I learned is typical with having a stent placed in the ureter.

The good news is that I have no restrictions on activities. I’ll let pain (from the stent being in place) be my indicator on what I’m able to do.

 

Saturday

Cycling: 23.2 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Average speed: 15.3 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 9:56 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 63° in basement, 67° and overcast outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra

With no restrictions on activities I had a relaxing morning and eventually hopped on my spin bike. I’d just finished reading Adriana Trigiani’s All the Stars in the Heavens which follows the life of the actress Loretta Young. During much of the book she is filming The Call of the Wild with Clark Gable, not on set, but on Mount Baker near Bellingham, Washington. Intrigued, I watched the 1935 movie while riding my spin bike.

This ride earned me the Great American Ride Celebrate Trails Day badge, the 450 Miles badge, and the 30 Hours of Riding badge.

 

The early morning rain cleared off and we had a beautiful rest of the day although it was very breezy. My husband and I ran a couple of errands and had lunch while out and then later in the day I went to church. It was a much better day than I’d anticipated prior to Friday’s surgery – there was no lying on the sofa in pain while feeling sorry for myself!

 

Last Week’s Blog Posts

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

 

Questions:
  • • What motivates you to stay active? ~ I’m pretty self-motivated, but I’m competitive enough that contests like the Great American Ride really light a fire under me.
  • • How was your weather this past week? ~ Our weather was very springlike!
  • • 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!

 

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.