Weekly Workouts and Weekend Updates 11/9-11/15

And here we are again, back with my weekly workouts and weekend updates as I settle into my new routine. But first off, I want to ask everyone reading this to take a moment today to think about what happened in Paris on Friday night and to pray for peace. The first time I saw Paris, I was in awe of the magic of the City of Light, and to have that magic marred by such horror is unfathomable. Because I went to college in England, and because I suppose I have a lot of well traveled acquaintances, I found out about what happened first when I got more than a dozen Facebook notifications from Facebook friends who checked themselves in as safe. Say what you will about social media, but its power can be used for good.  

 

 

 

 

Although everything else in life seems a little smaller, it’s important to remember that every moment we have is important. The fact that so many of you take an interest in what I’m up to gives me a reason to share my life on this blog, so that’s what I’ll be doing in the rest of this post, starting with my weekly workouts. The photo below is from Tuesday’s run, just at the onset of three days of on and off rain.

 

 

 

 

This week, I ran four days and rested three (keeping in mind my typical 4-6 miles of walking each day). I planned to either run five or go to a yoga class, but neither of those happened. My hip was bothering me a little, so I decided to skip November Project on Wednesday and get a little extra sleep. I stretched and did some yoga at home that morning before work instead. Then, I planned to go to yoga on Saturday after my long run, but ended up Skyping with two good friends and missing the available times. I was so glad to hear from one of them, though, after worrying that they might still be in Paris, and the other I hadn’t spoken to in a month. So, my weekly workouts:

 

Monday: Rest day

Tuesday: 4 mile run – 1.5 miles, 1 mile of intervals, 1.5 miles 

Wednesday: Rest day 

Thursday: 4 mile easy run 

Friday: Rest day 

Saturday: 10 mile long run + 20 minutes Youtube yoga

Sunday: 6 mile “recovery” run

 

I hadn’t done a double digit long run since the Pamby Half Marathon over a month ago, so it was good to get back in the groove of being out there for 2+ hours including the cool down walk home. Saturday was gorgeous, and I worked my route out so I did three laps of the Central Park reservoir at different times – 1.5 laps at Mile 2 on the way up, and 1.5 laps at Mile 7 on the way back downtown. It was incredibly windy, so I literally had to hold onto my hat at times, but I was glad I was wearing shorts anyway because I tend to run cool, and even though it’s dropping to highs in the 50s now, it’s still a little warmer than usual. On Sunday, the wind had died down, and even though I was sore I decided to go for a recovery run which turned into 6 miles because I always start to feel better after a few miles have flown by.

 

 

 

In other news, work is going well, although I’ve been more tired than usual as I adjust to getting 7-8 hours of sleep during the week instead of the 9 my body really needs. My insomnia has made an unfortunate return, sometimes I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to get back to dreamland for an hour or two. I’m determined to get through it without anything more than melatonin though – I don’t want to go down that road again. In the meantime, I’ve been trying to set boundaries with my phone and refrain from checking work email between 9pm and 7am at all. It’s necessary, especially after Wednesday when I worked my first 11 billable hour day (that means 13 hours of working, if you’re wondering). On Friday, I slept through my alarm for almost an hour, which I don’t think has ever happened before. Both days saw me downing iced coffee (although I stuck to my usual decaf, even when sleepy I know caffeine won’t keep me awake and it’ll just make insomnia worse).

 

 

 

 

The full week meant Saturday was a long run morning and lazy afternoon, with not much going on other than meal prep and baking some treats to take to my best friend’s apartment on Sunday when I went to visit her and her just-a-month-old baby boy. I made some of my Pumpkin Apple Spice Loaf but in a brownie tin instead of a bread loaf pan, and spread half with my special dark chocolate icing to make a big black-and-orange loaf, for a little color scheming since she and her husband went to Princeton. It’s so fun to see the little guy as he gets bigger and to know I’m able to contribute just a little bit by sweetening up his parents’ lives.

 

 

 

 

And that’s all I’ve got for today! Well, except for putting it out there that I am so excited for Thanksgiving because it’s one of my favorite holidays, and I wish everyone would embrace that before the Christmas and Hanukkah fuss begins. Which I also love, but let’s show a little Thanksgiving gratitude first 🙂  I plan to start by continuing to eat my grain free Pumpkin Poufflé for breakfast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you struggle with balancing workouts and the need for extra sleep?

 

Is cooking therapeutic for you like it is for me?

 

Are you ready for the holiday season to arrive?

 

 

 

 

 

© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.

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