I’ve gotten a bit behind this week. The last week of April and first week and a half of May are always pretty hectic: little man’s birthday falls right at the end of April, and my birthday and Mother’s Day follow right behind. I’m not complaining – it’s wonderful, and there is so much celebration – but things do get backed up. I didn’t even write a blog post for little man’s big day on Friday, because, quite frankly, we were getting everything ready for his birthday festivities and I just back burnered it.
So let’s get this Weekly Wrap on the road with HoHo Runs and MissSippi Piddlin!
If you do a weekly recap post, this is a great way to check in with other active bloggers for extra support, sharing and accountability!
Sunday – rest
We had a birthday party in the afternoon for one of little man’s friends, and that was about it. I enjoyed having a big rest day, with nothing on the agenda, and it was a great way to get my head in the right place for the rest of the week.
In fact, Sunday’s highlight was the return of Game of Thrones. I don’t watch tons of TV, but this is my favorite show (favorite book series, as well).
It was worth the wait.
Monday – :45 cycling, :60 minutes body circuit, laps
I had the best bike ride yet. It all just came together for me, and I really enjoyed the 45 minutes.
Rather than taking the beach cruiser to body circuit, I drove. I have gotten this crazy idea about possibly giving a triathlon a shot, so I wanted to try some laps in the pool after I was finished. Class was great, and the pool went well.
It’s hard to time myself without a swim-specific watch, so I will have to see what to do about that.
Tuesday – Couch to 5K, Week 5 Day 1
Time to step things up. This week’s workout included a 5:00 walking warm up, followed by 5:00 running, 3:00 walking recovery, 5:00 running, 3:00 walking, 5:00 running, and 5:00 walking cool down.
The longer intervals were challenging, for sure, but I stuck with it.
I had a full day of work, so I was out of the house until almost 7:30. It made for a long day, but it doesn’t happen often. I zoned out with some TV and hit the sack early.
Wednesday – 1:50 cycling
It was time to get brave. I charted a course that would involve several serious roads: the kind with speed limits of 55mph, packed up some fuel and headed out. The first hour was fabulous. Yes, I was stressed, with the cars sometimes riding uncomfortably close to the bike lane, but I pulled off 15 miles in that first hour, before stopping at a park to have an apple sauce pouch.
I was supposed to complete a full two hours of cycling, but I only made it to an hour and fifty minutes. I felt like I had hit a wall, and on top of that, it felt like I was riding uphill, into the wind, through mud, the whole way home. I know that’s not even possible, but that’s where I was at. As I was getting closer to home, I kept trying to push myself, but finally, I just called it. I didn’t feel safe being out there any longer.
I’m a little disappointed in how it all went down, but I think it was a fueling issue. I didn’t have anything to eat before I went out , and I think that was a mistake. I’ll try to rectify that next time.
A nap would have been ideal, but I had lots of last minute errands to run for little man’s birthday weekend. I slept like a rock that night.
Thursday – Couch t0 5K, Week 5 Day 2
Good news! After all that time on the bike, I was expecting to be in rough shape for my run, but I wasn’t having any pain, aches or soreness whatsoever. Winning!
The run was good, too: 5:00 warmup, 8:00 running, 5:00 walking, 8:00 running and 5:00 of cool down. I thought my lungs would just about explode on that second running block, but I kept pushing. “Push” is going to be my new mantra.
Since I had work, Mr PugRunner went to little man’s school at lunchtime to help hand out birthday cupcakes. The kids didn’t have school on Friday, his actual birthday, so this was his chance to celebrate with his school buddies.
When I got home from work, there was a super cool gift in the mail for me, from the Rock ‘n’ Blog team and from Eagle Creek Gear: the Pack-It Sport Fitness Locker, Pack-It Sport Shoe Locker and Pack-It Sport Roll Top Sac.
These are going to be great for my future racecations, and I can’t wait to try them out.
Last but not least, I finished a little something for summer. We don’t do a lot of screen time around here, but it happens and it can get pretty consuming. One of my friends posted this checklist and it’s something we are implementing around the house, especially on weekends and in the summer.
The best news is that we are usually so busy, that by the time he gets done with the list every day, there won’t be too much time left for him to play video games or watch tv.
Friday – rest
I wasn’t planning this to be a rest day, but it was little man’s birthday, and hanging out with the family took precedence. He wanted a birthday donut, and then we presented him with part of his big birthday surprise: we would be spending the weekend at the Sawgrass Marriott!
The kid LOVES hotels. Loves them. Hotels are his favorite part of any trip, and we found a great rate on this particular property. It wasn’t far from home, and there were plenty of things to do onsite. He was so excited.
We packed and headed out. We wanted to meet my parents for lunch and cake before the weekend got into full swing.
Saturday – Couch to 5K, Week 5 Day 3
I was able to get in Week 5, Day 3 of Couch to 5K before the day began. It called for 20 minutes of straight running, which was… well… it was something, all right.
When I was all cleaned up, I hopped in the car, and went to pick up little man’s best friend. The second part of his surprise was tickets to see Marvel Universe Live with a buddy. I will post full details in another post, as this one is already long enough, but it was phenomenal.
One more bit of great news…. The folks at Best Damn Race have announced the half marathon medal for Cape Coral, and it’s gorgeous! Right now, you can save $5 off any distance for the Cape Coral and Jacksonville BDRs with the code RUNPUGS! Don’t miss out on the fun!
And there you have it!
It was a pretty solid April, and I am feeling like I have reached a good balance between returning to running and my cross training. Of course, we shall see if I am able to keep it up through the summer, but I have high hopes.
How was your week in training?
Game of Thrones: yay or nay?
Are you planning to run any of the Rock ‘n’ Roll series? Here’s a code to help you save on your registration!
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You’d be great at triathlons! I have the Tom Tom mulitsport and you can swim with it 🙂
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner recently posted…Cauliflower Rice & Black Bean Tortilla Pie-Cinco De Mayo
I don’t know… I’m really nervous to put myself out there. I can do all the things required, but I’m scared lol!
I love your screen time rules! I wish my grandsons had things like that to get done before tv or video games. That seems to be all they do in their spare time.
Debbie @ Coach Debbie Runs recently posted…5 Weeks Until It’s Time to Rock and Roll (better start training)!
You know, I don’t mind that he uses screens, to a point. For the most part, he’s pretty good about regulating himself (like if he gets a new video game, which is rare, he may spend an hour playing, but he moves on to other things fairly quickly), but he’s been having a bit of a sassy attitude lately, and so we cut him off cold turkey, until he can readjust. This way really resonated with me for reintroducing everything – he’s in control of earning the time, but like I said, since we are generally on the go so much, by the time he gets everything on the list done, he will either lose interest or not have tons of free time to play or watch anyway. We shall see how it goes.
I don’t usually hit the wall while cycling because I always pack snacks. That is the one thing I really like about riding my bike! It’s so much easier to carry food and eat it on the ride vs on a run.
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home recently posted…Big Sur Marathon Race Recap
You are so right. I just didn’t anticipate needing more than what I had, but it’s different than running, so it seems I will need to bring a small picnic to get me through.
Those screen time rules are great! I think it’s so important for kids to play outside before sitting down in front of the TV. Exercise. Imagination. So important. It looks like little man had a great birthday, too!
Nicole Handler recently posted…10 Creative Matzoh Recipes
I absolutely agree. We can’t deny that technology is a major part of life and they need to be exposed, but not to the detriment of unstructured, imaginative play.
runswithpugs recently posted…weekly recap: 4.24 – 4.30
ohhhhh those bags look interesting! I’m curious about the fitness locker!
Carmy recently posted…Race Report: Mississauga Half Marathon, Mississauga, 2016
They seem like they are really great! I will keep updated as to how they work.
runswithpugs recently posted…weekly recap: 4.24 – 4.30
I would love to do a triathlon. I’ve been talking about doing one for years now. I NEED A BIKE! Happy birthday to your son!
Susie @ Suzlyfe recently posted…Making an Impact, Moving Boxes, and Flywheel Giveaway!
Yes. A bike is a requirement for a tri! I need to get one, too!
I haven’t seen Game if Thrones at all. Sounds like a great week.
It’s definitely not for the faint of heart! It’s violent and graphic and pretty much everyone dies. But it’s oh, so good!
The screen time rules are great! Isn’t it crazy the things we have to do to get kids outside in this day and age? When I was a kid, my parents had to drag my sis and me in the house for meals and bath time LOL
Kimberly Hatting recently posted…Some Proud Moments….
I think times are different. Kids are in sports or in after care programs, so it’s harder to just go outside and play. Plus, I think parents today are less likely to let their younger kids go wandering and exploring. I know that for our guy to go to the park, there are several busy intersections and it’s on a main road where no one pays attention to their speed, so it’s a non starter for him at this point. That being said, I am focusing on more outdoor activities for our whole family, and hopefully it will stick.
Great job this week! And did you see your time for that 20 minute straight run?! Awesome!
Happy birthday to the Little Man! We are almost birthday twins, mine was on Saturday 🙂
Stacie Seidman recently posted…Truthful Tuesday
I did see my time. I’m trying to be patient. I feel like I am faster using my 1:00/:15 intervals, but again, I just started back, so maybe this will change.
Happy birthday to you! It was a great weekend for birthdays!
Does your pool have a lap clock? Growing up swimming, we always used the lane clocks instead to time laps and rest intervals.
That’s such a great way to reward with screen time!
My pool barely has lanes LOL! I got a rough estimate of length, and then just swim back and forth at the widest part of the deep end. I’m all about making the best of it!
I too am very excited about the packing crates. We have lots of traveling coming up this summer and I know that I’ll get lots of use out of them.
Kathryn @ Dancing to Running recently posted…ZOOMA Annapolis Half Marathon Training Log – Week 13
It’s always hard to know what to do with your running/workout gear and I hate putting my gross shoes in with everything else. This is the perfect answer!
I admire all the cycling you’re doing! Here I am in tri training and I’ve done almost none. I blame the weather. Happy Birthday to your little man! I am right there with you on everything hitting the fan this month. I have 10 nieces and nephews on my side of the family and they all have birthdays between April and August. It’s birthday central around here for awhile!
Love that medal!
Happy Birthday to your little guy. My little guys were always fascinated with hotel elevators (weird). So, we always asked for an upper floor. Your couch to 5k is going so well! Yippee for 20 minutes! I also wear Mizuno Inspires but I don’t have that color. I like! The Best Damn Race series looks very interesting. Thanks for linking with us Jenn.
HoHo Runs recently posted…Fearless Training
I prefer upper floors anyway. I just don’t like the ground floor. Kids are so funny with the things they enjoy.
I think I want to get the black and teal Inspires, but I have a feeling the new colors will be coming out soon, so I will hold off. Best Damn Race is incredible: a race series for runners by runners. They take care of pretty much every detail, and I am so proud to partner with them.
Glad to hear the running is coming back – nice pace on the 20 minute run! I suck at cross training, so I’m totally impressed at all that you are doing.
MCM Mama Runs recently posted…DuClaw Blood Orange Neon Gypsy Ceviche
Great job on sticking with your intervals this week. I find the longer ones pretty challenging myself and I do always feel better AFTER I get them done. Great job on your bike ride and hey 5 minutes is ok, re-adjust and fuel better next time and see if it doesn’t make a difference for you.
You’re a rock n blogger too, so jealous, I tried to get in. I’m hoping I can for next year. Fingers crossed. I did see those bags at the expo this past weekend, they looked really cool!
Tricia @MissSippiPiddlin recently posted…Weekly Wrap 39 Rock n Roll Nashville