week 69: running to the end of April

Can you believe that April is coming to a close? I mean, I know that the Earth turns and the sun rises and time passes, but sheesh. This is a pretty intense week: someone is having a 14th birthday on Friday. I can’t even believe it.



Sunday

• Cardio: 3.18 miles, walking
• Thighs Challenge: 22 plie squats, 22 leg swings (each side), 22 alternating lunges, 22 side leg lifts (each side), 22 inner thigh pulses (each side)

Happy Easter! Of course, I started with a walk!

And then we had breakfast and opened Easter baskets.

My parents came over around lunchtime for feasting and celebrating, and we had a lovely holiday together.

Monday

• Cardio: 5.21 miles, walking (beach and bridges)
• Thighs Challenge: 23 plie squats, 23 leg swings (each side), 23 alternating lunges, 23 side leg lifts (each side), 23 inner thigh pulses (each side)
• Triceps Session: 2 x 16 Shoulder Taps, 2 x 16 Supine Triceps Press, 3 x 8 Inward Arm Press, 2 x 16 Diamond Chest Press, 3 x 8 Triceps Dip Behind

Happy Patriot’s Day! I wore yellow and blue to honor the Boston Marathon, repping even from the beach. This was a tough slog through the sand: the tide was high and the surface was pretty uneven and soft.

We had plans to have dinner with my parents, niece, nephew, and brother and sister-in-law, but before that I tried to take a little advantage of the day off by taking A to get dress slacks, shirt, and tie for his NJHS induction ceremony, coming up this week. Spoiler alert: he looked so handsome.

Tuesday

• Cardio: 6.55 miles, running
• Thighs Challenge: 24 plie squats, 24 leg swings (each side), 24 alternating lunges, 24 side leg lifts (each side), 24 inner thigh pulses (each side)
• Core Workout: 20 in and outs, cocoons, windshield wipers, weighted Russian twists, toe taps, flutter kicks, 20 scissor kicks

Great weather makes for great runs! Yay!

I started incorporating some core workouts into my days. My core is in desperate need of an overhaul, so we shall see if I can stay motivated to the cause.

After school, we went over to the high school so A could try on his marching band uniform. The energy was so great, and he looks amazing! It’s going to be a fabulous experience.

Wednesday

• Cardio: 4.00 miles, walking
• Thighs Challenge: 25 plie squats, 25 leg swings (each side), 25 alternating lunges, 25 side leg lifts (each side), 25 inner thigh pulses (each side)
• Core Workout: 3 x :30 hover squat with ball, 3 x :30 weighted march, 3 x :30 heel taps + leg extensions, 3 x :30 reverse planks
• Biceps Workout: 3 x 10 bicep curl, 3 x 10 hammer curl, 3 x 10 reverse curl, 3 x 10 supinating curl (each side)

I had time to get in some extra workouts today, and that felt great.

Thursday

• Cardio: 6.09 miles, running
• Thighs Challenge: 26 plie squats, 26 leg swings (each side), 26 alternating lunges, 26 side leg lifts (each side), 26 inner thigh pulses (each side)
• Back Session: 3 x 12 Bent Over Rows, 3 x 10 Dumbbell Good Morning, 3 x 12 Dumbbell Pull Overs, 3 x 10 Dumbbell Rear Delt Flys, 3 x 12 Dumbbell Shrugs

J had an early morning meeting, so we had to get up and out pretty quickly. I stayed out a little longer after I dropped her off, too.

In the evening, A had his last middle school band concert. His was one of three bands that played (concert, jazz and wind ensemble), and they were clearly the best. I may be a little biased, but still. They were amazing, and we are so proud of his musical journey, so far.

Friday

• Cardio: 3.77 miles, walking
• Thighs Challenge: 27 plie squats, 27 leg swings (each side), 27 alternating lunges, 27 side leg lifts (each side), 27 inner thigh pulses (each side)
• Core Workout: 20 in and outs, cocoons, windshield wipers, weighted Russian twists, toe taps, flutter kicks, 20 scissor kicks

I kicked off Earth Day with a bit of a plog. Fortunately, there wasn’t much litter to be snagged. Yay!

Adorably, the pugs had mail! Their little friend, @LeoTheBostie sent them a belated birthday gift to Luna and a welcome home gift to Leonidas. They were so cute opening the box for their surprises!

At 5PM, we headed to our Scouts meeting place to start delivering mulch for our Scouts fundraiser. Our Scouts have opportunities to earn money towards things like summer camp, high-adventure camps, or other scout-related activities, and this was an incredible effort by them. We worked until about 8:00PM.

Saturday

• Cardio: 8.03 miles, running + walking
• Thighs Challenge: 28 plie squats, 28 leg swings (each side), 28 alternating lunges, 28 side leg lifts (each side), 28 inner thigh pulses (each side)

I was exhausted, but dragged myself out of bed. J and I went for what ended up being a solid run, and I did my Thighs Challenge.

Afterwards, I loaded myself up to join the mulching crews. What. A. Job. The Scouts and volunteers worked fairly tirelessly, delivering and spreading 18 pallets worth of mulch to more houses than I care to count. It was brutal work, but the Scouts proved, once again, how amazing they are.

Goal-getting + Thoughts

As I mentioned, A’s birthday is this week. He’s got some fun and special plans, and I’m so excited for him. He’s also got about a month more of school, and then he can say farewell to 8th grade!

My birthday is also right around the corner. We’ve already started celebrating a little bit, and I can’t wait to share that!

Remember how I said I wasn’t feeling so strong the other day? Well, that’s changing, and I am glad to say that I am commtting to the changes that are helping me overcome.

I am linking up with the Weekly Rundown, with Confessions of A Mother Runner and Running on the Fly! Check them out!

How was your week in training? What makes you feel strong?