After the craziness of the holidays, I was starting to feel like I was ready to get back into a routine. However, I was only back at work for 2 days before flying out to Texas for my niece’s birthday. So much for getting back to the January routine! There will be plenty of time for that starting next week.
I rearranged my week a bit because I knew I couldn’t strength train while I was away. My flight on Wednesday was at 6:30 am, so there would be no workout that day before I left. I was hopeful to be able to run while I was away, depending on the weather.
The forecast kept changing every day leading up to my trip. I had no idea what to pack for running or regular clothes. It ended up being pretty warm but also windy and there were lots of storms Friday afternoon and evening.
My sister lives near a small trail that was perfect for short runs, but she warned me that there could be coyotes out before the sun is up. I wasn’t keen on running in the dark in an unfamiliar place anyway, so I postponed my runs until a little later. Luckily, there were no coyote sightings.
After the storms passed through it was freezing on Saturday. We even had some snow flurries! All morning it was around 30 degrees but closer to 20 with the wind chill. I didn’t pack cold-weather running gear (the warmest clothes I packed were capris and a long-sleeved t-shirt; not even a hat and gloves) so I didn’t run.
Here is how the week looked overall:
Weekly Run Down
Sunday: Strength training (I shared this last week, but it really counted for this week)
Monday: 3 treadmill miles
Tuesday: Strength training
Wednesday: Rest- short walk when we got to my sister’s house. Oh and lugging around Grayson in the Ergo and my heavy backpack all over the airport, that was actually my hardest workout of the week.
Thursday: 4 miles
Friday: 3.5 miles:
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest (travel day- more lugging around Grayson + luggage)
Training Plans
I finished up another phase of my strength training program this week, and decided to try a few months of making my own plans. I’ll see how it goes and I can always go back to having them made for me if needed.
Also, I think I decided on a spring half-marathon! I even wrote my training plan this week, and added on a few weeks of base building that will start Monday. I am going to see how the next few weeks go before I sign up. The race is in 16 weeks so I will spend 4 weeks building a base and then have 12 weeks to train.
I’m feeling pretty motivated right now so I hope that this feeling continues throughout the year. I’m sure part of it is just the energy of the new year. My few short runs have felt good so I just hope that its a sign I am ready to start running more again.
Do you move around your workouts when you are traveling?
Ever seen a coyote on a run?
Are you starting to train for a spring race?
I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down!
I definitely juggle my schedule around travel, and I would not run in the dark with coyotes around! At least I know Scooby will warn me of any foxes prowling our neighborhood. I am still not signing up for 2020 races, but I think that will change soon.
I see foxes where I live in the morning all the time. They creep me out a little but they generally just run away from me.
You did an amazing job at getting in some great workouts even though you were traveling! Glad to hear that there were coyote sightings during your runs!
Thanks! Me too!
It sounds like you had a great week, and the travel days definitely count as hard workouts. Eek on the coyotes. I usually don’t pack my winter running gear for travel, it’s too bulky to haul around and I figure that if it’s not warm or there’s no treadmill then running wasn’t meant to be for the few days of the trip. Congrats on signing up for your half!
That’s exactly why I didn’t pack my winter running gear! (Also I didn’t really think i would need it). I figured if it was cold enough for a hat and gloves then I should probably just skip my run while I was away.
I usually try to get my workouts to work with any travel plans, even if it means skipping a day (and/or doing a double the next day). When I’m traveling, though, it’s usually for a vacation, so I don’t obsess about it. No coyotes have crossed my path 🙂
Its definitely nice to just not worry about workouts while on vacation. I know I feel better when I get some movement in so when Im away for a few days I try to get in at least a workout or two.
I usually move my workouts around depending on weather (and how I’m feeling). I’m lucky I have that flexibility.
I’ll bet carrying Grayson around was a workout!
I lived in Austin a long time. Even though the average winter day is 60, yup, it can get pretty darn cold — but the difference is it’s temporary!
I think I would handle the cold weather here a lot better if I knew it was only for a couple of days!
Lugging around Grayson and luggage sure sounds like strength training.
Glad you had a good & coyote free trip.
I definitely play musical chairs with my workouts
Thanks! Sometimes you just have to be flexible with workouts.
Travel definitely calls for some juggling of the workouts! I can’t believe how chilly it was in Texas for you! How exciting to choose a spring half to train for. I see coyotes here all the time. They’re most active at dawn and dusk and I stay away from places I know they nest. All that said, there’s been a few coyote attack incidents in downtown Chicago this week, which is absolutely crazy.
Oh wow that is crazy! I had no idea if they would be dangerous or what but I didn’t want to take any chances. It was a pretty busy area with lots of houses really close to the trail so I am surprised that they are around there.
Great job! OMG about the coyotes! I haven’t seen any of those but I have seen deer, snakes, armadillos, zebras, horses and other livestock and that sort of thing. It’s crazy here!
I usually don’t have a set-in-stone training plan so I can easily switch things around if need be.
Wow you have alot of wildlife near you! We only really have deer and foxes around here where I run.
Its great to have a flexible training schedule!
Great job fitting your workouts in; and carrying Grayson all over the airport sounds exhausting! I juggle my lifting and running schedule around my clients’ sessions, travel, holidays, whatever is going on in my life… On Sunday afternoons I look at my calendar for the week and determine which days make the most sense to schedule my workouts.
There are lots of bears and coyotes where my mom lives. I used to run before sunrise there all the time, but every year there are more and more of those varmints around so I wait to run later after it’s daylight.
Thats smart to schedule your workouts each week around everything else! Wow, thats scary about the animals near your moms. I definitely dont want to see any bears on my run!
I didn’t realize coyotes were dangerous to people- only to cats and small dogs! But I have seen some on my runs that are pretty big, much bigger than foxes…
Awesome job getting in so much activity while traveling and exciting that you’ve picked a half
I’m not sure if they are usually dangerous but I guess you never know!
Thanks!
You had a solid week even with the travelling! Glad you’ve decided on a Half Marathon and the timing (16 weeks) looks perfect! After the craziness of the Christmas Season, I was also craving some routine. Kids starting school tomorrow and then things will really be back to normal!
While the holidays are fun, they are also exhausting! Its nice to get back into a routine this time of year!
I have seen a coyote on a run – in fact, he was on the bike trail right in front of me, trying to run away from me and I was following him in interest! He looked rather scared, so I wasn’t concerned. Do people ever get attacked by them? Kind of bizarre that we have a couple of them in Ohio.
Hooray for routines and back to normal, right? 🙂
Marcia commented on my post that some people got attached by coyotes in Chicago, so yes, I guess they do attack people!
I’ve never seen a coyote and I hope I never do. How exciting that you will be signing up for a spring half marathon. Hope you had a good time in Texas. That is some crazy weather there too.
Thanks! Yea, I feel like the weather has been kind of crazy everywhere lately!