Endurance Check in for Fall 2020 ~Run Bike Swim Hike

[AlisonH]

Vantreesta: Glad to hear you started Rowvember, but sorry about the headache.

We has 34 kids come by, way lower than normal. We sat at the end of the driveway with the fire pit going, but I got really cold by 7:00. Kids pretty much stopped coming by around then anyways. DD and her friend went out around 8:00 and hit all the houses that the people also went in early and just left candy on a table for the night.

I lost another 1.2 pounds over the last 2 weeks. So it’s very slow going, but it is going.

[Vantreesta]

Alison, you're doing great with the weight loss! The only way my scales have budged is up. I feel like I don't know what I'm doing wrong and then I see the candy wrappers or find myself eating yet again. I know a lot of people track their eating but whenever I have tried it just makes me obsess about food more.

I had thought about moving the fire pit to the driveway but it ended up with 20+ mph winds the whole night so I would have been too nervous to hgt ave a fire anyway. Fortunately my "costume" was candy corn so I was wearing a hat and scarf I made plus a fleece shirt over long sleeves and a puffy vest, which helped a lot.

[Vantreesta]

Day 2 of Rowvember done. This was supposed to be intervals at different spm but since I don't have a monitor and did not want to count strokes for 30 minutes I did one of his YT videos instead. I'm frustrated though bc I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. This was an intermediate workout, which I am not with rowing, plus I'm really not in shape but Shane was really working and speaking through exertion and my HR maxed at 110 and I never felt like it was hard at all. My HR gets up slightly more with a Leslie walk if I pump it up but this is what it has been like any time I row. I don't know if I'm doing smthg wrong or if it's bc my rower is not the same style. But it irritates me bc I want a good workout and don't feel like I got one.

ETA: after our 2 mi walk I did CLX Burn Circuit 3 and my own stretch.

[Vantreesta]

I emailed Shane this morning to ask for suggestions/guidance on the rowing workouts. Since I didn't know what to do for that yet I did my DYY Anti Back Pain Yoga instead. I didn't do it for several days and wanted to get back to it. I think I did day 5. We walked almost 5 miles plus had to stop for 5-10 minutes to work on reactivity so we ended up being gone about 1 3/4 hours. I'm not sure if I'll get in any more workouts today other than smthg for rowing and a stretch.

[Vantreesta]

Well I heard back from Dark Horse Rowing this morning, which I appreciate. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be helpful. He gave me a list of 5 apps and the only one that appeared it might help is apparently only for Apple devices so I'm still left trying to guess everything on my own. I'll keep trying but I have a feeling I won't stick with it for the month. It's too much mental work. But I'll see what I can do; even if I just do one of his YT videos every day or even row on my own I should see some benefit and be actually using my equipment. I told hubby last night if he ever sees of anyone at work getting rid of a flywheel or water rower to let me know. I told him the price range on them and his jaw dropped. I was like yeah, so I'll never have one unless I can find one used that someone is just really motivated to get rid of!

[AlisonH]

Vantreesta: I hope you can find a cheap water rower. I used them at a convention and at my brief experience trying to work for Orange Theory. I loved them, but yes, yikes on the price!

I’m plugging along, but my continued poor sleep is really bringing me down. I sure hope it improves when this super-fun stage of life is over!

I somehow need to add some power training in. I tried to jump the other day, and I could barely get off the ground.

[Vantreesta]

I never did end up getting in a formal workout today. Cyric and I walked a couple miles then I took my car in to the shop and walked 2 1/2 miles while I waited. Ran a couple errands then came home and really dug into undecorating before I had grief group tonight. Tmrw the truck goes in for an oil change so I'll get in another good walk after the morning one with Cyric. I don't think I have any more errands so the plan is to workout when I get home. I've decided I'm not going to try doubling up if I miss a day (or more) of rowing, I'm just going to try to get through 30 days as soon as I can (meaning not missing for no reason).

Alison, do you know why you're not sleeping well? Is it stress, hormones, everything and anything? I'm so glad I finally started taking meds for my RLS every night. My sleep is still not what it used to be but I do think I feel more rested since my legs aren't kicking at night. I keep intending to start a bedtime ritual but I never actually do it. TV is way too attractive to me.

[Pratima]

Vantreesta, I had sort of the opposite Halloween experience. I was born in Detroit and we of course trick or treated in the freezing cold there. In Flagstaff, the houses were really far apart so I don't recall doing much trick or treating. Here, we have tons of kids. We did decorate (and won a prize for the neighborhood contest) though DH wasn't as into it as in the past. I'll text you pictures!

I wasn't sure what we'd do but I ended up letting the kids go out. We walked about two blocks (one street north and one street south) and we'd bought candy just in case too. I only let them get candy if it was set out and that's what most people did. They got tons, and afterward we sat in our drive and made s'mores with the neighbors. I bought two bags of candy, almost 500 pieces total, and it was all gone plus more that the neighbor brought over. We seemed to have the usual number of kids--our street always gets a lot.

I am so sorry to hear about your great uncle. Does he live nearby?

Alison, are you still not sleeping well every night? I was, but this week am not. Hot flashes plus I think constant wondering about the election is waking me up. I've had a lot of trouble waking when it's dark too. I am so solar-powered!

I bought Body Beast! Read the breakdowns and reviews and figured it might be good for me. Somehow i feel like the older I get, the more I need heavy weight work to keep some muscle.

Still not running. I'm doing Burn streaming for weights and some cardio and trying to go heavy, plus walking and hiking a bit. I got dry needled at PT last week and that released a lot of the tightness on my right side.

Yesterday my PT exercises were shifted to more run-focused moves. She had me doing a running motion on a BOSU (sort of running onto it with one foot over and over) to help me figure out what's going on. I have NO glute activation on one side so she had me do just a few simple exercises to help with that. I was so sweaty! I only have about 8 sessions left, I believe, so hopefully it'll be enough. It's such a different approach than the other PT.

I am still literally doing NOTHING at work. Just waiting for projects. I sat in on a call for someone else's project this week. I guess the Coast Guard hasn't really figured out what they want us to do. Part of me wants to look for other jobs and part of me is enjoying getting paid to wait. I think I might get a free trial for this software I know how to use and do some tutorials to learn to use it better.

[AlisonH]

My sleep issues are just about every night. I think it’s the super fun combination of hormones and stress. I fall right asleep, but I wake up over and over all night. Night sweats have been extra bad lately.

It’s gorgeous here today, so I ran at lunchtime even though I was so tired. The first mile was good, but the second 2 were rough. I just had to get out of the house—DH has had CNN on nonstop. It’s just too much!

[Daphne M]

Hi everyone! I am sorry I dropped off the board for a couple of months. I got stretched too thin and couldn't keep all the balls in the air for a while. (Story of my life.)

I'm going to go back and read up on what everyone has been doing but first I need to summarize my recent fitness activities or I'll never get to it.

My highlights:

• Consistency! Proud to say that since December 2019, I've been active almost every SINGLE day. I've missed fewer than six days total. Sure, lots of those days were easy days, but they count.
• Running, walking, miles, miles, miles. Running is my favorite, but I've done lots and lots of walks too. I try to do it outdoors because the fresh air does wonders for my mental health, but at least two days a week I hit the treadmill instead and do a Peloton workout. I am in a serious relationship with my Peloton app and credit it for my 2020 consistency. For the first time in my life, the treadmill is fun for real and not "fun" in quotes.
• I "raced!" I did the virtual Army 10 Miler in mid-October and it is the first time ever I have enjoyed this particular race. (It's often had organization issues.) I did it with friends (and sisters) Debbie and Gwynn, which made it even more delightful. I don't really race anymore, in fact my "run" isn't a run anymore, it's a "jog 4 minutes/walk 1 minute." On a bad day it averages out to 13 minute miles. On a good day, it's 11:20 mms. The easy pace feels INCREDIBLE and I'm hoping I can keep going another decade this way.
• After spending almost a year saying I'd never spend this kind of money on a rower, to the surprise of absolutely no one who knows me I changed my mind and bought the Hydrow Rower. I really needed a non-impact cardio alternative to running and walking. (Yes, I NEEDED it! Forever and always, a DVDiot and we need things, okay?) It's the rowing machine equivalent of the Peloton bike and I'm thrilled. Disclaimer: it just came yesterday and I've only done 4 rowing workouts ("learn to row" category) and 1 on-the-mat workout so far. So of course I love it right now, but I can already tell this is going to be a longterm relationship.

Answers to Vannie's questions:
1. Has your endurance training changed without races to train for? I care more about where and when I'm going to run than how fast I am going to run. And I'm definitely not following any training schedule.
2. What is your go-to activity for stress management? Running outdoors on a windy path through the woods with falling leaves, sun sparkling through the trees and singing along to a good song.
3. If you could learn something new, fitness or otherwise, what would it be? Rowing form and efficiency. I'm going to unlock that achievement with the help of a lot of Hydrow instructional workouts. Other current interests: figuring out how to display data better through graphics, learning how to accept family members who voted for the other guy without anger.