Despite a somewhat hectic week, I managed to get in a fair amount of activity. Looks like I’ll be home for a while, so things will settle down for a bit, although it sucks for my Mom.
I’m joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and staying active and still exploring while supporting my family.
Workouts update
- Monday: Yoga (20 min), 3 miles easy, 3 miles easy, PB Walk + Toning (30 min)
- Tuesday: Yoga (40 min), Dogwalk, PB Cardio (25 min) — this was supposed to be a recovery run. Due to time and walking Bandit while it was still cool, I was going to run on the mill. It stopped and wouldn’t budge. We’ll see if Mr. Judy can work his magic again (he thinks he can). Thank you for being there Pahla B!
- Wednesday: Yoga (60 min), 4 mile walk over the Hudson, PB Cardio + ST (25 min)
- Thursday: Yoga (40 minutes), 6 mile “long” run, Yoga (20 min)
- Friday: Yoga (20 min), 2 recovery miles, Dogwalk, PB ST (25 min), Yoga (20 min)
- Saturday: Yoga (40 min), Walking with friends (4 miles)
- Sunday: Yoga, Dogwalk, time to rest!
Running Mileage: 11 (+1)
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
Running Update
Monday Intention: just run
Another slog, but a slightly interesting slog. After some nice cool, low humidity days last week, the humidity came back with a vengeance on Sunday. The first two miles were pretty slow. No worries, right now it’s just about running when I can. The last mile? A whole minute faster. I did consciously try to pick up the pace, but I was surprised by this.
Thursday Intention: go longer but easy
When Summer gives you a cool morning, you run with it — although by the time I finished this run, it was 70 with a touch of humidity. Still not bad. The pace was completely all over the place again. I was surprised my legs didn’t feel heavy with a fair amount of movement the day before, plus the drive home — but they didn’t. I did start to tire out the last couple of miles.
Friday Intention: easy recovery
Due to a short downpour when I had planned to go out, this run ended up being a bit later (and therefore a bit warmer). I definitely kept it easy, and I think it definitely qualified as a recovery run.
For some reason my V02 had dropped a point the day before. My HR seemed normal and the pace seemed relatively normal too. Doesn’t really matter, but I just wondered why. Maybe my Garmin though I was running too hard? It nudged up a point on this very slow recovery run. Things that make you go hmmmmm.
Favorites of the week
It was a very hot 90F the day I went down to my sister’s, but with a storm that night the next day was absolutely perfection for heading out to the Walkway over the Hudson — and it’s just minutes from my sister’s house.
My mom generally does much better in the afternoon than the morning, plus she usually has PT in the morning anyway — so unlike before, when I literally spent hours with her, I had some free time.
The meeting with the social worker for my mom was generally good news. She’s on track to go home in a few weeks (potentially) — they actually think she won’t need an aide, although that makes me a bit nervous (PA at the Orthopedist had a different opinion on that). The big problem is her lack of appetite and the fact she’s lost almost 10 lbs since she broke her hip.
She also had an appointment with the orthopedist, and she’s apparently healing well. On the other hand she has another UTI (she had one in the hospital, too) and they are closed to visitors again because someone tested positive for COVID.
Ending on a lighter note, I did walk a bit with some of the people in the running group yesterday. I thought I might run tomorrow, but my body is saying that isn’t such a great idea after all — it wants a rest day. It was an intense week and I got in plenty of exercise!
So the lighter note is the Mama Duck above. The larger ducklings swam right over to us. She immediately swam over, too, no doubt to make sure they didn’t get into trouble, plus wanting a handout. Then the smaller ducklings swam towards us. I felt badly we had no food for them, although you’re not supposed to feed them anyway.
ICYMI: Need some help with getting a good night’s sleep? I’ve got you covered with a simple 15 minute Yin Yoga practice. Check it out here. There are also two short vlogs that go with this practice, explaining the benefits of forward folds and twists and another that includes the journaling prompts from the above practice: here and here.
Coming up on Tuesday: I’m wrapping up July. On Friday it’s time to enjoy some hot chocolate (or your beverage of choice) and catch up on what’s been going on in our lives.
Chocolaterunsjudy 
I do wonder how accurate the VO2 max on the Garmin is? Anyway I also find that I get a little faster after the first 2 miles. I take longer to warm up. Glad to read that your mom is making progress this week.
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I’ve actually found the V02 to be fairly accurate for *me*, but once in a while it does something strange.
Oh, it definitely takes me a couple of miles to warm up!
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That’s great that your mom is making progress. At this point in your life just about any amount of running is a good thing considering how hectic things must be.
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I’ll get some rest this week since I’ll be home all week. I just hate that my mom is stuck in there alone. 😔
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Aww, your poor mom. We don’t realize how fragile the elderly are until they get hurt or sick. Fingers crossed that she heals well.
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Glad to hear your mom is healing.
Love that walkway and trail following it. I’ve gone a few times and even ran a half marathon over it.
Crazy rainy humid week. Yesterday was finally perfect running weather. I wish I had a race but not until next weekend.
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Lots of rain all month long, but we’ve actually been lucky to miss the heatwave the middle of the country suffered through.
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Continued prayers for your mother…hoping she’s feeling better and healing up well. We have not had much rain at all, but it sound like you guys out east are getting saturated.
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Yup, lots of rain here. My husband hasn’t needed to water the lawn. 😊
Thanks for the prayers, Kim. We still need them & I really appreciate it.
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Glad your mom is making progress. I hope she gets well very soon.
Here the heat wave affects every activity. Rain is an impossible dream!!!!
When I go to the Bolsena Lake I always feed the ducks.
Beautiful pictures.
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Thank you. We’re not supposed to feed the water fowl there, but obviously people do!
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I’m glad your mom is making progress, that sounds tough.
Good job making fitness a priority even when the rest of life is getting crazier.
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It always helps to stay as active as you can — until you need a rest day. 😉
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It’s great to hear promising news about your mom! I too would be a bit skeptical about not needing an aide. Proceed with caution I guess. My VO2max is hanging in there but Garmin is calling my workouts since hurting my calf “unproductive”. Sigh.
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Luckily my Garmin doesn’t do the productive/nonproductive thing don’t think I would like it.
Although she generally sounds good when I talk with her, the continued weight loss is very disturbing. I’m planning to have a chat with the social worker tomorrow.
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Glad it sounds like your mom is improving. I’m sure things are still tough though! Great job with your runs. My VO2 max hasn’t changed all summer which is kind of strange. I’m still getting used to it on my new watch so not sure how accurate it is anyway.
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My V02usually stays within a few points, so it actually is a good guide for me. Among other things! But sometimes you have no idea why it did/did not line a run!
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Glad your mom’s recovery was going well, but sorry to hear about the covid closing — how long do they stay closed after a case is detected? We had some really warm and humid mornings last week — even at 6 am. Storms today seem to have made it worse, not better. 😛
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It’s humid this afternoon (also storms predicted for tonight) but the morning was downright chilly. Oh well, I just wasn’t up for a run — or much of anything.
We don’t know how long they’ll be closed. Last time, for a URI, it was about 10 days. I have something going on a week from tomorrow, so unless they were cleared by Thursday or Friday, I just won’t be able to go at all this week. No doubt I couldn’t even if I wanted to but we’ll see.
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I’m glad your mom is doing some better. Sorry about the weight loss, UTI, and not being able to visit with her again. It’s so hard on everyone. Great job in listening to your body too and taking a rest day instead of forcing a run. Some days, an unexpected rest day is just the ticket to help us make it thought the rest of the week. The ducklings are cute. I’m sure mom was being protective.
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I definitely needed that rest day yesterday! I was wiped out.
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I am sorry to hear about the situation about your mom. But happy to hear she is doing better. She lost 10 pounds, wow!! Hopefully the situation will clear up so that you can visit her.
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Thanks Zenaida. I really can use the break but she doesn’t get one. 😔 She lost more weight this week. We think — it’s a little hard to tell because she gets confused sometimes.
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Sounds like a tough situation for your mom! And you. So they’re closed to visitors because of the Covid case? Ugh. I hope she continues to improve.
Sounds like you got in some good exercise this week in spite of the stress! Nice six mile run there! Hope this week goes well for you and your family.
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Thanks, Jenny. At first I thought the timing was “lucky” because we could visit. Not so much though, apparently.
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Good to hear your mom is on the right track. bummer about the UTI and now not being allowed visitors because of covid in the facility. Looks like you had a decent week with some good movement as well. Is that a Red Robin in the photo?? And those flowers are gorgeous colors by the way! I love our ducklings in the park so much but the mamas are sooooo mean!
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That’s a cardinal in the photo! We dose them at home, too, but definitely not as much as the robins, crows & all the little birds. I’d seen him there before but wasn’t quick enough to take photos previously.
I did get in lots of movement! I had more time since my mom usually can’t sit for too long.
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I am happy to hear that your mom is continuing to improve and may be able to go home in a few weeks. I wonder if the medication she is on may be effecting her appetite? My father had the same issue so that started to give him Ensure Enlive 1-2 times a day to help him gain weight while he was in rehab. I hope that her appetite comes back soon. I know it’s been a stressful few weeks – stay positive!
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She’s been drinking Ensure (now Glucerna, because she’s also diabetic) all along. We have asked about meds effecting her appetite. Unfortunately she’s got several health issues going on. Plus her appetite wasn’t that great before all this happened!
That was one thing about my Dad (he was in rehab 3 different times, twice in the same place my mom is) — he ate everything & never complained.
Thanks, Kim. I appreciate it!
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Glad your mum is making progress, that’s great news. I am sorry about the lack of appetite, though, that is a bit worrying. Lovely nature pictures, thank you!
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You’re welcome, Liz. I had a new spot all picked out to visit next time — hopefully that’ll come sooner rather than later.
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Awww, the curious little ducklings must have been so cute. We often have them in the creek behind our house, but I didn’t see any babies this spring. Of course, we also have foxes and hawks always on the lookout… 😦
It’s so good to hear that your mom is doing better. Here’s hoping for continued improvement.
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We don’t have foxes in our neighborhood — I saw one once, many years ago. We’re pretty close to town — although my sister, who is also close to town, does have foxes. I saw one walking across her lawn the last visit.
Thanks, Debbie!
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I’m glad to hear your mom is making progress. Continuing to send lots of positive thoughts her way…and to you.
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Thanks, Michelle — mucho gracias.
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