Last week wasn’t my first business trip since the pandemic, but it was the first time I went all in with hotel gyms. I also got to run on the commercial version of the treadmill I didn’t buy and ride on a real Peloton bike.
First stop: hotel treadmill with pool view
Back In Hotel Gyms
The Marriot in Del Mar had a small but well-equipped gym. Thanks to jet lag, I always got my choice of treadmills, but the gym got busy pretty quickly.
No social distancing between those two treads!
By the time I finished my run, there were several people trying to share the single set of free weights, so I didn’t try to do a strength workout.
The empty spot on the top rack is for a missing 10 lb weight.
The Westin in Palo Alto was undergoing renovations and the gym was almost finished.
Thursday: No weights yet.
Friday: Shiny new set of weights!
I wasn’t bothered by the weights situation because the hotel had a Peloton!
I bike-fess I moved it parallel to the window
so I could use the sill for my water bottle. 😉
Weekly Run Down
The big news in Peloton this week was that tread/strength/bootcamp instructor Jess Sims ran the Boston Marathon. The reason this is big news is because Jess is not a distance runner and only decided to do Boston after Peloton member Michele Blackburn, who had been injured in the 2013 bombing, offered Jess the bib she had access to as a survivor, to recognize the role Jess played in her recovery. Not only did Jess finish smiling, but Michele made her first return to Boston and even stood near the finish line where she was cheering in 2013. If you want to read the full, heart-warming story, the Boston Globe has the best write-up. Just have your tissues handy. And if you haven’t seen Jessie’s recap on The Right Fits, you should read that one too.
Monday: 5 min Stretch + 20 min Walk
With an Uber coming at 5:45 am, I didn’t even have time to walk Scooby. I did a 5 min post-ride stretch at the airport (all standing stretches) to calm pre-flight jitters. After my afternoon meetings, I checked into my hotel and checked out the gym. I decided to do a walk on the treadmill and enjoy the view of the pool (see top photo) before dinner. The guy on the tread next to me was doing sprints at 10 mph, but he wasn’t even breathing hard (!), so it didn’t skeeve me out covid-wise.
Tuesday: 4.5 Treadmill Miles + 10 min Arms + Light Weights
Without my Scooby walk to wake up and warm up, I needed a 10 min warm-up walk to get going. My foot seemed OK after the first 20 min class, so I tacked on another. Since the heavier weights were in use, I did an Arms + Light Weights class with the 5 lb weights nobody else was using.
Wednesday: 5.5 Treadmill Miles + 10 min Arms + Light Weights
My foot didn’t yell at me after Tuesday’s runs, so I hopped on the treadmill again. I wanted to take advantage of the easy pace-switching feature that I had liked about the Matrix when I was treadmill shopping. so I made sure to do a HIIT run. It was more helpful in the warm-up intervals than in the HIIT intervals, because you can switch back-and-forth between two paces. With the HIIT intervals, the pattern was more complex (run-sprint-walk-jog-run-sprint) so I had to manually set the pace anyway.
The heavier weights were in use again, so I did another Arms + Light Weights class after my run.
Thursday: 35 min Ride + Core
My first *real* Peloton ride! At 4:15 am I had the Westin gym all to myself, but wasn’t sure how long that would last so I started with the Peloton. It really was a more immersive experience than using the app on my iPad, and the social features were engaging. If I needed to enjoy indoor cycling more, I think it would make a difference.
Good post-ride suggestion, but the weights hadn’t arrived yet!
Friday: 10 min Bodyweight Strength + 30 min Peloton Ride
I had an Uber coming at 5:30 am, but jetlag was still working in my favor, and I woke up before 4:00. I warmed up with a bodyweight strength class, and then hopped on that Peloton again.
I really could have used a fan!
Saturday: 5.5 Scooby Miles + 27.5 mile Cycling
I jinxed myself telling my husband my foot was feeling better–as soon as I took my brace off it was twingy again. But after a week of indoor workouts, I had to get outside. Scooby was really eager to run too–leaping around as I got his leash out. Also, the weather was amazing!
After getting my old treadmill set up at my Mom’s, we went for a bike ride from her neighborhood. It was such a days — but quickly warmed up with a taste of summer.
Sunday: 2.5 Scooby Miles + Core + Lower Body Strength
A short mix of running and strength to start a busy weekend/travel day.
This week my 15K (minutes) gift from Peloton arrived. I love this plum tank! I also got hot pink leggings that will have to wait for cooler days.
Now I’m off to cheer on Deborah at the GWPC finish, and then will head up to NYC and celebrate Cari’s Brooklyn Half! I know Kim H. is running too, but I can’t get to Iowa today. 😉
A huge thank you to Deborah and Kim for hosting the Weekly Run Down link up.
Good luck to everyone racing today–looking forward to the race reports!
![The Ultimate Coffee Date](http://got2run4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ultimate-Coffee-Date.png" "The Ultimate Coffee Date")
How did you feel about the masks being lifted on planes? I was not ready for that one our flight home from Boston!
It sounds like you made the most of the hotel gyms! Great work!
Does your husband walk Scooby as much as you do when you’re traveling?
Thanks for the shout-out for my recap, even though it’s a downer. The Boston Globe article is behind a paywall, darn! I really wanted to read it. I’m surprised Jess Sims isn’t a distance runner. She’s still one of my favorite strength instructors on the app.
On the article, you might have to click through a subscription option, but it was free for me.
My husb takes Scooby out for his walks, but no running. OTOH, he does play time with a neighbor’s dog and I don’t. 😉
Way to go, Coco! I’m so impressed with how you stick to your fitness regime despite travelling. In the gym at 4:15am!!! No wonder you had it to yourself. 🙂
Nice that your foot is holding up!
Thanks for the link to that Boston story with Jess and Michele, I will make sure to read it.
Say Hi to Deborah!
Those 4 am start times were all do to jet lag, believe me!
Oh darn, I just read Jessie’s comment about the Boston Globe article being behind a paywall- it sounds like an amazing story.
Glad your foot is feeling better! That’s good news. I know you said it’s “twingy” but I think if you’re doing that much running and it’s holding up, it’s pretty much healed.
Yes, I love that plum tank top! And, enjoy your race spectating today- sounds like a fun time.
You definitely made the most of those hotel gyms! I’m glad your foot is feeling better – hopefully that twingy feeling will pass quickly.
that is fun that you got to ride a real Peloton. funny that it did not have a water bottle holder mine has one on both sides.Thanks again for coming out to the finish line. Knowing you were there really helped me push to the finish
Awh, I would have LOVED seeing you at my race finish 😉 (It was very windy, big surprise, LOL). You definitely made great use of those hotel gyms! The article about Jess and her Boston experience (and the story leading up to her getting there) was so touching <3
Traveling and working out is tough. But you seem to have mastered it. I actually used a real Peloton bike in a hotel too.
Say “hi” to Cari for me. Wish I could have been there too.
Way to stick to your workouts while you travel. Every time there’s been a Peloton in a hotel gym, someone else is using it. Sigh. Hope you had fun cheering on the racers!
Well obviously you just need to clone yourself. 🙂
That’s a whole lot of travel! Trying an actual Peloton bike had to be a lot of fun. I’m sorry that the foot was again talking to you, though.
What a crazy week for you! I don’t care that the mask mandate on planes is lifted, I’m still wearing my N95! Sorry to hear about the foot, tho.
I’m so sorry to hear about your foot, but I am sure that Scooby appreciated you taking him out again and spending that time with him.
How cool to get to compare all the hotel gyms!
It’s fun when there are nice gyms — especially when I can have them to myself.