Just Keep Going

You know what they say—When you’re going through tough times, just keep going. That’s what this week felt like.

Scooby is always ready to keep going!

Just Keep Going

I feel like I’m being a bit self-indulgent because I personally am not going through particularly tough times. But I ache for my secretary, worry about friends and family facing health issues, and am truly concerned that the United States is heading for a Constitutional crisis and the end of democracy as we’ve known it. I said what I said and I’m losing sleep over it.

Exercise is my healthiest coping mechanism, and Peloton seems to be rising to the occasion with new strength programs, artist series,  and technical features. I’m really enjoying the cycling classes taught by Christian Vander Velde. I like his coaching style and while even he will tell you that his playslits are all over the place, every song has good energy that keeps me going. 

Sunday I did one of his 60 min “real routes” rides, where he programs a class to simulate a segment of a Tour de France route.

Of course, it was much shorter and much easier than the real thing, but it was still a challenge.

The 90 rpm average cadence is new to me—I’ve been riding at higher resistance in the 80s, but he coaches higher cadence and I am getting better at it.

Weekly Wrap

The weather was cold and sometimes dangerously windy. I bundled up to take Scooby out at least once a day, but didn’t want to spend more time outside than I had to. On Sunday evening, this huge tree came down from the front yard of the house behind us. Amazingly it fell between two houses and didn’t cause any property damage. Also amazingly, crews came out and cleared the road right away.

Not sure why my iPhone camera couldn’t focus on Scooby’s face! 

Sunday: Core + Barre + 60 min Peloton Ride
After walking Scooby, I did a core class and a barre class before getting ready for church. Later in the day I did that 60 min CVV ride posted above.

Monday (President’s Day): Core + LB + 5 Tread Miles
With the holiday, I got to sleep in and have time for a longer workout. Hannah F’s tread class had solid programming that will be good for race training, with longer tempo intervals. I’m working on maintaining a 6.7 mph pace and thrilled my hamstring is holding up.

Tuesday: Core + FB + 20 min Peloton Ride
I was craving a solid strength workout and Jess Sims never disappoints. This class included full Turkish get-ups and renegade rows—phew!

Wednesday: Core + LB Strength + 4 Tread Miles
It was too cold and windy to take Scooby for a full walk, so I had time for a longer workout. Yes, I did take RK’s core class twice in a row. It even would be good 3x if I had more time.

Thursday:  Core + UB
I struggled to get to sleep Wednesday night, so let myself sleep in a bit Thursday morning. That cut into my workout time, so I skipped my planned Peloton ride. Olivia’s UB class was a bit chaotic because I wanted to change weights between most moves, but she didn’t leave much time for that. I am much stronger at chest presses than skull crushers!

Friday: Core + FB + 4 Tread Miles
Another morning without a full Scooby walk. I opted for a few Black History month classes, and enjoyed Adrian’s playlist.

Saturday: 60 min Peloton Ride
I wasn’t looking forward to a frigid walk with Scooby, but when I caught myself considering walking on my tread before hopping on my bike, I realized I should just suck it up, bundle up, and take Scooby out. It was in the 20s but finally not windy, so it wasn’t bad at all. The CVV class was programmed as a “race”—but not an all out race like you might think. He cued a long stretch riding with the peloton, then some intervals to break away, some descents to recover, and some efforts to stay ahead of the pack.

After frigid weather this week, our forecast is calling for the 60s by the middle of next week!

A huge thank you to Deborah and Kim for hosting the Weekly Run Down link up throughout the year, and to each of you for stopping by.

How are you coping with stress these days?