Phew! November was a wild ride, wasn’t it? Looking back, it’s hard to remember everything we went through, but we made it through it all together.
Thanks to Kim for wrangling all us turkey trotters and creating this collage.
Please join Deborah and me for the December Ultimate Coffee Date this weekend! We’ll open the (link-up) doors Friday December 4th, and keep the coffee brewing.
November Was A Wild Ride
November started with a Presidential election that seemed to go on forever, with early voting, mail-in voting, in-person voting, and counting and re-counting ballots. I guess it won’t be 100% over until the electors cast their ballots on December 14th (there even are a few more formalities after that) but it’s pretty clear the legal challenges are going nowhere (that’s what happens when you don’t have evidence to back up your claims) and we won’t have bands of replacement electors going rogue.
Before the election dust settled, we had a rollercoaster ride’s worth of news related to covid-19. First the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was reported to show ~90% efficacy in its trial. Then the Moderna vaccine was reported to show ~90% efficacy in its trial. Then caseloads kept soaring and the CDC issued warnings about gathering with friends and family for Thanksgiving. It was a bummer, but par for the course for 2020.
My son and his wife on their new front porch!
In the midst of all this, I celebrated my birthday, my daughter celebrated her birthday, and at least half the running, blogging turkey trotters pictured above celebrated their birthdays. My son and his wife bought their first house, moved, and unpacked in time to have Thanksgiving dinner on their back porch. I am so happy for them!
Weekly Run Down
Fitness-wise, in November I added a Schwinn IC4 bike and Peloton cycling to my exercise program. Some of those classes give “wild ride” a whole other meaning!
Despite my new distraction option, I managed to squeeze in 100 miles of running and hit my 150th Peloton run.
+ 5.15 miles on Sunday = 100+ miles
Somewhere during the month I reached 10,000 minutes of Peloton classes.
Surprisingly, that’s the highest badge you can earn, but at least the app keeps tallying minutes.
Monday: 20 min Peloton Strength + 45 min Peloton Cycling
I used the All For One Ride to get across the 45 min cycling class threshold. With a different instructor every song, the time passed quickly. I sandwiched the ride between a 10 minute core class and 10 min arms toning class.
There’s another class like this (the All For One More Ride) I may try Monday.
Tuesday: 4.7 Scooby Miles + 35 min Peloton Strength
To get in the mood for Thanksgiving I did Matt Wilper’s 45 min Turkey Trot run from 2018. I also did short core, upper body, and lower body strength workouts.
We started at dark o’clock and the sun was just coming up as we finished.
Wednesday: 30 min Peloton Cycling + 30 min Peloton Strength
After taking Scooby for a walk I stack a 30 minute cycling class with a 30 minute strength class. I really loved this combination–probably because both Tunde and Jess are so high-energy!
Thursday (Thanksgiving): 10 min core + 5.7 Scooby Miles
I was up late baking my pain-in-the-ass apple pie, but since the rain cleared out early I didn’t want to miss my chance to do a Thanksgiving Day run and participate in Kim’s collage. Peloton dropped two new outdoor runs for Thanksgiving, and I opted for Matt Wilper’s 45 min Turkey Trot which he narrated as a condensed version of the Atlanta Half Marathon he usually runs on Thanksgiving.
Luckily it was warm enough for my rescue rooster t-shirt.
Friday: 3.5 Scooby Miles + 10 min Peloton Core + 10 min Peloton Yoga
I was really tired and had agreed to a morning conference call, but I wanted to do the other new Peloton Turkey Trot run–a 30 min fun run with Matty Maggiacomo. Afterwards I squeezed in a core workout and a short yoga program before skimming Black Friday sales on-line starting work.
Another unseasonably warm morning!
Saturday: 6.5 Scooby Miles + 10 min Peloton Core + 24 miles Cycling
I knew I was going on a bike ride later, but it was hard to hold back on this run–the weather was so gorgeous with temperatures in the upper 40s and blue skies.
It was sunny and in the 50s when we headed out for our ride, but there was a crazy cross-wind that got us coming and going.
Sunday: 5.15 Scooby Miles + 40 min Strength For Runners + 5 min Core
After logging all those miles Saturday, my main goal for Sunday was to run 5 miles to reach 100 for the month. The route I plotted in my head wasn’t quite long enough, so I added some laps around the school in my neighborhood–and noticed a little sculpture garden I miss on my dark o’clock runs.
I didn’t let Scooby get too close to the pieces.
I had warmed up with Matt Wilpers’ hips-focused Strength For Runners class, and tacked on his new 30 min full body Strength For Runners class since I hadn’t done a strength workout for a few days.
Thanks to Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down link up. It’s always great for motivation and encouragement, but now it’s especially important for distance socializing. We may be physically apart, but we are in this together!
Did you score any good Black Friday deals?
![The Ultimate Coffee Date](http://got2run4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ultimate-Coffee-Date.png" "The Ultimate Coffee Date")
This month sure has been a roller coaster, hasn’t it? My favorite quote–i might be paraphrasing it–is from one of the judges who delivered a decision on one the lawsuits: people decide elections, not lawyers.
Nice work–I’m sure peloton will come out with a new award! They probably can’t believe their success either!
I just love that the 3rd Circuit Judge who wrote this weekend’s scathing opinion was appointed by Trump. Some people do still have integrity ….
Despite all the madness of November, you did have some good stuff happen as well. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Hope to see you soon
Hah! Wish I were joining you in Aruba. 😉
Dang, that was quite a bang-up month for you…and a solid week as well. Congrats to your son and DIL on their new home! That is such an exciting endeavor!! I don’t think I saw any feedback…how was that apple pie? Was it worth all the effort? This was my first year (in, like forever) that I didn’t make a pumpkin pie. The hubby came home with one from the store (he couldn’t find the canned pumpkin that I’d asked for LOL), so I let that tradition slide this year. It’s 2020, after all, it just seems fitting to alter our “normal,” right 😉
That pie is always delicious, which is why I put up with that recipe. But, honestly, the pecan pie I made was on,point. too, and I don’t usually like it that much — I think I lucked out with really good/fresh pecans.
Wow when you write it all out like that November was a crazy month!! Hopefully December will be calmer and we can just enjoy the holidays (as best we can). Great job this week!
Yes, let’s hope we can catch our breath now!
Wow – it certainly was a busy month, and with so many great things for you and your family too!
I thought that Peloton might add more “minute goals” for the Annual Challenge but it doesn’t look like that will happen. They will probably add some type of holiday challenge though.
Oh, that would be good. I love a good challenge!
I’m going to be checking out the Peloton app starting tomorrow! I can’t wait to start trying out all of these cool workouts instead of just reading about them.
Woohoo! Let us know if you need any tips — and what your leaderboard name is so we can follow you.
I love that porch swing! All the best to your son and his new wife in their new home! November was nuts for sure. So much going on I’ve already blocked half of it out. Ha!
Definitely a crazy month. One that I don’t want a repeat of. No turkey or stuffing or pumpkin this year.
Congrats to your son and DIL on their new home! That is exciting. Love to hear some good news.
Grateful for running and a real race!!
I had a half birthday. Does that count? lol
Even though I was away for most of Black Friday, a little shopping was done (the short amount of time I was home, not while out). And the shopping continues — mostly things I had on a list. Like the 2 pairs of running shoes that should be arriving in a few days.
Congrats to your son & DIL! That was fast! To be young. 🙂
I am finally going to do the Hamilton run today — I just say no to a cold, icy rain.
I still don’t know how you do it all, but you always have a smile on your face so obviously it’s working for you.
Was the election not even a month ago? Oh man. It feels like FOREVER.
Scooby is the best, but you know that. 🙂
Another great month for you! Love the mix of workouts you do every month.
Congrats to your son and daughter in law on their new home.
Awesome that you reached 10,000 minutes for the year! I wonder if they will have something similar or bigger and better for next year?
A lot happened in November! I didn’t realize so many running bloggers had birthdays. Happy belated birthday to you. (my sister’s birthday is in November too) -M