***

Wednesday, January 13th, 2022:

30 minutes on the rower, dumbbell overhead presses, and dumbbell squats.

***

Thursday, January 14th, 2022:

8 miles, lots of trail, lots of up & down. Nice evening!

***

Friday, January 15th, 2022:

Barbell curls, pushups, then 25 minutes of rowing. A few half-hearted leg raises too, but I need to find a better way to target those upper abs!

***

Saturday, January 16th, 2022:

I'm already seeing the effects of the row machine on my arms and shoulders! It feels great, but also very minor progress. I guess I cannot expect instant progress, since it's only been two weeks getting back to rowing.

Today's workout was an 8 mile run, just after sunset. The moon was so so bright! It was a beautiful, very calm and quiet evening, and I felt on top of the world at the top of the mesa. I floated right along. I love finding those moments during runs that remind me why I'm out here doing this!

***

Sunday, January 16th, 2022:

30 minutes on the row machine, at a little slower rate. 

Lying leg raises. Engage the core.

Then I did inclined pushups, feeling somewhat sore from my pushups two days ago still. I figured tackling a different angle might emphasize the chest in a different way and function more as an isolation exercise.

***

Monday, January 17th, 2022:

I went on my evening run today feeling quite good, and that feeling persisted for the whole run. 

I got over 12 miles, with a bright moon overhead and mild evening temps. 

I think part of the reason I felt so great was the consistency I've been doing my weight workouts with.

I figured I'd best focus on consistency in weightlifting before beginning a dedicated routine. I am feeling great already just from picking two exercises to do for each session. My weight sessions are usually on my cross-training days in combination with rowing.

One major benefit from increasing my consistency is that my confidence has also increased, as well as my energy for my daily life tasks (work and family.)

I feel like I'm riding a wave, and I hope I can stay on it for as long as possible! 

***

Tuesday, January 18th, 2022:

30 minutes of rowing, followed by barbell deadlifts, standing pulldowns, and side lateral raises.

***

Thursday, January 20th, 2022:

A cold evening, after taking a day off yesterday because of a small layer of frosty (slick) snow falling. Tonight I set out because the roads had dried from last night's snow. A frosty cool evening, but no wind. Beautiful moonlight. 8 miles.

***

I've been thinking of my goals for this year and looking at route options for a 50-mile self-supported run.

One idea that I had was to start at North Cheyenne Cañon, work my way through the mountains and reconnect to Gold Camp Road, then go through Goldfield/ Victor to Phantom Canyon, and down into Penrose. This route is almost exactly 50 miles from the top of N. Cheyenne Cañon to the National Forest border in Phantom Canyon. Since it ends at a lower altitude than it begins it, this route only gains about 6300 feet, and most of that is within the first 10 miles or so.

My water pack is sufficient for about a marathon, so if I find one resupply location near Victor (about halfway through), I should be able to manage this route logistically. 

Another route that I've considered was running  the length of Rampart Range Road from Balanced Rock to Indian Creek, which is about 56 or 57 miles.

Anyway, just brainstorming! For now I'm content to look forward to my next mountain run, possibly soon 😄!