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Sunday, May 15th:
Today I did an afternoon run, it was warm, but I felt fairly fast for the 8.5 miles. The flowers along the in-town trails are blossoming! Beautiful variations of blue and pink dot the trails, even though the grasses in the wild fields are still quite yellow for this time of spring.
In the evening, there was the full lunar eclipse! With a full moon, this was going to be a (fairly) rare event. The earth's shadow began to cover the moon at around 8:30pm, shortly after sunset. The moon was fully covered with the shadow by 9:30 pm.
This event is called the "blood moon" as the earth's shadow creates a reddish-brown appearance of the moon.
We decided to drive east of Colorado Springs to escape the light pollution and a few clouds that were close to the eastern horizon in town.
We found a great view by the windmill farm! This windmill farm is visible on a clear day from most of the mountains. Looking east from the top of the Incline, you can spot a whole line of windmills! It was awesome to be able to see this lunar event.
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| Top: Afternoon run, 8.5 miles. Bottom: Watching the lunar eclipse by the windmill farm. |
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Monday, May 16th:
Today's run was over 13 miles, making a two-day total of about 22 miles. I felt pretty tired today honestly, as I don't do back-to-back runs very often. Nonetheless, it was a lovely sunset run and I appreciated the great weather and some cool clouds as I wrapped up my run.
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Tuesday, May 17th:
Today's home gym session was a great one! And by great, I mean it was challenging and will probably leave me quite sore within the next couple days. But hopefully not so sore that I can't sleep - I hate that feeling!
I did heavy barbell deadlifts with various stances (narrow, wide), followed by bodyweight dips. I meant to do core work but I didn't end up focusing directly on core today. I did try to make sure I engaged throughout the core during all sets today. Maybe the ab wheel or planks next time!
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Wednesday, May 18th:
25 minutes on the row machine. I haven't done rowing in a little while and I can tell. My goal was 30 minutes, but I felt spent by 20 minutes. I managed to eek out another 5.
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Thursday, May 19th:
Family day for my daughter's birthday. What a nice rest day!
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Friday, May 20th:
7 and a half miles in the early morning. We are expecting a big snowstorm this afternoon, but it was actually still quite calm and not too cold this morning. It was quite interesting actually, as I could see the clouds over the mountains and they didn't seem to be moving in on the town at all during my run. I got home and took a shower, and when I looked outside again, it was raining and completely socked in. The weather changed quite quickly!
It's always a nice feeling to get a run in before a storm.
***
Saturday, May 21st:
Over 8 and a half miles after the snowstorm! Today's run was an afternoon one. They usually close the road to Grandview Overlook when it snows, so this is where I went. Since it was the afternoon after the storm, the roads were totally melted off and completely dry already. But the road was still closed! Perfect 👌. Now I had the whole top of the mesa to myself, so I ran it twice out-and-back. A good "quicker" route on 100% roads. Rougher on the ankle than trails though.
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Sunday, May 22nd:
Home gym day. Overhead barbell presses, one of my favorite exercises, with stabilizing throughout the core.
Then, I did a core exercise I haven't done in quite a while: planks. I did these with gloves, holding onto heavy dumbbells on the floor. This results in a very slightly elevated plank that is easier on the wrists but also engages the shoulders in supporting myself.
My first plank I did was 3 minutes! I didn't plan on going any certain length, rather I just watched a video until I started to feel weak in the core, and then switched back to the stopwatch ⏱ to see how long it had been. Since I was over 2:30 when I first checked, I just stuck it out as long as I could on the first one. I'm not sure I have ever done a plank of that duration before. I credit engaging my core and focusing on big, compound lifts in all my weight sessions this year so far.
I'm reminded here of my "word of the year," consistency, which I haven't thought about in a while. I have been consistent with 1 or 2 weight sessions each week. Even though it's not a whole lot per week, we're almost six months into the year, so that's actually a good amount over time. Consistency!
Anyway, my planks today were timed as follows:
1. 3:00
2. 1:45
3. 2:00
4. 1:45
Decent for first time doing them in quite a while (like, years maybe 👀). I enjoyed this timed exercise and plan on incorporating them more often. I hope it'll help strengthen my core even more for those long mountain adventures.
For next time, I think side lateral raises and dumbbell lunges are due.
***
Monday, May 23rd:
Yard work is hard work! But it makes for a great workout while also getting something done. Today I did several hours of yard work, and I have more to do tomorrow. I'm going to count this one as a bonus workout. ;)
It was a great day for it, because it was rainy and drizzling the whole time, meaning it wasn't so dry and dusty in the yard.
***
Tuesday, May 24th:
Another yard work day. I might have underestimated the amount of time I'll have to put in so that my yard will be ready for summer. But that's alright, since yard work is still good strength work 💪! When I'm done, it will be a neat play yard with trampoline and tree house.
***
Wednesday, May 25th:
Today, I did a couple hours of yardwork and reached a good stopping point. There's still more to do eventually, but it looks far better for now. Spring cleaning!
I decided to celebrate completing this portion of the yard with a short evening run. I planned on 6 or 7 miles and still managed to get almost 8. (Good thing I didn't plan on 8 or I would have done 9 or 10!)
I felt a little tired on this run, despite not having run all week. Likely a result of all the yard work! I'm hoping to get a longer mileage run in soon, but it depends how I feel and recover.
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Thursday, May 26th:
A few pullups and dips on the captain's chair that is in a better location in my re-arranged yard. It's really beginning to come together!
Then I did 30 minutes on the row machine. I felt stronger on it today than last time.
As I look at the mountains and dream of my next long run, I think I'll do my Mt. Rosa semi-circle loop again soon.
***
Friday, May 27th:
Today I did a sunrise run. It was a peaceful and calm morning. A little chilly at the start, but I knew the day would heat up fast. Originally I had wanted to go to the mountains for a long one, but I decided to wait until after the weekend. Instead, I'd planned on 10 miles today and 23+ next Tuesday or Wednesday.
As soon as I got to the trail, the sky was already magnificent.
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| Sunrise on Palmer Point trail and magnificent morning rocks atop Marconi Heights. |
I took trails all the way to the overlook in Austin Bluffs Open Space.
Here, halfway through my 10 miles, I took a break for a while and took in the views. This overlook is so 🔥!
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| The overlook at Austin Bluffs Open Space is a great location to scout the snow levels in the mountains. |
I had brought my mini binocs with me, and I took the opportunity to scout out the mountains from the overlook. Still a TON of snow, but with the 80s forecast for the weekend, a lot may melt.
Another reason I was glad I pushed off my longer run until early next week.
At this point, I took stock of how I was feeling. I did not feel too tired overall, but my feet were agitated. I was instantly glad I had decided to take the remainder of the weekend off from running to rest for a big one next week. I will plan to do some stretching, yoga, and use the massage gun on my feet.
After my fill of views, I headed back to Palmer Point trail and home, totaling around 10 miles and 1400 feet of climbing. What a lovely trail and mountain-planning run! 😍
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| High altitude puffy cloud above Palmer Point trail on my way home. |
To summarize these last two weeks in exercise, I did a fair mixture of running, weightlifting, bodyweight work, and yard work (also counts!) 😀 I just can't complain about that! I am feeling fairly strong headed into the summer trail running season.
Next one will be a long one (fingers crossed)! 🤞
Can't wait to share it with you all!
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