Weekly summary, June 20th to 27th, 2022

After my Mount Rosa loop on Friday the 17th, I took a few days off immediately. My left shoulder was paining me quite a bit. The first night, a small muscle seized up in my back.  Fortunately, it resolved itself within a few days.

I still realized I likely overextended myself between the heavy deadlifts a few days prior, follower by the 27 miler (especially with carrying the heavy water pack).

On Monday evening (the 20th), I did 45 minutes easy on the exercise bike. This was the perfect recovery exercise, and I felt like it got the blood flowing without any risk for injury.

I got back into it with a slow 8.5 mile recovery jog on Tuesday the 21st.

8.5 mile recovery run at Palmer Park.

It was overcast and not overly hot.

Another full rest day followed, and then I did another short run of 6.75 miles on Thursday the 23rd.

6.75 miles at Palmer Park, on lovely trails.

This run was quite a bit hotter by contrast.

Still, it was such a beautiful day, and I just enjoyed that southwest sun as I topped out the bluffs and viewed the mountains from afar.

I stuck to trails, enjoying the rock formations and making a big loop around the park.

By Friday the 24th, a week after the long run, I felt ready to get back to the weight room. My shoulder felt back to 100%, but I still wanted to be extra careful.

So I chose to do only one exercise, which was lightweight squats. I didn't really want to squat a heavy barbell yet. Instead I took a single 25-lb dumbell and held it out in front of myself as I squatted for about 15 to 20 reps, with about 7 or 8 sets.

I followed up with 45 minutes on the exercise bike, like earlier in the week.

This weight session felt great overall, and I felt I'd be ready for a real heavy lifting day soon.

On Saturday, I simply hit the exercise bike again, for an hour this time, and at a bit faster/ more athletic pace this time. It's such an accessible cross-training exercise, since it's right in my gym.

On Sunday, Alex and I went to Denver Pridefest!! It's been three years since we've been - since before the pandemic. Still, we wore masks and stayed away from the main part of the crowd. It was nice to be able to take this day off and walk around the festival and enjoy spending time with my husband!

On Monday the 27th, I headed out for a mid-length jog and ended up with 13.5 miles. It was another beautiful Colorado day. I went out-and-back on the road to Grandview Overlook twice before adding some more mileage on trails.

13.5 mile day in Palmer Park, with clouds building over the mountains but sunshine 🌞 in the park.

I was pleased that my pace was fairly quick as compared to my last couple runs. I now feel totally recovered from my Mount Rosa jaunt, and I didn't overextend myself by doing 13.5 today. 

As the primary summer training season is here, I am planning to head to the mountains again as soon as I can - maybe even later this week! I'm planning on hitting up Almagre Mountain, one of my usual summer favorites. See you on the trails 👣!