Tue, Feb 28

Barbell bicep curls in the morning. Standing, with good form. Good stability work.

Later, I took Pippin for a 7.1 miler. On part of our sunny run, we traveled on the "Little Moab" trail. This beautiful trail has some lovely yellow-orange sandstone rocks.

Then we also ran out to the overlook and felt the wind in our fur as we jogged along the long top of the mesa.

A beautiful Colorado bluebird day to be out, even with a few wind gusts.

***

Thu, March 2

35 minutes on the row machine.

Later, I did some front-weighted 20 lb squats with the two 10 lb dumbbells held together.

I chose to do these very lightweight today as my ankle is still recovering. The squats are good for the range of motion and flexibility, but going with light weight and moderate rep ranges felt like the right way to go.

I am feeling stronger, the ankle injury was just a minor blip on the road to a fun and fast summer!

***

Fri, March 3

No exercise today, but big family adventures!

First the Pueblo Zoo, then Bishop's Castle.

***

Sat, March 4

6.3 miles with Pippin.

***

Sun, March 5

Speedwork Sunday was super fun this week! Jill joined Sharon and I for our intervals in Monument Valley Park. 

We did the same ladder as the last couple weekends: half a mile, a mile, half a mile.

My times were 3:34, 7:25, and 3:28.

That last half-mile was especially speedy, but my mile time was on par with the last two week's times. I do think I could have pushed a little faster at the end of the mile today.

What a blast catching up with Jill!!

Our total for the day was about 5.6 miles.

Then, I took Pippin out for my second run in the afternoon. Pippin and I did mostly a casual pace, but he pulled me for one fast mile also, landing a 7:57 mile for my second fast mile of the day (and Pippin's first)! Pippin had so much fun running fast and feeling the wind in his fur.

I couldn't have asked for a more fun day, running with pals both human and canine. Pippin and I did 8.2 miles, bringing my total mileage for the day to 13.8 miles.

***

Mon, March 6

10.6 miles on the Legacy Loop and Rock Island Trail. 

There was ongoing construction on the trail connection between the Rock Island Trail and the top of Monument Valley Park, as part of the Legacy Loop Project.

This project is so beneficial to me as I run this way all the time. I'm really glad they are making these improvements and having a lasting impact on the connectivity of trails in our community.

***

Tue, March 7

11.2 miles with Pippin. Our longest run together to date!

He's doing so great! I hope we will be marathon-ready by summer!

***

Wed, March 8

8.1 miles with Pippin.

***

Thu, March 9

Dumbbell front raises, and a family hike at North Cheyenne Cañon.

***

Fri, March 10

Total of 12.1 miles, 7 of which were with Pippin.

The air was pretty warm this afternoon and evening, hinting at a spring already on its way.

The clouds were colorful and swishy above the mesas of Palmer Park.

Pippin loved playing on the trails in the setting sun. Then he guided me home before dark.

***

Sat, March 11

Ab-wheel roll-outs. I haven't done these in a little while. They felt good, although I hope I didn't make myself too sore for tomorrow's Speedwork Sunday!

I do need more dedicated core training, so I'm glad I did these today.

An interesting cloud 🌨️ dropped some snow on Pikes Peak. I watched it safely from my window while doing the ab-wheel.

***

I let this blog get a little long this time.

My mileage in this last week and a half has been fairly high, and I'm feeling pretty good about it.

I still want to try to incorporate weights twice weekly at least and try for some cross-training, but I'm enjoying the higher mileage for now and I plan to continue with that into summer.

I'm really liking Speedwork Sundays, until they become Speedwork Tuesdays when the trails melt out a little more and Sundays become mountain days again.