I’m following a non-training plan to keep myself moving when I’m not training for a race. Here’s what I did last week:
MONDAY
50 minutes of yoga — this Tara Stiles video. Again, this was so calming for the beginning of the week. Yoga (in addition to The Bachelorette) has me actually looking forward to Mondays!
TUESDAY
30 minutes of weights — this routine at the gym.
WEDNESDAY
5.25-mile road run in 46:55 — 8:56 average pace. The weather was perfect this morning. We’re having a heatwave in Seattle (80s and 90s every day), but this run was so pleasant and cool. It totally made the 5:00 wakeup worth it!
THURSDAY
30 minutes of weights and half of The Dozen.
FRIDAY
Rest, unless you count jumping up and down with joy about the Supreme Court ruling as exercise!
My granddad passed away in September 2011 at the age of 92, but I wish he had lived to see this day. He told me in one of our last conversations that he was so hopeful about the future of gay rights in this country. I’m not sure I ever mentioned it here, but my granddad was with his partner Michael for more than 40 years. It was something of a family secret that became clear to me as I got older and realized that Michael was more than a “roommate.”
I made sure to let my granddad know before he died that learning he was gay never changed the way I felt about him; if anything, it just made me hurt for him, knowing all the hardship he dealt with in his life, struggling to live as the person he truly was rather than the person the world wanted him to be.
I’m so happy that, with this ruling, gay men and women are more free to publicly love who they love, with validation from the highest court that their love is just as recognized and protected as anyone else’s. #LoveWins
Whew. End emotional interlude.
SATURDAY
5-mile trail run in 1:00:50 — 12:10 average pace. My trail pace is much slower than my road pace, so I don’t bother looking at my watch while running. I’m just out there for the fun of it and to increase my endurance anyway!
Aaron left on Saturday for an epic two-week mountain biking trip through Iceland, Switzerland, and France. In the summer of 2012, he had to cancel a mountain biking trip to Iceland because he tore every ligament in his shoulder in — what else? — a bike accident, so this is his redemption trip! But rather than spending the entire time in Iceland, he’s only there for a few days as a stopover on his way to Switzerland, where he’ll be part of an organized mountain biking tour. He’ll be riding in the Alps, so follow him on Instagram for some incredible photos! He’s already posted a few from Iceland. And I already miss him. 😦
SUNDAY
7.2-mile hike (roundtrip) to Poo Poo Point. This is by far the most popular hike in my town, and now I’ve finally done it!
The reward at the summit is this spectacular view of Issaquah, Lake Sammamish, and Bellevue. Also, it’s a popular launching point for paragliders. I always see them circling up there from down below, but unfortunately there were no paragliders this morning. Maybe next time!
As beautiful as the summit view is, I enjoyed the forest views along the way just as much. I started hiking at 7:30 a.m., so the trail was super quiet and peaceful.
This hike is rated moderately difficult, and I definitely found it to be so. There were stretches of steep inclines that had me breathing hard and going, “Really?!?” as I climbed them. I guess I thought the hike would be easier based on how popular it is, but I underestimated it. But I felt like I got a great workout! The whole thing took me three hours, including 30 minutes of relaxing and snacking (and Instagramming) at the top.
That’s a wrap for this past week. I did a much better job going to bed earlier (like 9:15) so I felt energized when I woke up. Here’s to continuing that this week!
Dev on Running 