What a long, strange trip it’s been! Well not really, it wasn’t strange in any way. It was downright wonderful. The joy of not having a schedule and list of “things I need to do” is liberating!! I took a lot of time to explore, relax and let my mind wander. I’ll get around to a post recapping my trip, but to sum it up – 19 days in our camper traveling out west! Stops included Great Sand Dunes (CO), Mesa Verde (CO), Zion (UT), Capitol Reef (UT), Arches/Canyonlands (UT), Rocky Mountains (CO). It was a tour of the National Parks. Amazing sights and experiences for sure!! Two of my favorite experiences on this trip: climbing up Angels Landing at Zion, and climbing up a waterfall at Rocky Mountain National Park.
As for my running, it’s amazing what taking almost a month off can do for your body – both good and bad! I feel mostly all healed up from the sports hernia that took me out during most of June and July. But I also feel out of shape now and I am looking forward to some strength training. I’ve really missed it! My weekly numbers: Running 18.5 miles, Cycling 113 miles.
Mon – 3 miles, running. Back to our regularly scheduled program! Whomp whomp. Vacation hangover is hitting me hard. The only cure for the travel blues is getting back on track, so I dragged myself out of bed for a run before work. Oooof. It was exhausting. I wore some bright colors to perk me up, but it didn’t work.
Tues – 3 miles, running. Back at it again! The run went a little better, but still tiring. Starting to run again is so fun, isn’t it? I really needed this run though because I’ve been feeling all out of sorts after coming back from vacation to a super messy unorganized house.
13.5 miles biking. The weather was really great, so after I completed some main tasks on my To Do list I went out for a ride on my mountain bike. My daughter even joined me for a few miles (a very unusual occurrence!). I had removed my gel seat cover, and didn’t have padded cycling shorts on. Oh man, I felt that!!
Weds – morning Strength workout. While I did consider just napping on the floor when I got to my basement gym, I did a workout instead. My gym is so uncluttered and peaceful compared to the rest of the house. A little oasis!
PM – 25 mile group ride. It was so fun to be back in this cycling group again. We had a strong group and averaged 18 mph. A decently speedy ride!
Thurs – 4.75 miles running – Track Night! That’s right, I went to track night! I signed up again to be a sub for the Dave’s Running Shop fall MIT (Marathon In Training) program. I hadn’t planned on subbing this soon in the program (it’s week 2), but they really needed help so I joined the 9:00-10:00 pace group. Luckily the workout was fartleks because after half of them (8x total), I was walking during the “off” minute. Welp! That was a bit humbling but some of the group was walking with me too. It was a hot night!
Fri – 16 miles biking, road bike. A nice morning ride. 62 degrees and the weather felt great!
7 miles biking, mountain biking. It’s been a hot minute since we’ve been out on the park trails, so this was a lot of fun to get out there again with my husband and son.
Sat – 7 miles, running “long run”. I’m trying to integrate myself into the MIT training plan. This was the distance for the half, so that’s what I did. I hope my struggle was due primarily to the humidity, but I know it’s also my decreased fitness. I may have taken 3 rest stops to make it through this one! ugh.
Big news… I made it back to the gym for a workout this morning too!
In tales of first world problems, my local Starbucks is still using those annoyingly short paper straws. Ugh. I’ll need to keep a taller reusable straw in my car so I can actually enjoy my drink on my drive home.
On the family front, the countdown is on for the college move in. We took a trip to IKEA (an hour away), in addition to a trip to Target earlier in the week. My daughter has got a lot of great stuff for her dorm!
We also got to see my son march in a parade – the first for this group with all of the new freshmen. It was fun to see them play again!
Sun – 53 mile bike ride on tap this morning. Need to get more time in the saddle for the 102 mile ride next weekend!! Then laying around the pool is on the schedule. 🙂 My husband joined me for the ride and we rode for 3:18 (16.1 mph avg).
Need some more inspiration? I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Check out all of the fun blogs there!
Coming back from vacation is hard! I hope you have all been doing well since we last chatted. It’s been a long time since my last post. Drop me a comment and let me know what summer things you have been enjoying lately.
Ikea didn’t exist when I was in college, but what a wonderful option for kids in the dorms!
Your trip looked amazing. We tried Angel’s Landing the day after we ran the St. George marathon, which was not smart. My legs were really sore and I chickened out. I”d like to go back with full strength, ha! It looks amazing.
Good luck getting back to running again! It’s so hard to come back from vacation and get organized again. I hate it, even though the trips are worth it 🙂
Your trip sounds really fun. Taking time off of running is good for our body. Mentally it can be so hard. I bet you are glad to be back and feeling good. Have a great week!
I feel your pain. After taking all of June and most of July off from running while being treated for Lyme Disease, I am struggling to get back into my old routine. I have gone from 30-35 miles a week down to 10-15. Alarming how quickly we lose that fitness we spent so long building. I’ll be up in RMNP next week for some hikes but I live only 45 minutes away so it doesn’t really count as vacation. Already looking forward to ski season.
It sure is tough starting back up again! I hope you have a great time at RMNP. My favorite hike there was to Sky Pond. Amazing there!!
You can never go wrong with national parks! I know when we were in UT a few years ago, it was really hot, but with the low humidity it didn’t really bother us. Was it really crowded? I’ve been hearing about crowds at the parks!
I know it’s hard to get back at it, but it sounds like you did a great job & it actually sounds like you’re feeling better too!
Welcome back!
I didn’t think it was too busy at the parks. There were a lot of people but we never had to wait with the crowds. Rocky Mtn NP had timed entry passes which really helped. I think a lot of people got up super early to get on the first buses at Zion. We just waited a bit later and there was no wait!
Your vacation sounds great! We have loved our National Parks visits. My daughter lives not too far from Rocky Mountain National Park in CO. Love all the cycling you’ve been doing. That’s my main adventure since running is still iffy at this point.
Although it’s far away, I would not be sad if my child relocated to Colorado (well, at least in the part with mountains)! I would visit often 🙂
Ahhh! Your son is a trumpet player! Love it.
Your vacation sounds amazing. I can’t wait to hear all about it. That would be my dream trip, but I don’t think our family could take that much togetherness. I would have to do it on my own, ha ha.
I know it’s hard to come back after a layoff, but actually you’re killing it! I know it doesn’t seem like a lot compared to what you’re used to, but you got some good running in, and all those cycling miles! Plus, you have a 102 mile ride next weekend? I wouldn’t exactly say you’re slacking.
Glad the sports hernia is healed up!
I feel like I really should have done a longer ride than 50 in prep for the century ride, but it is what it is! They do have a 63 mile distance but I doubt we’ll drop down. You mean your family wouldn’t enjoy 114 hours in the car together? 😂
I am looking forward to reading about your trip! I don’t know the details but I am sure it was a wonderful time. Any time away sounds wonderful! Give yourself time to settle back into running/training. That is annoying about the small straws. Why would Starbucks do that?
We did end up having a few stops at Starbucks along the vacation route and none of the other stores had a lack of long straws I’m not sure what’s up with my store.
I loved seeing all the cool pics from your vacation…you definitely kept things on the move 😉 I bet the fitness will return faster than you think…look at how you dove right back in, with everything this week!
It was a memorable trip! Now I’m looking forward to one of those relax by the beach kind of vacations for the next one!
Looking forward to hearing more about your trip – it sounds amazing!
I remember college shopping being so much fun! I had to go to Bed Bath and Beyond on Saturday to pick up some towels and I saw all the awesome stuff in their Back to School section. They have such cool items for students nowadays!
I agree – so many great storage ideas and decorations for college! I’m sure another trip to the store will be in order when we figure out what we forgot!
Your trip looked amazing and those places, for sure, deserve a long visit!
Glad that the sport hernia is healing.
I have never done a track night but it has to be nice. Here we are planning a moon run.
Enjoy your runs after the break!
I’m not sure how long I’ll have to feel cautious about the sports hernia. It’s not too bothersome but it’s on my mind for sure! Track night is pretty much the only reason I’ll run on a hot evening! 😆
My sons marching band will be playing in a parade in Chicago, so now we get to go too. I’m excited for the trip!
Your trip sounded amazing and I can’t wait to read your recaps! My husband and I want to do something similar in the next few years, but we’d rent an RV.
What a fun time for your daughter! I hope she has a wonderful year!
We saw a lot of rental RVs! It’s a great way to go.
Coming back from vacation IS hard. We had two small vacations over the past two weeks and I still don’t feel back to normal.
I am glad you are feeling better and hope you continue to improve. I can’t believe all the bike miles you’re logging!
It is tough getting back to the grind! But back to school has been a great distraction. I’ll probably cut back on the miles after this century ride. It’s my “goal ride” of the season.
welcome back.
your trip sounds amazing. I loved Zion when I went years ago and Bryce even more.
Still looked like a good week of exercise.
Before you know, your running will be as if you never stopped.
Nice comeback–I know how hard it is to return to running after an extended break. I’ll be doing that eventually too!
Anxious to hear more about your trip. One of my friends has been visiting the National Parks and her photos are just breathtaking!