Pivoting Through a Week of Early Mornings
Flexibility was the name of the game this week! A rainy forecast and a rare string of client cancellations shook up my schedule, giving me unexpected time to sleep in and pivot my routine.
While my upper body started the week exhausted from weed eating, my legs more than made up for it when I finally retook—and conquered—my Peloton FTP test. Between a major cycling milestone and some successful shopping, I’m officially fueled up and ready for next month’s road trip!
Overview of the Week
Before getting into each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from this past week. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…
Sunday
Core: Peloton 5-Minute Core Strength with Tunde Oyeneyin
Walking: 1.19 mile / 2.04 miles / 1.13 mile
• Average pace: 24:26 minute/mile / 17:15 minute/mile / 18:32 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 47 feet / 31 feet / 29 feet
• Start time: 11:48 AM / 3:53 PM / 8:14 PM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 82° and cloudy / 85° and partly cloudy / 81° and cloudy
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor
I started the day with a quick 5-minute core class, but my arms were so completely spent from the previous day’s intense gardening session that they went on strike. I quickly realized I couldn’t manage plank marches because I couldn’t press myself back up from a forearm plank to a high plank—a move that’s usually easy for me.
Because of our busy schedule, my daily walk ended up being broken up into three separate, shorter outings just to get the miles in. The rest of the day was entirely focused on celebrating Father’s Day. We had a wonderful time watching a local race, heading to the park, and firing up the grill. Most importantly, my husband had a fantastic day!
Monday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
Walking: 3.07 miles
• Average pace: 15:01 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 127 feet
• Start time: 6:04 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 66° and cloudy
• What I wore: shorts and s/s shirt
Stretching: Peloton 10-Minute Full Body Stretch with Callie Gullickson
After waking up at 4:16 AM and not being able to go back to sleep, I got up and started my day. Of course, this happened to be a rare Monday where I didn’t have any clients scheduled until 8:00 AM. Still, I made the most of the quiet morning and by 7:00 AM, I had already smashed past the 10,000-step mark!
After lifting, Garmin vibrated to congratulate me on completing my “100th strength workout.” It thoroughly amused me, considering I’ve been religiously lifting weights three days a week since 1984!
Tuesday
Cycling: 11.19 miles (Peloton 45-Minute Pro Cyclist: HIIT Training with Christian Vande Velde)
• Bike: Peloton+
• Average speed: 14.9 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 10:08 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 67° in the basement, 71° and raining heavily outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra
Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute Post-Ride Stretch with Denis Morton
Walking: 3.0 miles
• Average pace: 15:03 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 11:37 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 67° in the basement, 68° and raining heavily outside
• What I wore: shorts and sports bra
My only client of the day had canceled, so I took full advantage of the open schedule and slept in. It turned out to be a rainy, cozy day that kept me stuck indoors, but I made the most of it. I knocked out a tough Peloton ride followed by a treadmill walk, feeling extra thankful to have such great indoor cardio options when the weather doesn’t cooperate!
Wednesday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
Core: Peloton 10-Minute Core Strength with Adrian Williams
Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute Upper Body Stretch with Joslyn Thompson Rule
Walking: 3.06 miles
• Average pace: 15:10 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 137 feet
• Start time: 9:13 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 70° and sunny, climbing to 73°
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor
After Tuesday’s total washout, we were treated to a gorgeous, low-humidity morning. When a client called in sick and canceled, I wasted no time taking advantage of my newfound free hour and headed right outside for a beautiful morning walk.
Thursday
Core: Peloton 10-Minute Core Strength with Emma Lovewell
Walking: 3.07 miles
• Average pace: 15:27 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 130 feet
• Start time: 6:07 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 60° and breezy with rain settling in, climbing to 81°
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor
Cycling: 15.08 miles (Peloton 60-Minute Real Routes: Blue Ridge Parkway with Christian Vande Velde)
• Bike: Peloton+
• Average speed: 15.1 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 11:42 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 68° in the basement, 81° and sunny outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra
Stretching: Peloton 10-Minute Power Zone Post-Ride Stretch with Ben Alldis
Back to our regularly schedule programming after my time zone screwup last week, Kim and I met for our early morning cardio sesh, both of us walking while gabbing on the phone.
Later on, hopping on my Peloton bike fit into my schedule much better than gearing up for an outdoor ride. My husband recently turned me onto Christian Vande Velde, a former professional cyclist who teaches on the platform. His classes are challenging and very intentional, meaning I can get a fantastic workout in a much shorter amount of time.
Friday
Strength training: 1 hour of total body
Core: Peloton 5-Minute Core Strength with Emma Lovewell
Balance and stretching: 45 minutes
After knocking out my own workouts, I headed over to teach my balance and stretching class at the 55+ community. Once that was done, my husband and I ran a few errands as we count down the weeks to our big road trip next month. We made a quick detour to the outlet mall and both hit absolute pay dirt at the Columbia Factory Store!
Saturday
Cycling: 2.3 miles (Peloton 10-Minute FTP Warm Up Ride with Christian Vande Velde)
• Bike: Peloton+
• Average speed: 13.8 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 10:34 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 67° in the basement, 75° and cloudy outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra
Cycling: 6.0 miles (Peloton 20-Minute FTP Test Ride with Christian Vande Velde)
• Bike: Peloton+
• Average speed: 18.0 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 10:46 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 67° in the basement, 76° and cloudy outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra
Cycling: 2.1 miles (Peloton 10-Minute Mumford & Sons Cool Down Ride with Denis Morton)
• Bike: Peloton+
• Average speed: 12.6 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 11:09 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 67° in the basement, 77° and cloudy outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra
Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute Lady Gaga Post-Ride Stretch with Bradley Rose
Having taken two Power Zone rides earlier in the week where I found myself regularly riding at 115-120% of my current FTP (Functional Threshold Power), I decided it was time to retake the test. I had unintentionally dogged the first part of my previous test back in March before fully realizing what I was supposed to be doing, and I’ve undoubtedly gotten stronger since then.
With the morning rain slow to taper off and more storms in the forecast, it was the perfect excuse to stay inside. Following a fabulous night’s sleep, I did the recommended warm-up ride—something I skipped last time—and immediately jumped into the 20-minute test. My husband stood right next to me the entire time, coaching and cheering me on. Afterward, I knocked out a cool-down ride and wrapped up the whole workout with a solid stretch, finishing everything in under an hour.
A few errands, 5:30 PM mass, dinner, and a couple of episodes of Clarkson’s Farm wrapped up a highly productive day.
Garmin Badges Earned
Four Garmin badges made their way to me this week…
Last Week’s Blog Posts
In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…
Questions:
- • How do you handle unexpected free time when a plan changes or client cancels, do you sleep in, work out, or relax? ~ If I haven’t worked out yet, I’d work out. If I’ve already completed my workouts for the day, I’d work on chores or read.
- • What is your ultimate go-to store when you are stocking up for a big road trip or vacation? ~ It would depend on where we’re going. For our national park road trips, REI or any store that carries Columbia, Patagonia, or North Face are good options.
- • Which workout did you enjoy most this past week? ~ I really enjoyed the change-up in the zone rides and how quickly they flew by.
And that’s my rundown… Have a great week!
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I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Be sure to check out not only the hosts’ posts, but those of the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!
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Nothing better than finding classes that just fly by! Looks like a lot of good cycling time this week. Sounds like you are in full trip prep mode
Right? It makes being stuck in the basement much more tolerable!
You really navigated a lot this week — the garden aftermath, schedule shake‑ups, and everything in between. That FTP boost was such a bright spot though. Love seeing a strong win tucked into a messy week. Hope the next one feels a bit more balanced.
Unexpected free time? I might just take it easy and do something relaxing or creative.
Ultimate go-to store for a road trip or holiday? Tough. Depends. if it’s outdoorsy there are a few shops in town but it’s not like having an REI nearby. Lots of stuff we buy online even though I would prefer a local store.
Fave workout this week – none really. Although that’s not entirely true, I enjoyed running parkrun this week 🙂
Yes, it was great seeing my FTP improve and it will be interesting to see how my next class goes.
I feel for you because sizing can be so tough to figure out online. I was surprised that I was different sizes in the different styles of Columbia shorts.
Ooh, sounds like you had some nice weather! A cozy, rainy day sounds nice, and then i would kill for a low humidity morning. You’re obviously making the most of it with your outdoor walks.
Nice job on the FTP test- what were your stats compared to last time?
The workout I enjoyed most this week was my trail run! I’ll probably say that every single week that I do one.
We’ve had some fantastic days this spring and summer. Unfortunately, the humidity is back and the heat is supposed to really crank up on Tuesday.
Nice week, specially with all those miles of cycling! I’m envious of all those gardening DOMS…it’s been a couple years since I’ve had that kind of “pleasure” (and I really do miss it!).
Thanks, Kim! Come visit and I’ll put you to work in the back yard. 😉
Hmmm do I really “need” any more outdoor adventure gear?? I suppose not. My daughter gets an employee discount at North Face so I did take advantage of that and got a new ski outfit last year. Otherwise, sadly, I pretty much have all that I need. I love that you are getting new stuff for your trip! We bought our son a new lightweight tent for his birthday (for an upcoming adventure!) and it weighs only 26 oz!! Mind blown.
Wow, a tent that weighs only 26 ounces? That’s incredible! And how cool that your daughter works at North Face and gets a discount!
I had a couple of pairs of Athleta hiking shorts that never really fit right so I replaced them and I did’t like my old hiking pants. They were too cottony and heavy so I replaced them, too.
It sounds like those client cancellations ended up working in your favour this week!
I think retaking the FTP test was absolutely the right call. If you were comfortably riding at 115-120% in your Power Zone classes, your old FTP clearly wasn’t reflecting your current fitness anymore. And having your husband there coaching you through those 20 minutes of suffering must have helped!
What was the result? How much did your FTP improve? I’m curious!
Yes, those client cancellations gave me some extra time which I used to fit in workouts. Back before I started working my way toward retirement I’d jump through hoops to reschedule cancellations within the same week whenever possible. Now, not so much! 😉
About the FTP numbers… I cannot find the results from my first test in early March on either Peloton or Strava so I have no direct comparison. I guess the true test will be when I take my next power zoned ride.
After some digging I finally found the results of my March 3rd test on the Peloton app. In March my average output was 101 watts and on Saturday it was 130 watts. I then found this online (Google AI), “Functional Threshold Power (FTP) is technically defined as the maximum average power (in watts) a cyclist can sustain for approximately 60 minutes. However, because riding at maximum capacity for a full hour is psychologically and physically difficult, FTP is commonly estimated as 95% of the average power achieved during a 20-minute maximum effort test.” Based on that, my March FTP was 96 and it’s currently 124.
Dealing with client cancellations seemed like an okay problem for the week – you turned it into opportunity! Nice job with all the mileage and cycling!
Thanks, Melissa!
Going for a nice morning walk sounds like the perfect way to use some unexpected free time!
Shopping for an outdoorsy trip is so much fun. We have some very nice outdoor gear shops in Cork, and for lower prices we like to go to Decathlon, they have several shops in Ireland and the prices are amazing.
Good work with the FTP test! My husband keeps nagging at me that I should do one. But Zwift upgraded my FTP anyway after a certain ride this spring.
It was great to find that unexpected time, but it came at the cost of two clients not feeling well.
Yes, it was lots of fun picking out some new hiking shorts and pants.
The apps are pretty good at calculating FTP gains, but taking the test class will give you much more accurate results. You should try it!
Sounds like a nice week for you! I bet you enjoyed your extra downtime with those cancellations!
I like Sierra Trading Post when I’m looking for stuff; I also like REI outlet!
One of my clients just told me about Sierra and that we have one locally. Going to check it out is on my todo list! It’s good to hear that you like shopping there.
Another great week!
I don’t usually need specific gear when I go on a trip, but I’ll hit up Old Navy, Target (sometimes) and our outlet mall for clothes and accessories.
I hated all my workouts this week. it’s so hot.
You know, it’s weird – I can’t stand being out in the heat and humidity if I’m just sitting (like at a ball game, dining outside, etc., but if I’m walking or cycling it doesn’t bother me so much. At my age, I just don’t want to do something stupid in the heat.