Weekly RunDown: July 12 – 18 / A Curveball, Post-Op Workouts, and Basement Miles

An Unexpected Diagnosis and a Sudden Change in Plans 

The week took a sudden turn on Monday evening when my dermatologist called with the biopsy results from my upper right abdominal area: it was positive for an invasive melanoma. He wasted no time and scheduled me for surgery the very next afternoon.

Because the protocol for removing an invasive melanoma requires removing all layers of skin down to the muscle fascia, my doctor warned me that removing a silver-dollar-sized chunk of skin and suturing it back together would leave a long scar. I told him not to worry—my bikini modeling days are well behind me anyway!

Seriously, though, the removed tissue will be biopsied to ensure all the margins are clean, and if they are, no further treatment will be necessary. I’m incredibly lucky to have a dermatologist who has been through my entire skin cancer journey with me, and as a result, is always so thorough when checking my skin.

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

Stretching: Peloton 10-Minute Upper Body Stretch with Adrian Williams

Stretching: Peloton 10-Minute Lower Body Stretch with Adrian Williams

After a wonderful day of family fun, I got ready to head out for a walk around 4 PM. But before my Garmin could even find a satellite, the sky opened up and it started to rain. I threw in the towel and joined my husband in the basement to watch a documentary about bike-packing across Pennsylvania. I’m definitely no camper, but there is just something about bike-packing that completely intrigues me!

Monday

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Core: Peloton 10-Minute Core Strength with Emma Lovewell

Walking: 6.07 miles
• Average pace: 16:39 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 211 feet
• Start time: 1:42 PM
• Location: neighborhood trails and W&OD Trail
• Weather: 83° and mostly sunny, climbing to 85° and mostly cloudy
• What I wore: shorts, short sleeve shirt, and visor

My morning started early with a 5:30 AM weight-lifting session before my first client arrived. Having missed my walk the day before—and not doing any cardio since Thursday—I was eager to get outside after seeing clients all morning. When I finally set out, my walk turned into a much longer loop than originally planned. Between the extra distance and the summer heat, I was pretty pooped by the time I made it back home!

Tuesday

Walking: 4.08 miles
• Average pace: 14:36 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 152 feet
• Start time: 5:31 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 65° and clear
• What I wore: shorts and s/s shirt

Cycling: 14.45 miles (Peloton 60-Minute Power Zone Endurance Ride with Christian Vande Velde)
• Bike: Peloton+
• Average speed: 14.4 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 7:28 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 68° in the basement, 68° (feels like 73°) and sunny outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra

Cycling: 1.01 miles (Peloton 5-Minute Cool Down Ride with Jess King)
• Bike: Peloton+
• Average speed: 12.1 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 8:29 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 69° in the basement, 72° (feels like 79°) and sunny outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra

Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute Post-Ride Stretch with Ben Alldis

Core: Peloton 5-Minute Core Strength with Emma Lovewell

After a sudden and unexpected surgery was scheduled for late afternoon, I had hoped to sneak in one last outdoor ride, expecting to be stuck inside for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, a conflict popped up and I had to stick close to the house.

Instead of letting it derail me, I switched gears: I got outside super early for my walk, and then hit the Peloton bike in the basement after seeing my only client of the day. Finally, right before heading over for the procedure, I knocked out a core class for good measure—again, not knowing exactly when I’d be cleared to do core work next.

Wednesday

Following doctor’s orders, I skipped my usual workouts to avoid getting my heart rate up. However, I did pull up a 5-minute Peloton meditation class just to keep my daily streak alive—which felt totally like cheating!

Thursday

Walking: 5.01 miles
• Average pace: 16:40 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 5:58 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 68° in the basement, 78° and mostly cloudy outside
• What I wore: shorts and sports bra

Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute Post-Ride Stretch with Alex Toussaint

Still following instructions to keep my heart rate down for the first 48 hours post-surgery, I opted to stay inside on the treadmill for a slower walk during my weekly virtual cardio session with Kim rather than braving the hot, humid morning air. I also had to skip my usual every-other-week marathon of intense weed eating and mowing.

To round things out, I pulled up a Peloton post-ride stretch—and even though I hadn’t been cycling, it was perfect. It targeted my legs while being gentle enough not to pull on my abdominal area.

Friday

Cycling: 8.81 miles (Peloton 45-Minute Marseille Ride)
• Bike: Peloton+
• Average speed: 11.8 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 7:34 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 67° in the basement, 72° and cloudy with smoky air outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra

Walking: 3.0 miles
• Average pace: 16:40 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 8:59 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 66° in the basement, 78° and cloudy with smoky air outside
• What I wore: shorts and sports bra

Stretching: Peloton 5-Minutes Post-Ride Stretch with Ben Alldis

Balance and stretching: 45 minutes

I skipped my usual strength session and once I finished with my virtual client, I completed two easy cardio workouts followed by another post-ride stretch.

Later, I taught my balance and stretching class, carefully planning the routine around what I knew my body could handle. While I couldn’t demonstrate the full range of motion on a few of the balance drills, it was still great to move safely and keep guiding my class!

Saturday

Cycling: 2.17 miles
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Average speed: 10.6 MPH
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 55 feet
• Start time: 7:40 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 77° and cloudy; didn’t smell any smoke
• What I wore: bike shorts and s/s shirt

Cycling: 10.05 miles (Peloton 45-Minute Suleskarvegen Ride)
• Bike: Peloton+
• Average speed: 13.4 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 8:09 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 67° in the basement, 77° and cloudy outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra

Walking: 2.15 miles
• Average pace: 16:450 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 10:49 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 66° in the basement, 84° and cloudy outside
• What I wore: shorts and sports bra

Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute Lower Body Stretch with Rebecca Kennedy

Still playing it safe following surgery—and with poor air quality outside—I kept the vast majority of my day indoors. The one exception was taking my gravel bike for a quick spin around the neighborhood to run through the gears and check out the new chain and tune-up from the bike shop.

Honestly, I was shocked when my doctor told me he thought I’d be fine riding a bike after the first 48 hours; there is no way I’d feel comfortable riding outside for more than that short test spin for several more days, though. After wrapping up the bike check, I headed back inside to finish out my workout with a couple of Peloton classes and an indoor treadmill walk.