Weekly RunDown: August 30 – September 5 / Settling into Outer Banks Time

Tracking the Tide and Relaxing at the Beach

It felt so good to shift gears this week! After a busy scramble to wrap up client sessions, conquer a mountain of pre-trip laundry, and hit the road early, we finally made it down to the Outer Banks for our ten-day getaway. Between getting the beach house opened up, dodging the heavy sand by tracking tides, squeezing in my favorite Peloton HiLit workouts, and enjoying plenty of wild horse sightings, it’s been the absolute best mix of movement, sunshine, and well-earned relaxation.

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 10-Minute Core Strength with Emma Lovewell

By mid-morning, our family had packed up and headed out, and I immediately jumped into laundry mode—washing sheets, comforters, and linens so we’d come home to a clean, fresh house after our impending adventure! Outside of a quick core session, I took an intentional rest day.

Monday

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Core: Peloton 10-Minute Core Strength with Emma Lovewell

Walking: 3.09 miles
• Average pace: 15:27 minute/mile
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 142 feet
• Start time: 9:35 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 76° and partly cloudy with high humidity, climbing to 80°
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and hipster hat

With my 6:30 AM client returning from her trip, I was up at 5 AM to squeeze in my own strength workout before our training session. Next up, I wove my core routine and an outdoor walk between client sessions—and can I just mention that the humidity was absolutely disgusting? The rest of the day was a blur of last-minute laundry, running errands, and final packing for our upcoming trip.

Tuesday

Core: Peloton 5-Minute Strength with Emma Lovewell

Up early and on the road for the Outer Banks by 6 AM, I  trained a virtual client en route and kept my workout light with just a quick core session. No worries on movement and my step streak, though, between final chores at home and de-winterizing/unpacking at the beach house, I easily hit 10,000 steps. On the drive up the 4×4 beach, we spotted three different herds of beautiful wild horses. It’s a sight that never gets old, even after visiting since my husband’s parents built the house back in 1987.

Since no one in the family had visited yet this summer, our first order of business was de-winterizing the house. With a breeze coming off the sound rather than the ocean, it was a hot, muggy two hours of work, but once everything was set up, we could finally kick back and start enjoying our ten-day beach getaway!

Wednesday

Warmup: Peloton 5-Minute HiLit+: Full Body Warm Up with Rebecca Kennedy

Strength training: Peloton 30-Minute HiLit+: Lower Body Strength W1 D1 with Rebecca Kennedy

Walking: 3.02 miles
• Average pace: 15:05 minute/mile
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 2 feet
• Start time: 11:20 AM
• Location: OBX sidewalks and trails
• Weather: 84° and sunny with high humidity
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

When Deborah mentioned how much she enjoyed Peloton’s HiLit+ strength classes, I decided it would be the perfect routine to kick off while at the beach. I keep a yoga mat and two dumbbells each of 5, 7, 10, 12, 15, and 20 pounds stocked at the house—plus I always pack my trusty bag of bands and tubing—so I have everything I need for a solid workout. With only two virtual clients on my schedule, I easily fit in a warm-up and the strength class between sessions.

Later, when my husband headed to Ace Hardware for house supplies, I tagged along to squeeze in a walk on the paved trails in Corolla. Low tide didn’t line up with my schedule, and I definitely wasn’t in the mood to trudge through deep, soggy sand. So instead, opting for a walk along Currituck Sound on the west side of the Outer Banks worked out perfectly!

Thursday

Walking: 6.25 miles
• Average pace: 16:38 minute/mile
• Surface: sand
• Elevation gain: 5 feet
• Start time: 5:59 AM
• Location: Swan Beach, North Carolina
• Weather: 79° and mostly clear with high humidity
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and hipster hat (changed to visor for picture)

Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute HiLit+: Full Body Stretch W1/2 with Rebecca Kennedy

Core: Peloton 10-Minute Barre: Core with Hannah Corbin

With low tide at 6:09 AM, conditions on the beach were ideal for my weekly virtual cardio workout with Kim. Humidity aside—it was already sticky and warm at that early hour—we had a wonderful time catching up, and I even tacked on a couple extra miles after we said goodbye. Later in the morning, I knocked out my HiLit workout and a quick core class. The rest of the day was spent in total beach mode: kicking back, reading, relaxing, and even taking a lovely afternoon nap!

Friday

Walking: 4.01 miles
• Average pace: 15:25 minute/mile
• Surface: sand
• Elevation gain: 0 feet
• Start time: 7:16 AM
• Location: Swan Beach, North Carolina
• Weather: 80° and sunny with high humidity
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

Strength training: Peloton 30-Minute Full Body Strength: HiLit W1 D2 with Rebecca Kennedy

Stretching: Peloton 10-Minute Mobility: HiLit W1 D1 with Rebecca Kennedy

What a completely relaxing day! After wrapping up an early morning virtual client session, I hit the beach for a walk right at low tide and was treated to a wonderful sight: the wild horses enjoying the sunrise surf. I made sure to respect the rules and keep the required 50-foot distance, using my camera zoom to capture shots of these magnificent creatures. In the early afternoon, I squeezed in a 30-minute HiLit strength class, and spent the rest of the day in pure, uninterrupted chill mode!

Saturday

Walking: 4.04 miles
• Average pace: 15:24 minute/mile
• Surface: sand
• Elevation gain: 2 feet
• Start time: 8:15 AM
• Location: Swan Beach, North Carolina
• Weather: 76° and sunny with high humidity, climbing to 79°
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

Stretching: Peloton 10-Minute Full Body Stretch: HiLit W1 D5 with Rebecca Kennedy

With low tide not until 8:13 AM, I enjoyed a rare sleep-in before heading out for a morning walk on wonderfully firm sand. The wild horses were out again, broken up into three distinct groups—I guess they like their little cliques just as much as humans do! Back at the house, I stretched out and kicked off a relaxing afternoon of college football. Later, we caught up with a bunch of our Virginia Tech friends who are staying just down the road to cheer on our Hokies in their season opener!