Up Where They Walk, Up Where They Run: Going the Distance with Disney & My Dissertation (comments welcome!)

[lookingforsunshine]

Training Recap 4/18 - 4/24:

Monday:

• Yoga: Power Flow (50 min)

Tuesday:

• Yoga Pilates Fusion (45 min)
• This was the day of MW Registration, so I feel like my elevated heart rate for 3 hours should also count as a workout.

Wednesday:

• Peloton Discover Your Power Zones Program Week 2, Day 2 (45 Minute Power Zone Endurance Ride)— 12 miles
• Peloton 5 Minute Cool Down Ride— 1.1 miles

Thursday: Rest.

Friday:

• Walked dog. 15 minutes/.5 miles
• Vinyasa Flow Yoga Class— 30 minutes.
• Peloton Discover Your Power Zones Program Week 2, Day 3 (30 Minute Endurance Ride)— 8.05 miles
• Peloton Discover Your Power Zones Program Week 2, Day 4 (45 Minute Power Zone Endurance Ride)— 12.2 miles… this ride killed me. I don’t know if it’s because I did the 30 minute one before or what but my heart rate was really high the whole time.
• Peloton 5 Minute Cool Down Ride— .94 miles… wasn’t planning on doing this but since my heart rate was so high I decided to. Plus there’s never a bad time to bike to All Too Well (Taylor’s Version).
• Peloton 5 Minute Post-Ride Stretch

Saturday:

• Yoga Deep Stretch Class— 50 min of bliss.
• Peloton 15 Minute Pop Punk Ride— 4.09 miles.
• Peloton Beginner Strength Program Week 4, Day 1– 50 min. We have started adding weights to the program. They recommend 5-10 lbs. I have been using 10 lbs. Dreaded lunges were back, this time with weights. I really enjoyed the bicep curls and tricep extensions though. I forgot how much I enjoy upper body moves.

Sunday:

• Yoga: Power Flow (50 Minutes)… this class killed me. We did 74 chaturanga push ups… not including normal chats in flows. I was sooo sweaty.
• Peloton 15 Minute Low Impact Ride— 4.14 miles. Part of Your World was a song in this class. Therefore, I loved it.
• Peloton Beginner Strength Program Week 4, Day 2- 50 min. 10 lb weights again. These are probably not heavy enough because only the chest flys really felt somewhat hard. Felt good despite the really hard yoga class earlier today.

Overall, a good week fitness-wise. I have been struggling mentally and am finding that I only feel somewhat okay when I am exercising. I am this scene from Parks & Rec:



My Garmin summary for the week. More miles than last week on the bike again.


This week I have to go to yoga every day to hit 20 classes for the month and be entered in the raffle (or double up on a day which probably won’t work for me). I also plan to bike outside next weekend so I can finally test my new gravel bike.

 

[GollyGadget]

I love that you have a list! When I turned 30, I decided that I wanted to visit every continent before I turned 40 but nothing as elaborate as your list. It's still feasible that I could, but with covid delaying my South America trip I'm not sure that it will happen. I should start reading up on Africa and deciding where I want to go so that I can sell my husband on the idea when it comes time to plan our next big trip.

I'm anxious to hear if you accomplish this pull up goal. I've always dreamed of being able to do one but never put any effort behind it. Maybe someday.

Sorry to hear about you mental struggles. I feel much the same way lately. I'm hoping summer arrives and I vitamin D my way out of it. Exercise seems like a good option too though.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

I should start reading up on Africa and deciding where I want to go so that I can sell my husband on the idea when it comes time to plan our next big trip.

Yes!! I want to climb Kili someday. And maybe go on a safari. Maybe.

I'm anxious to hear if you accomplish this pull up goal. I've always dreamed of being able to do one but never put any effort behind it. Maybe someday.

I have also never put any effort into it. Even when I was a kid I couldn’t do monkey bars so I fear this goal. I think I’ll work toward it whenever I decide to commit to a Spartan race.

Sorry to hear about you mental struggles. I feel much the same way lately. I'm hoping summer arrives and I vitamin D my way out of it. Exercise seems like a good option too though.

Thank you! This past weekend was rough because I knew it was sunny and nice outside but I had no desire to go outside :/

 

[lookingforsunshine]

On my first major bike trip, I took Nala with me across the country. I don’t know if I know where she is anymore (although I haven’t looked very hard yet). If I can’t find her, who should I bring with me on my one week trip in May?


(Image description: a yellow Camelbak with a large safety triangle laying on the ground. A Nala plushie and flowers are tucked in the front pocket.)

 

[Naomeri]

On my first major bike trip, I took Nala with me across the country. I don’t know if I know where she is anymore (although I haven’t looked very hard yet). If I can’t find her, who should I bring with me on my one week trip in May?

View attachment 665426
(Image description: a yellow Camelbak with a large safety triangle laying on the ground. A Nala plushie and flowers are tucked in the front pocket.)

If you can’t find Nala, isn’t it only right to take Simba with you?

 

[GollyGadget]

My vote is for Moana. She's a way-finder after all.

 

[Blue Caterpillar]

Stitch, he is crazy enough to want to join in.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Stitch, he is crazy enough to want to join in

My Disney confession… I have never seen Lilo & Stitch!!! I am ashamed.

 

[GollyGadget]

My Disney confession… I have never seen Lilo & Stitch!!! I am ashamed.

I don't think I had seen it until Disney+ so obviously somewhat recently.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

April Stats

Bike: 145.1 miles
This was more miles than I biked in ALL of 2021. I am very proud of myself. I have mostly been doing the Peloton Discover Your Power Zones Program but have added a few extra rides.

Yoga: 20 classes
My yoga studio did a challenge for trying to do 20 classes in the month of April. I had to go to 3(!) classes this morning to get it done, but I did it.

Run: 3 miles
This was my first run since MW… lol. It was a track workout with my new triathlon coach. I am excited (type 2 excited) to start running again after my bike trip. (Actually, if I am being honest about it, I’m feeling pretty nervous.)

Hike: 1.7 miles
I had set a goal at the beginning of the year to do 52 hikes this year, and this was only #3 so I am dreadfully behind.

Walk: 6.3 miles
Most of these were walking my dogs or work breaks. I want to start walking more consistently. My daily step goal is too low.

Strength: 8 workouts (50 min each)
These were all from the Peloton Beginner Strength Program. Each includes a 10 minute warm up, 30 min strength, and 10 minute stretch.

Books: 5 books
All of these were for my job. I hope I can start pleasure reading again soon. I have been having a tough time focusing or being motivated to read. Usually I read 100 books a year, but I am 13 books behind schedule according to Goodreads.

Heart rate workouts in the form of runDisney registration: 1

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Week of 4/25-5/1

Monday:

• Yoga: Power Flow (50 minutes)

Tuesday:

• Walk dog: .72 miles (15 minutes)

Wednesday:

• Peloton Power Zone Ride: 8.01 miles (30 minutes)
• Peloton Beginner Strength Program Week 5 Day 1 (50 minutes)

Thursday:

• Yoga: Chakra Flow (1 hr)
• Peloton Power Zone Ride: 12 miles (45 minutes)

Friday:

• Yoga: Vinyasa Flow (30 minutes)
• Hike w/ dogs + dog park: 1.7 miles (44 minutes)
• Peloton Power Zone Endurance Ride part 1: 7.75 miles (30 minutes)
• Peloton Power Zone Endurance Ride part 2: 11.7 miles (45 minutes)
• Peloton Cool Down Ride: 1.11 miles (5 minutes)
• Peloton Post-Ride Stretch (5 minutes)

*Rosie (one of my dogs) was not feeling well so I slept downstairs with her and watched a movie. I did not get a good night of sleep.

Saturday:

• Yoga: Yin to Vin (1 hr)
• Yoga: Power Flow (50 minutes)
• Yoga: Deep Stretch (50 minutes)

*Although this was a lot it stacked nicely together. Started slow, built up intensity, then slow again.
**I had to take my dog Rosie to the vet because of a suspected UTI after watching her have some problems on our Tuesday walk and then the hike. They were unable to test her for it but gave her antibiotics. I hope she feels better.

Sunday:

• Walk dog: .34 miles (12 minutes)

*My dog Jack was limping very badly so we ended the walk early
**I had two more Peloton Beginner Strength Program workouts I should have done this week but didn’t do. I have a lot of excuses but none of them matter enough. I can’t decide if I should just continue the program on my own time and let Peloton think I didn’t (unless I did 5 days of strength this week to catch up with the final week of the program) or should just skip those two days and move on to the last 3 workouts of the program. I wish Peloton offered a little more flexibility in the program calendars. I get why they don’t— it’s helped keep me accountable most of the time— but it’d be nice to not have dilemmas like this.
***I tried to take my new gravel bike out today for an intended 12 mile ride but learned that the seat post clamp was broken when I got on it. This was very frustrating to me and ruined my night. I was happy earlier in the day because I won the prize I wanted in the yoga studio raffle for attending 20 classes in April but then this fiasco completely derailed my positivity. I felt like I had wasted an hour and a half of my day prepping for the ride, getting to the trail, etc. I know it wasn’t truly wasted because the point was to test out my new bike before my trip and I found out some crucial info, but this sort of small stuff always seems to happen to me and I just feel deflated. I know I am being a baby about it and need to suck it up.


Jack says it is important to stop and smell the flowers even when you’re having a hard time.

Rosie says it is good to be brave!

Dozer says sometimes life is just hard.

The Boo says everything will be okay as long as you remember to cuddle your puppydogs.

 

[GollyGadget]

Rosie is so charming. I hope she's feeling better soon.

 

[garneska]

Hope both doggies are doing better.

 

[Blue Caterpillar]

Good wishes to the pups. Its so hard when a pet is sick!

 

[azrivest]

Hope your dogs are feeling better

 

[lookingforsunshine]

I made it to D.C.! ~350 miles. Feeling strong & proud— trip report forthcoming!

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Pitt Drift Trip Report!
Friday, May 13: The Drive Down

On Friday, I drove to Silver Spring, Maryland. I planned to leave at 10 am, thinking that I would actually leave by noon. I left around 1:30 pm. Ugh. I only stopped once on the way for gas and arrived at my hotel around 9:00 pm. I listened to a lot of podcasts on the way. The hotel was strangely crowded, and I was feeling anxious being there by myself. I got some bad Chinese food from a restaurant next door and hid in my room. I had to do some final grading and finalize an article with a deadline. I took a shower and tried to sleep but was too anxious. I ended up sleeping about 3 hours.

Saturday, May 14: Orientation

I woke up at 4:00 am and made my way to meet one of my teammates. The man who worked the front desk followed me to my car (which was parked out front) while I packed it up and just stood there smoking. I couldn’t tell if he was being weird or if he was trying to offer me protection by standing there. It made me feel unsettled. The plan was to leave my car outside my teammate’s friend’s house, and a group of three of us would rent a pickup and drive to Pittsburgh. This way I would have my car at the end of the trip. Once I met him, we picked up another teammate in DC. Besides getting lost on a road where we were supposed to be on the road literally above us (which we would later ride down a week later!), the drive to Pittsburgh was uneventful. We chatted— Dan and I are B&B alumni, and Jess was supposed to do a cross-country trip in 2020 but it obviously got cancelled so this would be her first trip. We made good time getting to Pittsburgh. Dan dropped us off at the church orientation was at and went to return the truck. We had some time to kill before orientation officially started, so Jess and I got Condado’s. Apparently their black beans have butter in them. What the heck.

Orientation went well! It was the typical Bike and Build collection of team-building/get-to-know-you games and informative presentations. We played the game where someone stands in the middle and says a statement and everyone who fits that statement runs and trades places until a new person is left over. We then played a name game with a tarp that stressed me out but my intuition somehow helped me correctly anticipate whose name I’d have to recall for each of my turns. Bike and Build is a nonprofit whose mission is to get young adults involved in affordable housing activism— through education/awareness, fundraising, and direct service. Due to a few different reasons, the organization has greatly scaled down its offerings (even pre-pandemic). The year I did a cross-country trip there were like 9 routes, and now they only do 3. This trip— Pitt Drift— was a new trip that differs from their norm in a few ways, the main one being that it was almost 100% on a trail (as opposed to road). Bike and Build has had four fatalities in its programs, and I have become nervous about road riding, so this was a huge draw to me. The other main difference was that this trip was only a week, whereas the others are about 10 weeks (plus one 3 week option).

Since we would be riding the Gap Trail and the C&O Towpath, part of our orientation was hearing from someone who works on the Gap Trail. This presentation was super interesting— although it was primarily about the creation of the trail, we were able to see direct connections to our cause of affordable housing. The trail and its biker traffic has helped a lot of small towns flourish with business, and it was interesting to learn about some dilemmas this has caused: for example, a business owner could raise the prices on offerings because of tourist demand, but then the actual people in the town wouldn’t be able to afford the goods. So, do they raise their prices and profits yet become inaccessible to anyone but tourists? Or keep the prices low? Overall, it was a great presentation!

Dinner that night was my first challenge as a vegan on the trip. Dinner was pizza… so I ran out and got a mediocre vegetable sub. After dinner we actually had to ride our bikes to a different church which is where we would be sleeping that night. This served as a “shakedown” ride and was only like 2.5 miles. But it was a bit of a mess due to a lack of cue sheets and took us like 30 minutes haha. I rode with my chore group— the “dolphins”— more on that for tmrw’s post!

We made it to the church, and I discovered poles perfect for my hammock in the basement! I’m glad I did because when I went to set up my hammock I realized I had forgotten my hammock straps on the tree in my backyard… I quickly reserved a Lyft ride to REI, got there within 10 minutes of closing and got some hammock straps, and made my way back to the church! My Lyft driver was very nice, and we chatted a bit about the affordable housing situation in Pittsburgh. Once back at the church, I charged my devices and made my way to bed! I slept very poorly in my hammock… the poles weren’t really far enough apart and I felt like I was
going to fall out of it all night. I was also just excited, I think. According to my watch, I did sleep, but it really did not feel like it!


(Image description: my hammock hanging in a dusty church basement.)

Miles Biked: 2.1 miles

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Pitt Drift Trip Report!
Sunday, May 15: Pittsburgh to Cedar Creek Campground

Sunday! Our first ride day was here! We woke up at 7 am and began our morning chores. I was in the van group, which meant we were in charge of packing the van with everyone’s stuff. Normally, Bike and Build trips have a trailer in addition to the 16 passenger van, and the trailer is relatively easy to pack. This shorter trip only had the 16-passenger van, though, and packing it was a challenge. It was a challenge I enjoyed, though. Although we didn’t get it packed within 30 minutes of wake-up time (this was mainly because people did not have their belongings ready to be packed by then), we did a good job! It felt like a puzzle. We managed to get everyone’s bags in the back two rows, which left the other two rows for coolers, food bins, and other materials. This meant that there would be no room in the van if anyone needed to be picked up but that would be a problem for another day I guess!

I remember struggling so hard to pack my bag efficiently 10 years ago on my first trip. This time, I was generally one of the first to be packed! #growth

After chores, we had our first route meeting. This is where we all get together and the leaders go over the route for the day (we get cue sheets— they were relatively simple for this trip since it was mostly on a path), weather, the host situation (where we’re staying, if there’s showers, dinner plans, etc.). Normally we would eat breakfast before this meeting, but we got bagels donated from a delicious shop in Pittsburgh (idk the name), but they weren’t ready for pick up until 8:30 or something so one of the leaders went to get them, and we would ride to the official start of the Gap Trail where we would take a group picture and eat! The leader made sure to get a vegan cream cheese for me, and it was DELICIOUS. The ride to the fountain was uneventful for my group, and we spent a lot of time there taking pictures, waiting for everyone to arrive, and eating. Finally, it was time to start the trail!


(Image description: me and my bike, named Hibiscus, in front of a fountain in downtown Pittsburgh)


(Image description: I know you all were probably anxiously awaiting to see who I would. bring with me! Because of a lack of time, I brought a friend I already had— Max from the Little Mermaid. Someone on my trip thought he was a hedgehog. Here is Max on my bike.)

This day’s route was about 40 miles total. It’s amazing how that seems so little to me now, but on the day it felt really long and a little hard. I rode with Nicole and Natalie, who are sisters, most of the day, and I became an honorary sister. A lot of the trail on this first day was paved as it went through Pittsburgh, with a tiny bit of road riding. The trail was pretty flat with a few small bridges. Apparently there were goats on the trail, and I missed them. I am still sad about it. There are a lot of nice little stops along the trail, and we had lunch in a place called New Boston. I bought a sticker and met a puppy named Bailey. I also had a delicious PB&J and orange.


(Image description: Max posing in front of some trains from a bridge above them)


(Image description: An American flag waving in front of a sign that says Pittsburgh with an arrow. This was at the lunch stop.)


(Image description: Some sort of bulletin board display. It has a drawing of a goat which sort of makes up for missing the real goat. What I love about it, though, is that it has a bike and a “builder”— a drawing of a man with a ladder and hammer. Perfect for Bike & Build!)

After lunch, I felt kind of meh but Nicole suggested a snack so I ate a few Clif Bloks and felt instantly so much better. A little later on we also made another stop where I was able to get a snow cone! I felt kind of bad because everyone had been hoping for ice cream, but I wasn’t interested on account of being vegan. I did say I wanted a snow cone, though. Well, all the ice cream places were closed but the snow cone place came to the rescue!


(Image description: Selfie of me with my snow cone. This snow cone was good but wouldn’t be the best of the trip… stay tuned.)

Finally, we made it to our campsite which was right on the trail. We had no showers available at this camp, which was a Bike and Build first for me (usually, there was at least a hose). A group of us took advantage of the river to rinse off. It was pretty cold but felt great on my muscles— like a natural ice bath! I set up my hammock and tarp because it was supposed to rain. Dinner crew made us pasta with a singular piece of broccoli each. I also drank a Tailwind recovery drink. I played Egyptian Ratscrew (and won!), and I also led a yoga practice for some people to help us stretch out. That evening we all reflected on our first two days with rose/thorn/buds, and then it was time for bed! I slept a lot better this night— although I did wake up to pee around midnight. I would normally have just gone near my tent but it was a nearly full moon and everything was super illuminated so I walked to the gross pit toilet in the dark. Luckily, I fell back asleep quickly! Everyone else had to share a tent or slept in a three-sided shelter. I was so grateful for my private and comfy hammock.


(Image description: My watch which says 39.24 miles. Ignore the average pace of 9 mph— I didn’t pause my watch during most rest breaks.)

Miles Biked: 39.2 miles (it was actually more than this— I forgot to restart my watch after lunch.)

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Pitt Drift Trip Report
Monday, May 16: Cedar Creek Campground to Ohiopyle, PA

On this day I stopped writing bullet point notes on my phone for each day, so my memory might not be as clear. I’ll do my best though. These journals are mostly for me, anyway— but I hope you enjoy them if you’re reading!

We woke up at 6 am with thunderstorms on the horizon. We worked to pack up camp— it was a little more challenging this day because we had to pack up tents as well. We also had to set out breakfast and pack that. It took us about 2 hours to do all of this, and we finished just in time for lightning to strike! Bike and Build’s rule is that you have to wait 30 minutes after the last lightning strike of a storm to start biking, so we all huddled together in the shelter to wait it out. I think we were waiting around 90 minutes. I should have taken a nap but couldn’t (I somehow took ZERO naps on this trip. I am a different person than the one I was 10 years ago. It is ironic because I had my Eeyore shirt with me that says “I work out. Just kidding, I take naps.”)

Finally, it was time to bike! This ride was another 40 miles, and it was all on gravel (crushed limestone). It was also a steady, very gradual incline. I was very excited to go to Ohiopyle because it had been hyped up, but with the delayed morning we were cutting it close all day even with the limited mileage. I did not feel great all day, which in retrospect I think is because I was dehydrated/not eating enough/not getting enough electrolytes and because I started my period.

Notable sights on the way to Ohiopyle included Sager Mosaics, which was a store and art display. The artist had beautiful work! She also had a dog and chickens which I enjoyed, and ice cream bars which others enjoyed. The trail was really pretty with lots of little waterfalls and some cool bridges. Lunch was at a park, and I was feeling pretty blah but managed to scarf down a PB&J and an orange. There was also a Sheetz, which we walked to. I think it was good to walk a little. People were VERY excited about Sheetz. I got an energy drink. I rinsed mud off my bike with a water pump.


(Image description: the outside of Sager Mosaics. There is a pretty circle mosaic on the wall.)


(Image description: Two influencer ducks I found at lunch. One is posing with his little foot out.)


(Image description: Selfie of Max and I in front of a waterfall.)

I don’t remember much about the ride after lunch, except that I was excited to finally make it to Ohiopyle. We stopped at a store where I got some more stickers (and everyone else got ice cream). After this store was the saddest hill. We had about 3 miles of road riding to get to our campground, and this was mostly up a very steep, very windy hill. A lot of the riders on the trip had little road riding experience, and we had been told we didn’t really need to train for hills, so this was SUSSY CHEEKS (an inside joke, but basically it sucked). Most of us in my group walked our bikes most of the way. There was a little bit of downhill later on and I ended up getting separated and riding into the campsite on my own. I was so happy to be there but also felt really, really horrible. I felt like I was hungover even though I had no alcohol. I felt nauseous and didn’t want to eat anything even though I knew it was what I needed. I also had to set up my hammock and tarp, and it was a struggle— probably because I felt so bad. Thankfully at this campsite we had showers, but they were at the bottom of a hill which was sad for me. It probably wasn’t even that bad of a hill, I just hated everything at that moment. People were kind and helped me out, and once again I was happy I had my hammock because the tents were packed tight without the shelter. Dinner crew made us vegan chili, and I did my best to eat some but it took a long time. For dessert people had s’mores but I couldn’t eat them bc they weren’t vegan and this was sad because I LOVE s’mores.

I drank another Tailwind recovery drink and made my way to bed in my hammock. I fell asleep quickly, once again woke up to pee in the night (this time behind a tree— I was NOT walking down that hill. Bless my Kula Cloth.). This time I blew up my sleeping pad to provide a little more insulation since it would be colder that night, and I’m glad I did. I slept comfortably. Overall, Ohiopyle did not live up to the hype… but I think I just did not feel well and also that hill really did suck.

Total mileage: 42.5 miles. Actual average speed was like 10 mph.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

May 2022 Totals

Run: 5.1 miles
Hike: 5.1 miles (2 hikes)
Walk: 11.2 miles
Bike: 389.3 miles
Yoga: 7x
Swim: 1000 yards
Strength: 1x
Books Read: 3