Vacation, all I ever wanted...

Seriously, I clearly had to get away.

Mighty M and I got back from vacation safe and sound, and rested. It was lots of fun, especially spending time with the nieces. I have pictures and antidotes to share about my travels, but I'll save that for later. For now, I have work issues to catch up on at the office.

On the training front, let's pull a Bold and do a Good, Bad, and Ugly version.

The Good

The excellent news was that I have now officially dropped my heart rate between 18 and 20 bpm on average!! Now that's something to celebrate. When I first got my Garmin at Christmas, my heart rate was stupid high -- but it was off season then. But my early season runs (April, May) usually had an average rate of mid- to high- 160s. (I know! My poor little ticker!) Buuuuut, my moderate run on Friday was an average of 147 bpm. So, my heart (if not my waistline) is feeling the positive effects of training!

The Bad

Okay, maybe not totally "bad," but not great. I was able to hold it together with some running and a bike session (stationary) over the vacation, which I was pleased about. Plymouth turned out to have some really great hills to train on, so my runs were strong. But, who actually trains properly on vacation? It's hard. For instance -- there was a health club nearby that had a lap pool I could use for $12 a day. But there was so little time to actually steal away and get the swim in without missing the next family activity. Maybe I could have been more disciplined. In fact, I'm sure I could have. But this was the first real vacation I've taken as an adult (I kid you not), so my runs and bike kept me satisfied.

The Ugly

Did you know that you can have an adverse reaction to Correctol? Um, yeah....me neither. Until Sunday morning, that is, say around 6 am. Let's just say I have not been that violently ill since I had a bad stomach virus in middle school and my Dad spent two days swapping out cool washcloths for my face and emergency waste cans by my bedside. After a couple of hours it passed, but I was touch and go for a bit. Talk about an ugly awakening.

Here's the numbers:

Wednesday & Thursday, Days 88 & 87

None


Thoughts: Packing, last minute car issues, and a monster trip of over 8 hours driving wiped these away.

Friday, Day 86

AM: Run, 4.75 miles, moderate effort



Thoughts: Beautiful run! My heart rate was surprisingly low and the effort was great. Used an online route M's brother-in-law suggested and it was perfect. Had some hills in there for good measure and a stunning view.



PM: Run, 5.03 miles, hills



Thoughts: Snuck this one in while everyone was taking a rest after a loooong day of walking. Found a second tier of hills and did some repeats. Heart rate was a bit higher, but so was afternoon temperature, plus a long day of exercise. Very happy with run.

Saturday, Day 85

AM: Bike, 45 minutes, pre-set hill session



Thoughts: I. Hate. Stationary. Bikes. My legs were incredibly tired today, after a long day of walking and a couple of runs on Friday. It was not an enjoyable ride, but it was saddle time. I miss my Banana desperately. Sooo much.

Sunday & Monday, Days 84 & 83

None



Thoughts: Considering I was thinking I was hospital bound on Sunday morning, there's no complaint about not training then. Mighty M and I decided to head out late that night after dinner to return home -- with the hope of making the long trip a little more bearable without rush hour traffic. But we didn't get into home until after 3 AM, and Monday was every bit of recovery from the trip, the sickness, and the vacation.