Happy Monday! After a few weeks of steady workouts I feel like I’m finally finding my rhythm again. (Side note, I can NEVER spell that rhythm correctly on the first attempt.) Since I know that postpartum women are still prone to relaxin-induced injuries even 12-18 months after they give birth, I am being very careful not to overdo it with my training. Right now, I am focusing on rebuilding my strength and endurance while hopefully losing a few more pounds.  During my crazier than normal weeks when I find it hard to balance everything, I do my best to pause and remember that even getting on our Flywheel bike for a 20-minute ride is better for my mind and body than doing nothing.  I laugh when Timehope reminds me of the days of doing two workouts or enjoying boutique fitness classes throughout the city before most of Manhattan was awake. I remember my phone alarm pinging at 11:59 am reminding me to log on Classpass and book the next week’s classes. Oh, how time’s have changed. These days my cell phone goes off at 5:40, reminding me to log off and head out to get Katie in case I’ve lost track of time due to work.

These days, working out is still something I do for my emotional, mental and physical well-being instead of a means to achieving a time goal. While I am looking forward to getting back to that point in the next few months, I’m in a casual base-building stage right now. My workouts can’t be a source of stress at this point in my life. Instead, they need to be enjoyable, efficient and productive. So, as promised, here is a more casual post, recapping last week’s workouts and training including the highs and lows.

• Monday – I knew it was going to be an especially busy week so I woke up bright and early and got the week kick-started with a 45-minute Flywheel FlyAnywhere theme ride. It was so much fun to jam to 80’s music before starting a crazy week and the playlist helped me forget about the fact that it was 5:15 AM!
• Tuesday – Pouring rain caused me to hop on the bike again instead of heading out for my planned run. While I am typically someone who enjoys running in the rain, it was only 40 degrees and the wind was howling when my alarm went off at 5:15. I was beyond proud of myself for resisting the urge to push the snooze button and instead walking over to the bike and quickly changing clothes and clipping in for a 30-minute ride. I swear that keeping spin clothes and a filled water bottle near the bike makes it SO much easier, especially early in the morning.
• Wednesday – Rest Day
• Thursday – I was so excited to finish the 4-mile run with the local moms feeling stronger than normal.  Waking up at 5:15 doesn’t get easier but I always remember how amazing I feel when it’s only 6:30 and I’ve finished my workout and am already sipping coffee after a warm shower. Our pace continues to get a bit faster each week and one of the local moms just qualified for Boston so it was fun to hear about her marathon experience and the training that helped her chip away at the qualifying time.
• Friday – Rest Day
• Saturday – I rarely sleep past 7 AM but after a busy work week, Bo offered to let me sleep in while he managed Katie’s morning routine. I happily took him up on the offer and swapped my morning run for a 45-minute FlyAnywhere Flywheel Power ride which was focused on a long climbs and fast, powerful sprints. I think I waddled from the bike to the shower when I finished the tough ride. I’m thankful that I spent 10 minutes stretching and foam rolling after class as my body was very thankful for the stretch and recovery time.
• Sunday – Most week’s, Laura and I do our best to squeeze in one of the strength workouts offered at the YMCA but unfortunately this week none of them worked with our schedules. Instead of abandoning our goal of doing more strength, we did a sweaty, 30-minute Pop Sugar TABATA workout on our back porch. It was a great reminder that our porch is the perfect place to break a sweat thanks to a yoga mat, plenty of space, an assortment of weights and a television.
• Monday – I squeezed in 38 minutes of Dionna Littleton’s Method 45 FlyAnywhere Flywheel class before I had to hop in the shower and get ready for the day.

As I look back on the past week, the high was the consistent workouts and the low was only making it out on two runs and an absence of yoga. Luckily, the weather this week looks PERFECT for lots of runs and maybe even a porch yoga session while we’re out in the Hamptons this weekend!

Photo credit Alexis Damen Photography.