We had a low key weekend which is what I needed before upcoming trips. Yet, it was not uneventful. On Saturday evening, girls were playing volleyball in our condominium and suddenly the electricity went off. I went out as I heard dog barking and saw Lizzy running back, panicking. An electricity box exploded, near where they were playing, and it lit up fire across the street. Big fire which is common in the area during dry season. Fortunately, the fire department came within 15 min and started working on it, without panic. We watched the process across the street and went back home when it became dark. We all ate dinner with headlamp or candle while reading. I was tired and went to bed 8pm. Girls didn’t complain too much, although it was their day of Netflix. I think they are glad that the explosion didn’t get them.
Electricity came back maybe 2am and we woke up with normalcy. I spent most of the day packing for Peru trip and my business trip. Since we will be doing the Inca trail, I was careful to pack following the list for me and Sofia. I am always worried about getting cold so I made sure we had enough layers to share. We also got extra caloric bars for the walk in case we don’t like the food being served.
Girls went back to play volleyball during sunset and joined a family. It looked so peaceful when I went to pick them. Total opposite to the chaos and panic 24 hrs earlier.
I also made a loaf of whole wheat sourdough because I think it’s better to re-feed the starter once a week to keep it alive. My technique is getting better and it is becoming easier to make.
Workout log 1 (Sept 29-Oct 5)
As I mentioned, I stopped with my coach to lift pressure on myself on running certain mileages/days. Yet, I prefer to have structure and not to have to decide everyday what to do. So I signed up for Runna for a trial this week. It’s a runner’s specific app that designs training plan according to objective, experience, personal preferences. It comes with strength training options too which are mostly target for runners. This seemed a perfect replacement for me at the moment and I am happily surprised how easy to use. I am fairly familiar with running plans/workouts as well strength for runners, I can confidently say runna is legit, designed by runners for runners.
Mon: no run as my knee was bothering from the Sunday long run. I did 35 min yoga.
Tue: 60 min bike, 30 min full body strength
Wed: first day of runna. 5 miles easy run. Knee felt okay. 30 min full body.
Thur: 5 miles Rolling 800s. 20 min upper body
Fri: rest
Sat: 10 miles easy
Sun: 5 miles easy
I signed up for the membership after one week as I find it super easy to use, a lot of options to adjust to my needs (train for a race?, number of days to run, which days, number of days to do strength, when, duration, intensity, etc.) I also love the feature of loading the workout to my watch automatically which is super convenient. For strength training, it comes with an animated instruction, a link to YouTube video to show how it is done, workout log, and a playlist. It’s like a one-stop-shop for runners.
Let me leave you with this part of the runners connect newsletter:
THE HORMONAL CHANGES AFFECTING YOUR INJURY RISK
For female masters runners, the hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause create a perfect storm for injury development.
A landmark study published in Frontiers in Physiology found that estrogen directly affects musculoskeletal function beyond bone health.
While estrogen improves muscle mass and increases collagen content in connective tissues, it paradoxically decreases stiffness in tendons and ligaments directly impacting performance and injury rates.
This research reveals why many female masters runners notice increased vulnerability to soft-tissue injuries during hormonal transitions.
Declines in estrogen and testosterone decrease your ability to build and maintain muscle mass, with your percentage of fast-twitch fibers, critical for that finishing kick, also declining significantly.
Sigh… maybe that explains my knee discomfort lately.
Solution? be gentle, strength train, mobility, recovery.
Our New Journey 
That explosion sounds so scary! I’m so glad things were put out quickly and without injury. Your girls seem so unflappable!
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Well…. that explains a lot. My never-ending cycle of injuries started in my 40, shortly after my daughter was born. I’m sure my hormones were out of whack and it’s only gotten worse! Yes, all we can do is strength train and do all the recovery modalities to help ourselves out.
Wow, I can see why the girls were freaked out by the explosion. Losing power is no fun, but it’s easier to deal with if you’re also grateful that you weren’t injured.
How are the cats doing???
Have a great trip!
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