Oh My Quads + Kind of a Weird Week

This week I spent more time with The Stick rolling my quads than anything else. Rolling with the stick gives me more control to hit the trigger spots than using my foam roller. And, Oh. My. Quads! It hurt so good.

Let me try to explain what happened.

On Monday, I went on an amazingly big hike and felt pretty good. I was tired, but not too tired to catch up on my core challenges when I got home.

I even felt good on Tuesday, so I went for a 3 mile run in the morning. I had a small issue with my hip at the very start (like it wanted to pop or something), but then I was fine.

When I woke up Wednesday, my quads were sore and my knees hurt. KNEES ---> both of them were feeling achey. My right knee (my good one, ha!) actually felt the worst. I spent the day with a group of friends exploring the Dafen Art Village and my quads started feeling worse and worse.

I guess that big hike shredded my quads more than I realized and then I ran the next day. It was such a big delay of soreness that it really surprised me.

I sort of lost my motivation to workout after that. On Thursday I did a little upper body strength training at home. I had a busy day running errands on Friday which was my excuse to give my legs a break later when I thought about working out. I honestly don't know what happened Saturday. I just couldn't get into a fitness mood.

I had a brief moment on Sunday when I thought I would go for a run after church, but then the fog descended on Hong Kong.

So, it was kind of a weird week for me and my fitness.

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!

I'm hoping to shake it off today and get in a good workout. Any words of encouragement to help me?

Hiking: Maclehose Trail Stage 3

Embrace the hill!

That should be the mantra heading into this hike because the climbing is no joke.

I'm on a mission to hike all 100 km of the Maclehose Trail in Hong Kong. Unofficially, I started this trail when I hiked stage 2 with my SWIC hiking friends a couple of years ago. Now I'm teaming up with my AWA hiking friends to hopefully finish this beast.

Stage 3 of the Maclehose Trail is rated difficult because of the multiple climbs and rugged trail. You won't find any concrete paths or stairs on this one, but flat rock steps help on the ascents.

The first climb takes you up to Ngau Yee Shek Shan/Ngam Tau Shan at over 400 meters. Although it is quite challenging making your way up, the views of the mountains of Sai Kung and the South China Sea in the distance make rest stops along the way enjoyable (especially if you are there on a clear day).

A rather long and gradual descent takes you to a camping area at Cheung Sheung. This was a large area but the only living creature we saw on this drizzly day was a cow.

The second climb is short and sweet. Here you get the first views of the other side of the mountain toward Three Fathoms Cove and the skyscrapers of Ma On Shan.

Another drop down sets the stage for the final and most grueling climb of the day. The trail is the most rugged and steepest yet as you make your way up to Kai Kung Shan at 399 meters. Sadly after all that climbing we found ourselves in a cloud with no hope for a view.

It was all downhill from there. Literally. The trail gradually and slowly descends to Kei Ling Ha. Slowly because the trail is completely covered with irregular rocks.

At the end of stage 3 there is a very nice picnic area, rest rooms and a vending machine with water. A short walk takes you to the bus stops.

Other hard hikes in Hong Kong:

Hong Kong Trail - Sections 5-7

Hiking: Lantau Trail Stage 1 and 2

Hiking: Lantau Trail Stages 3 & 4 (Lantau Peak)

February Miles | Tuesdays on the Run

My February miles got off to a slow start after being down with the flu for about 10 days, but I think I rallied back pretty well.

I'm still logging all of my miles on my trusty Wave Sky (affiliate): 7 runs (I even ran three times in one week like the good old days!) and 17.32 miles total. This is just a little less than I ran last month and I lost a bit on my average distance during my big post-flu comeback ---> it was slow and painful.

When I wasn't running, I was (recovering from the flu, ha!) working on strength training, hiking, doing yoga...all my other favorite things to do. I even played some tennis with mrC!

I took on a couple of challenges this month: FAB AB FEBRUARY has been going all month and focuses on core with sit-ups, push-ups and planks. MIND BODY PILATES is a ten day challenge that focuses on strength and mental wellness. Sometimes I need a good challenge to keep me motivated and both of these are helping me do the core work that I tend to slack on.

I also started using a BCAA prior to and during my workouts. I am definitely leaning towards the positive. I have more energy during my workouts and my recovery time seems shorter. I'll do a proper review a little later.

Overall, despite missing the first 10 days or so, February turned out to be a pretty good month.

PS - here's a challenge for March from Aly in case your looking for one. I'm undecided because of all those burpees. Then again, maybe that's a reason I should do it...

How was your month? What are looking forward to in March?

Today I'm doing the link-up with Patty, Erika, and Marcia for Tuesdays on the Run! 

Weekly Wrap - When everything clicks

I love when I have good workout weeks. When everything just clicks. The workouts are challenging but fun. I'm motivated. My knee is happy. The weather cooperates. These are the fun weeks.

This week mrC and I also started carb cycling again. Using what I learned from the Faster Way To Fat Loss Program (affiliate - I get a small fee if you sign up using my link), I planned my workouts and food days for the week. It felt good to be following a plan again. I've been needing some purpose to my workouts even though I really enjoy just winging it.

Here are my workouts for the week:

Monday - Run with sprints

One mile warmup and 10 sprints at 20 seconds work 40 seconds rest. This was an awesome workout, but tough because it was later in the day and warmer.

Tuesday - HIIT workout 

At home session ---> Class Fitsugar video. This was challenging but hit all the good parts. I will be doing this video again.

Wednesday - Run and upper body strength 

I took my workout to the fitness center because I wanted to have the right weights. My options at home are limited to two sizes. Started with The Lazy Runner's Short and Sweet Workout from Lisa and then did the Dirty Dozen Arm workout (another oldie that I'm bringing back). Then I started a pilates 10 day challenge, because there's an Athleta gift card up for grabs!

Thursday - Full body strength 

Another at home workout ---> Fit and Sexy Full-body Workout Class Fitsugar video. I went with another video mainly because I couldn't decide what gym workout sounded good.

Friday - Hike

This was supposed to be a rest day but I switched it up so that I could try out my new hiking shoes. First impressions are good but we will see after my BIG hike today.

Saturday - Rest

Unplanned rest day after a late night out at the Chris Botti concert. I was tired, my body was tired, so I listened and took the day off.

Sunday - Tennis fun

It was a nice day so we went to the courts to hit the balls around again. We even played a couple of games at the end for fun.


Do plan out your workouts for the week or wing it?

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!

Three Things Thursday #2 - What's New?

Some new things happening lately.

I started a new book recently (Thanks to Jennifer for mentioning it to me). After I read the blurb, I knew that I needed to read it. When I used to train for half marathons, I noticed that I always ran much better at the beginning of my period which seemed like an odd thing to me. Apparently not. Sims basically explains how our (women) hormones affect our fitness performance and results, and the ways that we can make the most of it. Have you read it? What did you think?

I was hoping to break in my new hiking shoes today, but it was raining (affiliate). I'm very picky about my shoes. These are really trail running shoes, so I'm hoping that my feet will like the lighter weight and the cushion. I've tried traditional hiking shoes in the past only to have tired and achey legs after big hikes.

So instead of hiking, I ended up getting my nails done. Picking a nail color is as hard as picking a wall color because the colors always look different on than they do in the bottle or in pictures. Most of the time I leave knowing definitively that I like or don't like the color I chose. Today, I'm on the fence.

What's new with you?