Back from Hiatus

Missed the blog post last week.  Sorry if you were counting on the menu planner, but life/work got in the way.  In more ways than one.  Not only was I insanely busy at work, including a lot of weekend work when I would normally be doing my blog, but a lot of family events/commitments as well.  Worst of all was the impact on diet and exercise.  While I love sharing this blog with anyone it might help or inspire, it's really my own weekly planner to help keep myself on track.  Not composing my workout and eating plan for the week had a dramatic impact.  I only got one LHT workout in, and, though I made up for it with a very long ride today (see ride report below),  I also did not get a chance to run any errands or commute by bike (really need to add a quality light set up so my confidence with night riding is bolstered).  Furthermore, the diet suffered as not having a set plan made it too easy to make last minute decisions to eat out.  And we did...way too many times.  And though I generally ate well, I didn't do as well as I do with my own carefully planned meals.

So this week I plan to be back on track with the two LHT workouts below (see the last post for details) and the meal plan.

And importantly, we kicked it off with with a 49.5 mile ride along the beautiful Santa Ana River Trail.  We started our ride in Yorba Linda Regional Park.  Though it was overcast and a bit chili, the weather forecast, as of our departure, called for the clouds to lift, so we felt confident setting out with our shorts and windbreakers.  And though the clouds did not lift, the weather on the ride out was fairly mild, the wind calm, and we kept a 16-17 mph pace all the way along the river.  The flat route keeps you working the pedals, but the only hills are the short climbs out from under the many overpasses the trail intersects.

As we got closer to the ocean, we saw the breakers in the distance just as we were hitting the 20-mile mark. A short time later, we hit the final overpass: PCH.

 

 We paused to take a couple of quick pictures with 21 miles under our belts and the Pacific Ocean to our backs:

We then road three miles up PCH to find a spot to take a break and have a quick bite.  TK Burgers, just south of the pier, proved the perfect spot.  We refueled on the sticker-festooned patio where we could keep an eye on our bikes and on the ocean.

The ride back was a little more challenging.  We had a terrible headwind to fight as we made our way down PCH back to the river trail.  Once we got on the trail, the wind came and went, but we generally felt pretty good as we headed back up through Orange County.  As we approached Anaheim, the skies darkened, the air chilled, and we felt the first hint of mist in the air.  The drizzle got heavier and steadier by the time we reached Angel Stadium, and the temperature dropped noticeably.  We definitely regretted wearing shorts for those last 9 miles, and we definitely did some suffering with the cold and fatigue.  We crossed a final bridge across the river, and the last mile or so back to the park and our car seemed interminable.  But once there, we felt great for having met the 49.5-mile challenge, and quickly loaded up the bikes and got into some warm, dry clothes. 

We rewarded ourselves with a nice warm coffee from the Coffee Bean and a picture of ourselves in front of the big Christmas tree on their patio.

Here are the workouts and meals for the week:

LHT Workouts

Tuesday, 12/18

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups

Workout (2 rounds):

• Air squats (max reps)
• Push ups (max reps)
• Planks (max time)

Thursday, 12/20

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 rolling v-sits
• 10 twist lunges

Workout (2 rounds):

• Russian Swings (max reps)
• Upright Rows (max reps)
• Pull ups, chair assisted (max reps)

 Saturday, 12/22

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups

Workout (2 rounds):

• Air squats (max reps)
• Push ups (max reps)
• Planks (max time)

Meals

Monday, 12/17

 

Meatballs with Red Sauce and Spicy Italian Sausage over spaghetti squash

Tuesday, 12/18

 

Apple Bacon Cheeseburgers

Wednesday, 12/19

Siggy's Greek Gyro Salad

Thursday, 12/20

 

Paleo Pork Fried Rice

Friday, 12/21

 

Mini-Meatloaf

Saturday, 12/22

 

Chicken Fajitas with Roasted Carrot Fries

Sunday, 12/23

Chicken Soup