Fanny pack required

I was finally able to get back to some "real" training in April... while it wasn't totally ideal, I was able to build up some good SBR volume, most importantly, the run, which is getting more consistent... and remains pain free. I accumulated about 60 hours of training overall, with one weekend of complete nada (more on that soon). All that doesn't include all the "non-training" activity I do working at the gym or doing active things with clients; that stuff obviously doesn't count as training but it's not being sedentary so.... hmmm.

If I can continue putting in 60+ hour weeks I'll be happy. Maybe even bigger in key months. In the past when I've gotten toward 70+ I seem to struggle a bit given other life demands, but anything under 60 and I don't feel like I'm getting better.

That said, I know it's about quality over quantity, but you still gotta put in the time and I--along with Lucho of course--have been monitoring what kind of time works and doesn't work for me. It's evolving.

My biggest days of the month were surprisingly on the MTB, which is new for me and fun.... well, except for that one day when we got lost and what was supposed to be a 4-5 hour ride turned into an 8+ hour outing in which we ended up in the wrong county at a little joint called Hell's Kitchen.... long story.... but an important day in my life because what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. And for a while I thought I might die that day... fun, right? ;)

That "little" mountain top (Saddleback) has been an interesting new friend of mine.

Recovered from that, and I planned on ending the month with a strong training weekend, but life had other plans. In this case, I didn't mind the detour. I did fit in my Saturday morning swim on Friday night instead, which was a refreshing happy hour ;) Then at 5 a.m. Saturday it was time to get to work....

If you've been reading my blog you know that I've lost my grandparents in the past couple years, my grandma right before IMC last year... well, fast forward and my family's been hard at work organizing an estate sale at their house. For various reasons it got pushed back and just happened this past weekend, Sat & Sun.

We had tons of family members coming out to help, which was completely necessary when the sale is in LA. My sister and I were the official cashiers. The best part of our job was the accessories we sported, i.e. fanny packs! Haha.

Totally legit fanny packin

I'll say, it was a special weekend. In fact, originally I was planning on leaving Saturday night so I could take care of (a sh*tload) business on Sunday, including a bike ride, but in  no way shape or form did I want to leave my family... so I stayed Sunday too :) Even John drove up and helped out too.

My sister's BF, the photog, came out too and put together an AMAZING collage of some of our customers and their unique finds... incredible work (sorry it stretches out so far; can't format it well for blog):

 So I missed my usual Sunday ride. Did I care? No. Did Lucho care? No. A bike ride, or any workout, can happen whenever. But a special family gathering/event is only going to happen once. I'll never be able to repeat a weekend like I just had. It was more memorable and special to me than I ever anticipated. It felt like the ultimate tribute to my grandparents because a) they were all about bringing people together and b) they loved garage sales... we did both in style! 

Heck, I even found us a nice little hole-in-the-wall Latin restaurant for Saturday night that was actually good not ghetto (not easy in that part of LA when you're required to keep it within a small radius). And then I enjoyed a couple drinks with family members... random I must say, but special.

~~~

So, yea, I guess the point of this blog is: It's important to put your head down and get in quality training when you are able but don't be afraid to let go of your routine to do things that are important on another level. I was still able to get in 60 hours of training with a total weekend away from SBR.