You're My Sunflower

Good morning and Happy Monday! This week felt like one of those weeks that felt so full and busy- when I was looking back through this post I couldn't believe this was all from earlier this week. It seemed so long ago! I guess that's a good sign that I'm settling in here- I'm finally feeling busy and like I have fun things to fill my week with.

Here's a look at how my (busy and fun) week went with workouts-

Monday

45 min 90s Bike Bootcamp with Jess

Made it to my first bike bootcamp in quite a while. This wasn't my favorite class ever- I felt kind of distracted the whole time but got through it. Need to get back in the habit of doing one of these every week because they add so much to my routine!

Tuesday

3 mile Run

Went out at lunchtime for a run, and decided to check out two parks. I started at Hemlock Bluffs, which is a beautiful park with trails going through the woods. Then I hopped on the Swift Creek Greenway which took me to Harold Ritter park for a quick loop and back to Hemlock Bluffs. The greenway keeps going out to a lake so next time I'll do that portion of the trail.

Strength Stack

Trying to add more strength to my workouts, so I'm going to attempt to make a stack of workouts every Tuesday. Today I did a live legs and glutes workout with Adrian, which was literally just lunges the entire time (my LEAST favorite move!). After that I did a core class with Callie, who's a new instructor. Really liked her and the class. Finished up with a quick yoga and a stretch.

Wednesday

12 mile Bike

Dan and I woke up nice and early to get in a bike ride before work. We started at Davis Drive Park and took the White Oak Creek greenway out to the American Tobacco Trail and came back. This is quickly becoming our favorite trail to bike on- it's pretty flat and is so pretty! Plus it's covered in trees most of the time so it never feels too sunny while we're biking. I love it!

5 mile Run

Made it to the House of Hops run club for the first time in a while and it was so nice to see friendly faces! I got to run with Charlene, who hit day 500 of her run streak, so we did 5 miles to celebrate. We ran down to the Crabtree Valley Trail and ran on that for a while before heading back for some beers. I had such a fun time and got to meet someone who also just moved to Apex from out of state!

Thursday

30 min In the Heights Ride with Robin

I needed an shakeout ride after back to back runs, and this class was perfect. The music was amazing and I just took it easy while I enjoyed listening.

1 mile Walk

At lunchtime, Dan, Selma and I made our way to Dorothea Dix Park to see the sunflower fields! They just started blooming and it was absolutely beautiful. Row after row of huge sunflowers that towered over me- I've never seen anything like it. Perfect break in the day.

Friday

2 mile Walk

Long Walk Fridays are back! Did the normal loop around Apex Lake and it was such a nice day out. We of course had to stop so Selma could swim a bit and cool off and I got to see tons of turtles! I listened to a bunch of podcasts on the walk- mostly tennis ones talking about the Olympics which I'm super excited to follow.

Saturday

2 hour SUP

Checked another lake off our list and headed to Lake Crabtree for a morning paddle. I always prefer to paddle board while Dan likes to Kayak, so we kind of just did our own thing once we got on the water. This lake was really convenient and had a launch point right at the parking lot (most others we've visited so far have a kind of far walk to launch) which was nice, but it was also on a busy road so it didn't feel very secluded or relaxing. Still a bunch of fun though! Once I visit more I'll be sharing a post all about my favorite places to kayak or SUP in the area but more research is needed!

3.5 mile Run

The weather felt really nice in the afternoon so I decided to head out for a run. I did part of the lake loop and then ran in some neighborhoods for a fun 3.5 mile loop. I finished up with a mile walk to cool down.

Sunday

30 min Bike

My legs were pretty heavy in the morning so I did a nice and easy ride on my exercise bike. I listened to a classical music ride with Christine and watched some highlights of the Olympics.

1 hour Yoga

I was so excited to make it to my first group fitness class since the pandemic started (and actually- can't even remember the last time that I went to one before that). There was an outdoor yoga class at Gizmo Brewing that a friend invited me, and it ended up being so much fun. The instructor, Erica, was incredible and had the best style. It felt challenging but not too difficult, and was perfectly paced. I loved it and can't wait to try more of her classes.