More Miles? Sure, why not!

...and another crazy mileage week is done. This week's mileage came in at 36 miles...What the What???

Seriously, I'm shaking my head at what's been happening in my running shoes recently. Don't get me wrong, I'm in NO way bragging. I realize these high mileage weeks are the norm for many people, even those who aren't necessarily training for marathons. I'm just not a high-mileage gal (but am kind of becoming one). Tacking on the 15 miles from last weekend, I'm already at 51 total miles for October....and it's only gonna get bigger (and better?) as I'm nearing the end of my training for my marathon. Did you just hear me gulp (loudly)? I have a few more weeks of long runs, and then I'll be tapering.....

Anyways, here's the down and dirty of what happened this week:

Monday, like all of my Mondays thus far in 2016, started with a #nevermissaMonday run. Prior to my 26.2 training, the majority of these Monday miles were the bare minimum, usually a single mile (sometimes, two). My official training for Route 66 began in mid-August...and the Monday runs changed to moderate-mileage runs. Currently, I'm knocking out 50-minute runs, at an easy pace (approximately five miles).

Another early morning #nevermissaMonday

The temps were forecasted to be nice, and upon waking to the 4:58 AM alarm, I elected to postpone Tuesday's run until after work. Since I have been doing so many of my runs in the wee (dark) hours, I thought it would be a welcome change to do a run in the daylight. Instead, I did some arm work in the morning.

suns out, guns out

 Tuesday's run turned out to be quite the adventure. The recap of that crazy idea is HERE, but let me summarize it to say that I drastically underestimated the distance, and overshot my desired speed. Whoops.

What was supposed to have been 6 miles morphed into 7.2 miles...and a major sweat fest

Wednesday, I not only was assigned an easy day of cross-training, I sort of needed some rest and recovery following my Tuesday excursion. Surprisingly, my body felt fine in the morning, but I still played it cool and kept things on the down-low. I did my planking, PT, and stretched like a good girl, and also did some cardio on the stairway (100 flights, up and down). And I slept like a baby that night.

Approximately 22 minutes of cardio on the stairway had me ready for bed...

Thursday was another day of early morning running. The temps were in the mid-60's and felt perfect! I was out the door before 5:30, successfully hit all of my splits, and was back to the house in less than an hour. Six miles done, and I felt great!

#awarewithpink

As mentioned last week, I'm starting a new thing and posting a #Fridayfashion post each week (on Instagram). Overnight, the late summer temps came to an abrupt halt, so I needed warmth!  Our high school's homecoming game was Friday night, so I chose to wear the school colors. Go Tigers!

I'm also a knitter geek...and love the warmth of this hand-made poncho 

And there was some more planking!

I challenge YOU to get down on the floor, assume the position, and plank!

Saturday. There were several things on tap for the day, starting with my long run. I had 16 miles to do, and Barb wanted to run those 16 miles as well. She drove to my house and we were on the road just after 5:30AM. The temps were chilly (hello...39-degrees #brrrr), the air was crisp, and the sky was dark.

That's right...full tights, fleece headbands, and gloves

Similar to the 14-miler I ran last weekend, I broke up this run as well. First, we ran a 5-mile route, stopped back at the house for a potty break and re-fueled. Next, we headed out on an (almost) 7-mile out-and-back trail....with a couple of big hills. Our thinking was that the hills wouldn't be as ominous in the dark, except by the time we got to the turn-around, we had daylight. And, we had a full-on sunrise in our faces for the jaunt back to my house. Seriously, how do you peeps who run without sunglasses do it? (#Ugh) We made it back to the house, took another quick potty break and re-fueled, and headed back out to finish the remaining 4.5 miles (with our sunglasses).   All went well, and our 16 miles were done!

That was just the start of my day. Our local Optimist Club hosts an annual Fly-In Breakfast at our small airport. My husband is one of the main organizers of the event, and it's always fun seeing the airplanes (and their pilots) who fly in as well as much of the community who come out and support the event. This was immediately after my 16-mile run.

Next, we jumped in the car, and headed to our son's swim meet at his college, a couple hours away. He is in his second year of school and this is his second year on the swim team (as a walk-on). He's a distance swimmer, and usually swims the 500, 1000, 1650 (one mile), and sometimes, the 200. At this meet, he swam the 1650...and then the 200, a mere 10 minutes later. Needless to say, he was dragging tail fin in the 200...but a strong performance, none the less.

No, the day did not end there. We drove back home, and arrived in time to get some pics of the youngest daughter and her gal pals before they headed out to partake in the Homecoming festivities. If you look closely, you can see the hat is part of my outfit (from the swim meet) and is hiding the (still) unwashed hair (I know...#eewwww).

So, after 1)-being up since 4:45AM, 2)-running 16 miles, 3)-sitting in a car for a 4-1/2 hour round trip, and 4)-hanging out pool side for a couple hours (in a steamy in-door facility)....my body and mind were a tiny bit exhausted. We got a pizza, watched some television with a friend, and I was down for the count by 9:00PM. Even though I had showered (quickly) after my long run, I didn't have time to wash my hair...and at that point in the evening I didn't care.

Sunday morning, I felt a bit stiff, but nothing major. I had slept with compression socks, so I think that helped relieve any potential DOMS. I ran an easy 1-mile shakeout run and felt great. I don't know what surprised me more...the easiness (and effortless speed) with which I ran that mile, or how quick my body seems to have already acclimated to the cooler temps (it was 41-degrees, and I was comfortable in shorts and a two light layers on top).

post-Sunday's shakeout run in the sun

That's my week....in other news:

I gave Max a bath earlier in the week, little did I know he'd wet the carpet an hour or so later.

Don't let the cute face fool you.....

The sedum plants in my yard are absolutely beautiful right now!

And, new shoes were welcomed into the family! I really didn't need a new pair, but I got a great deal on them (and free 2-day shipping).

Is it weird to welcome the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16's with a kiss?

How was your week? Are the autumn temps getting cooler or do you still have a bit of summer lingering?  What's the longest you have gone without washing your hair?

As usual, I'm linking up with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap. Do check out their blogs, and all the other awesome blogs on the link-up!