Upping the Mileage

Yikes. This walking stuff is tougher than marathon training. It definitely hurts so good (in several places).

I oughtta know since I've trained for five marathons (and two ultras).


It's been exciting to see my mileage grow, almost exponentially, in such a relatively short span of time. Although it's ever-so-tempting to continue with this routine, it might be in my best interest to take either a recovery week or scale back the mileage a bit. After all, marathon training isn't constant high mileage days everyday....there is usually a base-building phase, then a maintenance phase (with some increased long runs on the weekend), and there are recovery days during each week as well as scaled back "recovery weeks" periodically (more on this later).

Anyways, here's what went down this past week:

Monday was another cool morning, but not as cool as it had been. Don't get me wrong, I like being outside in ALL temps, but these October-like temps in August are just not what I'm wanting right now. After missing out on a big chunk of my prime summer-running in June and July, I'm just not ready for fall temps just yet. I prefer these October-like temps in October, thank you very much. None the less, I did have a nice walk in the wee hours (#nevermissaMonday), and finished the day with a total of five miles.

And I found a quarter shining under the glow of a street lamp!

Tuesday, the hubby surprised me and came downstairs as I was putting on my shoes...and joined me for the morning outdoor adventure. We left the house at 5:10 and had a beautiful full moon to light our path for the first 10-15 minutes. More cool temps in the morning gave way to warmer temps by late morning (as has been the norm recently). We walked 2.5 miles that morning, and I headed back out in the evening for a few more miles...ending the day with six cumulative walking miles.

Wednesday had me adding a short out & back segment to my "usual" route, giving me 3 miles on my early morning walk. The body was feeling kind of tired and groggy after dinner, so I only did a 1.5 mile walk that evening...4.5 total miles walked on Wednesday.

The moon was still high and bright in the early morning sky

On Thursday morning I met up with Barb, my main runner gal pal. We have been able to get in a few walks now and then, but it's strange not doing our usual training runs (and those #5at5's) together.  The temps were in the low 60's, which felt more like "summer morning temps" than what we've had these past couple weeks. Six cumulative miles for the day.

More of the same on Friday...moderate temps in the pre-dawn hours and warmer temps as the day wore on. I did my 3-mile route and was back to the house before 6:00, just in time to take Max out for his "rise & shine" walk. Five total (walking) miles for the day.

I just love the deep blue of the sky

Saturday was such a beautiful day in Iowa! The hubby and I headed out around 6:15 for a quick 2.5 mile adventure after taking our (slow-poke of a) dog around the block. He headed to spinning class and I continued on for another 4.5 miles. That's right, Friends, I did my longest walk (probably ever)....seven miles! I was tired when I walked back into the house, almost two hours later. The approximate 1:50-ish endeavor also included three potty stops (UGH!), so my pace was pretty decent. I ended the day with a total of 10 miles...a new PR in terms of cumulative daily (walking) miles. And I slept quite soundly that night.

Aren't filters fun to play with?

Sunday was another beautiful morning for a few miles. The sunrise was simply breathtaking....the silhouette pic does not do it  justice. There is a lot of construction happening on the college campus (which is usually on my route each morning)...we've been told the gargantuan crane will be there for at least another year (seriously???).

This was another week of increased mileage, but it also came with a few increased moderate aches and pains. My total mileage (at the time this post goes live) is almost 42 miles...and I expect there will be a few more miles added before bedtime. I have started to notice my hamstrings (on both legs) are really feeling the strain from all of these miles. As I noted above, my gut is telling me that it's time to fine-tune the walking now. It's quite possible I could be over-training (or on the verge of it) by doing too much of this good thing.To give you some perspective...for me, walking 5-6 miles is roughly the equivalent of running 8-10 miles in terms of time spent in aerobic motion while (1) taking longer strides and (2) using more muscles . Even though walking has less impact on the joints than running, it feels like my leg muscles are getting more of a workout (due to my longer strides).

My thoughts are to continue the early morning walks (usually 2-3 miles), but take a pass on doing the evening walks every night (maybe just doing those on MWF). Also, I'd like to incorporate a longer walk on the weekends (similar to race training). What are your thoughts?

In case you missed them, here's my blog posts from last week:
*#ONWARD
*Are YOU Race Day READY?
*Running: It's a Family Affair

Road to Recovery update:
***Mobility is good. I can walk like nothing ever happened to me. I'm still leery of when the running will happen. I don't have clearance to run yet (and I don't expect to get that for a few more weeks at the minimum).

***Range of motion is constantly improving. I have noticed I can get in/out of my car easier now...these long legs (especially the right leg with the compromised knee) are kind of high-maintenance when it comes to getting this body into confined spaces.

***The suture site is looking good! I had a follow-up appointment with my surgeon this week, and he said it's continuing to heal well. There is a tiny spot (at the very bottom of the scar) that continues to have fluid draining from it. The spot is now the size of a pin head, and the drainage is barely enough to cover a small bandage every 10 hours or so. None the less, it's still not 100% closed. Also, the scar (which is 6-inches in length) sometimes feels tight, so I have to continue to be careful to not force any excess knee bending. I can tell the scar has shrunk a little in size and is already starting to fade slightly, and most of the puffiness in the area surrounding it is gone.

Progress...from the day the stitches came out (July 11) to Saturday (August 12)

In other news:
Thursday, August 10th, was our 27th anniversary of (mostly) wedded bliss.  Hard to believe we're old enough to have been married that long and have three grown kids. I'm thankful for running (and fitness in general) for keeping us active and feeling good.

dinner with my dude of 27 years

My #FridayFashionFlair post on my Instagram page reflected my love for casual funk....frayed denim! Denim is probably one of America's favorite fabrics because it's so comfortable and versatile. In recent years, the distressed and frayed look has made a huge resurgence on the scene, and I am loving it! Although it's more casual with its "imperfections," it's also easy to dress it up if you wear it with the right stuff ...in my case, I chose a top with a lot of detailing, chunky jewelry and the never-forgotten lipstick. Care to play along? Post a pic on Friday, tag me (@runningonthefly) and use the #FridayFashionFlair hashtag ....I'd love to see what you're wearing!

And, one last thing. My latest undertaking is the start-up of a local rock painting group (you can find us at Grinnell Painted Rock Project). Have you seen the popularity of painted rocks? I haven't seen any in my hometown, so I wanted to do something about it. The concept is quite simplistic...you paint a rock (or several) and place it somewhere in hopes that it will brighten someone else's day when they find it. Pay-it-forward, if you will, but with an artsy flair.

Some of my creations

That's the latest and greatest in my little corner of the universe. Tell me about your week...how's the weather? Training? Recovery? Any painted rocks in your area?

I'm linking up with Michelle (on behalf of Holly and Tricia) for the Weekly Wrap. Please join us!