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Monday, September 17, 2018

Summer's Last Hurrah


Well, it certainly felt like summer again this past week!

Not only did the temps shoot back up to the 80F-90F range, the humidity returned as well. That's exactly how I like it, so no complaints from me...but it's crazy how hot it felt after the much cooler temps we'd had over the previous weekend.


Here's what all went down this past week:

#nevermissaMonday
Not even 24 hours prior, I had posted (via Facebook and Insta) that Sunday's 52F temps were the coldest of the season...only to have Momma N pull another fast one on me. Seriously, why are some people just looking to pick a fight with me? None the less, I dug out some capri's (the first of the late summer/early fall season) and got outside anyways. A quick 3-1/2 miles at a decent 5K pace and I was back home before the sunrise. Take that, Momma N!
I'm thankful to have plenty of well-lighted streets
Tuesday's tribute 
I'm a proud American, and my patriotism runs deep. Every year on September 11th, I do a tribute run to honor the day. There have been some years when I have run 9.11 miles. Last year, still in the throes of recovery, I walked 9.11 miles (over the course of the day). This year, since it technically was supposed to be a recovery day, I ran for 9.11 minutes (approximately a mile in distance).
We will never forget
Wednesday's weekly #5at5
The temps were a bit chilly (59F), but still quite comfortable. The air was still, the humidity was a no-show, and the sky was clear. I met Barb at our usual spot and we knocked out our ritual five miles. Although these early morning runs are in total darkness now, the tranquility is pretty amazing.
Go bright or go home
What about Thursday?
I was not sure what was gonna happen come Thursday. With Tuesday's tribute run in the mix, that had me running five consecutive days (Saturday-Wednesday; just under 30 total miles). I have been saving my speedwork for Thursdays, but I really didn't want to have a 6th straight day of running (even though the mile count on each day was pretty minimal). I hadn't done any HIIT work all week, but with the R'n'R Philly Half Marathon  a few days out, I didn't want to risk any DOMS tagging along with me on my trip.

I came up with kind of a modified-HIIT workout that focused mainly on upper body and core work. Also, did I mention that I accidentally "snoozed" for two additional hours after my alarm went off that morning? I barely had time to scrunch the hair into a (very) messy bun and run off to work...so the workout didn't happen until after a full day at the office.

**20 arm strength moves
**15 burpees
**10 push-ups
**5 squats
**2-minute forearm plank

Five sets of the circuit netted me 100 arm reps, 75 burpees, 50 push-ups, 25 squats, and 10 total minutes of planking. Not bad for 45 minutes of work.
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Backyard HIIT'ing
Fly-By Friday
Quite literally, Friday flew by. The youngest daughter and I were up at 2:30 a.m. and on the road to the airport by 3:00 for our 5:45 flight to Washington, DC! Friday's workout consisted of a frantic search for the car rental station at the DC airport (there were numerous steps, back and forth, as well as a pretty elevated heart rate) as we searched frantically for the car rental station.
Eyes wide open at 4:15 a.m. at the airport...
Saturday Shake-out
There's something about air travel that totally exhausts my body. I did a short 3-mile shakeout run Saturday morning, and  returned feeling more tired for the effort. Granted the temps were warm and the air was humid, but ugh.
Seen on my run...historic remnants in downtown Hanover, PA
Non-stop-action Sunday
Sunday morning blessed us with warm temps and substantial humidity, but the Philly Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon went well. I was a bit disappointed with my finish time...only to realize my Garmin tracked my mileage at 13.4 miles! Even though I ran the race with my best pace since May of 2017, my "official" finish time is jacked due to the erratic distance (I just can't seem to catch a break LOL).  None the less, it was a neat course. There will be a race recap coming soon, so stay tuned! Sunday's action continued on with a late lunch with both daughters (and boyfriend) before the l-o-n-g drive (over three hours) back to the DC airport, then the 2+ hours on the flight back to Des Moines and finally pulling into our driveway around 11:00 p.m.
Another awesome R'n'R piece of hardware
Overall, I'm pleased with how the week played out (despite a few hiccups).Even with the suddenly cool temps early in the week, the summer temps definitely made a hasty return this week. Hey, I'm all about summer, so I'm quite alright with that. My total running miles came in at 26, and my walking miles were just under 20. 

In case you missed them, here's the posts from last week:
RaCe DaY PrEvIeWs:101

In other news:
Did you catch my #FridayFashionFlair post? Since Friday was a travel day, I opted for something on the comfy side, but still with a bit of funk and flair. It's always freezing cold in those airplane cabins, so long sleeves are a necessity for me.  How do you dress for air travel? As always, you're invited to join my on Fridays. Simply post a pic on Instagram, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and give me a tag (@runningonthefly).
Airplane travel...
Lastly, I had a rather short but busy weekend in Pennsylvania. We were in Hanover (after driving from the DC airport) Friday, then left around noon (on Saturday) for Philadelphia. I had never been to Philly before, and I cannot wait to go back! So much to see and do...the downtown is full of awesome architecture and statues everywhere and tons of historic stuff. We took an Uber to the Liberty Bell in the late afternoon, then spent the next few hours walking everywhere...including to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I may have even ran the famous "Rocky steps" while there.
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Eat your heart out, Rocky!
I think all of the walking actually did my body good...my hammies and glutes felt a lot better that evening and were in working order for the half marathon the next morning.
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So much to see and admire...

Image may contain: 3 people, including Liliann Hatting and Kimberly Busse-Hatting, people smiling, people standing, shoes, sky and outdoor
with the two daughters and the grandbaby, Lola
So, that's a wrap! 
Talk to me...how was your weather this week? Any problems with Florence? How do you feel about racecations...fun or (almost) too much action? Ever been to Philly?

I'm linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap. This weekly check-in is such a great place to connect with fellow fitness-minded peeps. Please join us!
WWSki-Orange

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40 comments:

  1. I tried to emulate your wonderful bright outfits and take a photo of my flouro vest / tropical print leggings on Thursday, but failed to capture their glory! You are also a MACHINE being about to do that many push-ups. Goodness me! Well done on your half - better to measure long than short, right? I was considering repeating Reykjavik Marathon this year and am glad I didn't, as that did come up short this time around! Oh, and that was a fine racecation because I knew the city already - we did a recovery walk the day after to where I'd spotted some good birds while running, and that was great.

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    1. Well...all those push-ups were done in sets of 10...so don't be too impressed ;-) LOL

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  2. Glad you had a good trip! Sorry about that extra distance on the race course, that's always frustrating! It's warm and humid in Baltimore but it was nice to get a break from that while in Denver. I don't mind the warmer weather lingering, it's the humidity that I'm done with at this point!

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    1. Agreed! I like the heat (it is still summer, after all...)

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  3. I think you are the only runner I know who says they like humidity. Lol! Congrats on the race! Can't wait to read the details!

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    1. Well...I don't exactly love the humidity, but I do LOVE the heat (and the humidity is just part of the equation LOL)

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  4. Sorry it was warm for you in Philly. I swear it's been warm everywhere which is awesome, but not for racing. Can't wait to hear more about the race!

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    1. Well, Philly was still Philly, even in the heat it was a fabulous place!

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  5. There can be a lot of walking in the airport! Travel always exhausts me as well even though you are only sitting on your butt. lol. so glad that you had fun in Philly can't wait to hear all about the race.

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    1. The airport walking was nutzo!!! Working for a signage company, I was appalled at the lack of proper direction for wayfinding. That car rental place was practically invisible LOL

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  6. Sounds like a fun weekend! Too bad about the weather, but that seemed to be the theme for all of the racers this weekend. Looking forward to your recap.

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    1. Well, it is still summer, so hot weather is par for the course. No harm, no foul ;-)

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  7. Congrats on your Philly finish despite the extra .2 miles. Summer is definitely getting a last hurrah here too and I am loving it. I don't want it to be cold!

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  8. Oh wow, I didn't realize your travel back yesterday was so long - you're a trooper!
    My garmin also tracked long but it was off from the start. Maybe the tall buildings messed with the GPS?

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    1. Our 3+hour drive was painful, literally. My legs were tired and my body needed to be doing anything other than sitting in a car for that long. UGH.

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  9. Glad to hear you had a great weekend in Philly. I live near Philly and I rarely go into the city. It is always so busy and hate driving there. I guess I could take the train in sometime.

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    1. I thought Philly was so neat! Yes, the downtown traffic was crazy (in comparison to what I'm used to), but still a great place to visit!

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  10. Awesome job with Philly Rock 'N Roll, that race is on my bucket list! (And now I'm tempted to do Broad Street next year after seeing your fantastic trip pictures.) LOVE the shirt you wore on the plane, btw! So cute and comfy looking!

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  11. Congrats on Philly RnR - I'm bummed I couldn't get there this year. Glad you had a good trip - looking forward to reading your recap!

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  12. I'm always exhausted after flying. Between the early wake up calls and the flying anxiety, I'm wiped out each time I travel. I also go for comfy clothes when flying since those seats aren't comfortable.

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    1. Flying is exhausting...something about sitting perfectly still for such a long time is not my gig

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  13. We've had very similar weather, cool and colder but not it's hot and humid again!!! Way to go in Philly!!

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  14. Love your Monday headband. Happen to have a link?
    I feel you on the 9/11 run -- I spent much of mine trying to figure out whether I could do a meaningful number. It didn't shake out that way, but ending at the Memorial worked.
    Congrats on a great Philly run * weekend. Also, love your nails in the Friday Fashion

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    1. I got the headband at a race expo a few years ago....not sure of the company ((sorry))

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  15. I was in Philly last year for Rock 'n' Roll and it was a blast. It's a really cool city, and definitely worth a longer look.

    Obviously, I am all about the racecation. They are the perfect combo of travel and running: my favorite things.
    Sorry the course didn't do right by you. That's really frustrating :(

    Florence didn't touch us here. We are still keeping an eye on the tropics, though. Plenty more storms where she came from.

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    1. Oh well, a small glitch on the race course distance is no big deal (in the grand scheme of things). It was a fun race, though, in a great place!

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  16. Looking forward to the race recap! I have an aunt and uncle in Philly and I have fond memories of visiting them and the city as a kid.
    And I'm definitely a fan of racecations - they give me chances to discover places I'd never discover otherwise. They can be stressful, but only because of traveling with little kids, and any travel with them is stressful. Good thing they aren't coming with me to Chicago in 3 weeks!

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    1. We traveled (some) with our three kids when they were young...and it was SO much work!

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  17. Wow, you packed quite a bit into your East Coast weekend. I’m quite impressed! I can’t wait to read your race recap. I’ve run Philly for the past several years, and love the race, especially the course. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it.

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    1. I think the course was different this year...but it was a nice little tour of downtown and an out & back along the river

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  18. Congrats on the half! Great pictures too from Philly, sounds like a really fun weekend!

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  19. Philly is so great! I ran my first marathon there and I loved it! I'd go back and do it again but .... I hear they changed the course so it wouldn't be the same and I don't think I'm even interested in running, and training for, that distance ever again. LOL I'm glad you had a great time while you were there!

    Isn't it crazy how our watches never track race distance right?

    I always take a sweater or a jacket for the airplane. ALWAYS.

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    1. I think the course was different this year from what it had been in previous years (or so I read). Still a great event! I also had a small stadium ()fleece) blanket with me on the plane LOL

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  20. For what it's worth, race officials explain that GPS watches aren't accurate and courses are certified using a wheel. Even so, it's still frustrating to see the extra distance appear on our watches. But since some of them come up short too -- I guess it all washes out in the end? LOL. I'm glad you had fun in Philly and with your daughters. I have not visited there. Thanks for linking!

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    1. I know it's hit/miss with the watches being 100% in sync with the race course, but it does throw a bit of frustration into the game ;-) None the less, Philly was awesome!!!

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