Sunday, June 16, 2019

Easy Does It


 Sometimes, taking things easy just happens, all on its own. More often than not, that's a good thing.

My body wasn't feeling especially tired, and my motivation was fine (even with the questionable weather), but the (running) miles stayed somewhat low...and I'm alright with that. Besides, I had  plenty of other things to keep me active.

But first things first...

Welcome to the Weekly Run Down! I am so excited to host this link-up with Deborah (from Confessions of a Mother Runner). If you write a fitness-based blog, you're invited to join the party. The link-up opens at 1:00 (EST) on Sundays and remains open through noon on Monday. Please share your weekly fitness endeavors, training highlights (or low lights) and race recaps. We ask that you link back to both hosts, and we encourage you to read/comment on the other linked blogs as well.

Here's what went down this week:

Monday - BRRRR!
As you can see, the temps were sitting at 51F at 5:45 a.m. First world problems aside, Momma N seems to be confused on the current season. She was very generous with the sunshine, though, so I'll give her that. I got out for a couple of easy-paced miles, bright and early, and took Max for a walk when I got back to the house. The temps did warm up throughout the day, though, and Max and I enjoyed more walking after work and in the evening.
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#nevermissaMonday

Tuesday - WALKING!
Who says runners don't walk? Even when I'm ready for a little bit of rest and recovery (from the four previous days' 16 miles, and 5+ hours of garden squats/lunges over the weekend), I still enjoy an early morning fasted cardio fix. I walked 2.5 miles before work, a mile for each of my morning and afternoon breaks, and then took Max out for 1.5 after work.
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#runnerswalktoo

Wednesday - SWEATING!
The early morning weather was cold and mucho windy. I did a pre-workday walk with Max, and postponed the day's sweat session until after work. Good call.

The wind was still strong (22 mph), but the sunshine was beautiful and the 70F-ish temps were perfect. I grabbed my 12-pound hand weights and walked over to the outdoor stairway on campus (about a 10-minute walk with said weights LOL).

I'm not sure if I'd classify this 30-minute workout as a HIIT circuit, crazy cardio combo, or full-body strength (or all of the above...I'm not OCD-ish on specifics). It left me saturated with sweat, my arms burning, and my legs felt like noodles...

5 sets:
*10 flights (18 steps on the elongated stairway)
*10 push-ups
*15 lower body reps (squats/lunges, some weighted)
*15 upper body reps (with the 12# weights)
*20 sets of mountain climbers
*20 plank jacks
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#majorsweatequity

Thursday - RUNNING!
Suspecting there was a strong possibility of some DOMS showing up (resulting from the stair workout), I thought it best to get a run in early Thursday morning. Barb wasn't able to run, so I was running solo...which meant I may have dawdled a bit in getting out the door. Ugh...temps were sitting at 50F, which is great for running, but chilly for mid-summer (in my ever-so-humble opinion). Overall the run went well, but my lower back felt a bit cranky. Although there weren't full-on DOMS in my glutes, I definitely could feel the start of something going on. All told,  I got four miles done with even splits (9:56/9:58/9:55/9:50)...how's that for consistency?
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#4at515

Friday - OUCH!
As predicted, by Thursday afternoon, the glutes were on fire. I'm glad I know my body and what an intense stair workout will do to it. I got out for a 2-mile walk before work, and another 2-mile walk in the evening with the hubby and Max. Fortunately, every achy muscle felt much better by bedtime.
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#activerecoveryfortheWIN

Saturday -SUCCESS!
Our town hosted the annual Grinnell Games on Saturday. This event has been going on for several years (8 years, I believe), and I have participated in some capacity every year. This year, I did the 5K (along with the hubby), but there also was a half marathon and a kid's warrior run. I wanted to get a few more miles done, though, so I headed out for a 3-mile warm-up (timing it to arrive at the start line downtown about 20 minutes early). Next, I ran the 5K race, and then ran the extra mile back to my house. I was pretty happy with my finish time! This event is not huge...I finished 16th out of the 69 5K participants, which got 3rd place in my age group. Did you get that?  Three of us in the top 16 were in my age group. Apparently I'm not the only "old gal" out there still moving and grooving.
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#stillmovingandgrooving
Sunday - SMILING!
Oh was my body achy on Sunday morning! I'd run the 5K fairly hard, so my glutes and legs were feeling a little tender. Saturday evening, the hubby and I went to a company outing (from my place of work), which involved an hour-long bus ride (to and from) and a 4-hour arena football game. We had a great time, but my long legs do not enjoy cramped stadium seating, nor does my lower back (from the constant shifting in seating positions). None the less, I got out for a short 3-miler in hopes of loosening things up (spoiler-->SUCCESS!). While running through the Grinnell College campus, I noticed the chalk art on this outdoor chalkboard, and I instantly forgot my aches and smiled. Seriously, shouldn't we all smile more often?
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#saycheese
Overall, the week was somewhat conservative in running miles (16), but there was plenty of walking (25). The stair workout was pretty tough, but I love getting creative with my fitness. The 5K on Saturday served as a speed workout for me, and I'm good with that as well. MCM training starts soon...Onward!

In case you missed out, here's what went down on the blog this week...
Feelin' the Heat on the Street
Early Morning Running is Where It's At
Where to Run...And How far?

In other news:
Friday Fashion Flair on Instagram! Friday's temps had me shivering in the 70F temps with all the wind and rain. At least it wasn't snowing, right? Anyways, I've always been a sucker for floral prints, and if the top has a funky neckline, I'm all over it.  What do you think? Floral prints? Unique necklines? Yay or nay? As always, feel free to join me on Fridays...grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and tag me (@runningonthefly).

Earlier in the week, I was tagged by a friend to play the 10 Things About Me game on Instagram. It's fun reading trivial facts about all members of my online tribe.


So, that's the latest and (somewhat) greatest from my little corner of the universe. How was your week? Any rain? Any racing? Did you get tagged on Instagram, too?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter

39 comments:

  1. That stair workout sounds amazing and intense- wtg on a creative workout! I love all the variety you get in

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    1. Thank you, Melissa ;-) It's fun doing things in a non-traditional way sometimes...

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    2. Yay on that 5K! Sounds like your additional before and after miles worked out well too. Love that community chalkboard - how fun!

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  2. Oh man it is raining and raining here. All week. Half my trail race today. Now. Ugh! Great workouts and great pictures. I know my glutes will be sad tomorrow as I was going up steep steps in a wood today ...

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    1. Thankfully, our rain wasn't as severe as forecast, but it was cooler than I'd prefer, especially in mid-June.

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  3. That stair workout sounds amazing and intense- wtg on a creative workout! I love all the variety you get in

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    1. Thanks, it was just crazy that there were three of us in the top 16 (the second place gal was a few seconds ahead of me).....

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  5. Congrats on the AG award in the 5K. Awesome! You are NOT an "old gal"!!! I am older than you and I'm not old, so you can't be old either! :) I am gonna have to try your stair workout. I need something to get my glutes working. thanks for sharing!

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    1. ha ha ha, sorry I didn't mean to imply I or any of us LOL are washed-up and done. It was interesting there weren't more younger gals (or guys!) finishing ahead of us ;-)

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  6. Sounds like there are are some more fast friends that you can meet to run with! Congrats on the 5K! I bet those others did not run the 3 miles beforehand either. Just saying!

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    1. I didn't ask any of them LOL ;-) I think the 3-mile warm-up may have worked in my favor, though, because it got everything loosened up and ready...at least that's my theory.

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  7. I haven't been on IG much lately. So back & forth with it.

    It's pouring here today. There has been plenty of rain. But sunny days too, and they always make me smile (see what I did there?). Also an easy week here. For no particular reason.

    Awesome job on your 5k! You can see how all your hard work pays off.

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    1. Thanks, Judy! The 5K is a tough beast to slay...and I still haven't figured it out.

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  8. Same here, rain. Ugh. And the chilly temps too! We just opened our pool, although I don't see me getting into in the near future. I prefer my swimming water at 80 degrees or higher! Congrats on 3rd in AG. Well done!

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    1. I agree with the pool...I'm not really a swimmer of any kind, but if I do get in a pool, I want the water warm.

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  9. Hasnt' this been such a chilly June so far? We're struggling with a high of 60 today. Ugh. I know the weather will be gorgeous in September when the kids are in school. You had a busy week!

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    1. The weather, for most of 2019, has been pretty dismal. I'm in total heaven for what little sunshine we do get LOL...hoping the temps start to feel more like summer on a more consistent basis.

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  10. Yes, rain (BOOO!!!!), Yes I was tagged on IG, but I just haven't been able to come up with something to share yet. Will get back to that. I was derailed by some hormones this week (BOOOO again), so my workouts were down, but I'm feeling better and hoping to see those miles increase next week. I am looking forward to traveling towards cooler temperatures next week!

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    1. The gal who tagged me didn't mention "non-running" facts, so I have a couple of running-related things in mine LOL It wasn't until a day or so later that I started seeing a lot of other people sharing non-running trivia. Oh well ;-) UGH to the hormones!!! Mine are (still) playing nice, but I know my day is coming....

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  11. I love my daily walks. When I am in the office, I make sure to get out for a walk on my lunch break. For the rest of the week, walking helps me transition from in the field to remote work. I go for about 30 minutes when I get home to help me get the blood flowing and get ready for an afternoon of work.

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    1. Total agreement!! The walking is a great wake-up routine (on my non-running mornings), and also a great wind-down when I get home.

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  12. The weather here has been wacky as well. Unfortunately it rained the entire Monday I was in Toronto so that was a bummer :(

    I love the 10 things about me challenge on IG. It's been nice to learn more about the runners I follow :)

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    1. oops...that reminds me that I forgot to respond to your IG story...but since I already posted my 10-things stuff, I'm probably gonna pass ((sorry)). Anyways, what is up with the weather????? Major buzzkill.....

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  13. That stair workout sounds fun in a weird, I love working out, kind of way. Lol! I love going for walks, especially during the summer. It's a nice way to get out and enjoy some fresh air without the pounding of running.

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    1. Yes, walking gets a bad wrap from a lot of runners, but it's a great cardio option for me. I love stair workouts!They are a great way of combining cardio, speedwork (hill repeats) and strength work.

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  14. 29 years. WOW. Con gratulations
    I too love the ten things, although I never managed to get it done myself. So fun to learn new things about pepople
    I'm normally a pink and purple person, but love your green outfit

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  15. We had a gorgeous week of lower temps and lower humidity. It was quite windy here a couple of days as well. I love your tradition of participating in one way or another each year at the Grinnell Games. Sounds fun!

    Thanks for the linkup!

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    1. Actually, I should go back and edit my post...I had forgotten I missed the Grinnell Games in 2017 because I was in Duluth for Grandma's Marathon LOL. I do think it's important to support our local events, whether it's by running or volunteering.

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  16. Busy week with miles of running and walking! These chilly temps means we will have a late summer and late fall which possibly mean a later winter. I am crossing my fingers that is the case.

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  17. Your weather is truly confused, Kim!
    I walk all the time, I love it!
    Love your outfit on Wednesday too – way to go with the cardio/ HIIT circuit!
    Congrats with your race Saturday!
    I love your floral/ unique neckline top as well – I do like florals, they don’t always work for me though. I didn’t see your 10 things about me post on IG though – I’ll head over there. I never get tagged on IG for this kind of stuff myself.

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  18. Ah - so much greatness...and walking - I love it! And congrats on your 5k AG place!!! I love that the "older" runners are representing!!! Hope you have less wind and more sun this week!

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  19. Stairs must be like downhills.

    I can't imagine running 3 miles to a race and then being so speedy. Congrats to you.

    Lots of rain here so I appreciate any sunny day. Today may be the only one this week. sigh.

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  20. Sounds like a good week! I'm the same way with stadium seats even with my short legs. They really do pack you in there and it's just not comfortable. I'm thankful for walks last week since it was hurting my back more to run :)

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  21. Congrats on the AG award! We had a couple short but intense thunderstorms this week. Apparently some people even saw funnel clouds yesterday! Definitely not normal here.

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  22. You always do such a good job of mixing it up and staying active! Congrats on your AG :)

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  23. Congrats on the AG placement! 25 miles is a lot of walking - way more time on the feet than running, and that can be tiring in its own way.

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