Riding Through the Last of Summer

Yikes. Where, oh where, did my summer go? 

Oh, yeah...I've spent the last five weeks sans running, power-walking or stair-climbing. The daylight has dramatically diminished. And, the temps are flirting with a fall-like crispness. That's not all bad, but ugh. It's definitely not summer anymore. 

This past week brought back some much-missed sunshine, and the rain stayed away. I was able to #optoutside on a daily basis, so I really cannot complain.

Before I hash out last week's fitness, welcome to the Weekly Run Down!

I love hosting 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. We love reading about everyone's 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...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)

Anyways, here's what went down in my little world of fitness this week:

Never Miss a (#DoubleRide) Monday

Even though the #nevermissaMonday runs are temporarily off the table, the bike rides are going strong. The morning temps were still cool (hey, Fall is knocking on the door after all), but by mid-day the summer temps had returned. I got in 4.2 sunrise miles, then 17 post-workday miles with Barb. 

Tuesday - Holy Kettlebell Burn Batman!

In an effort to mix things up, I dusted off the kettlebell Tuesday morning. Let's just say I grossly under estimated what a "little" 15-pound kettlebell can do. 

Give this a whirl:

**20 swings

**20 upward rows

**10 single shoulder presses (each side)

**20 Triceps extensions

**20 biceps curls (each side)

**now do all of those moves one more time

**and be sure to go for a 5-mile bike ride after work

...and a #DoubleRide Wednesday

I ask you, is it selfish that I enjoy having the streets and the sunrise all to myself? I call it lucky. Gustavas and I rode for 6.5 miles before work, and then the hubby joined us for another 10 miles after work.  

Thursday - Leg Work

As much as I love my dear, sweet little dog, Max, he can be a major bed hog. He set up homestead on my side of the bed, Wednesday evening, and I felt like a knotted pretzel Thursday morning. I scrapped the early morning bike ride, and worked on undoing the crankiness in my back instead.

By the end of the workday, things felt much better. How's this sound:

**5-mile bike ride

**30 clamshells (each leg)

**90 leg lifts (each leg)

**30 squats

**3-minute plank

**leftover lasagna and a chai latte'

Finally Friday - Day 28 of the biking streak!

Never, ever, would I have entertained the idea of a biking streak. After all, I have long called myself a runner and biking was a mere supplement to my fitness regimen. Enter the stress fracture (diagnosed August 19th) and biking has become a temporary substitute for said running (and all things on-foot). With a short morning ride (4.5 miles) and a "post office" ride (2 miles) after work, Gustavas and I  reached 309 miles on Friday, Day 28 of our #sfxbikestreak. (yes, a stress fracture bike streak...I might as well have some fun and give it a name). 

Long Ride Saturday

What used to be Long Run Saturday has now (temporarily) become Long Ride Saturday. The hubs and I met our friends, Russ and Sandy, in Carlisle and rode the Summerset Trail to Indianola (and back). This particular rail trail is where I've run the Hillbilly Hike half marathon, so it was fun experiencing the trail on wheels (in both directions, none the less). We had some wind (I know, BIG surprise), but plenty of sunshine on a beautiful end-of-summer day.

Catch-a-sunrise Sunday

Momma N sure seems to be in a hurry to usher in the fall season. She gifted Iowa with 47F temps on Sunday morning. Mind you, those 47F temps felt much cooler on a bike than they would on foot. Look closely, that's a light puffer vest (layered over a fleece-lined shirt) and a headband over my ears. Even in the chilly air, though, the sunrise never disappoints, am I right? That was a rather brisk 5-mile ride, but there will probably be a few more miles logged in the afternoon sunshine.  

Overall, it was a decent week. After the previous week of cold temps and rain, this week's summer-rewind felt oh-so-fine. Since biking is currently my only cardio go-to, it saw 84 miles of action this week. Strength-work was solid, with Thursday's leg workout and Tuesday's kettlebell session (and also a short upper-body workout Saturday evening). The daily planking, push-ups and routine leg lifts are still happening as well. I'm feeling good!

In case you missed out, here's what else went down on the blog this week:

"Raining" It In

Speedwork...Anyone?

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair!  As mentioned, Fall is arriving. I like Fall, I really do, but I love Summer so much more. That said, Friday's cooler temps gave me the opportunity to pull out the cheetah booties. It's hard to see in the pic, but the lovely compression sleeve is peeking out of the one on my right foot LOL. Oh well, at least I'm not confined to the Frank boot anymore.  As always, you're welcome to join me on Fridays...post a pic on Instagram, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and be sure to tag me (@runningonthefly).

How is my foot doing? It's actually feeling really good. I'm being super cautious, though, to not put any weight on the forefoot area...which means I'm still walking like Frankenstein, even without the boot. A friend gave me her knee scooter to use at work, and that has been so helpful. My "desk job" seldom has me sitting at the desk very much while at the office. I go back to my podiatrist this week, so there's another X-ray on deck and we'll be able to see how things are looking on the inside.

It's weird to believe I am entering Week 6 of no running/walking. Much to my surprise, I'm not missing the "on-foot" stuff as much as I would have imagined. The bike has been such a Godsend, allowing me to get outside (daily!). This weekend would have been the Air Force Marathon. Thanks to COVID, I was able to defer to 2021, so the FOMO was a non-issue. Honestly, this injury really happened at a perfect time.

How are things in your world? Does it feel like Fall in your area? Any virtual races on the roster?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter