Resurrection of the Daily Rides

Well, this was a week I could not have foreseen...but not necessarily in a bad way.

We do what we can with what we have, am I right? And, we make the best of whatever situation we find ourselves in....well, at least I do LOL. 

Biking was front and center this week, and Gustavas and Fritz went head-to-head for attention. Care to hear who garnered the most mileage?

Before I tell you all about this week's adventures, 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 8:00AM (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 down this week:

Not-so-sunny Sunday

Fresh off of Saturday's tough hot and humid 10-miler, I cautiously headed out for a short 2-mile recovery run, just after daybreak. Surprisingly, things actually felt good (my right hip/groin area had been feeling a little weird the day prior). Although we'd had rain and storms in the forecast, there was full sunshine when I left the house...but the clouds rolled in quickly and the rain hit just after I'd returned home. Later, by early afternoon, all signs of rain had disappeared, so I took Fritz (the hybrid bike) for an 18-mile ride. We'd been out of town most of Saturday and had not gone for a weekend long ride, so my legs were eager for some bike time. It happens.

Stand tall amongst the weeds, and hustle along to beat the rain clouds chasing you 

Never miss a Monday

I've been trying to get in a few sunrise rides recently, so I took Gustavas (the mountain bike) out at 5:30AM. Later, to avoid some of the heat, I had the great idea to run a few laps around the lake. Only, all that tree cover makes for ZERO air flow on the trail around the lake (#duh). Even taking those three miles slowly, filtering a few walk breaks, and sipping water laced with electrolytes...I was a major sweaty mess by the time I finished. As I've said many times, I'm grateful to have a pretty high tolerance for the heat...but this run was a doozy.

 

Easy-peasy typical Tuesday

Don't underestimate the beauty of a hazy sunrise on a recovery day. Another thing, never underestimate the fatigue from a "short" 3-mile run on a hot afternoon (on a gravel trail, none the less). I was really glad Tuesday was a recovery day because I'd have been taking a breather regardless. Yowza. But that sunrise. After work, Fritz and I rode 10 easy (mostly flat) miles in and around town.

Double workout Wednesday = double ride day!

As mentioned, the hip/groin area (on my right side) had been a bit of a concern. Nothing was hurting (a huge #ThankGoodness), but I thought it best to take things easy and not poke the bear. A #10at530 ride sounded like a much better option than the usual #5at5 run...so, Gustavas took me on an interesting ride. We saw a couple of deer (one of which was sprinting through the residential streets), an owl with an attitude, someone sleeping on a bench...and the start of another sunrise. I'm certainly glad I didn't sleep in! After work, Barb and I tackled the hilly bike path, and tacked on a few extra bonus miles to end the ride with 20 miles (30 total miles for the day). This was my 10th consecutive weekly ride on the bike path! Those hills certainly have served me well! 

Yes, it was another hot afternoon...

An easy-peasy Thursday as well

We were promised some cooler weather, and it actually felt nice upon wake-up. I took the mat outside and did some core work on the patio, and then walked a couple miles before heading to the office. The warm (and humid) temps returned by mid-morning, though. Another short ride after work (4.5 miles) and that was it for the day. 

Finally Friday

After a 3-day reprieve, I was eager to get back in the running shoes. I kept things easy-paced and short (two miles). While the hip/groin area felt much better, I could tell things still weren't back to 100%. With a 17-miler on deck, for Saturday, I knew there would need to be some adjustments made with the upcoming weekend's mileage. Oh well. After work, I met up with Amy for an easy in-town 8-mile ride.

 

When the sky matches your top...

Keeping-it-real Saturday

Needless to say, I knew 17 miles wouldn't be happening. I entertained the notion of trying for 10, but taking it mile-by-mile. Barb and I met at 6:30 and I could still feel the tightness in the hip area. The tightness did loosen up, and we took a few walk breaks as well. I could have (maybe) pressed on and finished 10 miles, but my gut told me those five miles were just fine (and I was alright with that). Barb ran a few more miles, then we reunited a bit later and rode for awhile....like for almost 23 miles. The weather was beautiful (55F in the early morning, but it warmed up to the low/mid 70F's by the time we'd finished). After we parted, I continued on and ended the morning with 30 total miles on the bike. All in all, the day played out perfectly. Cutting the run short allowed for more recovery time on the bike, which is never a bad thing, in my opinion. Glass definitely half full (the afternoon's 2+ hours of weeding and yard work, though, wasn't as fun LOL).

   

So, yes, it was very much a biking-dominated week (ahem, 108 miles logged on wheels). I have learned, in recent years (and especially when I was dealing with the stress fracture, this time a year ago), that biking is a great alternative when running isn't. Not only is it a great cardio option, it's fabulous for strengthening the legs as well as a recovery fix. As for running, I did manage 12 miles. Walking was rather bleak (9ish miles), but I was on the bike(s) so much, I'm not even blinking an eye at that (besides, I also have a rather painful "open crack" on the skin of my left heel #HolyOuch). I spaced off upper-body work this week (oops!), but did get in a couple of good core workouts.

As for my current situation? Well, it's definitely not ideal, with a marathon lurking, but things could be so much worse. Hey, I'm still mobile, nothing hurts (just some weird tightness) and I have five weeks until race day. I do have the option to defer to the half marathon...but it's too soon to make any decisions at this moment in time. I'm going to continue to keep things easy-peasy on the running front, at least for this next week as well. No sense ticking off this hip/groin thing more, or risk further injury (to other body parts, overcompensating) by overdoing things on foot. The biking is helping maintain my leg strength and endurance, so all is well for the time being.

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

Rise & Shine, Rinse & Repeat

Favorite Quick HIIT Fixes

Refuel. Rehydrate. Replenish. with Ultima Replenisher

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Well, the weatherman was correct...the humidity did finally vacate the area (though it happened a good 12 hours later than was forecast). Friday's "cooler" temps had me feeling rather chilly at the office, so I was glad to have grabbed the raspberry cardi to keep me company. A pop of pink never hurt no one, right?

Did you catch the Field of Dreams baseball game Thursday evening? It was a major, big deal for the state of Iowa! There's already talk of making it happen, again, in 2022. The field is about a 90ish-minute drive from my house, and quite a neat place to see (though I wasn't in the stands for this event).

August 10th was the 31st anniversary for the hubs and I. Last year, we celebrated amidst our destroyed backyard, with no electricity, several hours after the derecho had hit. This year was much less chaotic.

Last but not least, we not only welcomed a new member to the family, but the hubby and I assumed a new title as the "in-laws." The oldest daughter, and new husband, eloped to Colorado and said their I-do's with the mountains as a backdrop. Yes, it's been quite an exciting week!

So, that's the latest in my little corner of the universe. Never a dull moment, and I don't think I'd want it any other way. By the way, Fritz had 78 miles, and Gustavas had 30.

How was your week? Any highs? Lows? Great workouts? Fall races on the calendar?

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