All in Good Fitness Fun

Well, it was another one of those weeks.

Things were (mostly) decently cheerful in my little corner of the world, for which I'm quite grateful. But, as we all know, there was some heart-breaking #ish happening elsewhere. 

I don't have answers, nor am I going to preach about Eliza's tragedy or the loss of the Queen. I trust most everyone else shares in my frustration, anger, and grief. There's strength in our solidarity, though, and there's comfort in our coping outlets, via fitness.   

 And, that's what I'm choosing to focus on, for this blog post.

Before I share all the deets of the week, 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 went down this week...in terms of fitness and fun:

Long ride Sunday!

Not only did my weekend involve a long run on Saturday (an 8-miler), but there also was a lot of garden squats. Come Sunday morning, my body was feeling a bit weary. I got out for a 2-mile walk, and felt much better afterwards. Mid-morning, there was a road trip to Solon (about 70ish miles east) and a 32-mile bike ride in the chilly mid-60F "summer" temps. There were even more garden squats, on deck, after my return home. UGH and OUCH.

Never miss a Monday.

Since I hadn't done a recovery run on Sunday, my legs (mainly the hammies) were due for some movement. A 2-mile run did the trick, followed by a 2-mile mid-morning walk. 

Later, Barb and I headed to Altoona (40ish minutes west) for a group run with the Altoona Running Club. With it being Cy-Hawk Week (my University of Iowa Hawkeyes were facing their in-state rivals, the Iowa State Cyclones, on Saturday), one of the Des Moines TV stations hosts "rally nights," each evening, in various towns. This particular night, they were in Altoona...how convenient, right? After running two miles (substantially faster than I'd run the other two miles, 12 hours prior, LOL), Barb and I got our pic with Herky (Iowa's mascot). Go Hawks!

A typical Tuesday (of sorts)

Needless to say, my lower-body was a bit whooped after Monday evening's run (even with foam rolling, stretching and trigger-point massage). I stacked a relaxing Barre workout with a couple of arms/shoulders workouts (all from Peloton app), and all things felt much better. Some walking at work (1-mile) and over lunch (two miles), along with a post-workday bike ride (10 miles), and everything was back in working order.

Double workout Wednesday for the win!

Holy Brrr, Batman, those 59F temps felt chilly for the first mile of the #5at5 (with Barb)! Rest assured,  the humidity was still there, LOL. Thankfully, the grumpy hammies were feeling much happier.

After work, I met up with Amy for our weekly ride out to the lake (this was ride #18!). Like last week, the heat was high and the wind was low, so this adventure on wheels was a major sweat fest. But, I never regret taking on those hills...even with the 100+ grasshoppers pelting me along the route.

Thankful (change-of-plans) Thursday.

After returning from Wednesday evening's bike ride, I crashed on the couch for a couple hours. When I got up, Thursday morning, I was still feeling a bit groggy and uninspired to get my sweat on (yes, you heard that right, LOL). I had a couple of strength workouts stacked and ready, but decided to take a pass. Instead, I did a rare thing...I cued up a Peloton walk workout (more for the Maroon 5 soundtrack than anything) and took a 2-mile power walk. I returned home feeling rejuvenated and ready for the day, and was ever-so-thankful I'd gone with my gut instinct. Later, there were a couple of 1-mile walks at work, a 2-mile walk after dinner, and a 4-mile Full Moon Run in the evening (see below). I went to bed feeling quite accomplished and ready for some slumber.

Finally Friday.

With another "prior evening" run, I kept things pretty low-key Friday morning. I've been enjoying Barre classes (from the Peloton app),both for the subtle strength work they offer as well as the recovery aspect from the waist-down. Thus, I did a 20-minute Barre workout, followed by a core workout. Then, I took Krystal out for an easy 7-mile ride before heading to work. I also got in a couple of 1-mile walks, and called it good for the day.

Long run Saturday, with a tribute thrown in

I was already planning on running 9.11 miles this weekend (in honor of September 11th), but wasn't sure if it would happen on Saturday or Sunday. Saturday's weather looked more promising, so Barb and I met up at 6:30 and cranked out the miles. Also, in memory of Eliza Fletcher, I dedicated this run as part of the #FinishElizasRun movement. I also paid full tribute and donned the pink and blue attire (as she had worn on her fateful run).

...and what's happening on Sunday?

The weather is looking dry, but chilly. I'll get out for an early walk (or maybe a short recovery run?), and hopefully work in a bike ride at some point. Stay tuned.

In summary, this week kept me busy (and that's just the way I like it). It also had me feeling a bit fatigued at times, and that's not a bad thing. Running saw one of its biggest weeks in awhile with 22 miles (and change). Walking was in close contention with 22 miles as well. Biking hit 64 miles. Strength training had some upper-body and core work, but any focused lower-body work was limited to Barre. 

In case you missed out, there was only one blog post this week. Things were busy, and I didn't have much to say, LOL (nor did I have sufficient time to read/comment on very many other blogs):

Weathering It Out & About

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. As mentioned, it was Cy-Hawk Week in the state of Iowa. We had a tailgate potluck at work, so a bunch of us wore our team (or alma mater's) colors. 

Well, Saturday's Cy-Hawk didn't end favorably for the Hawks. Oh well. The oldest Cyclone daughter joined me for some tailgating fun. We didn't make it to the (rainy) game, but we did get in 5ish miles of walking! I can't complain about the day at all. 

Lastly, although the full moon wasn't "official" until Friday, we opted to do our monthly run an evening early. Barb and Allison and I met up at 8:30 on Thursday night. The temps were wonderful (mid-70F's), the sky was clear, and the Harvest Moon was huge (although it looks itty-bitty in the pics). With the (chilly) fall-preview temps of recent, this evening's run was reminiscent of the summer weather I love. Four miles of bliss, with running friends, made for a great evening.

So, there you have it. Another week of fitness fun, and I'm ever grateful for the role it plays in my life. As I said on Facebook, it serves a lot more than just physical well-being...it also gives me solace, peace and strength in coping with life's ups and downs.

How did your week go? Any favorite workouts to brag about?  Did you catch the harvest moon? Did you take part in the Finish Eliza's Run this weekend? 

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