…and Spring Awakens

It was quite a week.

Active recovery (ha ha! #SortOf), Celebrations. Service. And, another race. Not a bad mix, right?

Momma N even righted all the wrongs she threw at us over the previous weekend, so she’s not on my hit list anymore.  

Before I get to 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 blog as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)

Anyways, here’s what went down in my little corner of the universe this week:

Sunday - Active Recovery

Fresh off of the Drake 13.1, I thought it wise to keep things easy-peasy and low-impact. I started the morning with 10 miles on the bike, and took Max for a quick walk before heading to church. Later, he took me for a second walk, LOL, after which I headed back out for a solo 2-mile walk before prepping for lunch with the parents, the son and his girlfriend. Amazingly, are you ready for this? There were ZERO DOMS, or any awkward aches or pains, from the previous day’s race!

Never miss a Monday

The early morning was still chilly, but take a look at the sunrise! I allowed a slight sleep-in, then got out for a 2-mile walk before getting ready for work. I am ever hopeful that’s the last time I wear that jacket for a long while.  

I got my daily 2-mile lunch walk done (still feeling DOMS-free), and took Max for a quick spin around the block after work before heading back out for a short recovery run. Although there weren’t any aches or  pains, my legs definitely were feeling like those of the Tin Man. But the late afternoon temps were quite spectacular. 

Taking-It-Easy Tuesday (in the early hours, that is)

Look at that! I remembered to wear the weighted vest for my greet-the-day 3-mile walk! I took a day of PTO to take care of some errands and visited my parents for a short while in the afternoon.

I made it back home, did a quick wardrobe change, then headed downtown for the Grand Blue Mile. If you recall, last weekend’s half marathon featured temps in the 30F range (low 20F’s with the windchill), but the GBM was blessed with temps in the 80F’s! I know, that’s far too hot for most people, but those conditions are my sweet spot. I’ve done this race four previous times, and that 1-mile distance is quite humbling. This year was no exception. I had no clue what my pace was (while running) and there was no time  to read my Garmin, so I just went with what felt “comfortably fast” and hoped for the best.  Apparently all the other “old gals” in my age group are aging faster than myself, LOL. This was my “slowest” finish time (my PR is 7:23, for what it’s worth), but it landed me a first place AG, so I’ll take it with the utmost gratitude. That said, it took the rest of the evening to get my breath back and for my throat to clear. 

A Woot-Woot Wednesday

Back to reality, I was up and moving for the 4:45AM group run. We had wonderful, summer-like weather, so no complaints! It won’t be long before we’re finishing in total daylight. And not much longer,  thereafter, we’ll have daylight when we begin at 4:45. I love this time of year, as the daylight seems to increase by leaps and bounds!

The day also included the ritual 2-mile lunch walk, and a couple of walks with Max (after I returned from the morning run and also after work). The post-workday walk included some trash clean-up, for Earth Day.

Thankful Thursday 

It was another Thursday morning with a sketchy afternoon/evening weather forecast, so I opted to head outdoors (with Deb) for four miles of walking. What you can’t see is the weighted vest, which joined us for the first two miles.

After we parted (virtual) ways, I dialed-up a solid upper-body workout, via Peloton. As I’ve said numerous times before, I love these specific short 10-minute workouts. They’re a great fit for me, with my limited time, because they have power-packed moves with ZERO recovery time…anyone can do (most) anything for 10 minutes, right? Plus, I usually use 8-pound weights (instead of the recommended 3-pounds), which ups the intensity. Hey, it ain’t broke, and I don’t plan on fixing it! 

A full Friday

How about we start the morning on the bike (since we haven’t ridden for a few days)? How does  a 20-miler sound? Yes, that’ll suit me just fine. 

I didn’t do the daily lunch walk, though, because several of us on the Wellness Committee spent the afternoon doing trash clan-up for a branch of the Animal Rescue League. It was windy, but sunny!

An action-packed Saturday

There was a local 5K/10K trail race happening, so I headed over to take part. The Rails-2-Trails started from the downtown area and went out and back on the Chichaqua Valley Trail. I hadn’t been on the trail, other than on the segment by my house, since last fall, so this was a fun way to see the budding trees. I did start the morning on the bike, again, but only with 12 miles this time. I walked over to the start line (a 1-mile walk from my house), and then waked back home afterwards. The 10K route ran short (my Garmin, and several other runners’ as well, showed 5.45 miles), but not a big deal for me. I was planning on running 5-6 miles anyways, so doing it on a race course was just a  bonus.

Afterwards, I spent several hours tackling the dandelions on my backyard. This will be my third summer here, and this is the first time I’ve had to deal with these little yellow beasts. Yes, that’s a full garbage bag! My back and legs (lots of squatting, LOL) were trashed afterwards.

…and what’s on-deck for Sunday?

The day is looking dry in the morning, so I might sneak in a walk before church. I may need a nap from all of Saturday’s activities. Stay tuned!

So, a decent week.I sincerely tried to keep things low-impact and low-key. I know, MUCH easier said than done, LOL. Running saw 13 miles, most of which were pretty easy-paced (other than Tuesday’s GBM).  Walking logged 25 miles. Biking had 42 miles in the saddle (all indoor). I’d hoped to get out for an outdoor ride on Saturday, but I was exhausted after all the dandelion work. Maybe this next week will finally see some outdoor biking.

In case you missed out, here’s what went down on the blog:

More Whacky Weather Whiplashing

Drake-Fessions, Anyone?

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. The temps were a bit chilly in the morning, but still quite seasonal. The cool office was the perfect setting for a cozy sweater and a funky sugar skull scarf . I’m not into the dark stuff, but I love the artwork of the sugar skulls. 

This week, Garmin awarded a few badges. The Rise and Grind badge is kind of a joke because I’d had a long streak going, but it ended last weekend while I was finding parking for the half marathon, LOL. It wasn’t until after 7:00, that morning, when I was finally out of my car and actually moving. Oh well. 

Finally, Wednesday was Administration Assistants Day. I’d had PTO on Tuesday, and this beautiful Cyclamen was waiting for me at my desk when I returned on Wednesday. Have I ever mentioned how much I love my job?  

So, that’s the latest! There was a lot going on this week, with the Drake 13.1 recovery, the Grand Blue Mile, the lack of DOMS, the flowers everywhere (including on my work desk), and the Spring sunshine. Yes, I think the cold stuff is finally outta here for a while.  

How did your week play out? Any races? Training for any upcoming races? Does it officially feel like Spring in your area?

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