Sunday, May 22, 2016

Sunshine, Planking, and DOMS...Oh MY!





It was another successful week of action....but there was that (repeat) occurrence of DOMS. What the heck is up with my shins? I seldom ever have any issues with shin splints, but this was second consecutive long run where the shins have been angry with me.

Monday started with a spontaneous plank at lunch time...this time balanced (somewhat) on the "balance" ball (an oxymoron if there ever was).Have you ever tried to hold a plank in any manner with a balance ball?


 I also did my #nevermissaMonday run, and it was a short mile (due to the DOMS). The mile wasn't painful, thankfully, and after the first couple of blocks, I could feel the muscles loosening up...but there was no need to be a hero.

Tuesday, we had strange weather. It was dark and humid in the morning, rained in the afternoon, then cleared up and was beautiful by the time I got home from work. The DOMS were still residing in my shins, so I made a last-ditch effort to get rid of them...compression sleeves all day (for the second consecutive day), under my pants at work. Desperate times, desperate measures.

I spy with my little eye...compression sleeves!
 After work, I headed out for some hilly miles with the husband and friend. And I'm not kidding when I called them "hilly." But, alas, hills are good training, even if you don't have an upcoming race with a hilly course. Running hills (occasionally) allows for a variety of muscles to get worked...and, besides, it gets boring running flat terrain.


Wednesday? Not much to report, but I was challenged to plank with my pup.....

Seriously, it is MY yoga mat, but Max thinks otherwise
Thursday, I had a relatively small workload at the office, so I got home early for lunch and was told to call back around 2:00 (to see if they would need me to return after lunch). So....a few hours all to myself? I decided to dust off the Mongoose and go for a ride (care to read all about it? recap HERE) . We have a state park a few miles west of town, and there's a bike trail that takes us there. Let me just say, this trail is a huge challenge. It's constant hills, which is one thing when you're running them...but quite a different animal on wheels. I made the entire round trip without having to dismount or walk the bike (#victory).

Approaching for the final hill...
Later that evening, since the temps were great, I also ran a few miles. Why not? Have legs, will run!  At the risk of another oxymoron, I'm calling Thursday's stuff a "split brick." Technically, a brick is multiple forms of workouts performed back-to-back (usually for triathletes/duathletes in training...swim/bike, bike/run, run/bike/run, etc.).

Biking 15 (hilly) miles at lunch, running 3 (flat) miles in the evening
Friday was Bike to Work Day...but I forgot about that until I was half way there in my car (and already running late). I decided to ride my bike back to work after lunch, though. Holy Screaming Saddle Sores, Batman! The DOMS of my shins had nothing on the saddle sores of my booty! An advantage of small-town living is that the commute to work is not far...for me it's about a 7-mile round trip from my driveway. Thankfully, the saddle sores were manageable after the first few minutes.


Saturday brought with it a morning of volunteering at a small, local 5K. I got to hang out on one of the corners and ring my cowbell. I may have even stopped, dropped, and planked in between runners.

After the race, Barb and I met up to knock out some training miles. This was going to be our first "summer temps" run. Not an ideal situation, starting our run around 10:15AM, but both of us helped with the race, so that's how it played out. We were able to get in 10 miles, then called it a day. Barb needed to meet her daughter, and I was ready for a break. My right heel has been acting a little wonky recently. It feels fine when running, but feels a little "off" walking and standing. I didn't want to overdo it. Besides, some of us made (spontaneous) plans to meet up that evening for a Full Moon Run, so I knew I'd be getting more miles in anyways.


Later, as planned, the Full Moon Run commenced. I headed out and ran a couple miles on my own, then met the others (my husband, Barb, and another friend, Bill). The temps were heavenly (high 60's), the sky was clear, and the moon was bright! We did a fast 5K, and I was pleasantly surprised how effortless those five (total) miles felt (after having run 10 miles earlier). 


Sunday was a day of active recovery. LOTS of garden squats (in the hot sun) and some planking. Are any of you doing the #plankaday challenge? 

Planking in the sun.....life is good!
In other news:

Remember the garden we put in a week ago? We discovered some stray animal had been digging in there and eating some of the leaves off the tomato plants, and left his (or her) droppings in the grass nearby. This is what happens when the dog rolls around in droppings left from said other animal: Emergency bath pronto!

This is what happens when Max rolls in poo.....
Apparently, I have made an impression on a fast food chain. Funny, but I don't recall ever tweeting about anything Long (other than training runs), I don't know too many guys named John (and I'd much prefer to email them than tag them on social media), or Silver (I do prefer it to gold, but don't typically bring it up in conversation). Should I be flattered or insulted? (I'm going with flattered...#glasshalffull)



Earlier this week, my yellow irises bloomed! Aren't they beautiful?


How was your week? Did you get plenty of sunshine? Any cross-training? Have you ever used compression sleeves for DOMS relief?

As usual, we're linking up with Holly from HoHo Runs and Tricia from MissSippiPiddlin for the Weekly Wrap! Please head over and check out all the exciting news!



















36 comments:

  1. Are you running with Mars tonight? We won't be able to see it here (too close to Chicago and it never gets dark really) but it would be cool to see!

    Sorry to hear about your DOMS. I had shin splints a few years ago after Chicago. I needed to take a couple weeks off running. And change shoes. Ugh to all that.

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    1. No DOMS this week!!!!! I think we actually saw Mars on Saturday night....there was a very bright "star" near the moon and it had a reddish glow ;-) #starstruck

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  2. Great job on all your planking! I love the pic in the sunshine! I have worn compression sleeves for DOMS. But what helped the most was massaging the spots that hurt. I had to have my husband do it because it hurt. But, it was worth it and it went away!

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    1. I massaged them throughout the day(s), too. No DOMS this week, so hopefully that's the end of that era.

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  3. I hope your sore shins give you some relief soon! I grew my tomatoes and peppers in patio containers this year because animals ravage the big garden. A planking cowbeller at a race is the best!

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    1. Planking with cowbell.....I have done stranger things (believe it or not)

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  4. Gorgeous iris' ! Wow, you had a busy week. Maybe that biking will give your shins some reprieve. My right shin tightens when 1) I am not properly warmed up 2) I kick in my speed before being warmed up 3) my body is slightly out of alignment often due to some muslces being sore or stiff. It was that way last week and it took my body 25 to 30 minutes to warm up and have no shin tightness. Ggggrrrr.
    Hope you have a great week. You are doing great on your plank challenge. You have inspired me !

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    1. I'm happy to report the shins are happy this week! I saw your plank(s), and your "never miss a Monday!!"

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  5. I've always had to wear compression to work under my dress pants before. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Hopefully your shins feel better soon!

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    1. The shins are better! I've worn the compression a time or two under regular clothes, so it's not a new thing LOL

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  6. I wear compression sleeves all the time under work pants! I hope your shins are feeling better. Your Iris' are so pretty. I just dug mine up. They were in a place where they didn't get enough sun and looked bad. I was tired of looking at their sad bed. The full moon run sounds like a great idea. Max is too cute! I think it's HIS yoga mat. Ha. Thanks for linking with us Kim.

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    1. I LOVE my compression sleeves! They are a lot easier to disguise in the cooler weather, though (like, under boots).

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  7. DOMS are the worst! I hope both your bum and your shins are feeling better!

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  8. That is weird about your shins being sore. Any change in shoes? Could they be reaching their limit? Love all the planks still. I'm back at it. Trying for mixing up the cross training this week with either a kettle bell class or spin class. I wish I could ride my bike to work. 18 miles is too long one way! :)

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    1. It was strange about my shins....the only other time I've had problems is way back when I transitioned to street running from the treadmill (like, 10 years ago!), so this kinda took me by surprise...all is well now ;-)

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  9. It sounds like you had a great week! Great job with the planking..I have planked on one of those balls and it takes me a lot of focus to not fall off, haha! I am currently wearing compression socks under my work clothes since I'm still very sore from my hilly 10 mile race on Sunday, so I feel your pain! Great job with the bike ride too, I was out of town most of last week so I didn't get to enjoy the biking to work fun :(

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    1. planking on the ball was tough, it really did take focus!

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  10. I love the planking with a pup pic! I've never run at night before. I run in the dark all the time because I'm an early morning runner, and sometimes the moon is still out...so I guess I technically have run in the dark with the moon before!

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    1. It's really calm and peaceful in the dark, whether it's early morning or late evening ;-)

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  11. I have loved all of your IG photos last week! Keep up the planking :) Have a great week

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  12. Do your irises have a nice fragrance? Funny about the fast food chain following you on Twitter. It's funny what we attract sometimes! :)

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    1. I don't really notice the iris having fragrance....all I can smell tight now is the lilacs! I don't have any in my yard, but they are everywhere else!

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  13. My dog thinks it's her yoga mat too! She drives me a little nutty when I'm trying to stretch or do yoga. Also, planks on a balance ball are hardcore! Nice job girl! -C

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    1. Planking is tough enough, add a dog to the mix and it really gets challenging ;-)

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  14. sounds like a pretty full but great week of workouts - and planking! Love the one with your pup, haha.

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    1. The week went fast....this week is supposed to be kind of dark and damp....I'll be inside more than I prefer

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  15. Great week! All our pugs had baths this weekend, too, although not because they rolled in anything. Not this time.

    Saddle sores can be rough. I've been really lucky that after my first couple of rides, everything seems to be ok on my backside. I've been putting off buying a pair of padded cycling shorts, but I think I can last without them a little while longer.

    We had awful storms this week, so it made my Thursday night race pretty unpleasant, but we needed the rain, so it was a good thing.

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    1. We're supposed to get rain most of this week. We certainly need it, but I don't enjoy it daily....I'm more of a "now and then" rain gal LOL

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  16. Wow is this a normal week? You got it in every single day!

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    1. I typically try to do something every day...even if it's just a few planks or simple yoga

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  17. Nice job with your planks! I love all your poses, especially the one in the sun. Those bike seats are the worst! I wear padded shorts, but I'm still sore for a few days after riding. Hope your shins feel better. I've never tried compression sleeves for DOMS, but a lot of people swear by them.

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    1. Compression is the Bomb! I tend to have some post-long run puffiness, but it doesn't hit me until a day or so later (kind of like the DOMS).I think it's a dehydration thing. I usually pull on the compression sleeves after my shower (following a long run ...10 miles or further), and wear them for a good 24 hours (sometimes longer). They make a huge difference for me!

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  18. Your Irises are beautiful and nice job on the planking! One exercise that I do a few times a week to strengthen shins is spell out the alphabet with your foot and then switch. It works!
    I hope those pesky shin splints feel better soon!! :)

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    1. I will try to remember the ABC exercise! Typically, I don't have any issues with my shins, so it's odd I'd have the DOMS , twice! I have been upping my mileage recently...probably need to be upping the stretching as well ;-)

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