This past week? Victorious!

Finally, a week without any major stressors rattling my cage. I managed to (finally) kick the last of the coughing to the curb, which was no easy feat. My theme for this week? I'd call it ViCtOrIoUs!

What all went down? Here's the recap....

Monday started with iffy weather, which is not a big deal. Typically, I only have my #nevermissaMonday (self-inflicted) obligation on deck anyways. My standing goal is,at the minimum, one mile in my running shoes (preferably doing what the running shoes are intended for).

We've been down a car, since having the two college kiddos back home, so I decided to drop off my car at the husband's office (gold star for me!), and the plan was for Max and me to jog/run back home. Great idea on paper, huh! Only, as soon as we pulled into the parking lot of said office, it started to rain. Not a heavy rain, but just enough sprinkles to make that "just a mile" not ideal.  Max didn't mind the rain though, and he lead me back home with enthusiasm.

Tuesday, we had nice weather again. I worked most of the day, but wanted to get out for a few miles in the running shoes. I met up with my main running friend, Barb, and dragged the husband along with us. We have a half marathon happening on June 4th, and the husband needs to get a few more miles under his belt. All went well, he made it for about 4.5 miles, and Barb and I went a bit further and finished at 6.5 miles.

Wednesday, as was forecast, was yucky (again). Ever heard that saying about not being happy with the weather? Just wait around because it will change? Iowa probably was the state where that saying originated. So, yeah, I'm glad we'd made the executive decision to run on Tuesday. I stayed inside and did some core work and arm weights.

Thursday was a rather long, adventurous day...spent in the car. The daughter left for Europe, and my sister and I drove her to O'Hare (Chicago) for her 4:30PM flight. We left early (8:30AM), arrived at O'Hare around 1:00, dropped her off and spent a short while at one of the outlet malls and were back on the road by 3:30. We arrived back home just after 8:00PM, exhausted.   After spending the greater part of 12 hours in the passenger seat, I concluded it is more tiring being the passenger than it is driving . Ugh.

We (again) had cold and rainy weather in the forecast for Friday, so I quickly laced up and managed 2.5 tempo-ish miles before sunset. Somehow, that quick run gave my tired body a bit of energy and feel-good mojo. And the daughter texted us at 1:00AM (Friday) and said she had landed safely in Amsterdam.

Chasing daylight and I came out victorious!

Friday? Nothing to report...yucky weather, work, and a bit of cross-training. And more planking (at lunch,before the rain hit).

Chaturanga plank on the pavement

Saturday...guess what? Cold weather (temps in the upper 30's/low 40'),major wind, but plenty of sunshine. I had planned to do my long run on Sunday anyways, so this was all well and good. I went for a long walk with the sister, and did more planking.

Side planking in the (muddy) grass

Sunday arrived, and it was my first official long run in preparation for the upcoming Ultra in July. I have been doing long runs, but I consider those were more prep for the half marathon that happened two weeks ago. We had ideal weather (temps in the low 40's) and lots of glorious sunshine.

Barb drove over, and the husband and I headed out and we all got moving. Our plan? Barb and I were hoping to knock out 13-15 miles, and the husband was hoping to do 7-8 miles.  We left the house at 6:30, with my main goal to be done in time for church at 10:00. Mission accomplished.

A post-run pic....(no, we did not plan the matching colors)

Post-run plank....on the driveway...on one foot

Some thoughts on this long run: Although it felt victorious to complete this run (Barb and I managed 14.5 miles, the husband did about 8 miles), it did not necessarily come easy. I had a difficult time due to my energy level not being in top condition (possibly due to the recent bout of illness that has lasted close to two weeks).Also, this past week I have noticed some slight wonkiness on my right heel (which is exactly how the Plantar Fasciitis began almost a year ago in my left heel). Ironically, the heel doesn't really hurt when I'm running, but I can sometimes feel it when I'm walking, usually first thing in the morning. I'm being cautious......wearing my (ugly) PF compression sleeve, massaging it throughout the day, and not walking around barefoot. I'm not concerned with it (yet), and am optimistic it will not interfere with my training. (#fingerscrossed)

Look closely...do you see the PF sleeve peeking out from my shoe?

So, in other news:

There's been some additional planking going on, and a bit of a friendly challenge among Marcia (from  Marcia's Healthy Slice ), Wendy (from Taking the Long Way Home), and myself. We're having fun with it, and it's no secret planking is one of my favorite cross-training activities.

Max has been up to his usual craziness. He certainly keeps us smiling.

Mommy, someone messed up the slipcover....(#busted #guilty #notsoinnocent)

Even though Sunday kept me busy in the morning (first running, and then church), it also gave me some additional active recovery opportunities....getting our salsa garden in the ground. Gardening is not for sissies, people! There's lots of squats (#gardensquats) and crazy lunges that keep your body in motion.

So, that's the latest and greatest in my little corner of the world. Have you ever struggled through a long run as a result of recent illness? What's your weather been like? Do you wanna join the #plankaday challenge? Check us out on Instagram (Kim, Wendy, Marcia).

As usual, I'm linking up with the fab gals Holly from HoHo Runs and Tricia from MissSippiPiddlin  for the Weekly Wrap. Lots of great reading...head over and check out all the blogs!