Sunday, June 4, 2017

Shall We Taper?


Another week in training, and more mileage in the books. Grandma's Marathon is now two weeks out and I am officially (joyously) in taper!


Here's what went down as I approached the commencing of taper...

Monday involved my typical five miles (technically, the mileage came in at 5.5...but who's counting?), though not in the typical #5at5 format. Since it was Memorial Day, some of us locals decided to meet up at the lake (which is right alongside our cemetery) and do a group run. I wanted to get in a couple extra miles, so I ran the (almost) two miles from my driveway and met everyone there, including the hubby.
Memorial Day
We had awesome temps, sunshine, and a beautiful (albeit somber) setting. After a lap around the lake, we turned onto the path that took us into the cemetery. There were American flags on numerous grave sites, as well as along most of the car path. It's a very scenic and hilly route. It was a physically challenging endeavor, and also quite emotionally challenging as well. It was also very spiritually cleansing. Another #nevermissaMonday complete.
Image may contain: 6 people, people smiling, sky, sunglasses, outdoor and nature
It's always fun running with friends
Not much happening on Tuesday as far as training, though I did post a pic on Instagram, inviting everyone to join me (virtually) for my #5at5 the next morning. I did have some decent response even though I didn't think of posting the invite until around 9:00p.m. Stay tuned, I may just have to extend another virtual #5at5 invite in hopes of getting a few more early morning runners to rally with me!


As mentioned, the #5at5 happened on Wednesday this week (instead of the usual Thursday). Following Monday's hilly run through the cemetery, my hammies were pretty angry, and the DOMS were having a celebration at my expense. Although the hammies were ornery for most of the five miles, they actually felt much better by the time I finished. I thought it would be in my best interest to do the five miles a day early (Wednesday instead of Thursday), thus giving my legs almost three entire days of rest before my half marathon on Saturday (which also had five bonus miles on tap after the finish line, which would have netted me 18 total miles for the morning).

It's always a gamble in a situation like this. Running those five miles on already compromised legs (with extra rest and recovery afterwards), or take an extra day of rest before doing the five miles (but having less time to rest up for the big run on Saturday). It turns out, my decision to run on Wednesday was spot-on, and the legs felt much better afterwards and really enjoyed the extra rest  leading up to the weekend. Whew! I love it when my gut instinct makes the right decision!
Another five early morning miles
Thursday, being the first day of June, I started my new monthly challenge.
New month, new goals
My main focus doing these yoga moves is to take things easy (with the marathon happening in a couple weeks), but to also work a bit on leg strength and balance. My initial goal was to do each of the yoga poses for 30 seconds (on each side). Already, though, on that first day, I realized that these seemed  kind of light...so I've been holding the poses for 60 seconds instead, and doing them twice a day.
Forward Fold for the win
Not much for Friday, since I was trying to rest the legs, but I did my June Challenge poses.

Also, I posted my #Fridayfashion pic.  I can't remember when I started posting my Friday outfits (sometime last fall?), but it's been a fun challenge for me to come up with something different each week. I have thought of doing a collage of past pics, mainly to show that you can  mix & match what you already have to create a lot of outfits without needing to constantly be buying new stuff. #staytuned Look for me on Instagram ( @runningonthefly), and post YOUR Friday outfit, tag me, and play along!
I love the kiwi and turquoise color combo!
My favorite event every year, Dam to Dam, was on Saturday. I have mentioned this race numerous times; it's now a half marathon (it had been a 20K up until 2014). It was my first-ever big race...I ran it in 2008 and was instantly hooked. I have gone back each year since, and this was my 10th anniversary of running it. I had been stalking the weather all week...and it wasn't looking good. Thunder storms were in the forecast for Saturday morning (Wednesday's forecast), then it changed to scattered storms with a partly cloudy sky (Thursday), and by Friday all the storms were gone and full sun was awaiting us.
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Wednesday's, Thursday's, and Friday's forecasts for Saturday
The day was beautiful, albeit quite warm and very humid. The race director notified us (via email and various social media channels) about the severity of the weather conditions.  We were cautioned to run slower than usual and to be diligent about hydration. Don't forget, I also had the grandiose plan to run five extra miles after the finish line. I'll save the nitty gritty details for the race recap, but will tell you that I felt great until mile 11. I don't think it was the proverbial wall, per se, but I knew my finish time was not going to reflect my actual ability because I had been stopping at every water station and pausing for a few pics along the route. Also, I kind of just gave up caring about my finish time and took a few walk breaks. Mile 12 came, and I took a few more. I was able to rally some mojo to finish the last mile pretty strong, but there were no finish line endorphins to bask in. It took me awhile to find Barb and Chuck (the hubby was somewhere behind me on the course), but I knew our five bonus miles were not a great option at that point. I could have sucked it up and done them, but it would have been pretty ugly...and with the marathon 14 days away, I did not want to take that chance. And, upon finding Barb and Chuck (and the hubby shortly thereafter), I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me. I didn't feel faint, but I knew I needed to sit down somewhere in the limited shade.
With the hubby, Chuck, and Barb before the race
I would guess most of the runners on Saturday had less-than-desired finish times because the heat was so brutal. I personally LOVE the heat, and it was a challenge for me in the final miles. Although I would have liked to have run the entire race, I don't need those kind of bragging rights to validate myself as a runner. I knew I needed to focus on the big picture (ahem, that marathon in two weeks LOL), and I'm at peace with everything. 
My 10th Dam medal


In case you missed them, here are last weeks posts:

Back in the SPRING of things



So, that's the latest and greatest in my little corner of the universe. My mileage (Monday - Saturday) came in around 24 miles. Ugh. I was really hoping to be a bit higher, but that long run on Saturday (which ended at 13.33) kind of messed up that wish. My Sunday miles are TBD ...I'm headed to Chicago when this post goes live, so I'll include those miles in next weekend's wrap-up post. 

How was your week? Is your training on track, or are you recovering from a recent race? Has the summer weather arrived?  Have you ever had your weather forecast change drastically within a few day's time? WOuld YOU join me for a virtual #5at5?

I'm linking up with Mary Beth (on behalf of Holly and Tricia) for the Weekly Wrap. Please join us! 

45 comments:

  1. Great job! It's always good to listen to the bod and take those walk breaks.

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    1. I always walk through the water stations anyways, but Saturday's heat was so sudden!

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  2. I think it was smart of you to take it easy in those conditions. Enjoy the taper!

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    1. The heat is usually not a problem, but we had not had any heat of that magnitude yet...so, it took us all by surprise

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  3. You rock. I could never keep up with you. Have fun tapering. I can't imagine you slowing down though.

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    1. Ha! You are too kind ;-) I have ZERO problems slowing down if the conditions dictate doing so ;-)

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  4. Great job on all your workouts this week! I love that you set new monthly challenges for yourself each month.
    Sorry that the race was so hot on Saturday but congrats on another half marathon finish!

    Hope you're enjoying your taper time!

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    1. The heat was brutal because it was so unexpected, and we had not had a chance to acclimate to it. There were a lot of people getting sick and collapsing on the course, so I was very lucky.

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  5. I have to know what is the origin of Grandma;s marathon? I've been wanting to know forever

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    1. There's a restaurant in Duluth called Grandma's...and I believe that's the origin. When we were there in 2015, there was a little lady dressed in old fashioned clothing who was "Grandma" at the expo and we had our pic taken with her LOL

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  6. Sounds like a smart decision to save your energy for Grandma's - I can't believe it's only 2 weeks away!

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    1. Two weeks is crazy! Hard to believe it's that close...

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  7. Okay, now I'm having a hard time keeping track of who all is running Grandma's and who all is running Utah this month. So much running going on!
    I've been trying to play along with your Fashion Friday posts and it would be fun to take a look at what other bloggers (in our blogging circle) post but do you know how many #FashionFriday hashtags are out there?..lol And some of them have Nothing to do with fashion (that I can tell...haha). Perhaps we can come up with a original hashtag so we can follow our running blogger friends. what do you think?

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    1. I have some ideas on an "exclusive" Friday hashtag...stay tuned!

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  8. Nice job! I sure hope it isn't warm for Grandmas!

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    1. I'm hoping for better weather as well. I know it was brutal last year...

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  9. Short runs always seem to help me through DOMS, but it's scary getting started when your legs are really sore!

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    1. I have found when my legs are really sore, the aches ease up after the first mile or so...the key is to start out slow and take it easy and not overdo it

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  10. I will join you for a #5at5 why not? The heat is no joke for for us southern girls and we have been running in it for awhile. You did a great job! Congrats! Enjoy Chicago! Thanks for linking up!

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    1. Chicago was a blast, though way too short of a trip. We need a girls weekend there sometime!

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  11. Summer hit with a vengeance this weekend, didn't it? Can't wait to hear more about Dam to Dam. Happy taper! Or is it tapir?? :p

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    1. Summer abruptly landed on Saturday! I don't mind the crazy heat, but I do prefer a bit of an acclimation period...

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  12. I love your June yoga goal! I'm sure you'll do great at Grandma's, despite cutting your long run short this past weekend!

    Summer has definitely arrived here in Vegas. 😵

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    1. I'm looking forward to easing back into a consistent yoga routine (even if it's only for a few daily minutes for now)

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  13. Your Fashion Friday picture is great. I love the green and blue combo!

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  14. yay for taper!! Good luck at Grandmas.

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  15. Sounds like you got the heat you've been wishing for! It's tough on the body though when you haven't had time to get acclimated to it! Heck, what am I saying ...I've lived in it my entire life and I'm still not acclimated to it! lol

    Have fun in Chicago! Looks like you guys are having fun!

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    1. Ha ha! Oh yes, the heat arrived...without much warning LOL

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  16. Wow! You always blow me away with your activity! I love the blue and green colors in your Friday fashion pic!

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  17. Great job! The heat can really do you in during a race! That was me last year!

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    1. The heat got really crazy at the race...fortunately we had about 24-hours notice, but that still wasn't enough time to acclimate to it.

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  18. I had a really hard time reading past the "Grandma's is now two weeks out..." EEK!!!!! :)

    Sounds like a really awesome week. See you so, so soon!

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  19. Monday's run sounds so peaceful and beautiful.

    We are pretty used to the heat here, for the most part, but there are conditions that just suck you dry, beat you up and spit you out. Those days are hard, but it sounds like you make all the right decisions and did your best. Great job, even if it wasn't quite up to your usual ability level.

    Love that kiwi and turquoise outfit, too! So fun and bright!

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    1. I don't mind the heat, but even I prefer a little bit of acclimation to it...and it just showed up without much warning on Saturday. Oh well.....at least our long winter is officially over!

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  20. I'm thinking you made the right decision to save your energy for Grandmas. Your outfits are so cute!!

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    1. Thank you ;-) I have no regrets conserving my energy. I know if I over do it, my form/gait/stride, etc all will suffer as a result (potentially leading to injury)...and that's a pretty stupid chance to take this close to the marathon.

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  21. Great job and congrats on your race, I didn't even realize you had a half on deck before Grandma's! I'm still in a weird limbo, one more race to go - RNR Seattle! I ran Ragnar last weekend and the Buffalo Half Marathon a few days before that...I can't wait for a break, ha!

    I always struggle with tree pose...I need to work on my balance!

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    1. For as klutzy and uncoordinated as I am, I do alright with most of the balance poses...probably because they involve standing still and not moving LOL

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  22. Wow what a week! Congrats on your race, I love the medal. Good for you making yoga a priority.

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  23. Congrats on a great race! Summer is definitely arriving here in North Carolina, along with the usual humidity. It's about the time of year that I give up fighting with my hair and just let it be wild because it's going to frizz anyway. I'll go back to blow-outs again in the fall...lol. As for outdoor workouts, I try to stick to sunrise this time of year, don't do well in the heat. :D

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  24. I really need to start doing more yoga and building up my strength again. I love the 5 at 5 idea!! Perhaps I'll implement this with my own running group :)

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