The Recovery RoLlEr CoAsTeR

Up slowly, with anticipation. Down fast, feeling the rush of excitement. And let's throw in a few upside-down loops and quick turns....

That may sound a lot like a roller coaster, but it also kind of parallels my recovery. Thankfully, the slow-moving uphills have been equally neutralized by the thrill of the downhills, so all is good and things are still progressing forward despite a few sudden twists and turns.  I just wish the forward motion was a bit speedier (but, don't we all?).


Here's the nitty gritty of the past week:

Monday
Did you all know there was this little thing happening across most of America? An eclipse, I believe, is what they called it. Well, having been an astronomy dork in my earlier years (and probably still a little bit of that remains), I was all over it. The hubby suggested (a month or so ago), that it would be fun to travel to a spot where we'd be in the Path of Totality, and it did not take much persuading for me to agree.

We could not find lodging anywhere near any of the major towns in the PofT, so we decided to make it a (long) day trip instead. This meant a 3:30 wake-up to be on the road by 4:00 a.m. Our destination? Grand Island, Nebraska. Once there (we arrived around 9:30), we set up camp in a Starbucks parking lot and waited. My fitness for the entire day was a mere 1.5-mile walk with Max (you know, #nevermissaMonday), but the eclipse experience was SO amazing! The sky got dark, the birds freaked out, the temps dropped....and it, indeed, felt like we were experiencing a force far greater than mankind.

The hubby, youngest daughter, Max and myself...

Tuesday
Despite getting home late (after 10:00 p.m.) from our epic eclipse excursion (and not getting to bed until almost midnight), I was able to rise and shine for three miles Tuesday morning. I may have had more than just one chai latte' that morning, though, to keep my eyes open and my brain (somewhat) alert for a long day at the office.

How about a little "filter fun" to jazz up this sleep-deprived walk?

Wednesday
Still bordering on a sleep-deprived state, I didn't get out the door until after 5:30. Seriously, where did all of these college students come from, and what were they doing at 5:45 in the morning on my route (when I have optimum light for a selfie)? Oh yeah, it's THEIR college, not mine. The challenge wasn't knocking out a 5K (in my state of exhaustion), but getting that subtle selfie while being rather inconspicuous in doing so (I know, priorities, right?).

Is this a subtle selfie pose?

Thursday
Since I'm not doing the usual #5at5's these days (the 5-milers at 5 a.m.), Barb and I are calling them #5Kat5 instead...because a 5K walk is much more manageable in the wee hours than a 5-mile walk would be (especially on a work day). I'm pretty grateful to have a runner gal pal who is willing to rise and shine and WALK with me. Don't we all agree that runner friends are the best...and they are more than just "runner" friends, they are genuine friends as well?

the 60-degree temps felt much more walker-friendly than the recent low 50's 

Friday
Since I've been scaling back my miles recently, and had done 3-ish miles the past three mornings, I only walked a couple miles Friday morning, and ended the day with a grand total of three miles (which included a few walks with Max). Similar to running, it feels odd to cut back the miles when you have the energy (and time) to go farther...but it's also necessary to give yourself that down time. Growth and strength come from recovery, right?

A side note--I have mentioned previously, there is a lot of construction going on in my town right now. This gigantic crane (on the college campus) is about the size of a city block in its girth....and we've been told it will be there until sometime next year. It certainly lights up the sky!

Don't be fooled...this is not a glamour shot, but an attempt to keep the bangs off my face in the wind

Saturday
I have been not setting my wake-up alarm on Saturday mornings in recent weeks, and (thus) have not been waking until after 7:00 on most occasions as a result (usually, I wake up before my daily 5:00 a.m. alarm).  I take that as a sign that my body really needs those two extra hours of slumber, so I'm going with it (for now) since I don't have any training plan to follow for upcoming "big"races.  That said, I still want to maintain a "training" mentality and do a longer walk on Saturday mornings.

Even though I'm not back to running, I can dress like I am (in my Grandma's Marathon jacket)

I didn't get out the door until 7:45 for my 5-miler, but all went well. Although it was only five miles, walking those five miles took much longer than running them. By the time I returned home, almost 85 minutes later (which, by the way, also included two potty stops and a few failed selfie pic attempts), I was genuinely tired....I truly felt like I had run twice the distance (85 minutes is close to what my usual finish time would have been for a 10-miler had I been running). That 5-mile adventure was my longest continuous distance in a few weeks, and it felt good to have that hurts-so-good influx of endorphins at the finish. There were a couple of short walks with Max, but that was it for the day's fitness.

Sunday
I set my alarm for 5:00 a.m., but ignored it and let myself snooze a little longer (like two hours longer LOL). The hubby joined me, and we did approximately three fast-paced miles. A bonus? My hair still had all of the previous evening's beachy waves still intact (again, #priorities).

Walking with the hubby, keeping in step with each other....

Over all, it was a solid week, even with the scaled back mileage. My sleep was majorly compromised, with our trip to the eclipse on Monday, and it felt like it took the entire week to make up those lost hours of sleep. Keeping the miles moderate was a necessity, not only for my sleep deprivation, but also for my continued recovery. My mileage came in around 26...which is even less than the previous week's 30, but that's where it really needs to be for now (possibly even less).

In case you missed them, here's what was posted last week:
**Scaling Back
**Fitness and Photos
**RuNfEsSiOnS for August

Road to Recovery update:
Mobility has really improved a lot recently! I'm finally able to take the stairs like normal, both going up AND (at long last) going down. I have returned to wearing the compression sleeve (for most of the day), and that really seems to help.

Range of Motion is vastly improving as well. I'm still not able to bend my leg enough to run (or take the steps "by two's"), but I have noticed my knee bending more and more without my needing to make a conscious effort to do it. My patience is wearing thin, but I am holding on. I refuse to force anything on my knee until I have clearance from my surgeon (after all, this is his field of specialty, not mine).

The suture site gave me a bit of a scare recently, but seems to be healing well none the less. The drainage has pretty much come to a halt, perhaps a result of wearing the compression, and that is a huge milestone. I met with my surgeon on Thursday, and he noted the improvement and was very optimistic about how well things are healing. There has been a continuous "bulge" on the top of my knee, most likely bursa fluid that has not been reabsorbing as quickly as we'd hoped. He aspirated most of the fluid out, and sent it to the lab to check on the cultures...more for peace of mind than out of concern. The good news is that the fluid has not reappeared (at least it doesn't appear to have done so). He suggested I keep the compression on it for now, which may help with keeping everything "compressed and in place." I actually prefer to have the compression, anyways, because I notice the suture site feels a lot more "tight" without it (and my range of motion is not as good). We'll have the lab report back Monday or Tuesday, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed nothing sketchy shows up.

In other  news:

Did you see my #FridayFashionFlair post on my Instagram page? Each week, I seem to get more and more positive feedback, and this post garnered a lot of attention. Black and brown seems to be a color combo that has been taboo for a long time, which is why I love the challenge of making it work! We all know I love my cheetah print accessories, so there you go. These colors naturally appear in nature (or at least on animals), why not try them for yourself? I'd love to see your Friday outfit (or ANY favorite outfit for that matter)...play along---> post your pic, use the #FridayFashionFlair hashtag, and tag me (@runningonthefly), C'mon, join the party!

Black and brown for the win

Friday also was a much anticipated hair appointment day! It's the little things, right? My hair seems to keep getting darker (and darker), especially those nasty roots that are front and center above my face. UGH. I know, I should be grateful there aren't any greys (well, there probably are a few grey hairs, but they are hidden from my vantage point). First world probs and all, I should not let this little annoyance be such an issue...but the constant upkeep is high-maintenance. 

Traffic light selfie...#noshame

Our youngest went back to school on Thursday, and is now a senior! What the WHAT? How did that happen? It seems like we just sent her off to preschool...like yesterday (?).

First day of preschool...and senior year (sniff sniff)

And, last of all, did you know Saturday was National Dog Day? Did you celebrate or, at least, honor your dog? We've had Max since January of 2015, and he's been such a great little guy (when he's not ransacking the kitchen garbage or marking his "spot" on the living room rug). We adopted him from a nearby shelter, and he has brought us so much joy, laughter, and non-stop companionship.

Maxton McArthur

So, that's the latest and greatest! How was your week? Are your kiddos back in school? Have you ever gone through a recovery that felt like a roller coaster ride?

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

I'm also Linking up with the Jess's...Jessie from The Right Fits and Jess from Jess Runs Atlanta for their weekend link-up.