Emotions were RUNNING high

It was a roller coaster week of emotions!

With the (quite hopeful) potential of getting the (return-to-running) green light from the surgeon on the horizon, I wanted to be especially careful with my walking mileage (you know...so as to NOT jinx anything). Yeah...that was my plan on paper....


Monday's emotions: contemplative, sad, respectful, pride-laden
Well, that conservative mileage idea kinda sorta (most definitely) went out the door on Monday. Monday was not an ordinary Monday this week. It was Patriot Day, a day I take very seriously. In years past, I have always done something symbolic to commemorate this day and pay honor to it. I have run for 9.11 minutes. I have walked for 9.11 minutes in complete silence (no music). One year, I even ran 9.11 miles after work (under especially hot and humid conditions).

During my morning 3-miler

This year, my circumstances were different. I did my early morning walk (about three miles), and spent most of that in thought and prayer. Later, I had an extended lunch hour (with the possibility of not needing to go back later), so I headed out for another 3+ miles in the beautiful and warm (dare-I say?) summer-like temps. It's been a long time since I've been out in the midday sunshine in workout clothes!

9.11 miles done in tribute to September 11th

Later, it turned out that I didn't need to return to work after all, so I put my shoes back on and headed out again...this time on a quest for 3.11 more miles. It wasn't easy, and the final mile or so went pretty slow because my body was tired (and the temps had gotten warm). But I did it. 9.11 miles for the day...and the total walking time was around 2 hours and 15 minutes. How's that for a #nevermissaMonday?

Tuesday's emotions:calm and needing recovery
Tuesday was very low key, and a much-needed recovery day for my legs. A mere 1.5 mile in the early hours with the hubby and Max, and 3-total (cumulative) miles for the entire day.

The daily morning jaunt....

Wednesday's emotions:calm
Wednesday, I was out the door (on my own this time) for two hilly miles in my neighborhood.

Post walk...stretching in the (still) dark morning hours

The weather felt like summer again, and Max and I added another 2 bonus miles in the afternoon heat!

Back in a tank top!!!!

Thursday's emotions: Excited, nervous (and, later, extreme joy!)
Thursday morning, I met up with Barb for a very fast-paced 3.5 miles at 5:00 a.m., then Max and I did another 1/2 mile trip around the block.

I had to finally break out the Visi-belt....

Later, the hubby and I headed to meet with the surgeon for another post-op follow-up/progress check. He was very pleased with how good the suture scar is healing and the reduced (now almost non-existent) swelling. At long last, after 11 weeks of post-op recovery, he gave me the green light to return to my normal activities (including running!). No more follow-up appointments, but I am supposed to call him immediately if I have any problems or concerns.To say I was ecstatic would be a major understatement!

Upon leaving the surgeon's office, I was so excited for my return to running

Friday emotions:sheer happiness sprinkled with apprehension
As eager as I was to get back on the road and return to running, I knew it would not be just like picking up from where I left off three months ago. I wanted it to be a monumental endeavor, so I decided to wait until Saturday...when I'd have more time to really enjoy it (and not have to worry about getting to work on time, etc.). The hubby and I took Max for a quick 2-miler, and I called it good.

It felt SO good to be back in summertime temps!

Saturday emotions: all over the place
The weather was perfect (mid-60's...just like summer, which is my favorite time of year). I purposely did not set my alarm because I wanted this endeavor to be in full daylight so I could cherish every moment. I headed out around 7:00 and walked about 1/4 mile to warm up (in addition to some foam rolling and dynamic "warm-ups"). When I broke into a run, I could feel my eyes welling up and there was a bit of a lump in my throat. I felt ZERO aches, pains, or stiffness. My goal was to run for 3 city blocks, then walk for 2....and I did that for a total of 3.5 miles. It felt SO good to be running again, even if it was with intervals. Feeling the sweat running down my back, squinting into the sun, and

double-knotting my laces...total euphoria! It almost felt like I'd never had that 3-month sabbatical!

All aglow and happy to be running again!

Later, my sister and I headed to Iowa City for the University of Iowa vs. North Texas game. My son is now a student at Iowa, so it was fun meeting up with him while we tailgated. A new tradition at the Iowa games is the Hawkeye Wave. The entire crowd turns and waves to the children at the new Children's Hospital...and I was close enough to see the children waving back. Oh gosh...what a beautiful tribute! There were tears burning my eyes and another painful lump in my throat.

With the son, the sis, and doing the Wave

Upon returning home, I took a nasty fall as I was climbing out of the car. Somehow, I lost my footing and the more I attempted to right myself, the more my balance suffered...and down I went, hard. Very hard.Thankfully, I landed on my right outer hip (and not my recovering knee), resulting in lots of road rash on my hands and some nasty bloody scrapes on my fingers and elbow (and several chipped finger nails LOL). UGH!

Sunday emotions: ouch!
I woke up Sunday morning feeling like I'd been hit by a bus. It's probably a combination of (1) DOMS from Saturday's monumental run, (2) sitting for 3+ hours in a cramped football stadium, and (3) aches/pains from that catastrophic fall. There's a lovely (NOT) "saddlebag-looking" bulge on my right outer upper thigh at the moment (don't be jealous), but I think I'll survive this.

It was damp and chilly...

The hubby, Max, and myself did a short 1-mile walk in the damp and cool morning air and that was my morning. I do plan to head out later for a few more easy-paced walking miles when I'm feeling better, later in the day or evening. But, on a side note...the hubby and I went for a somewhat hilly bike excursion in the afternoon! The first 1/2 mile felt a bit stiff, but after that, the knee loosened up and felt fine. Another feel-good adventure on the road to recovery.

The bike felt better this week 

So, total mileage (thus far...Monday-Sunday morning) is at 33(+/-). That's a little higher than expected, but those 9.11 miles on Monday contributed to that.

Another thing I did this week was my first-ever water cleanse/sugar detox. I drink a lot of water, but I usually have to add some sort of flavoring to it. My goal was to make it Monday-Friday drinking only plain water for all of my beverage needs (that means no milk, no juice, no chai latte'...can you see the struggle?). As for the sugar, I tried to not have any blatant sugar-laden foods (candy, granola bars, jam, etc.). I'm happy to report both of these challenges were not that tough, and I did great keeping myself disciplined (there even was a coworker's birthday at work, and I resisted the urge to grab a donut or mini candy bar). I didn't take any measurements, so I don't know if I lost any inches...but I did lose a few pounds (which is probably water weight, so I doubt that's a valid "gain" from the experience). I don't know if I feel any better for the process, but it definitely felt good to know I was making more conscious decisions on what I put into my mouth.

In case you missed them, here's my posts from last week:
The Waiting Game
Summer 2017---Thumbs-up? or Thumbs-down?
Where Are You Running?

My Road to Recovery update:
There's not much left to report on this. I know I'm still not fully recovered (will I ever be 100% back to "normal?"), but each week I can feel more flexibility and range of motion in my knee. It's hard to believe it's been almost an entire three months since all of this drama started, but I do feel better and stronger for the experience. I definitely have a better perspective on the "bigger picture" and that will enable me to not dwell on little frustrations as much as I used to do. Onward!

In other  news:

Did you catch my #FridayFashionFlair post on Instagram? Even though the Iowa temps were flirting with the 90's, it still was chilly in my office. The long sleeves served me well, and you all know I love bright colors. It just happened to work out that my nail polish (from earlier in the week) was still intact and matched almost as good as my lipstick. Priorities, right? You're invited to play along...post a pic of your Friday outfit (or a favorite outfit from the week), use the hashtag #FridayFashionFlair, and tag me (@runningonthefly). It's fun to see my fitness-minded friends in non-workout clothing!

Well, that's a wrap! Talk to me...Did your fall-like temps do a sudden turn-about (and return to summer)? Have you ever done a water cleanse or sugar detox? Ever taken a rather long (necessary) sabbatical from running...and felt "all the emotions" upon returning?

I'm linking up with  Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap. This weekly check-in is such a great place to connect with fellow fitness-minded peeps. Please join us!