About Me

Sunday, April 29, 2018

Moving and Grooving


It was a pretty monumental week, on so many levels.

To put it in runner's terms, it was comparable to a marathon...only this was the second half of a challenging course en route to that epic finish line. Having survived the previous week (leading up to Prom, and all the necessary preparations), this week was all about recovery (for myself, from the Drake Half Marathon) and dance recital rehearsals (for the daughter and myself).


How did we fare?

Well, on Monday, we were blessed with beautiful, sunshiny weather. Although I felt pretty good considering the previous day's half marathon, my lack of sleep was still at play. I suspected my body was a lot more exhausted than I was  aware, and when I headed out for my #nevermissaMonday run, all suspicions were confirmed. Nothing really hurt, but everything certainly felt like it was moving in slow-mo. None the less, after two easy-paced miles, things felt better. And I slept like a rock (after several hours of dance rehearsals) that evening.
On Tuesday morning, my body (mainly my hamstrings) still felt a bit stiff and angry, but gradually came back to life as the day wore on. In conjunction with Sunday's half marathon, Barb and I headed back to Des Moines to run the Grand Blue Mile that evening. Touted as the USATF 1-mile championships, this was the 9th year of this monumental 1-mile speedy journey through downtown Des Moines (more than 3,500 participants were there!), and it was the first time for both Barb and myself to take part. Also, all the 1-mile racers who also had run the 13.1, 10K, or 5K on Sunday would be awarded with a Bulldog Double medal (we all had yellow-colored bibs indicating that we'd run one of Sunday's events).

Anyways, having never run a 1-mile race before, I had no idea of a strategy. I knew it would be a fast race, though, due to the distance and relatively flat terrain of the course. Barb and I did an easy 1-mile warm-up run before hopping in line right as the race began. My hope was to run that mile in (or around) eight minutes. I have had some mile splits in the 8:05-8:20 range (usually inadvertently, at the start of a downhill race), but I have never maintained that kind of a pace for an extended period of time or distance. This race was pretty crowded. There were runners, walkers, strollers...all lined up with no rhyme or reason (by the way, this was the "recreational wave," there was also a competitive wave and an invite-only elite wave). Thankfully, we were towards the front of the herd, so the necessary weaving was minimal.

When I made it to the finish line and saw the 7 lit up on the clock (indicating I was under 8-minutes), I was in so much disbelief. I glanced at my watch, and there it was...7:56 (somehow I managed 1.01 mile in distance). But when I noticed my actual pace showing 7:52, I was in even more disbelief. I didn't bother sticking around for awards (because not only did I have more dance rehearsals to get back for, I assumed there were others much faster than me for that short of a distance). I later learned that I finished 3rd in my age group (of 74), 182 (of the 1,275 females), and overall 603 (out of the total 2,386 1-mile participants)! The gal who won (overall), though, finished in 4:35 so my ego is still very much in check.
A very successful Bulldog Double!
Wednesday was a day of low-key fitness, and some much-warranted rest. Well, I guess there was that 5-1/2 hour dress rehearsal for the recital. I did get out for an early morning walk to shake out the legs a bit.
Screw calm, go running
I met Barb, on Thursday, for our weekly #5at5 (five miles at 05:00). Nothing really hurt, but I could tell my right hip was still feeling a bit funky. It had felt a little "off" prior to the half marathon on Sunday. I'm pretty sure my lack of sleep compromised my form over the course of those 13.1 hilly miles. The speedy 1-mile race on Tuesday probably didn't help either. My hip felt better by the time we finished, but still not 100% great. But, returning back home, in the daylight, rewarded me with the first daffodil of 2018 in bloom!
Finally! Some of the spring flowers are blooming!
Not much on Friday other than an early morning walk and a few random strength exercises and planking. Dance recital performance #1 was that evening with the daughter. After three weeks of numerous practices and rehearsals, the Mom/Daughter dance went off without a hitch!

 Saturday had me up and out the door for another early morning walk. Since the hip was still feeling a bit wonky, I didn't want to overwork it. Besides, I still had another recital performance that evening and wanted to be in top form for that.
Saturday's clear, blue sky and sunrise were amazing!
Sunday was a no-alarm-set morning, but I still was awake before 6:00. I headed out for three easy miles, and was happy that the hip felt even better. I'm still not going to overdo things, though. My next event is 76-mile team relay in a couple of weeks, so I really have no need for excessive mileage anyways.
Image may contain: one or more people, people standing and outdoor
gotta love the open road
All told, this week was another busy one, and had me in constant motion. My mileage was minimal (12 miles in the running shoes), but I am quite at peace with that. The half marathon warranted some rest, and the 1-mile race (two days later) was pretty intense. My body needed some down time (or, at the very least, a reprieve from the running shoes), and I felt ZERO guilt in honoring that.

In case you missed them, here's last week's posts:
Not My Typical Week
Drake Relays Half Marathon 2018
Runfessing the latest

In other news:
Did you catch my #FridayFashionFlair post of Instagram? As much as I love my bright colors, I also love the crispness of white. I actually am not afraid to wear it year-round, because why not? Adding brightly colored pieces to your white outfit enhances BOTH the white and the accent colors because of the contrast. Play along! Post a pic of your Friday outfit (or a favorite outfit from the week), use the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair), and drop me a tag (@Runningonthefly).

As mentioned in recent posts, I danced in my first-ever recital this weekend. It was the first time our studio ever had a Mom/Daughter dance in the program (there have been Daddy/Daughter dances a few times in years past, though). Also, it's our daughter's senior recital, so this was a very bitter sweet experience. Let me just emphasize there's a reason I run marathons and do not dabble in dance...it's much easier to run for several hours than to move my body in a rhythmic and graceful manner.

This was so much fun!
I'm having some difficulty getting the video to load, but this link (HERE) should give you a preview of the dress rehearsal. It's not the best quality (sorry!). I'm dead center, beginning in the back, and the daughter is to my right. No laughing!!

Last of all, my magnolia tree is blooming! These buds appeared a month ago or so, but have endured numerous overnight frosts and snow this past month.

So, that's a wrap on the past week. Although it was super busy, I wouldn't trade all the activity for anything. 

How are things in your world? Ever had back-to-back weeks of craziness? Ever run a 1-mile race? Ever danced in a recital?

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

58 comments:

  1. I just love the mother daughter dance recital and you 2 look so cute! What a fun idea. Nice job on your speedy one miler. You did have quite the week!

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    1. I'm ready for a "real" recovery week LOL The dance was fun, though it was quite humbling at the first practice session because I was #clueless

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  2. I saw the dance video on FB and I think you held your own! Looks like fun.

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    1. ha ha ha...amazingly, I didn't trip or fall or turn the wrong way

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  3. The first thing I thought was your TFL might be aggravated, so I'm glad to hear your hip is feeling better. Your Friday Fashion Flair reminds me that I need a new pair of white ankle pants ---> your outfit was super cute by the way. Love blue and white together.

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    1. I have gotten so much mileage out of those white skinny jeans!

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  4. Your mile time is great! That's awesome! And a 3rd place AG award- congrats! That female winner in 4:52...holy crap that's super fast.

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    1. yes,but if you think the gal was fast...the dude who won ran it just over 4:00!

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  5. Congratulations on a super speedy mile and age group placement! Kudos for doing the mom/daughter dance routine (sadly, I was unable to view). Is that a Japanese Magnolia? Our southern Magnolias have huge white blooms and different foliage. Whatever it is, it's nice to see it popping for spring. Thanks for linking.

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    1. I have no idea what kind of magnolia tree it is (it came with the house LOL). It seems every year, we get a brief warm-up in late February/early March...and all the buds think it's time to come to life. Then, sadly, a bunch of them get frozen off over the next 4-6 weeks until the real spring arrives.

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  6. Congrats on your mile race and 3rd place AG finish! I've never run a 1 mile race but I bet it would be hard! That's so awesome that you were in a dance recital with your daughter. I used to dance but stopped when I was 18 and I dont think I would have any idea what I would be doing now!

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    1. Well, I have never had any formal dance instruction, so this was eye-opening! I don't have any stage fright issues, but it was freaky to be in the front row (and towards the front) for the last part of the dance with no "dance mirror" to gauge my moves LOL

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  7. We've got some gorgeous pink magnolias in our neighborhood, but our our white. Congrats on the 1 miler. ut 4:35??? And that dance video - it does look like fun. ;-)

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    1. I was so relieved to see most of the magnolia buds starting to bloom...I was worried we'd lose a bunch of them due to the psycho weather.

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  8. What a fun idea with the dance recital! Yay for warm weather!!
    I've only done 1 one mile race (because I got a free entry....I can't see paying for a mile). It is an interesting race for sure. Congrats on getting that sub 8 minutes!
    And - love your Friday outfit!

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    1. Yes, Barb and I were joking about the craziness of the whole thing...driving an hour to run one mile (and, hopefully a fast one mile at that). We had a discounted promo rate a couple months ago, so we decided to give it a go.

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  9. I would've been petrified to do the dance recital. Definitely not my thing.

    Sounds like overall you had a great week! And yes, I still don't think you have to be humble at all. Own it!

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    1. Well, if you would have seen me at our first practice session....oh gosh, I was arms and legs all over the place (and usually not in the correct direction). The daughter gave me a lot of one-on-one instruction!

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  10. I love white shirts, but they never stay clean. Spring weather is here, and even though I know we probably have one more snow storm, I'm starting to rotate winter things out of my wardrobe.

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    1. I'm still wearing full tights on occasion (usually for those 05:00 runs), but am hoping those days are winding down.

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  11. WHAT? You danced in a recital? Go, Kim, go! I couldn't even keep up in aerobics classes so forget about dancing on a stage! I've never run a 1-mile race, but that sounds fun! I think you were smart to do a warm-up mile before hand.

    Have a great week!

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    1. I think the warm-up run was a key factor in that 1-mile race going so "fast" for me. Don't be too impressed with my dancing debut...I only had the one dance. The daughter had 7 dances to remember, one of which was a solo!

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  12. Aww, I watched your video. How Fun! Who picked that tootsie roll song????
    Since I basically was MIA with your #FashionFriday all winter, I hope to pick it up now that it is summer,,, ahem I mean Spring! ( I think we just skipped spring). I just finally noticed today that our magnolia tree is in bloom too! -M

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    1. The dance studio director picks all the music and she (and her staff) choreographs all the dances (except for the seniors, who choreograph their own solos). The first practice I went to (three weeks ago) had me seriously doubting that I'd ever "get it." It was so fast and complicated for this klutz!

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  13. I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to run a 1 mile race, but that's an intimidating distance to me. Congrats on the AG place...and sounds like a PR too?

    "moving my body in a rhythmic and graceful manner" - nope, not something I know anything about. Although I guess technically I've danced in a recital, when I was 6 or 7.

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    1. Oh yes, this 1-miler was definitely a PR! Probably one that will be with me forever because I doubt I'd ever be able to do that again. As for the dance....I have never had any formal dance instruction, so although this was a lot of fun, it was incredibly humbling LOL

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  14. I watched the video and I loved it! Great job Kim!

    Congrats on your 1-mile race. I've never done one but would love to do it to see how fast I could go. I imagine it must be so hard to go all out for that mile. I would need to sit down immediately when finished lol

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    1. You said it...the 1-miler was pretty much an all-out sprint, though it didn't really feel like I was sprinting (because my body is so awkward!). It felt like I was just trying to run faster than "normal," knowing I didn't have to hold that speed for too long.

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  15. The mother/daughter dance recital looks so fun! What a great experience! And congrats on that one-miler. I've never done a 1-mile race, either, and really have no idea how I'd do. It's such a short (and if executed properly, painful!) distance, I'm not sure how I'd handle it.

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    1. This was my first time doing a 1-miler, too. I'm glad I did the warm-up run. There's no way I'd have that kind of speed or momentum (?) at the start line.

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  16. All your weeks are busy, right?

    I cannot imagine running that fast for ONE mile. You are amazing.

    Mother/daughter stuff is so fun. Lucky you!!

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    1. Well, I'm hoping to have some "easy" weeks for awhile now. I have a graduation party to finalize and oodles of organizing to tackle.

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  17. What a cute way to wind up high school dance! Bittersweet for sure and I think you did great! Yay for magnolia blooms! Long time coming!

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    1. This poor magnolia tree....it always gets spanked by our erratic spring weather! This is the first year, in a long time, that I think most every bud will actually bloom!

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  18. How cool, I love the photos of you and your daughter at the dance recital! That sounds like such a fun idea. And congrats on that age group finish for the 1 miler. That does sound like a hard distance to figure out.

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    1. Thanks!! The dance was a lot of fun! Yes, the 1-mile distance is a tough distance to figure out...because I've never tackled it in a race setting. It's one thing to try to run a strong 5K, but knowing I only had 1/3 third of that makes you want to run it harder...but not too hard LOL

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  19. Well congrats congrats congrats! You had a busy week and looks full of fun! Hope your hip feels better and keep up all this winning!

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  20. What a week! Congrats on your 3rd place in the mile run! So glad your mother/ daughter dance went off so well!

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  21. One of those weeks if you blink too hard it will be over. Although, it was busy you had some memorable moments. Glad I could celebrate a great week with you

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    1. Thanks! Yes, I was afraid to blink LOL...I'd either miss something or crash into a deep slumber

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  22. Wow, what a fun week! I love the mother/daughter dance, how cool is that!

    And congrats on that speedy 1 miler!

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    1. Thanks! The mother/daughter dance was also a great calorie burn (considering the 100 times I had to practice it in the past three weeks).

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  23. That recital was everything! Great job to you all!

    Congratulations on the 1 mile. I do a miler every year and it's the hardest race I run. I just can't sprint that hard for that long. My body isn't made for it.

    I am really starting to love the contrast of white and colors. Usually, I go for the brighter colors as well, but there's something about white that is getting me, lately.

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    1. My body isn't really made for sprinting, either, which is why this "speedy" finish totally took me by surprise

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  24. Sounds like such a great week! The dance recital sounds so fun, I would love to do something like that with my daughter!!

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    1. I was incredibly honored that she asked me to do it with her ;-)

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  25. what a week! I thought I was busy doing all the things!!
    how cool that you got 3rd in your AG for the mile race! And the extra bling ain't too shabby either!
    I am SO impressed with the mom/daughter dance! no way I laughed at you in the video - it's totally cool!

    most of my weeks feel like back to back craziness and I am working out a way in my head to eventually less the insanity. I have never run in a 1 mile race before, but the Hubs has :) I haven't danced in a recital, BUT... when I was competing for Starbucks Coffee Ambassador, my team and I remade the Song "Hernando's Hideaway" and all did a Tango/Singing performance in 1940's costumes. That was wild. I won, by the way :)

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  26. That video was amazing! Love seeing the mother/daughter dance! So fun!
    Glad your hip is feeling better and way to ROCK that 1 mile race!
    Happy May :)

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    1. Thanks!! I"m glad May is here...April was totally nutzo on so many levels

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  27. You've been so busy! I'm glad your Mother/Daughter dance was a fun time, and you had 2 performances, no less! That's awesome you did you so well in your 1-mile run...I definitely couldn't get sub-8 for that distance..I'd need oxygen, lol!

    Your upcoming ultra sounds great! I'd love to do more events like that, it's always hard getting enough people to sign up.

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    1. The dance was fun, but I had serious doubt after the first practice if I'd be able to pull it off because I'm SOOOO uncoordinated and klutzy

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  28. Congrats on that speedy mile! I saw your dance video on FB - so fun! Hope your hip settles down.

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    1. Thankfully, the hip feels better. I almost think it's a piriformis issue...in the opposite hip (???). I've had issues with my left piriformis in the past, so this is odd...

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  29. You made it through a wild week!!! Awesome time in your mile and that dance recital with daughter looks so fun. I know I couldn’t get out in front of a crowd and dance! Way to go!

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    1. Ha ha...well, we had three weeks to learn the dance routine, and it was only for 1.5 minutes of actually "dancing"...so it was n't bad at all ;-)

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