Feels like Summer!

Summer, my dearest Summer, how I have missed thee.

Finally, I can honestly say, with ZERO reservation, that I love the weather as of late. Although the calendar still shows Spring, it's definitely looking (and feeling) like Summer in Iowa. We had a week of non-stop sunshine and summer-like temps, and I (for one) thoroughly enjoyed almost every moment of it.


Here's what all went down:

Monday
Fresh off of the Market to Market Relay, and a bit weary from Sunday's late afternoon 3-miler with my friend, Barb, I awoke feeling like I was still in a post-run coma. I wanted to get my #nevermissaMonday run done, though, so I laced up and ran an easy mile through the 'hood and called it good. Later in the afternoon, I finally got my second wind, and did a 2-mile power walk. All better.

Tuesday
Believe it or not, I crawled out of bed Tuesday morning feeling even more DOMS-laden. Seriously?? Tuesdays are usually all about active rest/recovery anyways, so I headed out and power walked a couple of miles. I also walked later in the afternoon with my sister, and did some arm/shoulder strength work in the evening.

just a walkin'

Wednesday
I was out the door before 05:00 a.m. to meet up with Barb for our weekly #5at5 run.  Other than the first 10-15 minutes, we pretty much had daylight for the entire run. Yippy! It seems like the days have suddenly gotten so much longer.

Jumping for early morning joy

Thursday
I had every intention of rising, shining, and knocking out some hill repeats...but I just wasn't feeling it when the alarm clock rang. Instead, I went for a walk and scoped out a different hill to do my hill repeats on...

...and went back around lunch time and did them! The temps were warm (80F), but there was a pleasant breeze and the humidity was relatively low. I decided on doing 4 X 1/4-mile uphill sprints (with a 1/4-mile downhill recovery jog), which netted me two miles in distance. I ran about 1/2 mile to the hill for my warm-up (and walked it back home when I was finished). What I thought was crazy is that each hill sprint got progressively about 5-seconds faster and seemed easier (?). I think each recovery jog may have gotten a bit slower, though (LOL). And that 1/2-mile walk back home? Well, let's just say I was indeed "finished" after that last recovery jog.  But, boy-oh-boy, did it feel good to have conquered the hill (four times)!            

Trust me, the hill is much bigger than it appears

Friday
Another rest/recovery day for me, all I had on tap was some walking...early in the morning, and then later with the hubby. The warm air feels so good!

I just love catching the sunrise on my morning walks

Saturday
I met up with Barb at 6:30, and we ran 10 (not-so-easy) miles. I love the 10-mile distance, but I think I take for granted that it is, indeed, 10 miles. I had a quick bowl of oatmeal, but nothing to drink, before I left the house. I did bring water and a gel (which I gulped down around the 5.5 mile mark). My weather app said 59F, but it felt much warmer (hence, the arm warmers were rolled down after the first mile). My piriformis was feeling tight (again), so that gave me a little discomfort as well. Overall, the run was alright, but the final three miles were tough...by then I was feeling tired, hot (yes, even the heat can get to me on occasion), and it was obvious that my form/gait was off. Also, my watch died on me just after the 6-mile mark....so the final mile or so (after Barb split off to head back to her house) was a bit of a gamble. None the less, everything felt fine after I finished (though the 45 minutes of garden squats were a bit iffy, later that evening LOL). Tough runs make us tougher, right?

That would be 10 (count 'em 10!) make-me-tougher miles

Sunday
Remember that tough run on Saturday? And the garden squats that evening? Well, I awoke on Sunday morning feeling like a train wreck. Aches, pains, and stiffness EVERYWHERE. Not sure if I'd be doing my shakeout run (or just walking), I got dressed and headed out anyways. I walked for about a block, and decided to break into a slow run...and, much to my ecstatic surprise, everything felt great! Even the piriformis seemed to still be asleep. I only ran about 1.5 mile in distance, and I definitely ran it easy, but I returned back to the house feeling brand new. I'm a huge believer in shakeout runs, especially the day following a rather difficult or long run.

sometimes you gotta stop and smell the lilacs

So, that's my week of "feels-like-summer" fitness. Total (running) mileage was around 20, but there were probably 10+/- additional miles walked as well. I am still consistently doing my May goals (extra planks, leg lifts, clam shells, ab/core work) most days, and throwing in an occasional set of burpees...you know, just for fun. Ever since the Drake Half Marathon/Grand Blue Mile extravaganza (a month ago), my right piriformis has felt a bit wonky. It's not painful, but just feels "off" and tight. I'm taking things easy with my mileage and being mindful to stretch things out before and after my workouts. Overall, it is feeling better, so that's a good thing. I'll be easing into marathon training in July, so I want to keep things relatively low-key for now.

In case you missed them, here's the posts from last week:
Running Like CrAzY
Let's Huddle: Market to Market Relay 2018

In other news:
With the consistent summer-like temps, my flowers have all come to life. Every day, I seem to find a new flower in bloom, and more and more green leaves everywhere.


Did you catch my #FridayFashionFlair post (on Instagram--> @runningonthefly)? As much as I love the warm weather, I am in a constant struggle with dressing for it (on workdays) because it is so cold in my office. Thankfully, I have a colorful collection of cardigans to turn to for warmth. Do you ever have that problem?

Have I mentioned that our youngest is graduating...in a week! YIKES!!! Friday was her last day of school. I may have even gotten all teary-eyed. Darn kids, why do they have to grow up?

First day of Kindergarten and last day of high school

...and with said graduation, I have been mucho busy with the graduation party preparations.The blogging has been scaled back, the scrapbooks are getting caught up, the weeds are getting yanked from the garden plots. And, oodles of decorations have been acquired. Now if the hubby would just finish cleaning the garage....

So, that's the latest and greatest. How was your week? Summer temps? Rain? Sunshine? Ever have piriformis issues? Hill repeats...love or hate? Recovery runs...yes or no?

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!