About Me

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Going With the Flow


Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow.

Am I right? When things are out of your control (hello, Iowa weather, I'm looking at you), you just gotta make do with what you're given. At least that's what I do.

This past week had me going-and-flowing, practically on a daily basis...

#nevermissaMonday
Rain, rain, rain...will you kindly go away (at least in the early morning hours when I'm wanting to play)? Wouldn't you know, just as I was running down the stairs, ready to head out for my Monday run, the rain came pouring down. Ugh. I decided to wait it out for a bit, and (an hour later) Momma N granted me a brief window of opportunity...enough time for two tempo miles (with pick-ups) before getting ready for a long day at the office. I'd call that a small victory, wouldn't you?
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That would be a V for Victory over Momma N
Tricky Tuesday
Again, there was rain coming down when I had plans of heading out with Max for our morning walk.
A split-second decision had me grabbing the umbrella and opting to let him do his business in the yard, and then go for a walk solo (much less stopping/sniffing/marking/dawdling without him LOL). Anyways, Tuesdays are non-running days, so no big whoop. 
Rainy walks are not so bad...especially when there's planking to be done back at home
Hoping to get in a HIIT workout, but stuck at the office most of the day, I didn't have any available time until over the dinner hour. Not eager for any heavy-duty leg work (that happened last week), I came up with an Arms&Abs 20's X 4 routine:

20 Burpees
20 Push-ups
20 Mountain Climbers
20 reps of arms/shoulder strength work
20 Bird Dogs (on toes)
**repeating the circuit four times netted me 80 reps of everything (and a whole lotta sweat).
Dang! Bird dogs on your toes are MUCH harder than on your knees!
Wednesday's Weekly #5at5 
It was mucho foggy on Wednesday morning, but at least it wasn't raining (#win). Granted, it was 5:00 a.m. when I headed out to meet Barb for our weekly 5-miler. As mentioned in previous weekly posts, it's already noticeably darker each week for these pre-dawn outings. I had to keep my Knuckle Lights on for most of those five miles. I'm not ready for summer to end. At all.
By the light of the Knuckle Lights
Thursday's Thirst for Speed
Thankfully, it wasn't too warm, but it was h.u.m.i.d. at 5:35 a.m. when I headed out for my weekly speed session. This week, I opted for hill repeats. Ten sprints up the hill (and easy-paced recovery running back down) netted me approximately two total miles. Amazingly, most of my splits were negative (:38,:39,:37,:37,:37,:37,:37,:37,:36,:36), and the final one was the fastest. Did I mention I'm starting to like speedwork?
FYI - I am not a cancer victim, nor am I posing as one. I wear this shirt in support and love for all the ones who are
Finally Friday!
I not only look forward to Friday for the upcoming weekend, but I also embrace it as a rest/recovery day. Although I do a little bit of activity to get my daily fitness fix, the running shoes get a day off. Besides, I have a long run on Saturday to "taper" for.
2-mile early morning walk with the hubby and Max
Long Run Saturday
I have been very fortunate in recent months. I have had a few muscle tweaks and minor aches, but everything has been very operable. Saturday morning, though, my right hamstring/glute was not wanting to play. Nothing really hurt, but it definitely felt tight and a bit wonky. I had 14 miles on the plan, and headed out at 6:00 to meet Barb. Almost immediately, I could tell things felt tight (and I probably should have warmed up a little more thoroughly), but I thought things would loosen up after I had a few miles done. 

WRONG. 

We got as far as four miles, and I asked for a quick walk break (these long runs, after all, are more about distance than time). We continued on...and it was probably around the 8-mile mark when I was ready for another brief hiatus. My energy felt fine, but the achy hammie was persistently giving me grief. Also, it was extremely humid. I had gone through a lot of my water and was sweating like crazy (my clothes were dripping, literally, by the  time I finished). When we got to the 10-mile mark, Barb wanted a potty break so we stopped for a couple minutes. At that point, we were about two miles from my house, so I decided it may be in my best interest to call it quits earlier than I'd planned.

We set back out and headed towards my neighborhood. Barb was still feeling good, so I ran with her and white-flagged it when my Garmin showed 12 miles (and had about 1/2 mile walk back to my house for a cool-down). I probably could have pressed on and finished those two additional miles, but why? It would not have done my achy hammie any good just for the bragging rights of finishing the complete run...and each step was probably putting me more at risk for injury. No thanks. Not worth it. I have learned that my body needs to dictate my training, not my ego. Besides, I've had some pretty incredible runs/races lately...I was probably due for a challenging one, right? 
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White-flagged it. No regrets. No complaints. Glass half full. Onward!
Sunday's recovery
After spending the majority of Saturday massaging/stretching/rolling out my legs (emphasis on the hamstrings), I got out Sunday morning for a short recovery run. Within the first 1/4 mile, I knew things would be alright. The hammie still felt a bit off, but in comparison to the previous day's car crash (figuratively speaking), it felt almost brand new. I ran the two miles easy, and they felt effortless. WHEW! I may have even done a celebratory jump near the midway point.
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Oh yeah, Baby! Now that's more like it!
So, all in all, the week was pretty solid in terms of overall fitness and going (and flowing) with whatever circumstance was given to me.  Total running mileage came in at 23, and my walking is currently (at the time this post goes live) at 20. I'm still doing the daily planks and leg lifts. The HIIT workouts are pretty much a habit now, and the speedwork is going well. The weekend even brought me several hours of garden squats....so we'll be making a whole lot of salsa and tomato sauce in the coming days (#notjustarunner).

In case you missed them, here's my posts from last week:
Up To Speed
A Big Hairy Audacious Goal
Five Running Songs That May Surprise You

In other news:
Did you catch my #FridayFashionFlair post? I went with a casual look....the hot pink top paired with camo-print leggings,  but added a few funky necklaces to give it a little more zing. What do you think? Hot pink and camo...yay or no way? As always, you're invited to join me...post a pic of a featured outfit (it doesn't have to be what you're actually wearing on that day), grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair), and give me a tag (@runningonthefly).

Did you hear? There's another Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon on my roster....and this one is in Philly! I'll have the youngest daughter with me, and we'll be spending some time with the oldest daughter (who lives in Pennsylvania), so my "running" time will be limited. In other words, I won't be ReMixing this go-round, but will be only running the half marathon (I know, first world probs LOL). Let me just say...I am SOOO excited! I've never been to Philly, and the fact that I also get to be there with the two daughters (as well as getting to run by some of the historic sites) is pretty phenomenal.
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And, finally, the hubby and I celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary on Friday, August 10th. Yes, 28 years! I still have not had time to respond to all the wonderful greetings, sentiments, and well wishes on Facebook (there were over 80 comments on the picture I posted). 
I also had a much-needed hair appointment that afternoon...
So, that's the latest and greatest in my little corner of the universe. Keeping busy. Marathon training. Riding out the weather. Going with the flow. Life.

How was your week? Summer weather getting you down, or has it started to cool off ? Are you training for any fall races? Have you ever done a HIIT workout on muddy grass?

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!

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35 comments:

  1. Happy Anniversary! Sounds like it was smart to cut your run short. Glad it all worked out and you had a good run on Sunday!

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    1. I have learned it's never, ever, worth it to press on when things are that wonky...even two extra miles could have been bad news

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  2. That's great that you were feeling well enough to go for your recovery run on Sunday. The weather this week was really horrible here, too! We got a lot of rain but I never got rained on.

    Here's to your hamstring feeling solid again this week. I'd say not rain, too, but if your weather is anything like ours, that's probably not in the cards.

    I've kind of been through Philly, but never really toured around it -- have spent more time in the countryside of PA. I'm sure you're going to have a great time! We are considering adding another half soonish. :)

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    1. I know I won't have much time foe exploring Philly...but it will be a great sneak peak ;-)

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  3. We have had tons of rain as well but ours is more in the afternoons. The humidity is just crazy so I've been doing shorter runs lately. Your hamstring sounds like my achilles-annoying but not painful kind of hard to explain. Exciting about RnR Philly! Looks like lots of people you know will be there. Happy anniversary!

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    1. It has been horribly humid the past 10 days or so....

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    2. Happy anniversary! I feel ya on the crazy weather--we've been getting alternating super-humid + hot days vs. thunderstorms and flash floods galore. I want a happy medium! :[

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  4. I'm also giving the side eye to the weather this week. It's been really out of control, but you definitely made the best of it. I know it's always disappointing to but a long run short, but you still got in a great amount of miles and it was super smart for to not push it too much. Hamstring injuries can be so annoying!

    I'm so excited that you will be in Philly and look forward to meeting up again!

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  5. Sorry to hear about the hammie. One thing I noticed that back in the day when I was doing speedwork was that I had a lot more hammie complaints. It's kind of frustrating, really. Hopefully pulling back a little bit will help.

    Happy anniversary!

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    1. What is really odd with this hammie is that it's the right side...usually, it's always the left side that is bothersome. I do think all those uphills from Thursday were a factor.

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  6. I'm so glad your run went better today. Be careful with that hammie! Our weather was really humid just week - it was even gross on my 5 am walks with Scooby.

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    1. Our humidity has been nasty, too. The temps have not been too warm, but the heavy air is still a bit of a buzzkill.

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  7. Congratulations to you and hubby on your anniversary! Hope you enjoy the Philly half. I have been doing that race for years, even before it was a RnR. It's a great course. Not doing it this year, though.

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  8. Sorry about the hammie but very glad it sounds like a short lived issue.

    Happy anniversary! 28 years is incredible. You must plan a big party for 30!

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    1. Thanks...we'll see about the 30-year celebration LOL Maybe a trip somewhere (??)

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  9. Seems like it's raining everywhere BUT here in Chicago now. We had a couple of quick showers this week but overall we're burning up! Glad you reeled it in before that hammy became more of an issue.

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    1. Ironically, we have not had that much rain, but when it has rained it's been during that early morning window when I typically do my thing outside LOL

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  10. Happy anniversary Kim! 28 years is amazing! RnR Philly will be so much fun with your girls... will either of them run with you?

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    1. oh no...I will be running solo. Well, there will be some blogging pals there...but the daughters will gladly take a pass LOL.

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  11. Happy anniversary! Wow! And good planning on cutting short that longer run. My ham was shouting on Saturday and I could tell my glute wasn't firing ... but weirdly they both feel loads better today than they have for ages. Why? Do I just need to run up brick hills to make myself feel better???

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  12. Congrats on your anniversary! It is always smart to listen to your body, great job!

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  13. RNR Philly sounds like it will be fun for you! I always loved combining running with new places and family visits. And congrats again on your 28th!!

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  14. Sounds like you were really smart about the hammie. Congrats on the anniversary and your hair looks fab in that photo! RnR Philly sounds like it will be a great time!

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  15. Sounds like it was a smart choice to cut your long run short...they can't all be good runs. Glad your hammie is already starting to feel better. Happy anniversary!

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  16. Happy anniversary! And it sounds like it was a smart decision to cut your Saturday run a little short. I'm glad to hear your hamstring was feeling a lot better on Sunday :)

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  17. It looks like everyone is getting rain but us! We need some, can you ship me some to help clean our air and put out our fires. Thanks ;)

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  18. You can send some of that rain our way, we desperately need it!
    You were wise to cut your long run a little short to avoid any further hamstring issues. I should be so wise. :-/
    Happy anniversary!

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  19. I love the hot pink and camo combination! I wear that sometimes! I feel so hip now!

    The rain can really put a dent in running plans. I just don't love it, and it takes a lot to convince me to run in it.

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  20. A race in Philly and getting to spend time with both of your daughters sounds like a wonderful trip. I don't blame you for skipping the remix challenge. We've had tons of rain too. In fact, our sprinkler system was leaking so we just turned it off and haven't needed it at all. I hope you enjoyed your anniversary! Thanks for linking.

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  21. I am learning to go with the flow but I love the way you embrace it and the fashion flair was super cute.

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  22. Horrible weather here too. Rain rain humidity.

    I’ve raced in Philly. It’s great. Take the trolley tour. It’s a great intro to the sites you pass on the race course.

    It rained when I was there. Need to go back. No time this year.

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  23. our weather has cooled and gotten rainy as well! better to go with the flow than spend energy fighting it, am I right?? you killed those hills - I'm wondering though if maybe you tweaked something in your hamstring / piriformis? such a bummer it was giving you hassle on saturday - you did the right thing though!! I mean it was still 12 miles!!!

    I love the hot pink top with the camo pants! I would take part in your friday fashion flair but I have no sense of fashion and would likely be wearing the same damn thing in the photos haha!!

    excited for you for Philly!! I would LOVE to do that race. I went to Philadelphia very shortly after I ran RnR Brooklyn 2 years ago and it was raining cats and dogs but I still went and ran up the Rocky steps :) You have to do that!! Is your daughter running it too? I guess only the one daughter runs?

    happy anniversary again to you and your hubby!!

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  24. First of all, happy belated anniversary! 28 years is quite something!

    You'll love running in Philly! I've done that race three times now, and the course never gets old. Last year I did it as part of my 20 miler for Chicago training, and it was a great race for that. I'm a tad bummed to not be running Philly this year, but after such a busy summer I need to spend September focusing on getting us back into the beginning of the school year routine. Maybe next year.

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