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?

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? 

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.

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.

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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