Sunday, October 14, 2018

Erring on the side of Caution


Taking things easy...

That was the paramount theme of my final week of taper. No speedwork, no extreme HIIT workouts and no risky behavior. I know, it makes for a boring week, but it was necessary.

Here's what went down as I prepared myself for the Cannonball Marathon weekend...


#nevermissaMonday
With rain coming down (and the fear of risking sickness during race week), I fired up Milly. UGH. Her and I still have a rocky relationship, but I wanted a short, easy-paced run and she was my best option. I ran the two miles slow (even though I was tempted to go faster to get finished faster). Desperate times, right?
Desperate times, desperate measures
Not my typical Tuesday
Believe it or not, it was raining. Again. If I wouldn't have had a marathon happening a few days later, I would have taken my #fastedcardio power walk outside (with an umbrella). But, I kept it inside. Again. It's been a long time since I've had two consecutive days in Milly's company.
Don't think for a minute this was enjoyable...
Wacky weather Wednesday
Both of my weather apps showed not just rain (yet again), but thunder storms for Wednesday morning.  I waved the white flag and decided I would stay inside and just run a few miles with Milly. Again. I set my alarm for an hour later, only to wake up to total silence outside. Although the air was very humid, there was no rain coming down. I immediately laced up my new shoes (see below) and headed outside. So what if the usual #5at5 had to be a #4at5:30 instead? And, so what if I accidentally christened the new shoes in a hidden puddle? I was back outside, and all was well!
Ahhhh, back outside!
Also, on Wednesday, I met up with Barb after her evening class. We had an early morning flight to North Carolina and stayed with a friend near the airport. I dragged (quite literally) my 8-pound hand weights along so I could do an arm/upper body workout that night.

Thursday's travels
Not much to report fitness-wise. Some power walking through the airport, landing in Charlotte a couple hours later and then a 2-hour drive to Winston-Salem. Yadda Yadda Yadda. Although it pretty much was a designated rest day, I felt totally drained. Air travel does that to me. 
Herky, the U of Iowa's mascot, was there at the airport to see me off on my journey
Friday's frolics
Myself and the two Barbs were up and out the door as soon as we had daylight. We ran an easy-paced 5K shakeout through the (hilly) neighborhood, where we stayed while in Winston-Salem. We almost didn't know what to do or how to act seeing all that sunshine!  After our run, our host (Jane) took all of us on a tour of Winston-Salem and historical Old Salem.
Can you say, SUNSHINE!!!!!
Saturday...RACE DAY!!!
Seriously, we could not have asked for a more perfect day for a race! The temps in Greensboro (the site of the Cannonball Marathon) were in the mid-50's at the race start and in the mid/high 60's when we all finished. The race course, however, was less than ideal. We're talking non-stop hills (many of which were quite steep), limited aid stations and potentially dangerous segments on highways with minimal traffic control or signage as to where the route was headed. None the less, it felt like an Olympic victory in reaching the finish line. Marathon #8 will go down as probably my most physically and mentally challenging conquest in terms of all things running. The race recap will be posted this week...stay tuned.

***P.S. Thanks, Everyone, for all the well wishes for my marathon!!! My Insta and Facebook (personal and ROTF ones) are overflowing and I have not had time to properly respond to most of the messages. I will get to them ASAP ;-)
Hard fought; but glad to have another marathon in the books
Sunday's return to reality
Amazingly, all my body parts felt great Sunday morning! We had a 9:40 flight (out of Charlotte) back to Iowa, which had us on the road by 6:30 a.m. I suspect the DOMS may be making an appearance in another day or so. After all, my body did carry me through 26.2 miles of wear and tear. Stay tuned for that as well.
At the airport in Charlotte..ready to head home
All in all, it was a pretty easy week in terms of fitness. A couple of easy runs, some walking (when it wasn't raining) and an arm/upper body strength session....oh, and let's not forget those 26.2 miles on Saturday. Total running miles came in at 35.5; total walking miles tallied at 15(+/-). 

In case you missed out, I only had two posts this past week:
So, What's Up?
What (running gear) would I buy with $1,000?

In other news...
Did you catch my #FridayFashionFlair post (on Instagram)? It's been so chilly and it's been damp, so I had been living in long sleeves all week...might as well have fun with it, right? Black and white has always been a hit with me, especially if I add a splash of color...like with the burgundy skinny jeans. What do you think? Do you like black and white? As always, you're invited to join me on Fridays...simply post a pic of a featured outfit, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and drop me a tag (@Runningonthefly). Easy peasy. 

My new shoes arrived!!! After my joyous run on Wednesday morning, I decided these babies would come along to North Carolina with me. Aren't they pretty?

My trip to North Carolina was so much fun! There actually were five of us who ventured from Iowa to run the Cannonball....myself and Barb, and also Dick, Jennifer and (another) Barb. Dick's sister (and family) was gracious to host us in Winston-Salem. It was great seeing some of the local sights and landmarks.

And, last of all...I did have a fun, crazy purchase while on my trip, this neon green stocking hat! It pays homage to the University of North Carolina School of Art's Fighting Pickles! The irony of it is the fact that I do not eat pickles, though pickle juice has been known to be a great on-course delicacy for endurance runners.

So, that's the latest and greatest. The marathon has come and gone, the cold weather is growing more cold and life is good. 

How was your week? Any fun races? New races on the horizon? What's the farthest you have traveled for a racecation? Ever heard of the Fighting Pickles?

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!
WWSki-Orange

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46 comments:

  1. Oooh, I'm in for #FrolicFriday ;-) Glad you conquered that marathon. Sorry about the conditions -- especially the traffic. Can't wait for the recap.

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    1. The marathon definitely was an interesting endeavor..... ;-) The traffic was scary at times and the hills were spiteful LOL

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  2. Love the pickle hat! LOL! Congrats on the marathon. Sounds like fun weekend!

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    1. Oh, I forgot to mention there's a high school in Freeport Illinois whose mascot is the Pretzels.

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    2. Now, I could definitely get behind the Pretzels!! Believe it or not, we had BOTH pickles and pretzels on the race course at some of the aid stands LOL

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  3. Cruising toward marathon day with minimal workouts sounds perfect! One of my all-time fave marathons (Grand Rapids) has pickle juice at some of the aid stations. I did not partake but it's supposed to be wonderful. Glad you enjoyed NC!

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    1. There were pickles (and juice) at a couple of the later aid stands. I want to do a Michigan race someday...maybe Grand Rapids should be a possibility?

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  4. Congrats on your race! Looking forward to reading all about it. Sounds like you did a good job of playing it smart this week!

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    1. Well, the icky weather certainly helped me keep things on the down low...

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  5. Congrats again on your race. Can't wait to hear all the details. You and the 2 Barbs are awesome!

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    1. Thanks, Deborah!! We had fun and certainly enjoyed the sunshine!

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  6. Congratulations on marathon #8! You inspire me to run another marathon #kimtwin! :)

    I'm glad that your body is feeling so good post-marathon!

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    1. Awwwwww ;-) Thanks, Kim!!! I truly feel blessed...I'm not super fast, but I am not a quitter. I'm really grateful my body can carry me for 26.2 miles and feel so good the next day ;-)

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  7. Fighting Pickles! That might be even more wonderfully ridiculous than my alma mater's Violets. Go Violets inspires fear in exactly no one.
    Love the shadow pic, so awesome. And also love the splash of color look. I tend to do that with teal
    Florida is my furthest racecation but as it's somewhere I go every year, it didn't have the element of unknown around racecations to new places. Congrats on your marathon!

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    1. I think the story is that the School of Arts doesn't have any athletic teams, so it's kind of a novelty. I love the green color, and the pickle thing is just too funny, especially since I detest pickles LOL

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    2. DO you dislike all food in its "second life", or just pickles? I could live on pickles happily
      NYU has some, but not competitive. My undergrad at least had lacrosse

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  8. Congrats on finishing marathon #8! I was on a marathon site searching for a marathon, and saw the Cannonball. I know you were running it and saw that it is rated as a pretty difficult run. Can't wait to read your recap!

    And I hate Milly too!

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    1. Oh gosh...I'll have to look for that site! I'm curious what other runners say about it! Even though I trained hard, and felt ready...there simply was no way I could PR that beast of a race course LOL It was TOUGH!

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  9. Congrats on your marathon! That weather does sound perfect! Glad you had great weather for the race. I hope we do next month for mine!!

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  10. Congrats on the marathon!! That pickle hat is great.

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  11. Great job on the marathon! Air travel wipes me out too. There's so much stress that goes with it. Can't wait to read your race recap :)

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  12. I don't like pickles either! But, I agree the hat is too cute to pass up. Congrats on another marathon finish and the bad-assery that comes along with a hard fought finish. You never know what you'll get on race day. But, it sounds like you enjoyed some gorgeous weather and a fun running trip with friends. I'd call that a huge win! Thanks for linking!

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  13. I've only traveled once (not counting high school meets) for a race and it was only about an hour away from my home. But it was still a fun experience with my sister in law!

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    1. I have to travel for most of my races...but going to NC was major ;-)

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  14. I'm sorry you had a rough time in your marathon. But you conquored it! If it was easy everyone would do it, right?

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    1. Exactly! There's a lot of satisfaction in doing tough stuff ;-)

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  15. You were in my neck of the woods! I live about 35 miles from Greensboro. I enjoy Old Salem, too. Glad you had a great visit! :)

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    1. North Carolina is a beautiful state...just too many hills LOL

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  16. Congrats on toughing it out on a tough course and finishing yet another marathon! Can't wait for the full recap :)

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  17. Congrats again on marathon #8! Looking forward to hearing all about it!

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    1. Thanks much, Michelle ;-) I'm glad we had perfect weather for this...#norain

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  18. Congrats on the marathon! What an accomplishment despite the course challenges. The farthest I've traveled to race was Chicago.

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    1. I've traveled to Chicago, too...it's about 4.5 hours of drive time for me

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  19. Congratulations on another marathon finish! Sounds like a tough one.

    Travel adds an extreme challenge to the marathon. I think the farthest I've travelled was Tokyo, but sometimes the shorter domestic flights have caused more issues for my performance.

    How great that you had friends and a generous host for the race! Makes it way more fun :)

    Congrats again!

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    1. Travel certainly does add another level of stress (and this also had a time zone change)...fun!!

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  20. Love your hat and loved the mara recap, too.

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    1. Thanks ;-) I've already worn the hat...it's been cold the past couple mornings

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  21. What a smart way to taper! Congrats on another finish! Sounds like a hard race, but I'm looking forward to your recap and why it was so mentally/physically challenging (although I suppose the hills were a factor)

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  22. I want to get back into doing fasted cardio again! I've never traveled too far for a race before--props to you again on conquering all those hills!

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