Going All Out

Sometimes, you just go all out and hang on tight.

It's been an exciting week, complete with a dramatic roller coaster ride in terms of weather, fitness, and all things outside.

But, first things first...

Welcome to the Weekly Run Down! I am so excited to host this link-up with Deborah (from Confessions of a Mother Runner). If you write a fitness-based blog, you're invited to join the party. The link-up opens at 1:00 (EST) on Sundays and remains open through noon on Monday. Please share your weekly fitness endeavors, training highlights (or low lights) and race recaps. We ask that you link back to both hosts, and we encourage you to read/comment on the other linked blogs as well.

Here's what all went down this week:

Monday - Never miss a Monday!
No matter what happens on the weekend, I always make it a point to start the new week in my running shoes. Even if it's just a 1-mile slogfest, the odds are really good I will feel better for the effort. This particular Monday had me feeling very energetic. I'd run a 10-miler (Saturday) and rode a hilly 15-mile bike ride (Sunday), but (thankfully) all my parts felt great. I kept the run to two miles, though, just to not risk overdoing anything.

Tuesday - A routine day of rest
Most Tuesdays are a rest day, and with good reason (usually three, sometimes four, consecutive days of running have happened prior). Even if my body "feels" all well and good, I know otherwise. That said, I do get out for some walking. Max and I did a 2-mile sunrise walk, and I also did a short walk at lunch and then 2.5 miles after work.

Rest assured, Max does have two hind legs...though the pic depicts otherwise

Wednesday - #5at5
Barb and I met up for our ritual early morning 5-miler. The temps were moderate (low 70F's), but Holy High Humidity, Batman! I was a glistening and glowing mess when I returned home afterwards. Sweating is a good thing, right? Doesn't it cleanse a lot of the gunk out of your pores? Ironically, later in the morning, the temps remained warm, but the humidity plummeted and we were treated to a fresh breeze. Thanks, Momma N, well played.

Thursday - A new brick workout
I was craving some high-energy #sweatequity. I had not done a HIIT workout recently, nor had I done any recent speedwork. Also, the bike was beckoning me (BTW, did you hear, I officially gave him a proper name this week, Gustavas). Since I'm always trying to create new workouts to keep my body guessing, I came up with a brick (of sorts) to test out in the early a.m.

*3-mile bike ride
*3 sets of this stair/HIIT circuit:
     ***10 fast and furious flights of stairs (18 steps)
     ***10 pushups
     ***10 burpees
     ***10 squats
*3-mile bike ride

This workout took me just under an hour, from start to finish. The stairs gave me some great cardio as well as a dose of "inclined" speedwork. The HIIT moves maintained my heart rate in between the sets of flights.  Both 3-mile rides were in town; one took me to the outdoor stairway on the college campus (serving as a warm-up for my legs), and the other brought me back home (giving my legs an awesome cool-down). All went well.

Friday - early morning shake-out
Nothing major on tap, but I did want to get out for a pseudo short shakeout run since I knew I wouldn't be running until Saturday evening. Four miles, beautiful sunrise, moderate temps. As I noted on my Insta/FB posts...that post-run glow ain't always glamorous, but it does feel great. Keeping it real LOL.

more glistening and glowing

Saturday - double or nothing
With the Midnight Madness 15K on tap for the evening, I had ZERO plans of running in the morning. Instead, the hubby and I saddled up and left the house at 6:15 for another jaunt on the hilly bike path out to the lake. I tacked on a bonus loop of my 5-mile #5at5 route, ending with 20 total miles for the morning. The hubby swapped out bikes, and returned for another 15 on his road bike. Go us.
   
Later, we headed to Ames (about 70 miles away) for the evening race(s). This was my third appearance there, it was Barb's fifth (or sixth?), and the hubby's first time (as a runner). The heat definitely took an upswing as the day worn on and we were facing 84F temps (with a 90F feels like) at race time. I didn't have any solid goals for this event (I know I've been saying that a lot lately, but with the crazy heat and humidity, it was not the time or place to entertain any thoughts or wishes of PR's). My best strategy, in those extreme temps, is to simply try to run strong, but respect the conditions.The 5K started at 7:30, and the 10K then followed at 8:30.  Although cooler temps are a bit more ideal, I don't dread warm weather on race day since I train in it without (much) complaining. Suffice it to say things went far better than expected and I managed a course PR (not an "overall" PR) for both the 5K and 10K, and brought home 3rd place AG hardware (for both). More details to come in the recap in a couple days.

Sunday - post double-workout-Saturday recovery
With a busy morning on tap, and a horribly hot afternoon in the forecast, I got out for two (very) easy-paced miles before the circus commenced. Basically, it was now or not happening, you know? My quads were feeling a little grumpy (probably from the bike ride), but everything else felt alright. Give it a few hours LOL

No, that's not last night's top LOL

Indeed, it was a great, action-packed week. Running mileage came in at 22.5ish, walking tallied at 15 and biking saw its biggest week, yet, with 26 miles! The stairway/HIIT brick went well...I'll probably  be doing more of those in the future. I'm also keeping busy with daily planks, push-ups and squats. And, I have been doing a better job of getting to bed earlier (though, I'm still probably coming up short on the ZZZ's I should be getting). What can I say... I'm a work-in-progress.

In case you missed out, here's what went down on the blog this week:
What day is it...again?
Fifth Season Health Solutions 8K race recap
Say hello to Gustavas

In other news:
Did you catch my Friday Fashion Flair posts (on Insta)? I've said this before, but I love the classic combo of black and white. The two colors always work well together because of their contrast. That said, a little punch of color never hurts. What do you think? Black and white: on their own, or with some color added? Anyways, you're always welcome to join the party...post a pic, grab the hashtag (#fridayfashionflair), and give me a tag (@runningonthefly).

Saturday afternoon, I spotted the first "fruits"of our salsa garden. I think the recent surge of heat and humidity has been a factor.

YUM!

Finally, I really try to keep things positive...not just on the blog, but within all aspects of my livelihood. But, UGH. Our town has a 4th of July parade every year, and I'm just appalled at all the candy wrappers that get left behind. I picked up a bunch on Tuesday evening, when I was out walking (which means these wrappers had been there several days already). On Friday morning, I picked up more...and these particular ones were in the grass, along the curb, of someone's yard (so, apparently, the house owners didn't feel the need to clean up). Again, UGH.

So, that's the latest! How are things in your world? Is the weather feeling hot hot hot (and humid humid humid)? I know I'm in the minority...but are there any others who embrace (instead of shun) hot weather running? Any recent (or upcoming) races happening?

Are you following me on social media?

Let's connect : Facebook Instagram  Pinterest Twitter

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter