Sunday, July 7, 2019

What day is it...again?


It's been an out-of-sorts kind of week.

The temps were especially muggy, there was a holiday, and I ran a mid-week race. All of which was great, but I think I spent the majority of the week in a state of confusion and flux. First world probs, right?

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.

Anyways, here's the Run Down...

Monday#nevermissaMonday
I was up and out the door for a short run, in the early Monday morning hours. Just for fun, I posted a tongue-in-cheek thing on Insta/FB ("Never have I ever (1) worn a visor on a cloudy day, (2) used lipstick as a lip balm, and (3) gone for a run while my manicure dried")...and some peeps thought I was serious! I thought everyone was familiar with the Never Have I Ever game (I guess not). So, I had some explaining to do. None the less, my hair was under control,  the lipstick did its duty and my nails were dry when I returned home from those two miles. Enough said.
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Tuesday - #5at5
Even though I'd run 17 miles in the previous four days, there was iffy weather in the forecast. Barb and I decided to do our weekly early morning 5-miler a day early. Also, we had a race coming up on Thursday, so this would give us (almost) two full days of rest/recovery prior to the start line. Although the temps weren't unbearable (low 70F's), the humidity was heavy. When I returned home, I took a minute to just enjoy the gentle breeze blowing on my saturated and sweaty self...it felt almost as good as those post-run endorphins.
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Wednesday - #easydoesit
Although my body didn't feel especially tired from five continuous days of running (and 22 miles), I knew it would serve me well to have an easy day. I seldom ever have five straight days of running, and doing so in the heat of summer would be an opportune time to risk burnout or injury (no thanks). I did get out for a 2-mile walk, though. The forecast rain was a no-show, but the air was still pretty muggy. And, since I'd run the #5at5 the day prior, I kept thinking Wednesday was Thursday...or that I'd need to get out after work to get those five "Wednesday" miles done...

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Thursday - #doubleblingonthe4th
The hubby, Barb and myself were on the road by 5:45 a.m., en route to Cedar Rapids (IA) for the Fifth Season Health Solutions 8K. This race, now in its 34th year, was a first-time endeavor for us and it did not disappoint! Barb and I ran the 8K and the hubby did the 5K. The route featured gentle, rolling hills and quite a bit of shade, which was perfect for the warm weather conditions (80F and humid). There will be a recap posted in a couple days, but suffice it to say things went very well...I came within 8 seconds of PR'ing my 8K time (from 10 years ago) and brought home the 3rd place AG medal as well as the finisher medal. Don't worry, given the heat and humidity, I was not "racing" or gutting it out for a PR...I had not run an 8K in several years, so I had no recollection of what my previous times were (until after I got home and researched it).

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Friday - #anotherdayofrest
When the morning beckons, I answer the call...even on a rest day. I got out for a 2-mile walk and got to witness yet another beautiful sunrise. Since I'd had Thursday off, for the 4th of July holiday, I spent most of Friday morning at the office in another state of confusion...thinking it was Monday.

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Saturday - #letthemseeyasweat
The temps were bearable (71F), but the foggy and humid conditions were another story. Barb and I met up with eight miles on the agenda. Right out of my driveway, things felt like a slog fest. My pace actually looked much better on the Garmin than it felt as I was running. Nothing hurt, and I didn't feel fatigued, but things just felt "slow-moving." I'm a huge fan of sunshine, but it was a blessing we had a thick cloud cover, or it would have really been challenging. We ran an out-and-back route for the first five miles, and stopped to use the restroom at a park. And, just like that, all things came together...we then ran a 3ish-mile loop, and I didn't feel like heading back home. I ran Barb part of the way back to her house, then continued on, circling the college campus and finished with 10 miles for the morning. I probably could have gone further, but there was no need to. I was a major sweaty mess when I got back home...I think my running clothes weighed a good five pounds judging by the loud smack they made as I threw them on the floor before my shower. Although I wish every tough run had a happy ending, like this 10-miler had, there would be nothing to learn about grit or integrity if running was easy. Every run is a gift!
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Sunday - #doubleornothing
Most people know I'm an avid believer in shakeout runs the day following a long run or race. Sunday morning was no exception, so I got out for a couple of easy-paced miles before mounting the Mongoose. The hubby and I took on the 15-mile (round trip) bike trail out to the lake. This was our third time embarking on this Sunday morning ritual. I'm still not in love with cycling, but I am really appreciating the benefit of all those hilly miles of cross-training. After returning, we then took Max for a 2-mile walk. Let's just say my legs felt like jelly after two hours (and 19 miles) of non-stop action.
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So, all in all, it turned out to be a great week with my fitness endeavors. Total running miles tallied at 24 and walking miles were 14 (more on tap for later, after this post goes live). I had hoped to make Thursday's race a pseudo speed workout, but given the temps, it was more of a modified (conservative) tempo effort (with a few walks through the water stations). I'm taking part in a daily push-ups/squats challenge for July, so those were done on the daily (just 25 of each), and there was a short (15-minute) upper-body workout Friday evening. MCM training will officially kick-off soon, so I've been gradually upping my long runs...so far, so good.

In case you missed out, here's what went down on the blog this week:
Suddenly Summer!
A journey of Gratitude
A Coffee Date...shall we?

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair...did you see it on Instagram? Don't summer and floral prints go hand-in-hand? I wear a lot of white and pink, but have developed a kiwi green fetish in recent years. I was really excited to find this skirt (while on a trip to Hawaii)...it has gotten lots of wear in the summer months. Do you rock the florals in the warmer months, too? As per usual, if you want to play along-->post a pic, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair), and tag me (@runningonthefly).

The 4th of July has always been a favorite holiday of mine. I'm thankful for the country where I live, and all the freedoms we have that other people do not.

Did I mention that it has gotten hot in Iowa?
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Lastly, on a personal note, I celebrated 25 years (25!!!) of being a mom on July 5th. Our oldest daughter turned 25, and her boyfriend was able to get her a Sponge Bob cake (something her parents never did LOL).


So, that's the latest in my little corner of the universe. How are things in your world? Warm temps? 4th of July fun? Any big races coming up?

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56 comments:

  1. Oh Sponge Bob! My brother fell in love with him in his early 20s.
    Congrats on the AG and near PR - amazing.
    This week did feel super confusing. My Tuesday off (just because) didn't help any of that

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    1. My kids all grew up with Sponge Bob, and he drove me crazy LOL I swear, I spent all week wondering what day it was...and so many people were on vacation/PTO at work, so everything was a mess!

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    2. neither of us did, so not sure how he fell into it. College I think?
      Mom always has random cake plates so amid "serious" seasonal ones the occasional My Little Pony, Sponge, etc. show up. Make for good entertainment

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  2. Even though I'm not familiar with "Never Have I Ever," I feel like I know you well enough that I would have realized that you were joking around. I mean, the lipstick alone would be a dead giveaway for both you and me! :-)

    Happy birthday to your daughter!

    Thanks for the linkup!

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    1. ha ha ha..."Never Have I Ever" is a game where random things are brought up...and if you HAVE done what is mentioned, you usually have to do something to draw attention to yourself (usually a drinking game LOL). And, YES, the lipstick is such a given LOL

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  3. Nice medal, a great week and happy birthday to your daughter! Love that, 25 years of being a mom! Also happy 4th of July - I did happen to run with my American friend that day so we had a small mention of it. I will admit to the odd floral although I like a summery stripe, too.

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  4. With the holiday on a Thursday, which is my normal day off, I had no issues with being confused about what day it was! Funny how that happened this year.

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    1. Well, and for the past 25 years, we've had our daughter's birthday the day after...so it's always an interesting week for us. Work was just odd...so many people on vacation and working shortened hours, it was hard to keep track of everything and everybody.

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  5. If you really want a challenge next weekend, try running after biking! Legs like jello indeed. Congrats on your race sounds like you crushed it again. I do like an 8K distance too

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    1. Oh, I have run after biking, and it SUCKS LOL I contemplated running an extra mile after our ride this morning...and decided to walk instead. The 8K is definitely an interesting distance.

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  6. Wow, your daughter is a beauty! No way you look old enough to have a daughter that old.

    I enjoyed taking a couple of days off before my race. :) You had a very strong showing! Unlike you, though, I am not a fan of the shake out run, although occasionally I do them. I'll run tomorrow, for instance, cause that's just what works well for me this week.

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    1. With our race on Thursday, it threw a mini wrench into my usual Wednesday morning run. Running that run a day early worked well, though it totally messed with my head LOL

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  7. Happy birthday to your daughter! Great going on that race! It's been so humid here, Scooby can barely take it. :-)

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    1. Our humidity has been really ominous, as well. Even on the "cooler" days, the air is just so heavy (and my hair is so flat) ;-)

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  8. Comgrats in the AG award! With the hills and heat, too. Wow! And yes, I used to run with wet nails - I need to do that again soon! And if course, HBD to your beautiful daughter. Congrats on 25 years of motherhood!

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    1. Thanks!! I was really happy with how the race went, considering how hot it was. I'm a firm believer in multi-tasking, hence the mani-on-the-run LOL

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  9. Congrats on the AG award - you've been rocking all of your races this year!
    Happy Birthday to your daughter - gorgeous just like her mama <3

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    1. Awhhhhh, thanks, Kim ;-) I had been in a solid plateau for a few years, it's nice things are finally breaking free...so to speak LOL

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  10. Congrats on your AG award!! I was also confused. On Thursday afternoon I thought it was Saturday. My sister ordered something on Amazon and I received an email notification letting me know that the item would be delivered on Saturday. I was confused thinking was was it taking so long? Saturday to Saturday is a long time? Well then I realized that it was Thursday.

    Heat and humidity is what we also had this week. I was not ready for it.

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    1. This past week totally had me confused...all starting with that 5-miler on Tuesday LOL It'll be nice to get back to a normal schedule/work week ;-)

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  11. Great week for you! Where do you get your daily challenges each month? I like how you have such a variety of workouts and challenges each day. And happy birthday to your daughter!

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    1. A lot of my daily/monthly challenges are just short little workouts I come up with on my own, but this current one is from some people I know on Instagram ;-)

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  12. I was equally confused about the days all week last week, especially since the only day I worked was on Sunday, and my husband was home on two of his usual work days. Happy birthday to your beautiful daughter! I never bought Sponge Bob cakes for my kids either!

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    1. It was such a crazy week LOL Sponge Bob totally gave me a headache for years! My kids loved the show, though...and I think it's still around (?)

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  13. I can't believe people took you seriously on your Never Have I Ever post! Great job on the 8k. To be pushing up on your PR in heat and 10 years later is awesome! Your daughter is so pretty. Happy Birthday to her! My kids brought a Sponge Bob balloon to the Boston Marathon so I could find them along the course. Worked like a charm!

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    1. Sponge Bob certainly is an icon LOL Thanks for all your kind words, Marcia ;-) The daughter has made us so proud. And my race went really well, considering the crazy heat...lots to be grateful for ;-)

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  14. Happy birthday to your daughter! How sweet!

    It is definitely hot by you! Obviously, it's hot here, too. Getting outside is becoming quite a chore. Love that medal and of course, your AG place! So glad you had a great race!

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    1. Thanks!! Yes, I'm really happy with how the race played out. It's always fun checking out a new event ;-)

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  15. Happy birthday to your daughter. She is beautiful! I was totally out of whack this week with a mid week holiday. It was so freaking hot in my car that I was dripping with sweat when I got home from work. My office is only an 8 minute drive, and air conditioning never got around to cooling down by the time I finished my journey home. I thought my face was going melt a few days this week! Great job on your race!

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    1. My commute is about seven minutes (if I hit all the traffic lights with perfection), so that doesn't get my car too cooled off either on super hot days. Wasn't the week weird? Normally, I don't mind a mid-week holiday, but things were just odd this time around...and there wasn't a full moon or anything.

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  16. I was thinking of doing a 4th of July race but it was a far drive from home so I opted to just run with my girlfriends instead. Great job on your race! Everyone training for MCM is giving me race envy but I know its good that I didn't sign up for a fall marathon- my ankle needs to fully heal first.

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    1. I know how how it is to NOT signup for races when one's body need recovery time. It's a true test of will power!

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  17. Congrats on an almost 10k PR! I'm all messed up on the days of the week. I keep thinking today is Saturday just so I have one more day before going back to work. Long holiday weekend probs!

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    1. It's crazy how one day off in there can mess up an entire week. I switched my running days around, as well, which further complicated everything...

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  18. Congrats on the AG 3rd. Way to go in that heat! Happy birthday to your oldest too. Join the club on being messed up as far as days of the week go. Since I retired, I usually have to look at my calendar to figure out what day it is. This week was doubly confusing with the holiday on Thursday! Looking forward to reading your race report!

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    1. I think it's funny so many of us were having issues with the week and the holiday mixed in. Glad I'm not the only one!

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  19. You continue to be on a roll - another great week for you! And congrats on your AG!

    Happy birthday to your daughter!!

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    1. Thanks, Michelle ;-) I was pretty happy with how my race went. As much as I love the heat, it's not always my friend on race day.

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  20. I did not know that you biked too. I think you may be ready for a triathlon soon! (I dont remember, have you done one before?)

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    1. Oh no, I don't bike much. I'm trying to develop a love for it and it's very slow-going. The hubby is training for a week-long ride across Iowa (later this month), so he's doing this trail ride several times a week...so I've been riding it with him on the past three Sunday mornings. I have done a duathlon (almost four years ago), though and it was a lot of fun.

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  21. HB to your gorgeous daughter.

    Great week for you as always and congrats on the race. It's been warm and humid here but i just roll with it...walk when I have to but just get it done. I will race a 5k this Sat. Hope it's not too hot.

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    1. That's right, the best we can do when it's hot is just roll with it. Or stay inside and stop complaining LOL

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  22. Happy birthday to your daughter! Congrats also on third in your AG, especially on a hot day! It sounds like you had a fun but busy week.

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    1. Thanks! Things always seem to busy in one way or another...even with most of the kids out of the house. Not sure how that happens...

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  23. Sounds like a busy week! 100 degrees- yowsa! Happy birthday to your daughter!

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    1. We had some really hot days last week, and the humidity was nutzo.

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  24. I'm still not in love with cycling either but I try to do it anyway. Maybe I just have the wrong kind of seat but it's a little hard to walk afterwards! 😂

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    1. Seriously!!! I asked my husband why they simply can't make the seats more padded...those padded shorts creep me out.

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  25. Congrats on that age group placement! And yay for shade during a hot race :) Happy birthday to your daughter, that sponge bob cake if great!

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    1. I always made the kids' cakes from scratch, and did all kinds of themes for their parties...never did a Sponge Bib cake, though.

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  26. Congrats on the AG award! We had cool rainy weather over the holiday, then of course it warmed up just in time for my race Saturday...not too bad though.

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    1. I'm excited to hear about your race! Sounds like a great challenge!

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  27. Nice work on the 8K!!! Almost matching a PR is awesome!!! And 3rd place in your AG!!! Yay!

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    1. Thanks! I was really surprised when I dug out my stuff and saw what my PR was for the 8K, and how close I came to matching it. I ran that race in April 2009, on a cold day...so I'm very proud what I accomplished in the heat of summer ;-)

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  28. I was the same way last week, holiday weeks always mess me up!! It took forever for summer to get here, but it has come with vengeance and has been super humid. Congratulations on your race, well earned!!!

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