Adaptability. Flexibility. Going with the Flow.

Adaptability. Flexibility. And going with the flow. That was the theme this week...

That's life, especially when you're a runner.

Weather was a factor. The muscles had their moments of crankiness. And there was a shift in routine, due to travel. Alas, everything worked out just fine.

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. We love reading about everyone's 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...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)

Here's what went down this past week:

Monday
My standard #nevermissaMonday run (at least during this MCM training cycle) has been a 5K distance with speed surges (near the final 1/4 mile of each mile). Why mess with a great thing? I keep these runs fairly short (because I'm just coming off the weekend, and there's always a long run happening there), but I add in the surges to give the run a little bit of intensity. So far, so good. This week, I came upon some beautiful sidewalk chalk art. Seen on my run, quite literally.

Tuesday
Well, my weather app showed thunderstorms happening at 5:00 for Tuesday morning...and for the first time (like, in forever), it was accurate. So much for the 10-mile bike ride I'd planned on doing in the early hours. Thankfully, I'd made a backup plan of doing a stair workout, so that's what we went with as the storms raged outside. I did three sets of 20 flights and 20 push-ups, mixing in 20 walking lunges (each side) after the second set. I finished with 10 bonus flights...all told, 70 total flights, 60 push-ups, 20 lunges and all kinds of glistening and glowing going on, all within a matter of 22 minutes. Max is not a fan of storms, so he accompanied me on the first 40 flights (up and down), then planted himself on the steps, giving me an awkward obstacle to step over. Nice of him, right?

Later that morning, the rain halted and the sun came out...and stayed out. Since my planned 10-mile morning ride didn't happen, due to the storm, I decided to make it happen after work. I met up with Barb, and we wound up riding for 16+ miles (about 18 miles for her).

Wednesday
The time had come. With the sunrise happening later each week, it was time to suit up in the Noxgear vest. The temps were reasonable (mid-60F's), but the air was horrendously humid. That said, at least it wasn't raining. I was a dripping mess when I returned home from another successful early morning 5-miler with my friend, Barb.

Thursday
On tap: speedwork. The plan: hill repeats. And I had the perfect place to make it happen with the "little" block across the street. Three laps are equal to a mile in total distance. There's hills on opposite corners, so running nine laps (three total miles) netted me 18 short (but steep) hills. Thankfully, at 5:15 a.m., there's no traffic (and hopefully no one is watching). It's crazy how fast those three miles go when there's intermittent sprinting, but my hammies were toast by the time I finished.

 As the day wore on, the hammies continued to get more angry (no surprises there). In all honesty, I didn't know if it was DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) from Tuesday's stair workout or the morning's hill workout...or (most likely) a combination of both. I decided to go for a post-workday ride with Gustavas (my bike). Seven miles later, things felt much better. Problem solved.

Friday
Ugh. Have I whined about the dark mornings yet? Michele and I met up at 5:15 for a ride out to the lake. We didn't see the start of daylight until just before the turn-around. The majority of the ride is on a bike path, so there isn't much (if any) traffic to worry about, but the hills are a little freaky in the dark. None the less, this weekly ride out to the lake has become a great ritual...even with the dwindling morning light.
   

Saturday
The hubby and I took an impromptu weekend getaway to Lake Okoboji (northwest Iowa). We arrived Friday night, so my long run was due to happen in an unfamiliar setting Saturday morning. The hubby came along (on his bike) and served as my Sherpa and tour guide. Thankfully, it was a scale-back week, because those 12 miles were hilly (for both of us)! The run went well, though my 9:50 (average) pace was a bit faster than what it should have been....maybe because I was following the hubby on his bike (?).

Sunday
Due to the traveling (and a little unexpected rain), there wasn't much time for a recovery run in the early morning (whomp whomp...but it will be happening later, after we return back home). Stay tuned....

Over all, there was a lot of adjusting and altering my workouts this week, but (somehow) I got things done. Total running tallied at 25 miles; biking miles were 46 and walking was a meager 10. My hammies got a major overhaul with Tuesday's stair workout and Thursday's hill repeats. Saturday's unexpected hilly 12-miler certainly made things interesting. Oh well, with the scaled back (long run) mileage, it all balanced out.

In case you missed out, here's what went down on the blog this week:
This week's fitness? All kinds of F-bombs!
8 Tips to get you Race Day Ready
Biking - Running's Perfect Partner

In other news:
Friday Fashion Flair...it feels great when the temps remain warm as the humidity disappears. Last week there was a nice reprieve from the extreme heat, but it was a challenge to dress accordingly. Warm outside usually translates to freezing cold inside...or is that just at my place of work? Anyways, I'm a fan of cheetah print and I love bright colors, so the turquoise cardi serves me well, year round. It's just a bonus when the sandals match. Go ahead and join us...post a pic of an outfit, grab the hashtag(#fridayfashionflair) and give me a tag (@runningonthefly).

Finally, as mentioned, the hubby and I enjoyed a quick last-minute trip to the northwest corner of the state. That meant adjusting the blogging time (via wifi accessibility), as well as all social media play, but that was all good, too. It's okay to unplug periodically.

So, that's the latest! Summer is winding down, and the fall season is just around the corner...how did that happen??? The training continues, the long runs are getting longer and MCM is two months out...even though that seems like a ways away, the reality is that the next 5-6 weeks will bring me peak mileage in the running shoes.

Your turn....How are things in your world? Cooler weather? Are the shorter daylight hours affecting your training? Ever had to adjust your "ideal" routine due to weather or travel?

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