Enjoying the Sun; Getting it Done

Have I ever mentioned how much I embrace the sunshine?

Even when the temps are warm (or hot & humid), there's something about the sunshine that brightens my day, literally and figuratively. Seeing a sunrise always brings a smile, and guarantees a great start to the day.

Or, is that just me?

This week was full of sunshine, pretty much everyday. And, those sunrises! The #artgeek in me had plenty reasons to smile.

Before I give you the lowdown on my week, welcome to the Weekly Run Down!

I love hosting 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 ;-)

Monday - Never miss a Monday

There had been rain in the forecast, but it was a no-show. I got out for three easy miles before heading to the office. Don't be fooled by the "cool" 71F temps, because the 89% humidity cancelled them out. There also was a 2-mile walk after work. 

Tuesday - Double-Biking Day!

Are you sitting in a tip-over-safe chair? For the first time, ever, I scored a double-biking day! The first ride happened in the early-morning, amidst chilly temps and a nice (not) wind. It wasn't a long ride (seven miles) nor was it a challenging ride either. But, still a great start to what I thought would be a recovery day.

As the day played out, and the temps rose (as did the wind), I made the decision to ride out to the lake after work. With Max's upcoming surgery and at-home recovery (see below), there probably wouldn't be any more opportunities for such a ride this week. So, 16 miles later (14 miles to the lake and back, plus a couple of bonus miles in town), and I was good for the day. Oh, there also was a 2-mile walk afterwards as well. So, that's 23 total biking miles for my "recovery" day. Worse things have happened.

Wednesday - All by myself (sort of)

I met up with Barb for our weekly #5at5 (five miles at 05:00).  The temps were comfortable (mid-70F's) and the run went well...but, it suddenly was obvious how much daylight we've been losing. Gone was the subtle hint of a sunrise at 5:00, and instead it was black as night until we were about two miles into our run. Yes, this happens every year, but it's always a gut-punch when you notice it. 

I dropped Max off at the vet at 7:45, and wouldn't be seeing him for the next 24 hours (#sadface). After work, I went for a hot and muggy 3-mile walk since I had nothing waiting for me at home (the hubby was also out of town).

Thursday - Doggy Nurse Duty: Day 1

Knowing my day was going to be dedicated to full-on doggy care, I got out for a 5K power walk at 5:30. Have I ever mentioned how nice it is to have the streets (mostly) all to yourself? You can even snag a selfie right in the middle of the street. If you look closely, though, you can see a #twilightzone car in the background of the pic...it was not there when I set up my phone, and it wasn't there 15 seconds later when I finished. Just saying.

Friday - Doggy Nurse Duty: Day 2

Not sure how the day would go, I decided to set Max up by the glass door to our patio (so he could see me and I could keep an eye on him). It had been awhile since I've done a barefoot strength workout, and I don't think I'd ever done one on the patio outside. Ever tried that? It's amazing how much harder it is to balance without the benefit of shoes underfoot. Other than a few random acorns, the workout went well and I was done in just over 30 minutes. Later, my father came over and hung out with Max for 30 minutes so I could get out for a walk.

Later, after the hubby returned home, we carefully "coned-up" Max and left him secured in a small room, barricaded, to keep him safe. We headed over to the outdoor staircase for the weekly stair workout. Even though the temps had gone done slightly (low-80F's) and the humidity had plummeted (49%), this still was a pretty hot adventure. We did 50 flights (900 total steps) and called it good. 

Saturday - Keeping things (somewhat) low-key and simple

Friday night with Max was really tough. He was especially restless, which meant I was too. Usually, I can function with limited sleep, but Saturday morning I was exhausted. Thankfully, Barb and I had decided to move our long run to Sunday, so I had planned on only running 5-6 miles on Saturday morning. It was not a tough run, but things just felt off and my legs felt heavy (possibly a result of the stair workout 13 hours prior). I made it to five miles and elected to end it there. No sense pushing through an awkward run, especially when there was a longer run on tap for the next day. Once I got home, I went out for a short 5-mile bike ride, and returned home feeling almost 100% better.

Sunday - Long run

After another night of compromised sleep, I woke up feeling extremely fatigued. I had the bright idea to sleep with Max, downstairs, on a body pillow. Not my best idea...Max slept much better than the previous night, but I could not get comfortable. I didn't want to move to the couch for fear he would follow me, and then there would be the risk of him jumping down without my knowing. So...upon wake-up, with a rickety back and (still) achy legs, I got dressed and met Barb. We kept the 8-mile route mostly flat (key word: mostly), but it felt like a struggle-bus adventure on my part. At least the temps were cooler (mid-60's), but the humidity was at 93%. Not sure how I managed an average pace of 10:08, because it certainly felt a lot slower, but I am grateful I can do hard things. And, I am grateful that I can choose to do them.

So, kind of a weird week. Knowing I'd be on doggy nurse duty Thursday and Friday, it just made sense to have those days be recovery days...which meant I packed in a lot of fitness early in the week. Running capped out at 21 miles, walking had 18 (with more on tap for later Sunday), and biking had 28 miles (probably a few more happening Sunday as well). Also, let's not forget Friday's stair workout and strength work. I don't mention this every week, but I'm still planking daily, as well as doing daily leg lifts and push-ups.  

In case you missed out, here's what else went down on the blog this week:

Just Go Ahead and GLOW

2020 (virtual) Bix-7 recap

'fessing with the best of them

In other news:

Friday FashionFlair! Being home all day with Max, I kept things pretty casual. The shirt I'm wearing is unique in that it has a twisted feature on the front...the left side is actually the "underside" of the right side. I thought that was a neat, funky detail until the first time I tried ironing it. Oh well. I still love the colors. Go bright or go home! As always, you're welcome to join me on Fridays...post a pic on Instagram, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and be sure to tag me (@runningonthefly).

On the home front, our dog, Max, had surgery on Wednesday. He'd dislocated the kneecap on his back right leg a couple weeks ago. We'd hoped it would self-correct, but it didn't, and actually lead to a torn ACL as a result. I was able to bring him home Thursday morning, and it's been an interesting experience caring for a "being" whom you cannot reason with or explain things to. He's supposed to have limited mobility for the next several weeks, which means no jumping or stairs. He usually sleeps in our room, and periodically goes back and forth from his dog bed to our bed during the night, so that has to change temporarily. I'm trying to keep him out of the cone while I am with him, but the cone goes on at bed time or if we leave him alone in the house. I swear, caring for a newborn was easier! 

 

So, that's the latest and greatest!

How was your week? Similar temps? Any rain? Still staying motivated to run, even with no races on the horizon?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter