Rewinding back to Summer

I'm all about Summer.

The temps. The sunshine. The warm breeze(s). The proverbial "glistening and glowing" following an outdoor workout. It's all good, and thankfully, there was plenty of it this past week. 

Even though we are now on the dark side of the Autumnal Equinox, and the daylight is decreasing on the daily, this past week gave me a brief rewind back to Summer. You can bet I was outside, enjoying every last minute of it.

Before I give you all the details, 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 ;-)

Here's what went down in my little world of fitness this week:

Never miss a (double ride) Monday! As has been the routine in recent weeks, I got out early (in the o'dark thirty hours) for a short 5-miler to start the day. After work, I met up with my gal, Barb, for 12 #HappyBirthdayBarb miles.  Even though the morning temps were borderline chilly (low-50F's), by the afternoon, we were flirting with the 80F's. No complaints!

Taking-it-slow Tuesday. The day started with an upper-body burn, featuring slow-motion reps (several sets of hammers, curls, tri extensions, shoulder presses, rows and cross-body curls). Have you ever tried slow-mo reps? It's amazing how much of a burn a 12-pound weight can give you when you do the reps s-l-o-w-l-y. By the way, lacing the shoes is optional if you're just standing in place.

 

Later, I had a follow-up appointment with my podiatrist. Good news! The X-ray showed things are healing well. He said I could start putting some weight on the foot this next week (just casually, not for extended walking). So, that called for a celebratory 8.25-mile ride after work.

10-mile wakeup Wednesday.  Another o'dark thirty ride under a clear sky, no traffic and semi-warm temps. Total tranquility if you ask me.

Triple-threat Thursday. Honestly, I never thought I could enjoy the early mornings on a bike as much as on foot, but I was wrong. Thursday's 6-mile ride was nothing short of perfection. After work, the hubby joined me for ride #2 of the day, and I let him choose the route...how do 12-miles of hills sound? My hammies were shot by the time we returned home, but it was a hurts-so-good kind of feeling. I also did upper-body workout #2 of the week that evening, so I slept quite well, thank you very much. 

Shake-out ride for Friday. I have long been a fan of shake-out runs the morning after a tough (or long) run, so Friday morning's 5-mile ride was of that same strategy. My quads were entertaining some DOMS from the previous evening's hilly ride, so I kept the ride short and I kept it flat. And that sunrise! All better.

Long Ride Saturday. Since the #LongRunSaturdays are on sabbatical for the time being, long bike rides are happening instead. I got out for an earlyish 8-miler, then the hubby and I met up with some friends for a group ride. Let me just say...these rides have been so much fun! We returned to the Chichaqua Valley Trail (about 30 miles away) and rode from Mingo to Bondurant, had lunch, and rode back...about a 28-mile round trip (giving me 36 total miles for the day). I might have taken a short nap upon our return home.

#MilesForMollie on Sunday. Mollie Tibbitts, a fellow runner (who lived 20 miles from my hometown), was brutally taken from us just over two years ago. Since I'm not able to run (or even walk) right now, Gustavas came along, with the hubby and Barb and myself, to the annual Mollie Tibbitts Memorial Run. So what if I was the only biker there; I was not missing this special tribute for anything. Sometimes it's all about the cause...the miles and the manner are irrelevant.  

 This was a pretty busy week. The two upper-body workouts really felt good, but o.u.c.h. Thursday's hilly 12-mile ride sufficed as my lower-body strength work this week. Biking has really turned into a fun, relaxing and energy-inducing (depending on the day and/or the ride) endeavor. I'm quite thankful to have it as my main poison right now. This week saw 100 miles with Gustavas. Gulp. I didn't realize I was cranking out that kind of a number...looks like this next week will be scaled back a bit. 

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

Riding Through the Last of Summer

All Fueled up with SiS

stress fracture 'fessions

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair!  Friday's temps were tricky. The air was fresh, but warm. The wind was psycho. I opted for a favorite sweater (with a light cami underneath) and a fun scarf. Look closely, the scarf has dog paw prints. 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).

In Friday's stress fracture 'fessions post, I mentioned my #sfxbikestreak...a biking streak that I've been doing since August 22nd. As this post goes live (Sunday morning, September 27th), my total biking miles are now at 439. I don't have any goals as to how many total days (currently at 37) or how many total miles I hope to reach. Living in Iowa, outdoor biking will not be my reality once the colder weather sets in, so this streak will have a finish line. I do have a stationary bike, which I've never used (handed down from my sis-in-law).  I fear the stationary bike may be as enticing as the treadmill, so I'm not banking on that as a desirable indoor option. Stay tuned to see how this plays out. 

   

So, there you go. Another week down, another week closer to recovery. All is well.

How are things in your world? Fall weather? Summer rewind temps? Virtually racing?

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