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Sunday, September 20, 2020

Riding Through the Last of Summer


Yikes. Where, oh where, did my summer go? 

Oh, yeah...I've spent the last five weeks sans running, power-walking or stair-climbing. The daylight has dramatically diminished. And, the temps are flirting with a fall-like crispness. That's not all bad, but ugh. It's definitely not summer anymore. 

This past week brought back some much-missed sunshine, and the rain stayed away. I was able to #optoutside on a daily basis, so I really cannot complain.

Before I hash out last week's fitness, 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 ;-)



Anyways, here's what went down in my little world of fitness this week:

Never Miss a (#DoubleRide) Monday

Even though the #nevermissaMonday runs are temporarily off the table, the bike rides are going strong. The morning temps were still cool (hey, Fall is knocking on the door after all), but by mid-day the summer temps had returned. I got in 4.2 sunrise miles, then 17 post-workday miles with Barb. 


Tuesday - Holy Kettlebell Burn Batman!

In an effort to mix things up, I dusted off the kettlebell Tuesday morning. Let's just say I grossly under estimated what a "little" 15-pound kettlebell can do. 

Give this a whirl:

**20 swings

**20 upward rows

**10 single shoulder presses (each side)

**20 Triceps extensions

**20 biceps curls (each side)

**now do all of those moves one more time

**and be sure to go for a 5-mile bike ride after work


...and a #DoubleRide Wednesday

I ask you, is it selfish that I enjoy having the streets and the sunrise all to myself? I call it lucky. Gustavas and I rode for 6.5 miles before work, and then the hubby joined us for another 10 miles after work.  


Thursday - Leg Work

As much as I love my dear, sweet little dog, Max, he can be a major bed hog. He set up homestead on my side of the bed, Wednesday evening, and I felt like a knotted pretzel Thursday morning. I scrapped the early morning bike ride, and worked on undoing the crankiness in my back instead.

By the end of the workday, things felt much better. How's this sound:

**5-mile bike ride

**30 clamshells (each leg)

**90 leg lifts (each leg)

**30 squats

**3-minute plank

**leftover lasagna and a chai latte'


Finally Friday - Day 28 of the biking streak!

Never, ever, would I have entertained the idea of a biking streak. After all, I have long called myself a runner and biking was a mere supplement to my fitness regimen. Enter the stress fracture (diagnosed August 19th) and biking has become a temporary substitute for said running (and all things on-foot). With a short morning ride (4.5 miles) and a "post office" ride (2 miles) after work, Gustavas and I  reached 309 miles on Friday, Day 28 of our #sfxbikestreak. (yes, a stress fracture bike streak...I might as well have some fun and give it a name). 


Long Ride Saturday

What used to be Long Run Saturday has now (temporarily) become Long Ride Saturday. The hubs and I met our friends, Russ and Sandy, in Carlisle and rode the Summerset Trail to Indianola (and back). This particular rail trail is where I've run the Hillbilly Hike half marathon, so it was fun experiencing the trail on wheels (in both directions, none the less). We had some wind (I know, BIG surprise), but plenty of sunshine on a beautiful end-of-summer day.


Catch-a-sunrise Sunday

Momma N sure seems to be in a hurry to usher in the fall season. She gifted Iowa with 47F temps on Sunday morning. Mind you, those 47F temps felt much cooler on a bike than they would on foot. Look closely, that's a light puffer vest (layered over a fleece-lined shirt) and a headband over my ears. Even in the chilly air, though, the sunrise never disappoints, am I right? That was a rather brisk 5-mile ride, but there will probably be a few more miles logged in the afternoon sunshine.  


Overall, it was a decent week. After the previous week of cold temps and rain, this week's summer-rewind felt oh-so-fine. Since biking is currently my only cardio go-to, it saw 84 miles of action this week. Strength-work was solid, with Thursday's leg workout and Tuesday's kettlebell session (and also a short upper-body workout Saturday evening). The daily planking, push-ups and routine leg lifts are still happening as well. I'm feeling good!

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

"Raining" It In

Speedwork...Anyone?

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair!  As mentioned, Fall is arriving. I like Fall, I really do, but I love Summer so much more. That said, Friday's cooler temps gave me the opportunity to pull out the cheetah booties. It's hard to see in the pic, but the lovely compression sleeve is peeking out of the one on my right foot LOL. Oh well, at least I'm not confined to the Frank boot anymore.  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).


How is my foot doing? It's actually feeling really good. I'm being super cautious, though, to not put any weight on the forefoot area...which means I'm still walking like Frankenstein, even without the boot. A friend gave me her knee scooter to use at work, and that has been so helpful. My "desk job" seldom has me sitting at the desk very much while at the office. I go back to my podiatrist this week, so there's another X-ray on deck and we'll be able to see how things are looking on the inside.

It's weird to believe I am entering Week 6 of no running/walking. Much to my surprise, I'm not missing the "on-foot" stuff as much as I would have imagined. The bike has been such a Godsend, allowing me to get outside (daily!). This weekend would have been the Air Force Marathon. Thanks to COVID, I was able to defer to 2021, so the FOMO was a non-issue. Honestly, this injury really happened at a perfect time.


How are things in your world? Does it feel like Fall in your area? Any virtual races on the roster?

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32 comments:

  1. Cycling really is a fantastic workout. Glad to see you are really enjoying and taking advantage of it. Good luck at the DR this week. let me know how it goes!

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    1. Cycling has really been a lot more fulfilling than I'd have imagined. I just am so glad I can get outside before the temps get to frigid.

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  2. Oh wow I hadn't thought of that. If not for COVID, that little sfx would have taken you out of the marathon. Yikes. Great week for you as always. Hope your podiatrist appt brings good news!

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    1. Thanks, Marcia! My foot is really feeling good, but I'm still a little anxious as to what the X-ray will show. I know these stress fractures are not only difficult to diagnose, but not every detail is obvious on the X-rays.

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  3. We are unseasonably cool this weekend. I'm still loving it! Helps that sunshine has been plentiful.

    Now imagine you have 2 little dogs. And that used to be 2 little dogs & 1 large cat! At least they're cute, right?

    Fingers crossed that you get a good report this week. I love how you've embraced cycling, but I know you want to be able to get around on your own two feet, too!

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    1. The sunshine makes a huge difference! It was in the low-60's when our bike ride began yesterday, and that was into the wind...the sunshine really made things feel much warmer than they should have.

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  4. I love show you have embraced cycling over these past few weeks.

    So glad to hear that your foot is still feeling good and I hope that your appointment at the podiatrist goes well this week - fingers crossed!

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    1. Cycling has really been a fun little detour for me. I was enjoying it prior to the diagnosis, but now that's it's (currently) my "one and only," it's really been a game-changer for me.

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  5. Nice week! I only have a 25# kettle bell which is great for lower body but it's too heavy for me to do a lot of upper body stuff, so I really need to get a 15# one. I have my fingers crossed for good news at the podiatrist's this week. I just kicked off my fall racing season with a 5k this week, and yes it was virtual but it's so nice to be back in the racing game. My October races are planning to be in person events but I am not betting the farm on it - happy to take what I can get.

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    1. I have 12# hand weights I use all the time, and they're a little heavy (depending on the move), but I couldn't believe the difference those extra three pounds made (as well as the awkward grip needed).

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  6. It's hot here for a bit longer so trying to take advantage, and I'm OK with the mornings drawing in at the moment as I get to see nice sunrises. Love your knee scooter, and your attitude!

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    1. Thank you, Liz ;-) I'm still trying to chase the sunrises as best I can, but they're coming so much later than I'm usually out there (most mornings). I don't mind getting out in the pre-dawn darkness, but it's a buzzkill to be coming home in it LOL

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  7. I love that you've got a bike streak going! It's great to hear that your foot is feeling good - I'm keeping my fingers crossed that your podiatrist has some good news for you this week!

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    1. The bike streak has been a fun distraction (or change of focus?) for the time being. I'm hoping the weather doesn't turn tool cold too soon, or the rides may have to come to a close.

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  8. Wow, 6 weeks of no running? Very impressive with the bike miles. Oh yeah, it feels like Fall here too. Love it!

    Crossing my fingers you get good news from your podiatrist. That foot needs to start behaving.

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    1. Yes, this will be my sixth week of no running (or anything on foot). Crazy it's already been that long!

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  9. Very much a good time to be out of it, if there is ever one! You are crushing it on the biking miles. I bet you are h@ll on wheels on that knee scooter :) Hope you get good news at the podiatrist!

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    1. Ha ha ha...yes, that scooter has mean speed down the halls of the office LOL It is such a much better option than the boot (and my back and hips are much happier as a result).

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  10. Glad you are feeling good and have been able to do so much cycling! The knee scooter sounds better than the boot — you certainly won’’t mess up your gait and you can have fun on it. :-)

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    1. The boot was majorly messing with my alignment. My back and hips were so achy, I seriously do not know how anyone can survive "booting" around without doing damage in other places of their body.

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  11. Nice workouts this week! It got much chillier here over the last few days. I'm enjoying it but not ready for it to get cold just yet!

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    1. Oh, I'm not ready for the super chilly temps either! The 40F's (in the early hours) are tolerable only because I Know it will be a good 20-30 degrees warmer later in the day ;-)

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  12. I'm so happy that we are getting our first round of "fall" weather this week! It'll be in the high 60s most of the week in the morning! We go back to upper 70s next week of course, but soon it'll be fall more often than not, at least in the early am here. I hope your next x ray goes well and it shows you're healing up soon! You are right though, if an injury had to happen at least it happened while there were no races!

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    1. I certainly would not wish an injury on anyone (myself included), but the timing of this one was ideal LOL

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  13. So glad you've had cycling to enjoy whats left of the warm weather! It sounds like you're doing all the right things to heal quickly! Ah, the scooter...I used one of those for quite awhile with my broken leg. It was better than crutches, but was still hard.

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    1. The scooter is more convenient that the boot, hands-down, but it does require BOTH hands to ensure you don't crash into anything. I've learned to tuck things under my arm(s) so both hands are able to steer without issue.

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  14. To answer your question, "is it selfish that I enjoy having the streets and the sunrise all to myself?" Nope, because everyone else has the option to get up early and enjoy the sunrise! You and I are just glad they don't! ;-)

    Like you, I am so grateful to have cycling as an option since my running is limited. Shhh, don't tell anyone, but I'm LOVING biking!

    Thanks for the linkup and have a great week!

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    1. You said it well...everyone does have the option to get up early (but I'm glad they don't all do so LOL). I'm loving biking, too...much more than I ever anticipated ;-)

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  15. Glad you're enjoying your cycling streak. The question is: if you're cleared to run again, will you keep riding?

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    1. Oh yes, the biking is here to stay. I was already biking consistently before the running came to a halt. I plan to continue with the biking (weather permitting), but will probably cut the mileage once the running eases back into my routine.

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  16. Yes it was fall this weekend.

    HATE!!! bring back summer.

    I biked yesterday and really enjoyed it but it was flat and I didn't go far.

    Hope you are healed and can return to running.

    I have a few virtuals. I wont even call them races.

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  17. I'm so glad you have cycling. It's been a fabulous way for you to get through the rest of summer.

    Ugh. I hated my knee scooter. I just couldn't get comfortable with it. I'm glad it's making things easier for you until you can bear weight again.

    Cute booties!

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