Let's Rally!

It's been quite a week!

Although Momma N kept the wind coming, she did bless us with some decent summer-like temps and weather conditions. I guess she can play nice, on occasion. I'll give her that.

Before I share last week's fitness exploits, 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 ;-)

Okay, let's get started! Here's what went down in my little world of fitness last week:

Never miss a (double ride) Monday. I've really been loving my double ride days. I don't have time (most days) for an early morning long ride, but I love getting outside for some kind of movement first thing. With the late-rising sun, most of these early rides are in the dark now, and I'm alright with that. So, we had five miles at o'dark thirty, and five miles after work. Would you believe the temps were almost 30F warmer, 12 hours later?

Take-a-Pass Tuesday. For the first time, since I can't remember when, I was not feeling like an early morning workout. I knew I'd be riding after work, so I took a pass and snoozed a little longer than usual (I know...who am I???). After work, the temps were sensational (though a bit breezy). It seems like just overnight the leaves started turning, so there were all kinds of color to enjoy on my 10-mile ride.

Double WOW Workout Wednesday. I found an AMRAP-20 (As Many Rounds As Possible, for 20 minutes) workout that looked interesting, so I gave it a go. Holy Wow. Let's just say this looked so much easier on paper than how it played out.

**Sumo squat with biceps curls (20 reps, both sides)

**forward lunge with tri extensions (15 reps)

**bent-over biceps rows (20 reps, both sides)

**push-ups alternating with knee-to-shoulder kick (15 each side)

**curtsy lunge with shoulder press (20 each side)

**30 seconds rest between circuits, then repeat for 20 minutes

I made it (almost) through three full sets. I was starting the final curtsy lunge/shoulder press segment when the timer went off, so I finished those (thus, the workout took me about 22 total minutes instead of 20). I suspected I'd be feeling the effects of this later (spoiler: that hunch was spot-on).

After work, the sun was shining bright and the temps were warm. I'd been to the podiatrist and had been given another good report, so a celebration was in order...15 miles with Gustavas. Wouldn't you have done the same?

Thursday - Another Double Ride Day. Surprisingly, I awoke with no evidence of the previous day's AMRAP workout. I knew I'd be riding after work, so I braved the wind and just did a quick 4-mile ride to jumpstart the day. After work, the hubby and I got out for 10 miles before dinner. BTW, by midday, the AMRAP DOMS made their appearance...OUCH! 

Back On My Feet Friday! It had been almost two months but, Friday morning, I went for my first walk since my stress fracture diagnosis! Besides, my body was still DOMS'ing from Wednesday's workout (yes, still!), so a walk was the perfect fitness fix. I didn't go far (not quite a mile), and I definitely didn't go fast, but it felt so good to be back on my feet, literally. After work, I (again) battled the 14mph wind for five miles on the bike...but the temps were in the mid-80F's, so all was well.

Long (group) Ride Saturday. As much as I miss my #LongRunSaturdays, these long bike rides have been an awesome alternative. We've done a long ride every Saturday since "hosting" my stress fracture, and this week we headed to Solon (IA) and rode a couple of trails to the Czech Village in Cedar Rapids...a 34.23-mile round trip. The temps were in the upper 70F's with nonstop sunshine. So what if we had more wind to fight? We had a fun day fitnessing with friends. 

Easy like Sunday morning. I was feeling sleepy, and things were feeling a bit sore after Saturday's long (windy) ride, so I indulged in a sleep-in (sort of). The hubby and I took Max for a 1-mile walk and enjoyed the crisp, morning air. Seriously, I have really missed these morning walks...I'm glad I can bring them back, even if I'm not walking very far or fast for the time being. There's a bike ride on tap for the afternoon, when the temps are a bit warmer.

So, in summary...biking obviously dominated the cardio, but there was some good lower-body work in doing battle with the wind (88 total biking miles for the week). With the intensity of Wednesday's AMRAP workout, I passed on adding a second day of strength work. And, let's not forget those three "welcome back" miles of walking (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). I will not be amping up the walking for awhile, but I do plan on gradually working it back into my daily routine.

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

Weathering the Week

Favorite Memories, via the blog

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair!  Friday was our warmest day last week, with afternoon temps peaking at 89F!  Of course, warmer temps means chillier temps in the office. A great transitional piece is this open-weave crocheted shrug (from my #artgeek arsenal, in the back of my closet. It provides a little warmth without suffocating me. 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).

As mentioned, my appointment with the podiatrist went well! The healing is on-track, but still not back to 100%. He cleared me for "normal" walking, in moderation. I've been gimping (with no bending) on my right foot for the past two months, so it's really strange bending/rolling my foot with each step. He also said I could start jogging this next week, in 1-mile increments, but I think I'm going to hold off until after I've done more walking. My gut is telling me to give it a little more time, so I'm listening. But, it feels so good to be able to walk with Max again! He's healed from his surgery, and I'm almost there as well.

Lastly, an update on my biking streak. Saturday was Day 50! As this post goes live, the #sfxbikestreak (you can follow it on Instagram LOL) has reached 615 miles (with more to be added Sunday afternoon), that's just since August 22nd. I have no idea on how much longer this streak will last (or how many more miles will be added), but I'm hoping to keep at it until Thanksgiving. If we get snow, or scary cold temps before then, this streak will most likely come to a crashing halt. For the time being, though, I plan to enjoy every mile I can get out of it. Stay tuned.

So, there's another week in the books! The forecast is looking good for this next week, though not as warm (it is the fall season after all).

How are things in your fitness world? Are you enjoying seasonal temps? Are your leaves turning? 

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