Sunday, October 11, 2020

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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36 comments:

  1. yay glad to see you back on your feet! slow and steady you will get there. You look really happy!

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    1. Thanks, Deborah! Believe me, it feels great to be back on my feet ;-)

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  2. I am so happy for you and your great news from your doctor! I think you're really smart to take it slow and ease back into running. The temptation is real to come back too quickly.

    The leaves are just barely starting to turn here and we're planning some fun rides to enjoy the fall sights in the next few weeks. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate!

    Wow, your Wednesday workout sounds great and intense! Nicely done!

    Thanks for the linkup and have a great week!

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    1. Yes, the "outside(?)" of my heel feels a bit tight, so there's no way I'm gonna force anything on it. Besides, I have Gustavas to keep me entertained ;-)

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  3. We had some warmer weather and rain here this week too. I'm ready for us to get back to Fall temperatures!

    I'm so happy to see that you are getting back to walking. Up next - running!

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    1. Yes, running will be up next, but probably not for another week or so. I want to do a little more walking before I give the running (or jogging LOL) a go.

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  4. Two lie-ins in the week? Wow! I'm just jealous of course, I haven't slept that well during my week off, apart from after running a half-marathon I wasn't properly trained for! So glad to hear you can walk normally on the foot now - well done, you!

    We have lovely leaves here, beautiful colours and I am photographing them like mad!

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    1. As much as I dread the cooler weather (and the colder weather ahead), I do love all the pretty colors of the fall season.

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  5. Great news! I'm happy to read that you're healing up. Way to get out and enjoy this beautiful October!

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    1. This past week was perfect, except for all the wind LOL If this weather could stick around until, like, December 20th or so....

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  6. Congrats on being cleared to walk! I'll bet that felt great! Our Lola walks have been short, and trying to be on soft surfaces -- it hasn't been easy. And she still wants to run, silly girl. But we're also still carrying her up & down stairs . . . sometimes it's not easy being a dog mom.

    I bet that first run back is going to feel great, too! I know that you'll know the right time. Love that your top and the leaves match. :)

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    1. Max is walking great, but he still tried to run 3-legged at times (when he's thinking about it). We're just taking things slow and easy with him, as well. He's my recovery buddy!

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  7. love how you did so great on the bike. Glad your foot is better.

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    1. Thanks ;-) The bike has really been a great alternative through this healing precess!

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  8. Aw yes!!! Congrats on getting back on your feet. I'm sure that Max is thrilled as well. I've said it before and I'll say it again, you know your body...you knew it was okay to bike and now you know that you need a little more time before you start running again. Slow and steady wins the race!

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    1. Thanks ;-) I gotta admit, it really helps that there's no races on my roster. Although I know I'd be tempted to press on, NOT having anything coming up just makes it that much easier to go easy for awhile.

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  9. Hooray for another positive report from your doc and yay for being cleared to start walking! I don't blame you for being hesitant to run just yet. Better safe than sorry. It seems like the leaves turned overnight here too. I think our peak colors will come sooner than usual due to the hot, dry summer.

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    1. I'm really hesitant to run right now! Those bones in the foot are tiny...I don't want to risk anything until I know they're fully healed.

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  10. I am so happy to see you back walking! I think you're smart to trust your gut and take things slowly - you'll be running again before you know it!

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    1. I've had so much fun biking, I have no reason to hurry back to running. Now that I have walking (slowly) back in the routine, I'll be just fine taking my time ;-)

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  11. It's so great that you are able to go on your walks again! And I'm also happy to hear you are keeping up with the biking streak. You've rode a ton of miles!

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    1. The biking has really served me well! It's gonna be hard to scale that back when the running resumes...

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  12. Do you think you notice the wind more because you're biking? I always felt like it bothered me a lot more on wheels than on my feet.

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    1. Oh definitely! It's been crazy windy here (averaging 10-18mph most of last week), but it feels a lot more forceful on a bike. Ditto on the hills and the cooler temps LOL

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  13. So glad you are back to walking! I think thats smart to hold off on starting to run again. I would have thought that he would want you walking more before you started running again.
    Thats a great biking streak!

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    1. He did have me walking some on it prior to last week, just not bending/rolling it in full range of motion. It feels a little tight near my heel, so I'm gonna give it a little more time before I try running on it. Besides, with no races on the calendar, I have no reason to rush things.

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  14. That is great news from the podiatrist! I am sure Max is very happy to be walking with you again.

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    1. Oh gosh, when I was home for lunch last Thursday (the day after my appointment), I asked Max if he wanted to go for a walk. He was so excited, I could barely get the harness strapped onto him LOL

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  15. Our fall was been great. The leaves have turned and many are on the ground.

    So happy to hear that you are walking. Soon you'll be running. Will you keep up the biking?

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    1. We have a few leaves on the ground, but not many yet. I plan to keep up with the biking until it gets too cold outside. I'm not sure if I'll be as excited for indoor biking LOL

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  16. I’m glad your foot is on the mend, but you are smart to hold off a bit longer — especially if you are able to get your cardio fix on your bike. I love the mural from your ride yesterday!

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    1. There were a few other murals as well, but this one was SO cool! The art geek in me insisted on the group picture in front of it ;-)

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  17. Congrats on the good podiatrist news!! And getting in a walk. Must have felt great. Our trees also seemed to just change overnight- fall is definitely here and it is beautiful!

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  18. I'm so happy to hear that you are healing well from the stress fracture! Good news always deserves a celebratory workout!

    I believe the weather changes...here it can be a difference of 20+ degrees some days when we get into winter. It'll be in the 40s in the am and back to the 70s in the pm! I really like that though, I wish we could always have a chilly Am and then a nice pm. I don't mind it hot during the day I just prefer it to be less humid and chilly when I'm working out ;-)

    Some days you just need rest. You get up early every day and are so dedicated so I'm glad you got some extra rest this week!

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  19. I love that you and Max are both healing up together. I'm happy to hear you're able to walk again. We don't really get much fall here, at least as far as beautiful foliage goes. The weather is cooling off finally, though it's heading back to triple digits the next few days.

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  20. Look at you with that bike streak!!! You're so amazing!

    I think it's smart to wait a little to feel fully confident before running. Of course, I know how hard it is TO wait, but it will be so worth it.

    Sweet Max. I'm so glad he's doing well.

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