Moving Ahead With Caution

Can you say BREAKTHROUGH!

Although my stress fracture rally-back has been going well, I still have had some fleeting moments of  fear and paranoia. After all, a stress fracture still is a broken bone...and that little itty bitty bone in my foot has to bear my full body weight.

I took one of my rally-back runs to the great outdoors, though, on Saturday, and whoa! It felt like I truly was back in my element. 

 Before I spill it on 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 ;-)

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

Never miss a Monday. When I awoke to not only fresh snow, but snow-covered streets as well, I quickly took a pass on an early-morning ride in the dark. No thanks. Instead, I went for a 2-mile wake-me-up walk over a path (around the college campus) I had not walked since my stress fracture. It had been a long time since power-walking in fresh snow, as well, so my legs felt a good burn. After work, all the snow (again) was gone, so I was able to get in a solid 10-mile ride. Brrr.

Not my typical Tuesday. Temps were chilly (but forecast to warm up some), so I opted for another morning walk before work. After work, the sunshine was breathtaking, though the temps had not warmed up as much as forecast...so after six miles, I bailed and headed back home. I wound up spending a little time with Milly (my  treadmill - 1/4 mile walk, 3/4 mile run, 1/4 mile walk). 

Double Workout Wednesday. Upper body strength in the morning...

...and 10 mile ride with the hubby after work, complete with a fire-breathing dragon photo-op.

Thursday's "I'm-Gonna-Regret-This-Later" Lower-Body Workout. As I admitted on FB and Insta, there are some strength moves that are simply more challenging than others, and for me it would be lunges. I can hold most balance poses without issue, but lunges have me teetering and swaying all over the place...which is why I do them. Staying in my comfort zone does me no good. So, here's what we did:

*5 stair flights

*10 squats (weighted)

*20 walking lunges (weighted)

*5 more stair flights

*10 push-ups

*20 mountain climbers

**four total circuits, 27 minutes and plenty of glistening & glowing. Not an especially long workout, but my tired body said “we’re good.”

As predicted, my glutes were feeling this by bedtime. I'd  also done a 7-mile bike ride after work (fighting a 13mph wind) and a 1-mile walk before dinner. As you can guess, I had zero issues falling asleep that night. 

Double Ride Day for Friday. Finally, we were gifted a beautiful morning. Temps were cold (32F), but -get this- there was no wind! Now, this is my kind of winter morning (even though, technically, it's still Fall). My only regret was only having time for five miles. After work, I met up with Barb (remember her?), and we knocked out 17 miles of chatter just before sunset. It's pretty incredible when your loyal running friend is also willing to saddle-up and go for an after-work ride with you. So, 22 total miles for the day!

A Sunny and Windy Saturday. I forgot to mention that the DOMS from Thursday morning's lower-body workout were pretty intense, and still present on Saturday morning. I took my time climbing out of bed (ouch), and eventually made it outside. I have a 1.5-mile route that I routinely walk, so I decided to walk to the halfway point, then run back home. O.M.G. Did that (short) run ever feel euphoric! I walked another 1/4-mile (for a bit of a cool-down), but I was on the biggest runner's high when I returned home. I grabbed a quick snack, then headed out for what I thought would be an easy 10-mile ride. Only, the 20mph S/SW wind was brutal. The wind hadn't felt that ferocious on foot, but on the bike it was insane.

A super sunny (and super windy) Sunday.  With the sub-freezing temps (and 19mph wind), I again took a pass on an early morning ride. Instead, the hubby and I took Max for a short walk then headed back out for a 2-mile brisk adventure on foot. Even with the super chilly morning air, the sunrise never disappoints! Besides, the ride can happen later, when the temps are a good 20-degrees warmer. Glass half full.

 Amazingly, this week actually played out better than anticipated. Not surprisingly, biking is still the dominant fitness fix...this week Gustavas and I logged 65 miles (with more on tap for Sunday afternoon). Walking is slowly on the upswing with 10 miles this week. And, running! Although I'm paranoid about re-injury, I cannot deny how great it feels to be breaking a sweat in the running shoes again. Only two short runs this week, and both were merely 3/4-mile each, but both felt incredible (effortless and pain-free). Also, I was very happy with both strength sessions, and am glad to be getting in some stair-training again.

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

Thumbs Down on the Weather

When she pivoted from running to cycling

"Fall" 'fessions

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair!  With all things COVID this year, we didn't have our annual Halloween potluck at the office, Thus, there was ZERO enthusiasm, via office personnel, for dressing up. None the less, I dug out my "vintage" spider web shirt from the back of my closet anyways.  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).

The biking streak continues! As this post goes live, we're at Day 72 of continuous daily biking, and (prior to Sunday's ride) the mileage is at 818. As I've said before, this streak will not survive the winter (at least outdoors, LOL), and I'm totally alright with that. I'm hoping I can either make it to 100 days, or 1,000 miles, before allowing Gustavas's hibernation to commence.

So, things are moving in the right direction with my stress fracture rally-back. Thankfully, being sidelined has not been so bad. I am quite grateful to have had this opportunity to dip my toes in the world of cycling, but I am eager to get back to regular running. Saturday's run, outdoors, reinforced how much my body is craving that running routine to return. 

How was your week? Crazy wind in your world? Good runs? Fitness breakthroughs? Plenty of reasons to smile?

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