A Breath of "Fall" Air

 

Where did my summer go?

Apparently, Momma N is in a much bigger hurry to shut-down the summer season than I am. The days are getting markably shorter, and my dear sunrise is arriving later and later each morning. Alas, I'm determined to get outside everyday and embrace what's left of summer.

That's the plan, and it kept me smiling most of the week. 

Before I share all the Fall-like 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 8:00AM (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 really went down in my little world of fitness this week:

Sunday Supreme

Fresh off of Saturday's hot & humid DAM to DSM 20K, I awoke feeling (dare I say?) recovered. Alas, just to play it safe, I opted for a recovery ride on the bike (wearing my new D2D shirt), and returned home feeling even more rejuvenated. The hubby agreed...biking is a pretty decent recovery vice after a tough race. A few hours later, we loaded the car and headed to the hubby's hometown, in northwest Iowa, for our brother-in-law's visitation and funeral.

Never miss a Monday...

Feeling exhausted (physically and spiritually), I knew a short run would loosen up my body, wake-up my mind, and start my day off right. I ran a short ways from the hotel, along a highway, and then alongside a golf course and through part of a neighborhood trail. The sunrise and fresh air definitely worked their magic. Later, after we returned back home, I took Gustavas out for a quick 5-mile ride and my legs were most grateful (after upwards of five hours in the car). 

The sunrise in NW Iowa is just as breathtaking as it is in central Iowa

 Take-It Easy (Peasy) Tuesday

With rain threatening to dampen my morning, and damp streets from the overnight rain, I opted to take a simple walk and postpone the bike ride for later. Nothing like a damp morning to really make me nostalgic for a hot, summer morning (if you know what I mean). It did warm up, a tiny bit, but the 15-mile ride with Gustavas (post-workday) did have me in long sleeves.

Anyone else ready for football season? Go Hawks!

Double (Windy) Ride Wednesday

Holy Brrr, Batman, can we lighten up on the fast-forward-to-Fall weather? Yeah...temps in the upper-50F's feel a bit chilly on the bike, but Momma N blessed me with another stellar sunrise. By the afternoon, the temps had done a 180, and it felt like Summer again...though, we also had some wind to fight. I met Amy and Barb at the trail, and we embarked on our weekly (hilly) bike path ride to the lake and back. Yowza, we had a viscous NE wind that kept us all quite humble on the return trip. Afterwards, Amy headed home, and Barb and I rode a few bonus miles. With the morning's 10 miles (with Gustavas, the loyal mountain bike) and the 21 post-workday miles (with Fritz, the hybrid), Wednesday's mileage totaled out at 31miles...a nice 50K for the day! Believe it or not, I slept like a rock that night.  

BTW, there was an awkward moment when the "drive-by" busted me in my selfie

Thursday's #5at5...and nothing else

We had to postpone the #5at5 to Thursday; and, after crashing hard Wednesday night, 4:30AM came rather early Thursday morning (but hitting the streets in my running shoes is my kind of coffee). Wow...where did all the morning daylight go??? The temps were crisp (59F), the sky was clear, and our run went well (albeit a bit speedy LOL) ... but there wasn't even a hint of a sunrise when I returned home. Oh, how I wish the summer season lasted longer! I spent the greater part of the day trying to keep my eyes opened. When I got home from work, I hit the couch and crashed for about an hour. I'd been up for almost 13 hours at that point and not even a bike ride sounded enticing.

Feel-the-burn-Friday

I had every intentiontion of an early-morning run (even in the forecast rain), but the cold temps (mid-50F's), wind, and storm-like conditions had me changing my plans upon wake-up. A new fitness toy that I have been playing with is the hubby's ab wheel. Holy Burn, Batman! I can now do 10 "roll-outs, " with near-perfect form, so I went "rolling" instead of running...and did a bunch of upper and lower-body strength work (as a cool-down LOL). Later, after another 5ish-hour drive back to NW Iowa (this time for the hubby's class reunion), I took the bike out for a few miles to map out a running route for the next morning.

Sunny Saturday

With a full day of reunion activities and meet-ups on the roster, I got out early and got my run done just after daybreak. We're talking five miles, exploring the hubby's hometown on foot, and then another eight miles on the bike. Fresh air, cool temps (again), and plenty of early mornig sunshine...not a bad start to a busy day.

Sunday's forecast?

A long drive back, so I'm going to try to get out for some biking (and/or walking) before we hit the road for home. And, probably some more biking, upon our return to town, to loosen up the legs after all that car time. My reality!

So, although we still have a few weeks remaining of the official summer season, Momma N tried to fast-forward it to Fall this week. The cooler temps weren't terrible, but I'm defintely in no hurry for my summer to end. Running was still on the conservative spectrum (12 miles), and walking was pretty meager as well (I think about 5 or 6 intentional miles). Biking was respectable, though, with 67 miles on wheels. The daily planks, push-ups, and (now) ab-rolls were spot-on, as well as the full-body strength workout Friday morning. All is well.

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

Going With the (weather's) Flow

DAM to DSM - 2021 Race Recap

A Time for Chai & Chatter

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. It was a cold and damp day, so we went with some bright red (to brighten the dreary day) and the tried and true white skinny jeans (for warmth). So what if my toes may have been cold...the sparkly sandals are still in rotation because it still is (technically) the summer season.

Finally, as mentioned, the hubs and I returned to his hometown (again), this time for his class reunion. Yes, I do wear other things beside fitness gear...and so does he. BTW, congrats to our Iowa Hawkeyes on their season-opener against Indiana!

How did your week play out? Has it been feeling more like Fall than Summer? Any weekend racing? Ever tried ab-rolling? 

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