Riding the Recovery, literally

This week was all about recovering and riding, which made for a perfect pair.

Fresh off the Market-to-Market Relay (and my 14-mile contribution), my body was ready for some down time. As I have said many times, if I've said it once, my body prefers recovery-in-motion. What better way to spend some quality time with Krystal (the new bike), getting to know one another?

My running muscles appreciated the TLC that the bike provides. My entire body benefited from the cardio fix. And my mind and soul soaked up all those feel-good vibes from being outdoors. Talk about your triple wins! 

Before I dis on the deets, 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 down this week, in my little corner of the universe:

Sunday's Shake-out

After a full day of action with the M2M Relay (I'd been up since 4:00a.m. and didn't get back to town until almost 11:00p.m...not to mention those 14 miles in the "summer" heat), I was feeling a tad bit exhausted come Sunday morning. I slept-in a bit, refreshed the mani, and did a 2-mile walk amidst all the blooming lilacs. I also went for a low-key 10-mile bike ride in the afternoon and finished the day with Full Moon Run #13 that evening (see below).

Never Miss a Monday!

Since I'd run only nine hours prior (four miles under the full moon), I opted for a (somewhat) short 7-mile ride, basking in the glow of the Monday morning sunrise. Later, there were a couple of 1-mile walks at work, and a very easy-paced 2-mile run after getting back home.

Another Tuesday 2-fer toner with Tunde

The morning began with a couple of Tunde's upper-body toners, outside on the deck. Since I was embracing all things recovery-wise, in addition to the two 1-mile walks at work...I did nothing else. And, I was more than content with that. 

A Wacko Wednesday

The forecast was looking ugly for Wednesday. In fact, our usual #5at5 got thundered & lightning'd & rained out. After checking in with Barb, at 4:30, I snuggled back, with my pillow, for a few minutes...and woke up almost three hours later! Major oops! Apparently, my body was craving more sleep than I was aware of. Fortunately, by mid-morning, the grey skies turned blue and the weather did a 180-reversal. I was able to get in a couple of 1-milers at work, and later met Amy, at the bike path. Wow...we had a nearly perfect day for riding all those hills. The temps were warm (but very comfortable), and the wind was almost non-existent! If only that could happen more often! So, 15 miles: done and dusted.

Double Workout on Thankful Thursday

With more crazy weather in the forecast, it made sense to swap a few things around with my workout schedule. Instead of doing my usual Thursday morning strength work, I met Barb for a #14at530 (ahem, 14 miles at 5:30a.m.). 

  

Although the morning temps were on the chilly side, by mid-morning, things were feeling much warmer. We did get in our two (1-mile) walks, but after work I set out for some running miles. I knew the wind was going to pick up (which is why I opted to do my ride in the morning and saved the run for after work), but Momma really unleashed her wrath on me. The temps had shot up to the upper-80F's (which normally aren't a deal-breaker for me), but the wind had also jumped to 23mph. I guess the wind was a blessing (considering the heat), but yowza. I'm glad I brought along water (with electrolytes) and worked in some walk intervals. I'd considered going five miles, but shortened the run to four miles with no regrets.

Finally Friday

Again, there was rain in the forecast, but it was MIA upon wake-up. I shuttled my dumbbells outside to the deck and did a full-body workout and a standing core workout (via Peloton app). Other than a 2-mile post-workday walk, that was all she wrote.

Silly Saturday...

Well, so much for the early summer temps. Let's just say a nearly 50-degree temperature plummet was not welcome in my world. Look closely, that's a headband and gloves I'm sporting, LOL. Barb was out of town, so these five miles were run solo. I also did a very short 5-mile bike ride in the afternoon. Brrr.

 

...and what's on tap for Sunday?

The temps are looking cool (upper 40F's) in the morning, but sunny. I'm undecided if I'll start the day with a sunrise walk or ride (maybe both?). I'll definitely get outdoors for some early morning fitness, regardless. I have a slew of flowers that need planting and potting, so that's also on the agenda.

Overall, the week went well. I kept the running low-key (only 15 miles), so my legs had a chance to recover from the previous two weekends of intense activity. Walking was mediocre with 13 miles. Biking (all outdoors!) came to my rescue with 51 miles. I'm really torn between keeping up with Peloton cycling (maybe doing a class or two each week?) or just cycling outdoors (which I much prefer). Yes, that's very much a first world problem, but it really is tough having so many options. As far as strength work, I didn't do any lower-body focused workouts this week (though Thursday's full-body workout did have a few moves that hit those muscle groups).  The daily planking, push-ups, leg lifts and core work are still going strong.  

 

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

Suddenly Summer

Des Moines Women's 10K race recap

Bring On Summer!

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair! Oh, does it feel good to pull out some of the summer pieces that have been hibernating. Also, it feels great to be back in sandals, especially these funky sparkling ones. Have you been transitioning your wardrobe for the warmer temps and upcoming summer fun?

As mentioned, another full moon run was on last Sunday evening's roster. Although my body was in recovery mode (from the M2M Relay, the day prior), I had purposely kept things low-key during the day on Sunday. Actually, by the time we ran under the moon, it had been almost 27 hours since my feet had seen running shoes, LOL. The Sunday evening temps were pleasant, and we were blessed (again) with a clear sky. We also saw the start of the eclipse as we were finishing up, around 10:00. 

With the unusually (early) heat of summer last week, my flowers have been going crazy. Unfortunately, I think this may have been the shortest blooming season for my irises, ever. They don't usually make an appearance until the last week (or thereabouts) of May, but they came to life this week, and are just about finished. My front porch is a fragrant oasis with the lilies of the valley. The bleeding hearts are ablaze, and I just noticed the shasta daisies are already seeing some action.

So that's the latest and greatest! 

How are things in your world? Did summer arrive rather early...and then promptly disappear? How are your flowers looking? Did you catch the full moon or the eclipse? Any races happening?

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