Saturday, June 4, 2022

Riding the Stride


A lot can be said for the fine art of prepping for a big race.

There's the taper, but also the daily fitness "fixes" that we all know and love. Finding that perfect balance, which is an individual thing, is tricky. It's also well worth the trial and error in seeking it.

Thankfully, for me, I have my trusty bike(s) to keep me happy when I'm scaling back on other vices. It was an active week of tapering, so to speak. And a week of eager anticipation of a favorite race... 

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 went down in my little (fitness) corner of the universe: 

Sunday Fun Day
I was up and out the door, shortly after the sunrise, for a 3-mile walk. 


Then, upon my return back home, we'd gotten an invite to road-trip to Omaha for the Big 10 Baseball Tournament (our Iowa Hawkeyes were playing the Michigan Wolverines). So...after the 3ish-hour drive there, several hours in the hot sun (on hard stadium seats, LOL) and the drive back home, I was an exhausted mess. But, it had been a fun-filled day with our friends.



Never Miss a Monday (even on Memorial Day)
For the past several years, a group of us have met at the lake, which is right next to the cemetery. We run a lap around the lake, then run the hilly trails through the cemetery. It's always beautiful seeing the numerous American flags on display. Later, I spent several hours doing several "garden squats" and a lot of vicious weed-yanking. After a 2-mile walk (in the evening), I was more-than-ready for bed.



Tuesday's Upper-Body Bliss
With the race coming up, I opted to avoid lower-body-focused work...which meant I could focus on upper-body strength instead. I did a short strength session, on the patio in the early morning, then did a couple of Tunde's toners in the evening (all from the Peloton app). There also was a combined total of four miles walked for the day.
 

Double Workout Wednesday
I met up with Barb for our weekly #5at5 adventure in the early hours. After work, I met Amy, at the bike path, for another windy expedition on the hills (15 miles). Also, walking weighed in with four total miles.
 

Easy-Does-It Thursday
Have I ever mentioned how much I love my sunrises? Whether on foot or on wheels, there's just something magical about experiencing the sun just after it breaks the horizon. 10 miles on the bike, then another four miles of walking (at work and in the evening) for the day's totals.


Friday's Leg Flush-Out
Not everyone is a fan of a short run the day prior to a race, but I am. A 2-mile shake-out run felt oh-so-good in the morning! A short 1-mile walk at work, then a 2-mile walk (for my "happy hour") and all was good.


Saturday? Just my favorite DAM race...
My day started rather early, with a 3:45 wake-up and a 4:30 departure. The shuttle buses got us over to the start line (the Saylorville Dam) for the 7:00 race start of the DAM to DSM Half Marathon. Let's just say my performance wasn't my greatest. I had a major energy crash in the ninth mile (dehydrated and probably under-fueled) along with some unforeseen knee crankyness (ITB?). I had to walk. A lot. That said, this race is one I look forward to every year, and this was #15. My glass was more than half-full, and I still enjoyed this iconic event. I am ever grateful for what my body can do under adverse conditions, and still cross the finish line with a genuine smile. I crashed for a few hours after getting home, and then did a 10-mile bike ride (and my legs were ever thankful!). Recap coming...stay tuned!  


What's on tap for Sunday?
The jury is still out...I may go for a short recovery run (or I may not). I do plan on some early morning biking to enhance the leg recovery, though.

All in all, the week played out nicely. Now that D2D is done, I don't have any long-distance races on the calendar until October (but that could change, LOL). I am looking forward to relishing "maintenance mode" for awhile. This week's miles: 23(ish) of running, 35 of biking, 21 of walking.

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

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Friday was a beautiful, sun-kissed day in Iowa! Your thoughts on distressed denim, and/or frayed hems? While more on the casual side, I like the edgy look of this skirt. Pair it with a bight-colored top (and some chunky jewelry) and you're good to go.


Global Running Day. Wednesday, June 1st, was a grand day! I was privileged to share it (virtually) with some of the best running friends ever. Thanks to Cari for the collage!

How about a peek into my garden? This week's bloomers were peonies, Siberian irises and spiderwort. I'm loving all the color! My daylilies are taking over (but won't be blooming for several weeks), as are the numerous hostas.


So, that's it for now!

How did your week go? Any significant workouts or achievements that need mention? Did you race this weekend, or do you have a big event coming up?

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27 comments:

  1. I too am in 'maintenance mode' and I'm enjoying it. Sometimes it feels good to just run! Enjoy!

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    1. Yes, it feels good to just run and enjoy it for what it is.

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  2. That’s a lot of driving to see a basketball game! I guess we’ve done it for my son’s lacrosse games. ;-)

    Sorry the D2D didn’t go as well as you hoped, but glad you enjoyed it anyway.

    Love the sunrise photo with your bike - the colors are amazing.

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    1. Yes, it was a long day of driving and uncomfortable stadium-sitting, but worth it. I certainly wouldn't want to do it regularly, though, LOL

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  3. I love how you and your friends acknowledge Memorial Day.

    I'm so sorry your favorite race didn't go as hoped. It's hard to figure out the hydration when we're going from one season to another and it's easy to be under hydrated as it gets warmer. What is it about our cranky knees? My left one is still bothering me on bike rides ever since the Tour de Madison. :-(

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    1. The dehydration was totally on me...I have done some long runs, but none of them were for 13.1 miles, nor were they an hour away. In other words, I should have been hydrating in the car (better) while en route. The cranky knees? Hmmm, not sure where that came from. I think my form was compromised, due to my energy crash (?).

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  4. No big events. I love how you can struggle with the race and still totally embrace the fact that you are able to do that -- I am not quite always as good about that!

    All in all, sounds like you had a good week. I love the way you honor Memorial Day, too!

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    1. Well, having had two major injury setbacks, in recent years, I embrace every time I'm able to be in my running shoes. If it's a tough race or a challenging run, so be it. I know there are countless others who'd gladly trade places with me ;-)

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  5. still in racing mode... 10 miler last weekend nd a 5k this weekend.

    Congrats on toughing out. I know the feeling.

    And I've recently had the cranky knee. Must be going around.

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  6. I like your red white and blue garb for the Memorial Day run! Sounds like a tough D2D race, but crossing the finish line with a smile is a success! I'm looking forward to the race recap, as always. Hope you have a nice recovery day today.

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    1. Thanks, Jenny! My recovery day had me running (easy-paced 2-miler), biking (10 miles) and walking (three miles). I'm feeling great ;-)

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  7. Looking forward to your race recap! I do admire your commitment to your Iowa teams - that's a long day of travel (and fun)! I've got some odd knee thing going on right now. Not the best timing for that! Hope you are enjoying a recovery day!

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    1. Yes, we love our Hawkeyes! Ugh...seems like a bunch of us are dealing with phantom knee junk...I hope yours is nothing serious.

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  8. exhausted mess is summer in a nut shell. But I wouldn't trade it for the world and I suspect you wouldn't either.
    Boo on your knee. Hope you find quick relief.
    I have a couple of races this month but also in fall planning mode. I have a feeling something will land.

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    1. Indeed, I'll take summer and all the exhaustion that results from it ;-)

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  9. Sorry about your race. I had my big race two weeks ago so I'm taking it somewhat easy now. But I want to stay in running shape in case I decide to do another one soon!

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    1. Maintaining the fitness is a fun place to be! Since I don't have my sights on anything longer than 13.1 miles, I don't have any reason to log especially high mileage, so all is well.

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  10. I hope whatever's going on with your knee/ITB is short-lived. Enjoy maintenance mode :)

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    1. Yes, I'm hoping the knee thing is short-lived. The felt fine, earlier this morning, on my short run.

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  11. My money is on you doing another long race before October;-) Enjoy your maintenance mode time - you have earned it!

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    1. Well, there are a couple of half marathons I have my eye on...

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  12. I love the global running day collage (I didn't run on GRD, I almost always don't, which can't be right given I run 4 days a week!) and your flowers, too. And what a HUGE medal - well done! I had a good running week this week myself with 23 miles in the bag including a soggy but hilarious run with my friend Trudie this morning.

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  13. Congrats on completing another DAM to DSM race! Sorry that you had to deal with the cranky knee issue, especially during the race. I know how annoying that can be!

    Always fun to run with you virtually on Global Running Day :)

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  14. I know how much you love that race and I'm sorry your body didn't want to cooperate. That's so hard :( But you had a great week of workouts and I know you'll be back on your game soon. I love sunrises too.

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