All. Is. Well.

Another week down, and another recovery session in the arsenal.

Funny how it seems like (almost) every-other week I'm recovering from one event or another. 

This week? It was all about the legs. Everything actually felt great following the previous week's high-mileage biking, but I knew to keep things low-key anyways. Call me crazy.

And all went well. 

Before I shed some light 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 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 world of fitness this week:

Easy (very easy!) like Sunday morning.

As mentioned, all things felt good. I was fresh off a hilly 65-mile biking trek, as part of Day-7 of RAGBRAI the day prior. The only aches I noticed were my triceps, and those aches were minimal. I did a short arm/upper-body workout (with Tunde, via Peloton), and then hit the street for a relaxing 2-mile walk amidst the sunrise. Later, I did a couple more miles of walking and a very easy 2-mile bike ride in the late afternoon (en route to shoot last week's Talk To me Tuesday reel for Instagram).

Never miss a Monday!

You know the drill...when it's a never-miss-a-Monday, you adjust that ponytail and go! As luck would have it, this week's scheduled training runs were all easy-paced. On the agenda was a 45-minute progressive run. While my pace was a tad bit slower than usual (that's an exaggeration BTW), I did manage progressive splits and finished with five total miles. No aches, pains, or DOMS, but the legs did feel like they were moving in slow-mo. I was totally fine with that. It's alright to shift your goals when your circumstances are compromised, after all. Later, I got in a couple of 1-mile walks at work, and a 2-mile walk in the evening.

Typical  (easy-peasy) Tuesday.

Keeping things low-key, I started the morning with a short barre workout on the rain-soaked deck. In case you're wondering, I found out (the hard way) that my yoga mat is porous (you're welcome for that little piece of info, LOL). It was a very humid day, so we only did one (1-mile) walk at work, but I did a 2-mile walk after work. I also got in another Tunde arm/upper-body workout) in the evening.

A not-for-the-weary Wednesday.

How do 81F temps sound, at 5:00 a.m.? What if I told you the humidity was crazy high as well? Yeah, suffice it to say my water bottle was running on empty by the time I returned home from the #5at5 with Barb and Allison. Truly, this is summer running at its toughest, but also its finest. Persevering through challenging weather conditions builds our grit...right? Besides, I'll gladly take this sweat fest over the freeze of winter. No contest.

Thankful Thursday.

My guy, Daniel, is back on Peloton after an injury-related sabbatical. Let's just say he was kicking a$$ and taking names. When your glutes are burning, not even halfway into the workout, it's a given the DOMS are gonna come back and bite them a second time (Spoiler: the DOMS accepted their invite for a Friday morning arrival, and I'm thankful that their appearance wasn't a surprise). I also got in a couple miles of walking and another arm workout with Tunde, later on.

After work, it was time for a return to the bike and the hilly path. Only, when I pulled my dear Krystal out of hiding (she'd been on vacation since Saturday's hilly 65-mile ride), her front tire was flat. Ugh. With no time to spare, I summoned Gustavas, and we headed out to meet-up with Amy. I love Gustavas, but being a mountain bike, he's a beast on those hills! It was a hot afternoon, thankfully with minimal wind, but we got it done. Fifteen miles, and Hilly Bike Path Ride #13 is in the books for the 2022 season.

...and an easy-does-it Friday

So, the DOMS? Yes, they were ready and waiting for me upon wake-up Friday morning. Not a big whoop. I kept things low-key (again) with a 1-mile early morning walk, a 1-mile walk mid-morning (at work), and two more walking miles after the workday ended. Also, I dorked out with my reference to the Destiny's Child song Say My Name. Sorry, it happens (if the shirt fits...).

Long Run Saturday

It had been a hot minute (and several weeks) since I last did a substantial long run. I envisioned 6-8 miles, and met up with Allison at 5:30 to start the morning. We ran three miles, then looped over towards Barb's house. She joined us and we continued on. I peeled off when I hit eight miles, and the two of them continued on a little further. Oh, was it a sweat fest! Temps were 75F when I finished, and the humidity was 93%, thank you very much. But, it was a decent run, my body felt good, the company was excellent, and the sunrise was simply magical. Oh, and the lipstick was still intact and I finished with a smile. Does it get any better?

And what's on tap for Sunday?

The plan is a longish bike ride with Mike and Amy, plus there may be a short recovery run (or a walk) at sunrise. The temps are forecasted to be warm but not quite as humid. Fingers crossed.

For a recovery week, I'm glad all went well. It was weird having such a low number on the biking miles (ahem, a mere 17!), but given the previous week's 180, there were no regrets. My running was back in the "normal" range, with 18 miles. Walking had 20 miles. I finished week-3 of Matty's  Hot Core Challenge and week-3 of Tunde's arms program. I'm enjoying the barre workouts, more as active recovery than anything else, and the lower-body workouts definitely did their job(s) this week as well. I'm still keeping the daily planks, leg lifts, and push-ups as part of my regimen, so I'm feeling good (like, really good) with how my fitness is going.

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

Pedal Power: ACTIVATE!

Seize the Century!

A Full Cup

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. I'm all about funky color combos. When I saw the juxtaposition of the the coral, peach, white, grey and black on this fun summer top, I had to make it mine. I'm not opposed to floral prints, either.

I planted these morning glories many, many years ago. The package said they were annuals, so I planted more the following year. Well, These two plants have multiplied over the years and now resemble something from the movie Jumanji. I still love the vibrant blue and purple from the two "parent" plants even though they kind of take over my mailbox plot this time of year. If they truly are annuals, they are aggressive self-seeders, LOL.

      

Finally, I'm always sharing sunrise pics, but here's Saturday's sunset. I was out walking and the display of color totally had me spellbound. I'm glad I had the drive to head out for a couple miles of "me time," even in the 104F heat index weather.

So, there you have it. Another week of summer is done and dusted. The weather was hot and it was humid, but that's the reality of summer in Iowa. All is well with that, too.

How did your week play out? Are you managing to enjoy the summer season and all its nuances? Or are you (in)patiently awaiting the arrival of cooler weather? Any fitness highlights to share? Any races happening over the weekend? 

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