How do you feel about planking? Ever wanted to give it a try? If you're already a proficient planker, have you thought of upping your game ?
Or maybe you're just simply craving a little challenge to get you through November, before the holiday season really takes off?
Have no fear...Planksgiving '22 is here!
All is fair in fitness and fun...until an injury rears its ugly head.
Yes, I said it.
INJURY. Not exactly a runner's (or any athlete's) favorite word that begins with I.
I had a feeling said "ugly word" had been flirting with me in recent weeks, and I was taking all the necessary precautions to keep it at bay. But, wouldn't you know? It still made its grand entrance...
...and just like that, it's time to enter the 'Fessional and bare the soles...
Let's just say there's been some stuff going down recently. It's always best to 'fess-it-out on the blog (you know, among friends and such). A runner cannot keep all this stuff unmentioned, am I right?
So, yeah. The weather, in Iowa, was anything but smooth this past week.
Extreme shifts in temps were the norm. We're talking mid-winter "feels" with the sub-freezing mornings and psychotic wind. There also was a much welcome 50-degree jump in temps, which catapulted us back to the heat of summer (minus the humidity).
Figuring out the clothing situation was a major guessing game. But, the good news? At least it wasn't snowing!
Have you ever, as a runner, had a last-minute change of course (literally)?
Well, this wasn't just a change of course, it also was a change of registration. Switching from the half marathon to the 5K not only shaved 10 miles off my race day, but also gave my recent bodily grievances a break. Oh, and there was that unexpected age group award...
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Sometimes you just gotta go with your gut, have faith, and seize the moment.
And that's just what I did, almost on the daily, this past week.
The weather kept me guessing (what's new?), the hip felt great (yay!), and the glute/hammy saw significant signs of improvement (whew!). So, we acted on a few impulses...
Running burnout.
There's two words that do not fit together very nicely, am I right?
Thankfully, I don't think I've ever truly suffered from said burnout. There have been times, though, when I have needed to scale things back a bit and/or shift my focus. There may also have been some goals that got modified along the way as well.
All of which has been fine and dandy. After all, I'm still running.
Well, this was a week that kept me going HMMM on the daily!
The weather kept changing (not necessarily in a bad way). The recent (mild) drama with the glute and hip flexor took turns as to which was feeling better (sometimes it was both at the same time!). And the running staged a conservative comeback.
Yeah, things that made me go HMMM, indeed.
There's been a definite chill in the air these days.
Thankfully, most days (thus far) it's been mostly an early morning chill, which gives way to an afternoon warm-up. Rest assured, since I'm out and about on most of those chilly mornings, I'm relishing a warm beverage upon my return back home. Of course, this is my usual (year-round) routine, but as my cold hands cradle the warm coffee cup, this morning ritual feels that much sweeter this time of year.
Speaking of which, it's that time of the month, already, for our virtual Ultimate Coffee Date. I have my mug in hand, how about you? What say we gather and chat for a bit...
Shall we get this party started?
If the first few days of Fall 2022 were any indication of what's to come, it was not looking pretty. Thankfully, things turned much warmer as the week wore on.
This week brought me a tad bit of frustration with lingering aches, pains, and discomforts aplenty. If that wasn't enough, the weather had me questioning why I call the Midwest home. But, it is what it is...and we soldier on, right?
