Ready for Action!

Ready for some action? 

Me? In a heartbeat!

After a scaled-back week of running, strength work, and biking, it was time. My body (and especially my mind!) was ready to get back into a routine of daily fun and fitness. Besides, we all know I'm not good at sitting on the sidelines, with my feet up.

Movement is medicinal. Motion is lotion. And all that jazz...

Before I delve into 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 this week in fitness and whatnot:

Sunday - Hitting the 1K mark!

My morning involved some strength work, via Peloton...and it wasn't just any routine workout. It was my 1,000th workout, and I made sure to include my fav Pelo gal, Tunde, for the party. We did some upper and lower-body strength work for the 1K win. I also got outside for some walking (four total miles, some in the morning; some in the evening). And, there was plenty of garden squats, you know, for good measure.

Never miss a Monday.

Nothing ground-breaking, but a simple 2-mile run in the chilly 48F early morning temps. Brrr! I also got in the usual walks at work (two total miles), a 12-mile post-workday bike ride, and two additional miles of walking in the evening.

Totally Tuesday...

Typically, I do upper-body strength work on Tuesdays. This was no exception, except for the fact it was Day-1 of the Pump Up The Volume Challenge (via Peloton). This program involves three days of upper-body strength (including core), with the classes getting tougher as the weeks progress. I added a Barre class to the mix and also did a quick 1-mile walk afterwards and a two 1-milers at work.

Another Double Workout Wednesday.

You know the drill...an early morning 5-mile run with Barb (complete with a drive-by photo bomb). Two miles walked (again) at work. And, let's not forget the post-workday hilly bike path bike ride (15 miles). Garden squats after dinner (don't be jealous).

Thankful Thursday.

The morning began with a 3-mile walk (virtually with Deb), followed by Day-2 of Pump Up The Volume (plus a short Barre class). We also got in two walks at work (two total miles).

After work, Barb and I met for a short 8.5-mile bike ride before I had to hustle off to meet one of the daughters for dinner.

A somewhat easy-peasy Fitness Friday.

My first sunrise ride of the season. I had 10 miles of open roads, chilly and breezy temps, and a bright orange/red sun (that looked golden in the pics). Back home, I did a short glutes-focused Barre workout and some light arms/shoulders strength. We got in only one walk at work (the power went out just before lunch, so the afternoon was a spontaneous "go on home" endeavor), but I snuck in a 2-mile walk after getting home. Oh, and another hour of garden squats in the evening (I swear, the weeding never ends!).

How about a triple-workout Saturday?

With busy days on both agendas, Barb and I met at 6:30 for an hour fun running and whatnot. Six miles for me (complete with ponytail swoosh on-point). After getting home, I did day-3 of Pump Up the Volume (twenty minutes of upper-body strength).

Mid-morning, Amy and Mike loaded my bike, and we headed to Bondurant. We started on the Chichaqua Valley Trail, for about eight miles, and turned onto the Gay Lea Wilson Trail, towards Ankeny. We arrived in Ankeny (14.26 miles completed), and then rode the High Trestle Trail to Slater. After a lunch break, we headed back...finishing the day with 56 total miles of biking, all of us tired from the heat, and exhausted from fighting the wind. Unfortunately, this ride was not without incident (see below).

...and what about Sunday?

Well, I will be taking things very easy, LOL. My legs need a little down-time, so I may be just a happy walker, by default. No regrets there!

So, this week was full of action, and we all know that's just the way I like it. The running was pretty conservative, all things considered, with 13 miles. Walking held its own with 21. The biking dominated, with 101 miles (and change) tallied for the week. I had four decent upper-body strength sessions (three of them being workouts for the Pump Up the Volume series).

Not much action on the blog this week:

Re: Recovery

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. How do you feel about maxi-length dresses and skirts? They're not ideal for every body, but with my tall stature, I never have to worry about hemlines being too generous. 

...and the crash! 

I've been doing a lot of biking in recent years, and had avoided any mishaps in all that time (this is my fourth summer of serious biking). Well, that all came to a crashing halt, pun intended, at about the 21-mile mark of our ride. My bike veered off the trail, for a split second, and the 5-inch drop-off had me hitting gravel...and - BOOM! - I was down for the count. My left shoulder took the brunt of the impact, and my upper arm took most of the road rash. I have a few minor scratches and scrapes on my legs, and I think I bruised a rib or two as well. I was able to get up, though, almost immediately and laugh about it. I'm quite grateful I'd had such a long streak of injury-free cycling. I'm also thankful I did that upper-body workout Saturday after my run, because there's no way my shoulder, arm or ribs would allow for that the next morning (I had originally considered saving the workout for Sunday). Anyways, now I don't have to wonder when that first official crash will happen. And, I can now say I'm a card-carrying member Road Rash Crashers Club, LOL.

So, that's the latest and greatest! 

How are things in your world, fitness and otherwise? Does it feel like summer in your area? Any favorite workouts or fitness highlights to share? Do you consider yard work, gardening and weeding substantial workouts? Ever survived a cycling crash and were able to laugh about it?

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