Grooving & Moving (not necessarily in that order)

Well, it’s been a week! 

There was lots of moving & grooving, with a good mix of stress & insomnia added in for good measure. But, it’s (mostly) all in the rear view mirror and we’re still in one piece, still standing, and still smiling. 

So, what exactly went down? Read on, but first let me welcome you 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 blog as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)

Sunday...

(Stress level not showing yet, LOL)

I got out for a brisk and breezy 2-mile walk, then hit the stairway. I have to keep mixing up the workouts, to keep them interesting, LOL. This week: 3 X 30 flights (double-stepped), with a 30 second walk break in between each set. I finished with 10 flights of single-steps; 100 total flights.

Monday...

(Stress level: 38; total steps 22,625)

With a long day of continued packing on deck, I hit the bike for one last ride in the soon-to-be vacant workout room (10 miles), and then headed out for a 2-mile walk, followed by a short lower-body strength session. That night, Allison and I met for a full moon run, but the moon was most uncooperative (so I had to allow a streetlight do the honors for the requisite selfie). Oh well, we still had four miles of lively chatter.

Tuesday...

(Stress level:40; total steps 21,053)

I attempted an easy(ish) early morning 2-mile walk before the real rain hit, but the misty sprinkles and the psychotic wind had me calling it good after one mile. I retreated back inside and hit the elliptical for three miles of cardio release instead. Problem solved.

 

Wednesday...

(Stress level:45; total steps 22,795)

A final full day of packing was on the agenda, as well as continued cleaning (as the moving guys loaded my stuff). I got my morning plank done just in time to let the movers in. There was no downtime, whatsoever, until the 7:00 final walkthrough for our buyers. Max and I had to vacate, so that was my first chance for some non-moving-related cardio. I took full advantage and power-walked to my heart's content for 30ish minutes.

Thursday...

(Stress level: 48; total steps 26,585)

The day to beat all, which included two house closings (the Grinnell house and my new house in Bondurant). I think I was awake most of the night (and slept on the bedroom floor, in Grinnell, for the last time). I did have plenty of stress-induced energy, though, so the 5AM hour with Deb was totally happening, LOL. And, a bonus? The waning moon was shining bright for my last early morning Grinnell walk. Later that afternoon, at approximately 2:55PM, I had the keys to my new house in hand (title pic, above).

Friday...

(Stress level:33; total steps 13,813)

Waking up in my new place (albeit on that bedroom floor as well, LOL), I finally felt somewhat sufficiently rested. I got out for a speedy 2-mile walk only to return and see the moving truck already in my driveway (20 minutes early). Their early arrival was a good problem, nonetheless...though it did delay my "morning" shower for about seven hours, LOL).

Saturday...

(Stress level:31; total steps 12,235)

Ahh, after a nearly full night of sleep, rest, and relaxation, I awoke feeling like a new person. Mind you, there still was plenty of work to be done. Knowing all of my belongings were in my new dwelling and that I had survived what seemed like a never-ending week of stress...let's just say it was pretty euphoric. After a morning of unpacking, I finally got out for a 3-mile run and was able to check out a familiar trail I had biked on numerous times in previous summers. Although the nasty wind seemed to have followed me to my new place, at least the sunshine did as well. Glass half full!

 

So, whew! Having run a few marathons (nine, to be specific), I'd compare this last week to such an endeavor. Having to dig deep, and persevere through the fatigue and the unknown was tough, but oddly empowering at the same time. The running was at the bare minimum this week (7 miles), biking was almost bleak (10 miles), but walking dominated with 14 miles. As for strength work, ha! There was all kinds of lifting of heavy (and often times, awkwardly shaped) boxes, and so much stair-climbing (with said boxes) in both houses. 

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

Oh, the Irony!

My Stress Fessions Overfloweth

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. See Friday's pic from my early morning walk, LOL. That was the outfit of the day until mid-afternoon, after the movers pulled out my driveway and I had the entire house to myself.

So, yes, this was a week that really tested my stamina, my sense of humor, and my optimism. Things, somehow, all fell into place, though. My two realtors (for each house) were invaluable in going out of their way to make this experience as painless as possible. I also had a lot of help from friends and family, and enormous support from so many others (you know who you are).

*** I typically don't pay much attention to my total daily steps or my stress level (via my Garmin), but I did take note of those stats this week. I thought it only fitting to include those, since they show some interesting info on the week's happenings.

Have you ever relocated to a new house, in a new city? Did you find the experience as exhausting as I did? Or, did you also find it rather empowering and exciting? 

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