Succumbing by default

 

I’ve heard it said that flexibility is key. 

That concept certainly can apply to many things, like ones work schedule or social obligations. Also, let’s not forget about the Olympians, especially the amazing gymnasts!

This week, at least in my world, saw a different kind of flexibility. The weather was all kinds of humid, dangerous, and rainy. Then there was an unfortunate mishap on an innocent morning run. Suddenly, without any warning, I found myself succumbing to an unplanned recovery mode of sorts…

Before I dis on the crazy deets of my fitness week, 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 blog as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)

Anyways, here’s what went down this week in my little world of mayhem and whatnot:

Sunday - Succumbing to (air-conditioned) downtime

Following Saturday’s (hot and humid) biking antics with Deb and her hubby, I opted to keep things low-key on Sunday. Max and I took a couple of 1-mile walks and I did some brief biking (7-1/2 miles over lunch). There may have also been some couch time for napping and Olympics viewing, just saying. 

Monday - Succumbing to Momma N (and the Olympics)

The forecast was showing severe weather for the evening, so the #nevermissamonday run defaulted to morning. I spent my lunch break walking (two miles) since I knew I wouldn't be walking after I got home. Then, after work, it was to the couch I went with Max. Oh my, the Men’s Gymnastic Team Finals were off-the-charts spectacular. I was able to sneak in some upper-body and core work in between the gymnastics coverage, though. 

Tuesday - Succumbing to the weather (again)

Waking up to heavy rain does not mesh with any kind of outdoor fun, so I fired-up the spin bike for five miles of fasted cardio and added a quick arms/shoulders workout before heading to work. The weather had mellowed by the time I returned home, so I snagged a 3-mile walk before settling-in for more gymnastics viewing.  

Wednesday - Succumbing to severe precip 

With more crazy rain, thunder, and occasional lightning on display, the 4:45 weekly run didn’t happen. Again, I found myself on the spin bike (after a brief sleep-in). After picking up Krystal from the bike shop, I did a quick lunchtime 1-mile walk. Back home, I took Krystal out for a hot and muggy 16-mile ride, only to return home without access to getting in my house. Ugh. There had been an apparent power surge in the neighborhood while I was riding, which rendered my garage keypad useless. With no way to get inside (and with a storm on the way), I had to summon a locksmith. Suffice it to say that ride cost me $180, LOL. And I had a few extra keys cut the next day to place in various places, and one is now residing in the storage bag on my bike. 

Thursday- Succumbing to an out-of-sorts schedule

With the absence of the usual Wednesday morning 3-miler, I thought Thursday morning would be optimal for getting in a few of the "missed" miles. Not even 1/4-mile in, I lost my footing and ((#BOOM)) I was down for the count. I went down hard and slid a little ways (you know, just for good measure). I don't know how much DNA I left on the scene, but there was blood running down my left leg and arm, and my left shoulder was a gooey mess as well. It took a minute to get my bearings, but I decided to just go on and continue the run. I got three miles in, and didn't feel too bad despite all the aches and pains. I did a quick Barre session and some core work before heading to work, and a 1-mile walk over lunch. Overall, I was grateful that nothing felt broken, no teeth were missing, and my phone was still intact, LOL. Glass half full.

Friday - Succumbing to the unexpected 

Ugh. I woke-up Friday morning feeling like I'd run an ultra and powerlifted a bus. Everything was hurting! I got out for a quick walk, to assess my condition (everything felt "normal" in that regard), and did a quick core workout (the one part of my body that didn't feel cranky). I was able to walk a couple of miles over lunch, and then biked 13 miles after work. But, trying to lift anything with my left arm was futile, LOL. My shoulder had a nasty gash, there was a lot of road rash on my upper arm, my triceps "region" didn't want to cooperate, and my elbow and knee were still a nasty mess as well.

Saturday Succumbing to my situation

In spite of my achy and cranky body, I still wanted to try to get n a few miles. I procrastinated in getting out the door, and it was a balmy 77-degrees with 91% humidity when I finally left the house. I thought five miles was a good number to settle on, and the run actually went well. I'm always talking about how movement works like magic, and that theory came through for me (the arm-pumping really seemed to help loosen my compromised shoulder).

A short while later, Mike and Amy arrived on the scene. We rode out to Ankeny, grabbed lunch at a fun bar (and watched a few of the track and field Olympics events while eating) and then made it back to my place by mid-afternoon. It had really warmed up, even more, by the time we finished our ride (28-ish miles).

…and what about Sunday?

The jury is out on that, LOL. It's gonna be another hot and humid day, so I won't be doing anything too wild and crazy. The odds are good there will be some walking, though, and probably some easy biking as well.

So, what a week! All told, things played-out alright, but there were a few frustrations with the weather, the locksmith ordeal, and the stumble-tumble catastrophe. I survived, though, and am stronger (maybe, LOL) for the experience. Running saw 10 miles, walking had 12, and biking dominated with 75 miles. The strength work came to a bit of a halt after Thursday's fall, but I'm hoping I'll be able to do a little more next week as things heal. Onward!

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

Keeping Things in Motion

Let's Gather, Let's Chat

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. I was decked-out in brown, a color that came into vogue several years ago. It took me awhile to embrace it since it's not always a flattering color for me. I do like a dark chocolate version of the color (and we all know I love my dark chocolate candy, right?).

My #OptOutside streak is still going strong. As of July 31st, the count was at 1,344, so I have my sights on hitting 1,500 on January 3rd. 

Finally, I had to share this Wordle from Friday. I was able to solve it on the second try, with a totally random guess and only one letter to go on. Trust me, that doesn't happen everyday.

So, there you go. it was a week of fun, mishaps, with plenty of good stories to go along with it. 

How did your week play-out? Any crazy weather in your area? Ever get locked out of your house when your keypad failed? Ever take a bad tumble that resulted in several nasty scrapes and abrasions?

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