Darkness Falls Across the Land…

 

Darkness falls across the land…and I’m less than thrilled. 

Did you get that Michael Jackson musical reference (from his1982 hit, Thriller, for those who were drawing a blank, LOL). The dwindling daylight seems to be in overdrive all of a sudden. I know this happens every year, and I have been around for awhile, but it still seems to happen almost overnight. BTW, how is it that we’re almost on the dark side of the Autumnal Equinox?

Anyways, it’s the reality. There’s no sense in fighting it, but I am doing my best to celebrate every minute of each day's remaining daylight. 

Before I dive into the “dark” deets from the week, welcome to  Weekly Run Down!

Anyways, here’s what went down in my increasingly “darker” world of fitness and whatnot:

It was a beautiful sunshiny Sunday

After a busy Saturday (long run in the morning, followed by several hours of tailgating, college football and LOTS of walking), I was beat. I think I fell asleep within seconds Saturday night and woke up feeling refreshed, but still a bit fatigued. Max took me for an easy-paced walk, and that was it for the morning. 

I did head out for a mid-afternoon ride, though. The temps were absolute perfection, but the 14mph wind? Not so much. I guess it was good resistance training, so there’s that. Also, it gave me a great opportunity to check out some of the Gay Lea Wilson Trail, which I had not ridden much before.

Never Miss a Monday, despite the temps 

Umm, did I sleep through September and wake-up in late October ? Yikes! My first run with capris, long sleeves and a headband happened much earlier than I would have preferred. Thankfully, the temps warmed up by late morning, so all was well. Max took me for a couple 1-mile walks, and I did a solo 2-mile walk after dinner. Not a bad day: seven total miles on foot. 

A low-key, low-impact Tuesday 

The day started with 10 miles on the spin bike, followed by some upper-body strength. It was a beautiful day, which afforded me a 2-mile lunch walk and a 2-1/2 mile walk after dinner. 

A double workout Wednesday 

As per my (new) usual, I met-up with the gals at 4:55AM for our routine 3-mile run. This week, though, both Hannah and Kelly stuck around and ran two bonus miles with me (yay!). I also got out for a mid-morning 1-mile walk with Michele.

After work, I was craving some time on the bike. I wasn't able to leave the house until after 7:00, and it was already too dark for my sunglasses by the time I returned after 10 miles. Ugh. Totally chasing daylight on that one!

Another Thankful Thursday

I was up and out the door at 4:30AM for the weekly virtual meet-up with Deb. I've said it many times before, but I'm always amazed how my body seems to naturally wake-up 5-10 minutes before my alarm, even on the earlier-than-usual mornings. Although the air was cool, without much wind the temps felt comfortable. Of course, I had to rock some Iowa gear with the big game coming up. I knocked-out four miles of walking, then did some lower-body strength and core work afterwards.

That evening, it was a Cy-Hawk theme for the running group. The thing is, Matt (the club president) and myself (the token newbie) were the only ones in official team gear for our respective teams, LOL. Oh well, it was a nice evening (temps in the low-70F's), and the three miles felt effortless.

And, a much needed low-impact Friday

I could feel some achiness while on the previous evening's  run, but the DOMS were in full bloom when I awoke Friday morning. I hopped on the bike for eight miles and did a short upper-body workout before heading to work. I also did a 2-mile lunch walk, but #HolyOuchBatman, my glutes and hammies were on fire (and they continued to burn for the entire day). 

Sort of a Saturday longish run

Still fighting the DOMS (#ugh), but with the Cy-Hawk game on the agenda, I got out early for seven miles. It was another cool morning, but zero wind and a beautiful clear sky made it quite comfortable (after the first mile warm-up).

…and what's happening on Sunday?

The weather is looking similar to Saturday (temps in the 70F's with sunshine galore). I'll probably be rising and shining for a short walk (or maybe...just maybe...a recovery run?), but there will most likely be an afternoon (or late morning) bike ride happening as well.

Overall, it was a decent week! As mentioned, the dwindling daylight always seems to happen so suddenly. It's a gradual transition until mid-August hits, then it feels like it's full-speed-ahead to darkness. Anyways, the running went well (even with the DOMS joining me on Thursday evening and Saturday morning)...18 miles for the week. Walking was decent with 19 miles. Biking held its own with 48 miles. I brought back some lower-body strength work this week, and it felt good at the time, but those DOMS tell another story, LOL.

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

Glistening & Glowing to the max

Coffee. Contemplations .Chatter.

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Did I mention it was Cy-Hawk Week in Iowa? The Iowa State Cyclones are the University of Iowa Hawkeyes' big inner-state rival, and the big game was happening on Saturday. We had a tailgate-themed snack day at the office, so I simply had to wear some Iowa gear. Wouldn't you do the same?

As for the Iowa-ISU game...not much to say. Iowa did well in the first half, and were leading 10-0 at halftime. The second half was a different story. Let's just say ISU got hungry, and kicked a field goal with five seconds on the clock, and won, 20-19. Oh well. It was a painful loss, but I'm sincerely happy for ISU. The only time I cheer against them is when they're playing on the same field as the Hawks.

How are things in your world? Did the first week of September seem surprisingly dark, in terms of daylight...or is that just my observation?  Any great workouts or runs that need mention?

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