I Demand a Weather Re-Do!

Wow. Well played, Momma N, well played.

After a beautiful summer weather preview, she practically pulled the rug out from under my running shoes. The cold temps, cloudy skies, insane wind (yet again)! At last she (somewhat) righted herself by the weekend. But still.

Memorial Day Weekend implies summer, and I’m ready for it. I’d prefer the weather play along. 

Before I delve into the deets from the (almost) winter-like 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 ;-)

Sunday - full circle fitness

Just when you thought it was safe to pack away the puffers, the temps are showing 41F. Say what??? I got out for a 3-mile pre-church walk and had to layer-up under a puffer vest. Thankfully, the sunshine was beautiful and the wind wasn’t too crazy. Later, there was more walking to be done…a 1-miler with Max (late morning) and an evening 2-miler.

The highlight of my day, though, was an afternoon bike ride. The temps warmed up substantially by the afternoon and the wind was almost non-existent. After several attempts, I struck-out on any of my friends-with-bikes being available to join me on a ride. So, what’s a gal to do, on a beautiful afternoon, when the trail is beckoning? I saddled-up and rode solo to Mingo, along the Chichaqua Valley Trail. All went well, and the 30-mile round trip took me just over two hours.

Never miss a Monday

The forecast was looking rather dreary and damp upon wake-up. I optimistically postponed my Monday run for the evening and opted for more biking, this time on the indoor bike (10 miles). I was able to sneak out for a 2-miles lunch walk, barely missing the afternoon rain. 

As the day continued, the forecast looked even more dreadful. By late afternoon, the rain was coming down with no sign of letting-up. Finally, there was a brief window of possible dryness (emphasis on possible, LOL) after dinner. I headed out, hoping for two miles, but the mist quickly turned to sprinkles, and I called it after one mile. It was a cold rain, and the wind wasn’t helping with the conditions. No biggie, and the Never-Miss-a-Monday streak prevailed.

Tuesday - Keeping things on the low-impact spectrum

Nothing too crazy to report…a 2-mile early morning walk (with the weighted vest) and some upper-body strength work. Have I mentioned how much these heavier weights are “burning” my muscles? Ouch! It was another rainy day, so there was only a short “around-the-block” walk with Max.  

Wednesday - more wind!

The temps weren’t too miserable, but that wind still prevailed. I met Maria and Kelly for the weekly Wednesday run…three miles for them, and five for me. Max took me for a 1-mile walk afterwards, and I got out for a lunchtime 2-mile walk.

Thursday - thriving on lots of movement

The day started with biking in the basement (with Deb as my witness). We hadn’t met the week prior, so we had a lot of catching-up to do. Thirteen miles on the spin bike for me.

After we parted ways, I summoned the weights (and the Peloton app). The glutes and legs were worked. My arms and shoulders saw some action. And, there was more chest and back focused-work as well. I found an intense Peloton workout utilizing intervals of push-ups and reverse flies in a Tabata format. I wasn’t feeling the push-ups, so after the first circuit, I subbed-in chest presses. Yowza. Everything was burning afterwards. There may have also been a 2-mile lunchtime walk with the weighted vest, just because.

…and let’s not forget the Thursday night 3-mile group run! We had a great turnout and I remained vertical this week (no stumbling or tumbling). I was surprised with the pretty even splits considering the busy day I’d had. Let’s just say I hit the bed with my entire body feeling throughly worked-over.

Friday - Active recovery!

After all of Thursday’s antics, I was ready for a day of active recovery. The morning started off chilly for my 3-mile walk, causing me to shed the gloves for the last mile. The afternoon warmed up to a perfect 70F range, so I took Gustavas out for a late afternoon 10-mile ride.

Saturday - time for some long miles

This 10-miler had been weighing on my mind. With the DAM-to-DSM half marathon happening next weekend, I honestly had nothing to gain (or lose) by running these 10 miles, but my gut was telling me to just get it done for peace of mind. I even stayed out (and up, LOL) a bit too late, kind of testing my discipline. I slept-in a bit, and then played the procrastination game…finally hitting the street around 9:30. My plan was to run out on the trail, just over four miles, similar as I’d ridden the day prior. That would put me at eight miles (after returning home), and then I could assess if two more miles were warranted. Well, I don’t know why I had any doubts as these miles went much better than anticipated. I took a few 10-second walk breaks (at 2,6, and 8.5 mile marks) and made it back home without any issues. I had water with me, and ate a granola bar at the 6-mile break. My average pace was 10:11, even with the walking, so I guess my body thinks it’s ready for 13.1 miles, LOL. 

…and what’s on-deck for Sunday?

I’m hoping to rally a few friends for biking both Sunday and Monday, but the weather is looking cooler than ideal (temps in the low/mid 60F range). I do plan on some early morning walking before church, though. Let’s hope the sun emerges from forecasted clouds!

So, this week was a little more action-packed than I realized. I might need to lighten things a bit with the half marathon happening next Saturday, but you know what they say about the best laid plans. Anyways, this week saw 19 miles of running, 21 miles of walking, and 63 miles of biking. Several good strength sessions also had me keeping busy. No regrets!

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

Sunshine at its Best

Fitness Options for Honoring Memorial Day

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Don’t tell anyone, but I may have grabbed a sparkly tank from my fitness arsenal for non-fitness purposes. Hey, it happens! Besides, the sparkles matched my sandals, so there’s that. 

Finally, this weekend has already kept Garmin busy dolling out the badges. The 3-mile weekend walk badge popped-up Friday morning. The 10-hour running badge and 300K step badge both showed up after Saturday’s 10-mile run. Go me, LOL.

Enough about me…

How did your week play-out? Any upcoming races on the calendar? Plans for Memorial Weekend? 

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