Sunday, February 12, 2017

Back outside...it never felt so good!


Here we go again! I can't help but wonder if Momma N is finally showing me some love (though I am probably jinxing my fate by saying that out loud). Are you ready for it?

I did every run this past week OUTSIDE!


Monday started with stellar temps, it got as high as 51-degrees. Yes, In Iowa. In February. Whodda thunk? I probably could have dressed in shorts and a tank (because it really did feel ever-so-tropical in comparison to the cold weather funk we've had), but I opted to hold off and save the "summer attire" for the real heat. 

Tuesday, though, the temps were a bit chillier. My routine, as of late, has involved doing moderate runs (4-6 miles in distance) on Saturdays and Sundays, followed by my #nevermissaMonday ritual (and those runs are usually only a mile, but have been slightly longer recently due to ideal temps). Thus, Tuesdays are ZERO-mileage days....in other words, cross-training days instead. I opted for some stair work, and totally got my sweat on & my heart pumping. 


I did 20 sets of doubles (up & down the steps 20 times, taking the steps by two's), then 10 sets of triples...repeating that sequence two more times, then finishing with 10 sets of doubles. Total flights of stairs climbed was 100, and everything from the glutes-down felt it. Thankfully, no DOMS to deal with the next day, so things were great.

Wednesday, the temps plummeted...down to the sub-20's. We awoke to some fresh snow on the ground. The air was calm, though, with minimal wind so it was actually quite nice for my evening walk under that beautiful waxing gibbous moon.


Thursday, our temps remained chilly. It was a mere 19-degrees when I went for my 5-miler after work. But, the bonus? I didn't get laced up and out the door until around 5:30...and the sun was still shining! I had daylight for most of those five miles! Yay for longer days!
Yes, the late afternoon/early evening sunshine makes me a bit giddy
Fridays are typically a day of active rest and/or recovery. I ran the five miles pretty swiftly on Thursday evening, so my hamstrings were a bit achy. Nothing that some foam-rolling and late-night power walking couldn't cure. Also, the temps, again, had shifted upwards...and returned to the 50's. I know, what's up with that? We never have 50-degree temps in February in Iowa. 

Most of the snow had disappeared by the afternoon...so I took my #Fridayfashion post outside, sans jacket. By the way...are you following me on Instagram or Pinterest? C'mon, play along! post your #Fridayfashion outfit and tag me! (I'm HERE on Instagram and HERE on Pinterest).

Yes, the snow is melting!
Saturday had me rising and shining (literally!) for the Red Flannel Run in Des Moines. The temps were forecasted to be in the 40's by race time, with cloudy skies and a chance of rain. WRONG! We awoke to sunshine, and the temps had climbed to the low 50's by race time. In keeping with the red flannel theme, I wore my red flannel plaid shorts for the first time (EVER) without tights underneath and nailed the proper layers of clothing on top. I may have even managed an average 8:30 pace and landed a 4th place AG finish. Stay tuned...the full recap is coming. 

Can you say, "shorts in February!"
The race course, though, was slightly shorter than the 5-mile route was supposed to be...my Garmin showed 4.29 (what the WHAT?). So what's a runner to do when they want a little more distance? They run a little further. When Barb and I returned back to town, we decided to run a couple additional miles....so we headed out and finished with a total of seven miles for the day. Problem solved.

Another excursion with Barb
A short while later, the husband persuaded me to go to the local college basketball game with him. Our college, Grinnell College, has a pretty strong basketball program for being a Division 3 school. They were hosting St. Norbert, the #9 team (Div. 3) in the nation, so it was a game not to be missed. Long story short, they pulled off a last-minute victory, final score 91-87! So, let's just say the much-needed post-run shower was postponed a bit longer.
Going incognito to hide the icky post-7-mile hair
SUNday (that's not a typo, by the way), was almost a total 180 from Saturday. Although the sunshine was bright and beautiful, the temps had plummeted (again) to the low 30's and the wind had returned. I headed out, hoping to run four easy miles before church, but after the first mile, decided three miles would suffice. The legs were not moving with the same ease and finesse as they had done a day prior. Such is life.
Barely able to crank out a sub-10 pace in that wind with tired legs #reality
Overall, the week was a great one for me, though. My miles (Monday-Sunday) came in at 17, and I also had some daily cardio (on the non-running days), including that intense stair workout on Tuesday. Daily planking and push-ups are still going strong. Yadda Yadda Yadda.

In case you missed them, here's last week's posts:



And, in case you want an image to save with the stair workout, here you go...

So, your turn! How was your week? Weather? Mileage? Inside or outside workouts?

As usual, I'm linking up with some wonderful gals (and their wonderful blogs):

***Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap linkup

***Ilka and Angela for the Sunday Fitness and Food linkup




53 comments:

  1. Your weather sounded a bit like ours. It was absolutely gorgeous on Wednesday and then we got snow on Thursday morning. What a 360!

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    1. This winter has been the strangest winter ever. Hardly any snow, but bitter cold temps in December and January. Now, February keeps bouncing back and forth with winter temps and spring-like conditions. Crazy!

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  2. Being stuck indoors and SICK is the worst.

    Now we are buried in snow. But if I can find a way to run in it, I will.

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    1. I finally got to do a snow run on Thursday. And, it was in sunshine (for most of it). There, now it can be spring ;-)

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  3. So jealous of those 50s (as I mentioned in my post). It will be a while before we see that (even with our crazy back and forth weather this winter.

    We have snow. And ice. and more snow. and more snow. and more snow.

    Shoveling seems to be a constant in my life lately!

    Congrats on your speedy race -- but I wouldn't be happy with a course THAT short.

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    1. I think the 5K course was short also. I had some issues (user error LOL) with my watch, so I didn't have the exact time or distance...but I was surprised to see it was that short. So now, my official time shows like a 7:30 pace for the supposed 5 miles LOL

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  4. I love all your outdoor photos from this week! Glad to see the weather cooperated. Thought of you today when I tried to do some stairs-whew those are tough!! Have a great week

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    1. I love stairs! They are tough, but that's what I love about them...I'm willing to do them (as are YOU) when others shy away from them ;-)

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  5. So funny--I haven't run once on my treadmill! I'm hoping to keep that trend going. I've enjoyed the sun!

    You look so cute in your flannel outfit!

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    1. This is the first winter (in like 12 years) that I've been on the treadmill more than 2-3 times. BUT, in my defense, this off-season required a lot more downtime than in previous years (remember that crazy tough Route 66?), so my mileage was not a concern or priority. (what she said LOL)

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  6. You don't look amused at the basketball game. Lol!! Congrats on your 4th in AG finish!!!! Wohoo!!!!

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    1. Ha! We had 6:30 dinner plans and I was in desperate need of a shower and shampoo!I had less than an hour to get ready when we got home after the game LOL (but the game was great, and worth all the post-race attire).

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  7. I'm glad you got to finally get outside...I know it had to be torture spending so much time with 'Milly. Great work! I keep forgetting that I have a stair climb coming up in late March...I need to borrow one of your workouts and just start using the stairs in my house!

    Can't wait for your race recap either...great job!!

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    1. True, 'Milly was getting on my last nerve. It felt so liberating to be back outside... ;-)

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  8. Hooray for a whole week of outdoor running. Your red and black race outfit is right up my alley. So cute. Congrats on your great place and 4th place finish too! Thanks for linking, Kim! I hope Momma N is good to you this week!

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    1. Thanks Holly! I've done this race 6 times (I think), and this is the warmest it's ever been. Last year, it was barely in the single digits! And, I was not the only person in shorts ;-)

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  9. Yay for better weather! We had crazy warm weather this week - shorts! - but now we're back to mild winter weather (40s)

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    1. It got cold today (Sunday), but now I hear it's supposed to be back in the 50's and even 60's later in the week. Not complaining...but this is CRAZY! My magnolia tree already has a few buds sprouting LOL It does not need to bloom, only get frozen off when the "winter" weather resumes to its normal stuff.

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  10. You go through now what I go through in summer! When it's really hot out in Florida I do a lot more indoor running and swap runs for some other cardio workouts. Glad you got the chance to get outside this week! Must have been a nice refresher!

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    1. This winter has been strange in terms of winter and my routine. Normally, I'm outside all the time, and rarely use the treadmill. This year, though, my off-season required a bit more downtime (recovering from a late season marathon), so I didn't force myself outside when it was especially cold...I took the easy route, so to speak, and climbed on the 'mill more than usual. UGH.

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  11. What a great week of outdoor workouts. No need to worry about your shortened run on Sunday after such a great run on Saturday. You got out there and that's what is most important.

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    1. Yes, I was completely fine with "only" 3 miles. Nothing to prove...it felt good just to be outside ;-)

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  12. Hooray for warmer temps up there in Iowa! I bet it was wonderful running outside every day! It's been really unseasonably hot down here but what can you do? Just roll with it!

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    1. Exactly! Complaining will not influence Momma N (nor will praising her....just saying)

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  13. Oh wow I bet Milly is really mad at you! I sure won't tell! You really do get creative with the stair climbing with the doubles and triples. What a great workout this would be! I really hate stairs are not readily available to me without having to go somewhere.
    Have a good week Kim!

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    1. Thanks, Tricia ;-) I don't get bored doing stairs,but like anything else...variety is essential to keep ALL the muscles moving and working ;-)

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  14. I got in 2 outdoor runs and 1 indoor run this week, which is a big win for me! I've been super lazy with the outdoor workouts. Gotta get better with that.

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    1. Well, we're gonna be entertaining 50-degree temps this entire week...and mid-60's on Saturday. Yeah, in IOWA! Milly will be deep in slumber for awhile ;-)

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  15. How nice to be outside running in SHORTS in February! I'm loving these longer days too!

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  16. What an awesome week you had. I wish I had half of your sense of style. You're always so put together!

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  17. I don't have to deal with the frigid cold and snow out here in Socal. But we have been getting plenty of rain! We had rain forecasted on Saturday and almost had to resort indoors on the treadmill if it had been raining hard but fortunately we only saw light rain near the end of our run. The stairs workout sounds like a killer! I'm doing a bit of stairs today since my daughter is off school and I can't get outside to run.

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    1. The rain is tricky! If it's a warm (and light) rain, no prob...but if it's cold and the rain is falling heavy....UGH. Not happening for me LOL

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  18. So let me ask you - how many stairs are in your "flight?" For some reason, I never thought I could do this at home. Silly of me, but I assumed I needed a more office building type flight.

    Mother nature is being crazy here, too. I'm over it.

    I had a nice week of mileage, with bookending races. I need to start building up again.

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    1. My stairway has 12 steps, so it's prefect for doubles and triples ;-)

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  19. I was inside for my workouts last week (because I wasnt running) but we had strange weather too! I did get outside for a walk on Wednesday morning when it was warm out, then it got really cold the rest of the week. Glad you were able to get outside this week!

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    1. I have to be outside, plain & simple. The indoor stuff works, but I get very little enjoyment out of it (except for the stair climbing).

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  20. The roller coaster of cold days followed by warm days followed by snowy days here is crazy! I have no idea how to dress from one day to the next! Your red plaid shorts run outfit is adorable. Congrats on a great race!

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    1. Roller coaster is pretty accurate! It goes from one extreme to another, so it's a constant guessing game...

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  21. Our weather has been all over the place lately too. My body just can't adapt to that craziness.

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    1. This has been the strangest winter I can ever remember...

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  22. Great week to my fellow stair loving friend! I must say though that I think only you and your long legs could take those stairs 3 at a time ...don't think I could manage that! :)

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    1. Well, taking those stairs 3-at-a-time goes pretty slow, that becomes more of a strength/balance maneuver than cardio

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  23. The weather here in NC has been really up and down, too. Our highs in the winter are typically in the 50s but Sunday it got to 80 (what?!) then that night back down in the 30s. It was nice enough last weekend to get some bike riding in. Can't wait for spring!

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    1. Yes, I'm ready for spring. We're having 50-degree temps this week (again), and it's supposed to be in the 60's on Saturday (?????)

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  24. I feel like it's been weeks since I've run outside! I've don't other things but not run. We just got hit by a massive snow storm so sidewalks and subdivision are still a mess for running. I love won't so I'm it wishing this weather a way just yet.

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    1. oh, I know winter isn't over in Iowa. We always get a teaser like this, then get blasted with snow/ice late in the spring (when all the bulbs and tree buds are starting to bloom)

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  25. What a great week for you! I am spoiled I know, I just can't imagine coming for long periods of time and not being outside! YIKES! Love the basketball game photo! My whole weekend revolves around strategic hair washing, it is true ! :)

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    1. strategic hair washing is right! That's kind of a bi-weekly thing sometimes.....

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  26. Do you take the stairs two or three at a time on the way back down, too? That sounds kinda scary to me! I should do more stair workouts, though.

    How crazy to have two 50-degree days in February! Yay for outside runs. :-)

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    1. ha! Oh no.....I take the steps by singles going down LOL

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  27. It sounds like a great week! So nice to get outside for running during the winter months!! Thanks for linking up at Sunday Fitness & Food.

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