Sunday, March 5, 2017

Shall we tame the Lion?



March. It came in like a lion, but it has been (momentarily) tamed. Well, at least in my world.

This past week started with somewhat mild temps and a very easy quick mile. That #nevermissaMonday routine keeps me accountable! In anticipation of a busy day at work (and a big high school basketball game on the evening's agenda), I got it done early....just as the daylight was emerging. 

Early morning running
Tuesday, our temps were back in the mid-70's. I had a few hours free over my lunch break, so I headed back to the outdoor stairway. Remember that little beauty? It's kind of like a new toy (or a new piece of fitness "equipment"). It not only has 18 steps, but the steps are elongated, thus requiring longer strides to scale the stairs.

Instead of just running the stairs, I decided to mix it up and also include intervals of strength-training (arms and shoulders). WHEW! It was a tough one...but don't those tough workouts usually leave us feeling beast-like (albeit, perhaps, a bit of a tired beast).

My routine (these past couple months) has been to have Wednesday as a rest/recovery day. With my upcoming getaway commencing on Thursday, I elected to switch the two days. I should mention there was a small dose of the DOMS in effect from the stair/strength workout (and that statement is an under statement, FYI). I should also mention that the temps had plummeted dramatically overnight, and the first day of March was very cold and the wind was out of control. I met up with my running friend, Barb, after work. We decided to head to the lake in hopes of some shelter from the wind. After three miles, I was done.....my entire body was tired and I felt like I was running in slow motion and with a compromised form (due to the DOMS), I was not doing myself any favors.
Brrrrr at the lake!
The hubby and I boarded a plane on Thursday and flew to a warmer region of the country.  As I mentioned in last weekend's wrap-up post, the hubby had this trip planned as a surprise for me in celebration of an upcoming BIG birthday (gulp). I don't know what it about air travel, but after three-plus hours on an airplane, I felt as if I'd been running a marathon when we landed. I'm glad this was a day of rest/recovery, because there was no energy in the tank for anything other than walking through an airport.
leaving, on a jet plane.....
Friday was another day of travel as we made our way to our the southernmost spot on the continental United States....Key West! My #fashionFriday post reflected my excitement of being in the midst of sunshine, sand, and palm trees.
on the beach!
Saturday, it was time to lace up the shoes and get busy! The husband had registered us for the Sombrero Beach Run 10K, in Marathon, FL (how's that for an iconic name for a place to go racing!). The temps were warm (mid-70's) but very windy (24mph wind!). Over all, the race went well...though the first stretch (1.75 miles) was straight into the wind and the final stretch (with the tail wind) was HOT (why does a tailwind never feel as forceful.,.or as cooling...as a headwind?). The full recap will be posted in a few days...stay tuned!
Sombrero Beach Run 10
With more travel on the agenda, I was up and running (literally) fairly early on Sunday morning. Nothing grandiose, but I wanted to get a few miles done before we hit the road (destination: Tampa). The body definitely is tired....three miles with progressively slower splits (9:36, 9:48, 10:14). And the Florida wind is crazy, but it's a warm wind. No complaints.
Add caption
So, this week's mileage was a bit scaled back (due to travel and continued recovery from the DOMS), coming in at a moderate (13). No big whoop. My mileage has been continuously building in recent weeks, so scaling back the miles was in order anyways. I have another 10K next weekend (Leprechcaun Chase, Des Moines), then a 10-miler (Wintrust Lakefront, Chicago)....then the mileage will be amping up as my training for Grandma's Marathon gets underway. 

Since I'm on vacation, my blogging has been MIA. Sorry folks, the blogging had to take a brief vacay with me. As much as I wanted to post and link on Friday and Saturday, it's a bit of a hassle doing it remotely, and I knew I wouldn't have time to be reading and commenting on all of the linked posts. In case you missed my two posts from last week, here they are:



In other news....

My March Goals are all about strength and conditioning. My glutes and hips are my weakest "assets" for running, so I'm gonna work on them daily. Of course, the daily planks and push-ups will continue as well. The Fight for Air Climb is April 9th, so there will also be weekly stair-training for a few more weeks. 


My March plan of action

For now, though, I'm content to enjoy a couple more days of sunshine, warm temps, and plenty of palm trees. Life's a beach!

That's iced tea in the cans...in case you were wondering

So, enough about me...how was your week? What's your weather doing? Do you pack your running gear and take it along on vacation? Do you blog while on vacay, or take a brief sabbatical?

As usual, I'm linking up with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap

and Ilka and Angela for the Sunday Fitness & Food Linkup

45 comments:

  1. O Yay for key West! That sounds Fabulous. Enjoy the rest of your time there. Can't wait to hear about the race and yes, that's a great name for the town!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Are you already home? Or still in Florida? If you are, enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I hope you are enjoying a great vacation on Key West- I love it there! The warm temps look wonderful! I pinned both of the workout pics- great to use for later!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nothing says love like a surprise birthday trip to Marathon with some racing involved! mad props to your hubby for that one!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Looks like you're having a great vacation! I'm super jealous of all of your fun in the sun! Kudos to the hubby for the trip!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks like fun! I usually take a break from blogging when Im on vacation, either having guest posters or reposting old stuff. We have had some crazy weather over the past few days. March 1st was almost 80 degrees, but then it got really cold again. Enjoy the rest of your trip!

    ReplyDelete
  7. March came in like a lamb here - it was near 80 on Wednesday and I was able to have lunch outside! But then March woke up on Thursday and came through with howling winds and cold! Enjoy Key West!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rumor has it the winter weather has returned to Iowa...heading back this afternoon

      Delete
  8. I loved all of your warm weather photos hope you had a fabulous vacation:)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Key West is a lovely big (gulp) birthday surprise! Throw in a race, and it's an ideal vacation! Your hubs did good. I love the hat you are sporting in the convertible. I'm also working on my hips and glutes as that keeps my ITB problems away. I do post the Weekly Wrap while on vacation (sort of obligated) but usually skip everything else. Like you, I find it hard to read and don't like to link when I can't read other posts. Thanks for linking, Kim!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you for filling us in on how your trip is going. How cool is it that your hubby planned all of this without you knowing. Continue to have fun and don't worry about the blog until you get home. Can't wait to read your recap, though! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Deb! I hear the weather back home is gonna smack us in the face when we return this afternoon...

      Delete
  11. You're down in my area! Tampa is about an hour from me. I'm in Sarasota. I hope you're enjoying yourself! I'm sure it's nicer here than up north right now- although we have had a few rather windy days. The 10k I did on Saturday was super windy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love Florida, but Holy Wind! It's been crazy breezy LOL

      Delete
  12. The weather has been so crazy this week, but it looks like you had a great vacation!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The vacay has been fun....back to reality this afternoon

      Delete
  13. What a fun vaca!! Love it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. How fun that you did a race on your vaca! I always look for races when I travel, but usually don't end up doing them haha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like to try to find races when I travel.....great keepsakes!

      Delete
  15. Sounds and looks like a great mini vacation! I love that your husband signed you both up for a race!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm thankful he respects my love for racing...and that he's willing to do it with me sometimes ;-)

      Delete
  16. I wish my hubby would sign us up for a race when we travelled! Florida is close to me! I'm still about 8 hours from Tampa. My sister lives in Jacksonville! Glad you had another great week!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am so excited that you and your husband were able to get away for a few days! And how sweet that he signed you guys up for a race while he was at it! He knows you well!

    It's amazing that even though we were both traveling the state at the same time, we ended up in completely different areas. Darn Florida for being so massive!

    I get worn out by plane trips, too. They really can take a lot out of you. It's worth it, though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Air travel is convenient, but it totally leaves me feeling wiped out

      Delete
  18. What a great trip! And brilliant to run a race in Marathon!

    Your stair work out sounds tough. I ran a tower race a couple of years ago and really wished I'd done more stair work when I got to the last dozen flights of stairs. The biggest tip I got though was to use the banister to fling you around the corners, that really helped!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The hand rails certainly enhance the "speed!" It's amazing how much they help with the actual climbing as well ;-)

      Delete
  19. What a wonderful vacation! I went to Key West for my 21st a few (several) years ago and had a fun time. Florida weather is amazing this time of year!

    I love your stair/strength training workout! What a great idea. My stair climb is coming up and I feel so unprepared, ugh!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My Climb is gonna be here before I know it! I need to do some "traditional" stair-running now...I've done a lot of "fancy stuff" recently LOL

      Delete
  20. I've enjoyed your pictures from vacation. I think it's super cool your man planned this whole trip an signed yall up for a race! Love right there!!!
    Welcome to my world of trying to figure out how to blog while on the road! It is a challenge for sure.
    Safe travels to yall while returning home! I'm looking forward to enjoying a weekend with Holly then I'll be on the road each weekend for 3 weeks there after having fun, racing and seeing new things.

    ReplyDelete
  21. What a lovely vacation! I can't wait for mine, if I survive until then. I know I will but getting it all done is always a challenge. Love Key West!

    I'm feeling a bit of DOMS myself at the moment. The Iron Strength Glutes Blaster really didn't seem like much, it's not even that long, but boy am I feeling it today. I suppose that's a good thing.

    I usually try to write up a bunch of posts in advance, and since my husband isn't exactly fast moving, I usually have some downtime to link up & comment.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I've always wanted to hit Key West! Enjoy your getaway!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Just so you know, I blame you and the planks for my skirts being a bit loose in the waist now.

    Glad you are having fun in the sun. I love Key West!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I hope you enjoyed your vacay! You really made your way around the state! Sorry I missed you, if I had known that flight was going to be so delayed....... next time :) !!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. What a nice birthday surprise trip!!! Hope you enjoyed the warm weather.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Sounds like an awesome week! So cool to be surprised with a trip like that...I LOVE Key West :-) Thanks so much for linking up!!

    ReplyDelete