Sunday, March 8, 2020

Windblown!


Wind, wind, and even  more wind!

Yep. It was a windy week, pretty much on a daily basis.

Thankfully, the temps were mild, and the precip was a no-show (in the daylight hours), so it wasn't all miserable. Just windy.

Before I give you the run down and all the details, 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 1:00 (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 blogs as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)



So, here's what happened this week...

Never miss a Monday - Doubling Down
More of the usual Monday routine...stairs in the morning and running after work. We had 50 stair flights for breakfast, with a little creative mixing (alternating 10-flight intervals on the basement and  main floor stairways). Later, I ran a couple miles under the cloudy sky (with the wind), but the sun did poke through during the last mile.

 

Typical Tuesday - Elliptical and 20/20's
Recovery day ready, I knocked out 30 minutes with Ellie (my elliptical), along with 20 stair flights and 20 push-ups. Then, an evening of Big 10 basketball after work. Priorities.



Windy Wednesday - #5at5
Although I hadn't heard it, there was some overnight rain. The streets were wet (with a few spots of black ice) and the air was cold and damp. Oh, and there was a good breeze out of the West. Five miles with Barb for our weekly early-morning rendezvous.

A Thrillsome Thursday - Speed Work Reunion
I took a pass on the weekly HIIT and headed to the "sidewalk" for some early morning speed-training. I got there a little before 6:00, so I had almost full daylight! Anyways, a half-mile warm-up getting there (after 10 stair flights at home), 5 sets of back & forth (sprint/recovery) intervals, and the half-mile cool-down (heading back home) netted me three miles. Oh, and there was a rather spontaneous tuck & roll maneuver (on the cool-down run, as I was heading home), courtesy of my klutzy feet and a bad sidewalk. I'm not sure how my uncoordinated body instinctively executed that roll with such finesse, but a broken fingernail was the only casualty. I even did another 20 flights upon returning home. There was some wind, but the early morning wind was but a gentle breeze compared to the 30-mph wind that afternoon...glad I got the workout done bright and early!

Friday - (somewhat) Easy-Peasy Recovery
My legs were feeling a tad bit over-worked from Thursday's speed work, so 20 minutes of elliptical to the rescue (as well as a brief upper-body workout sandwiched in between some stair intervals). I've said this before, but I have doubts on how much of a "workout" I really get from the elliptical. I do get some serious cardio while flushing out the legs, though. I have yet to play with the settings much, so there's probably a lot more challenging stuff I could do, but this "recovery gig" works awesome for me.

Sunny Saturday - with a side of wind 
The hubby and I ran the Omaha Leprechaun Chase, which didn't happen until 4:00 Saturday afternoon. Have I mentioned the wind this week? It was a major force to be reckoned with at the Chase, which already blessed us with nonstop hills on a scenic course with numerous twists and turns and varied terrain (cement, grass, asphalt and gravel). It definitely was one of the hardest 10K's I've ever done, but such a fun event! Stay tuned...I'll be recapping the race in a couple days.


Sensational Sunday - International Women's Day!
This simple little 5K, with an hour less of sleep, encompassed three things: (1) recovery run from Saturday's hilly & windy Leprechaun Chase, (2) Day-1 kick-off for my Week of Pi Challenge, and (3) complete the ZOOMA Women's Day Virtual 5K. Mission accomplished! Would you believe there was more crazy wind to do battle with?

Despite the crazy wind, I'm alright with how the week played out. As we all know, we cannot control the weather, but our attitude is a different story. The running saw 19 miles. Elliptical had 50 minutes. 220 flights of stairs. One upper-body session. One speed workout. One tuck & roll episode. And a partridge in a pear tree (LOL).

In case you missed out, here's what all went down on the blog this week:
All is Well that ends Well
Marching and Racing into Spring
Coffee, anyone? Let's chat...

In other news:
This week's Friday Fashion Flair featured a favorite color combo...burgundy with the tried & true cheetah print. Not everyone sees things my way (and that's quite alright), but I treat cheetah print kind of as a neutral, so I'm not afraid to pair with almost any color. HOW about you? Cheetah-yay or no way? As always, you're welcome to join me on Fridays...post a pic on Instagram, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and be sure to tag me (@runningonthefly).

My March goals are going well, but I gotta runfess I've already missed a day (or two). With our whirlwind trip to Omaha (and back), and being in a strange place for the overnight, I kind of forgot to do the ab work. Oh well. You know what? The sun still rose (and the wind still blew LOL) the next day. No harm, no foul. Onward!

Finally, in celebration of my Pi Day birthday, I'm taking on the Week of Pi Challenge. I'll be attempting to do a "Pi run" everyday this week....essentially a seven-day 5K run streak. We'll see. I've done many run streaks, but they all involved more 1-mile runs than anything else. This is only for a week, and I plan to pull the plug if it feels like too much. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

So that's the latest and (somewhat) greatest.

How was your first week of March? Is it feeling like Spring where you are? Has it been windy? Any races happening?


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42 comments:

  1. Yes So much wind this week, especially yesterday.
    The Week of Pi Challenge sounds like so much fun - love that you're doing this!

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    1. Feel free to jump in and do a few of the Pi runs with me...it would be nice to have some virtual buddies "pi-running" with me ;-)

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  2. It was windy here too..and in Atlanta too, haha!

    Awesome week of workouts for you! Sorry about the fall during your speed intervals, glad a fingernail was the only casualty!

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    1. The fall actually happened on the cool-down run...when I was running "easy" LOL Which just makes it even more obvious of my klutziness.

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  3. Definitely windy. Not a bad week for rest. :) The usual some days Spring-like, some days not so much.

    I think the elliptical is a great low impact workout. And if you get your HR up, it's nice low impact cardio. It's been years since I've tried one, though.

    Good luck with your Pi Streatk next week (and happy pre-birthday). It should end with a pie, no?

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    1. I'd love some pie (but will gladly settle for cake LOL). The wind was just crazy last week...

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  4. We had a crazy windy few days out there as well. It's almost comical sometimes but I guess good training. Nice job on your race yesterday and your virtual today. Happy International Women's Day to one of my favorite role models

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    1. And you're one of my favs, too ;-) Yes, the wind sucks, but it is good training...my race would have been much tougher (than it already was) had I not had any training in the wind (or on hills).

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  5. Great job on having such a great workout week and the added bonus of a partridge in a pear tree is icing on the cake. ;-) Glad you didn't hurt yourself with your fancy tuck and roll. It was really windy here part of this week, but I was stuck inside so it didn't affect me.

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    1. Ha ha!!! The tuck & roll just happened all on its own, almost instinctively..and I bounced right back on my feet afterwards. It's almost like it was choreographed LOL

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  6. You're not alone in battling the wind! It's been windy all week and this morning, the wind stopped me from moving forward. Of course, having the wind at my back was a treat.

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    1. The wind was insane last week...sounds like everyone was hit by tit.

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  7. Oh man, I was wondering about speedwork on the sidewalk when you mentioned that. I would for sure trip on a crack. I'm glad you were not injured with your fall! It's windy now, but for my long run on Saturday was as still as could be. So lucky for that!! Those are the winds of spring blowing in some delightful weather I hope! :)

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    1. Ironically, the trip and roll happened after the speed work LOL In broad daylight, none the less. What can I say, I got "tripping" game ;-)

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  8. Thanks so much for repping Iowa in ZOOMA's WD race! I can't think of a better spokesrunner! :D
    In typical spring fashion, the wind has been raw and ferocious here as well. Ugh.

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    1. Awh, thanks for the heads-up on the ZOOMA event! Glad to do it, and it fit perfectly in with my Pi Challenge gig. THe wind really has been nasty...I'm just thankful the Nebraska wind felt warm (though it was unrelenting).

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  9. March is known for it’s wind! Gosh, doing speedwork on a concrete sidewalk could be rough on my body. I prefer the track or treadmill with more giving surfaces! Two races this weekend? Way to go!

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    1. Well, don't be too impressed...the one race was a virtual one, and it was run as a recovery run after the previous day's tough 10K. Honestly, I hadn't thought of the hard surface for the speedwork...I don't like using a track (too boring running in constant circles).

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  10. It was windy ON MY HOLIDAY but also here in the UK now I'm back. Grrr. Good work and well done. I have a feeling I might be breaking out my own Ellie, who is stored in the back of my husband's office at the moment, as we are nearing a Delay protocol in the UK which will limit people going out and about. I will be doing your stair workouts, too.

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    1. Rock on!! Enjoy your Ellie time, and have fun on the stairs ;-)

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  11. THE WIND! Crazy pants here too. I really need a second pair of glasses to wear as a headband. Love the contrast of your Thursday pink & Friday "sedate" fashion flair.

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    1. Seems like we've all been battling the wind recently....

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  12. I don't usually wear cheetah print, but I love your pairing! Good luck with the Week of Pi Challenge! (And happy almost-birthday!)

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    1. Thanks!! I've never done a 5K streak, so I"m looking forward to the challenge. It's good to break out of that comfort zone from time to time.

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  13. Yeah the wind was pretty crazy this week! Your 5K streak sounds like a fun one - great way to celebrate your Pi birthday :)

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    1. Thanks, Michelle. You're welcome to join me on any (or all? ) of those days ;-) I'd love some (virtual) company!

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  14. Happy Birthday week! I can't think of a better present than a week long 5k streak. I can't wait to hear about the 10k, it's my favorite distance.

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    1. I really like the 10K distance, too. The 5K is a tough dragon to slay for a race (now that I have some speed under my belt), but the 10K gives one a little more leeway in pacing.

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  15. March has definitely decided to come in like a lion thanks to the winds! I guess we better prepare for a ton of resistance training this month. :)

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    1. Ha! I had all kinds of resistance training on that 10K course. Every time we changed direction, we had the wind coming at us...even the "tailwind effect" was tough to manage.

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  16. We got those 30 mph winds too...supposedly with gusts 50+ mph, but I must've missed those at least, since I stayed upright! Good luck with this week's run streak...I've never run 7 days in a row, but the total mileage sounds very achievable!

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    1. My thoughts exactly...I've never done seven days of 5K's, but I thought the total mileage was reasonable. Also, if I run with an easy pace, there shouldn't be any harm to come of it.

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  17. We have had alot of wind lately too! I'm definitely over it. Even though the temps haven't been too bad it makes running a challenge. Looking forward to reading more about your race!

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    1. I think the wind is far more challenging than excess heat or cold, or even hills.

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  18. Love the pi day challenge idea !! What a fun date to have as your birthday too !!

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    1. Thank you!! I love my birthday month, and the Pi Day is just a perk ;-)

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  19. You're so right, we can't control the weather but we can control how we deal with it! Great job with your workouts given all that wind :) And I love the burgundy with the cheetah print. They look great together.

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  20. OMG Kim only you would do a tuck & roll and then do stairs afterward!! LOL!!!

    good week, congrats on your tough race! nice to see the hubby joining in as well!

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  21. The wind has been UNREAL. The weather is gorgeous (we can have our windows open), but as my mom would say, it's windy enough to blow the hair off a dog! We had our famous Gate River Run 15K on Saturday, and I heard it was downright scary at the tops of the bridges with that wind.

    Love your neutral cheetah <3

    Good luck with your streak!

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  22. It's been windy here too, which was unfortunate since I had to spend a few hours in one of the windiest areas of my desert stretching golfers (who then had to go forth and golf in it). I'm glad you survived your tuck and roll fall!

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  23. How is the streak coming along? Ugh, I am annoyed with the time change because now it is back to being dark at 6am. A couple of weeks ago I noticed that it wasn't so dark anymore and now it is. I am excited about the warmer warmer!

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  24. It was so windy in Indiana also! Great job on your race in that wind! I'm always impressed by your stair workouts also.

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