A Wintry Mix

It's definitely Winter in Iowa.

For the first time, in a long time, I had to mix up my weekly routine to accommodate (or avoid) the crazy "seasonal" weather conditions. Believe me, I'm no hero. It's something we all have to do on occasion, and not just in Iowa. 

Besides, change is good. It's kind of fun to switch things around. No harm, no foul. And all that jazz.

Before I share 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 ;-)

Anyways, here's what went down in my little fitness world this week:

Never miss a Monday, even with an altered routine.

With a big storm headed our way (the forecast showed upwards of 12 inches of snow), I flip-flopped my Monday workouts. Instead of an early-morning bike ride, I ran my #nevermissaMonday run in the o'dark thirty hours. My miles, my streets, my Monday...three miles done! After work, I spent 10 miles with Sebbe (my indoor bike).

By the way, I'm pointing to the street, not giving it the bird

Inside is alright for Tuesday.

It was icky cold outside, and the snow was still coming down. I'm usually inside, with Ellie, on Tuesday mornings anyways...so we did our usual five miles and I took my time getting to work. All told, we got somewhere between 8-10 inches of snow.

another sweet sweat sesh on the elliptical

A whimsical switcheroo for Wednesday.

With plans in place for a Thursday morning ride, and frigid conditions outside, I opted to "HIIT" it UP, inside, on the stairs instead. Here's what happened:

**10 flights, double-stepped

**10 quick burpees

**10 push-ups

**10 more flights (also double-stepped)

**10 more burpees

**1-minute wall sit

***repeat three more times, subbing in mountain-climbers, jumping jacks, and plank jacks for the burpees. Full disclosure - I meant to do five circuits, and would have subbed in jump squats, but I white-flagged it LOL. I still got in a good 34ish minutes of heavy cardio and stair work, so all was well. 

With Thursday's forecast looking even colder, I spontaneously chose to lace up and go for a run after work . The late afternoon daylight (and sunshine) is looking and feeling really good these days (see title pic). Three miles were over and done rather quickly. It wasn't until I was almost to my driveway when I realized I'd only run three miles...and the 4-mile distance has been my mid-week go-to lately. I didn't feel like turning around and running further (and my face was feeling slightly frozen)...so, I runfess that I fired up Milly for that fourth mile. I think she liked the attention since I've been neglecting her the last few months.

hUMp day HIIT

Thursday's Full Moon Kick-Start.

After Wednesday's antics, I spaced off seeing the (almost) full moon that evening. When I let Max out, before my FaceTime ride with Debbie, though, the moon was shining ever so brightly Thursday morning. Truth be told, the brisk temps didn't feel too bad in a tank top...but then it was down to the basement for 16 miles of riding and chatting (and some core work afterwards). Sorry, but I'm not sorry for loving an early-morning cardio fix. Later, there was a 2-mile post-workday walk, and it was a total face-freeze. 

those 16 miles went fast!

Finally Friday!

As per usual, there were five elliptical miles for my morning "coffee." Another 2-mile walk after work, to assess the "route" for Saturday's 5K (virtual race), and that's all she wrote

. 

this is my coffee...

Double-Duty Saturday...

Cold temps and crazy wind, but a mostly flat "race" course...that was the setting. I left the house, at 6:45, to knock out the Allstate Hot Chocolate (virtual) 5K, then met up with Barb for a couple of miles afterwards. Normally, I'd just run a virtual race (such as this) as part of our Saturday run. I knew if I ran with her, though, I'd fall victim to her pacing me LOL, and I really wanted to do this on my own. After all, this was my first official race (on foot) since my stress fracture. Holy! I didn't try to sprint (ha ha!! Like my body would even let me do that with no speedwork since forever), but I did try to keep a strong and steady pace. I ran a modified version of the route I'd used for all those 5K time trials, so there were 12 corners to turn. I also had 15mph wind in my face whenever I was running east or south. So, although I have run many faster 5K's, I'm pretty happy with this finish time. Rally-back races feel so good (I'll be sharing some thoughts on this rally-back race experience in a few days...stay tuned)! After I returned back home, it was time to regroup, change clothes, and hop on the bike for another 12-mile Zoom ride (see below). Also, there was an upper-body strength workout in the evening.

 

Snowed-In Sunday.

After an afternoon of rain, and an evening of snow (with it still coming down at daybreak), I opted to stay inside Sunday morning. It was a perfect setting for five miles of elliptical action, so that sufficed. Depending on the continued snow and icy conditions, there may (or may not) be an outdoor walk in the afternoon. Maybe Milly will get the honors of entertaining me later. Not a crisis; glass half full.

 

So, a decent week despite (or, maybe because of?) the nonstop mixing of my routine. Running continues to feel good (12 miles this week), and Saturday's "speedy" 5K was a nice variation to what I've been doing this winter. Walking is keeping consistent, and it's something that I look forward to on my non-running days (seven miles this week, with a few more on tap for Sunday afternoon). Three elliptical workouts (15 "miles"), three bike workouts (38 total miles), one upper-body workout and one HIIT session on the stairs. Speaking of which, I'm glad to have stair workouts back on the regular, and am doing 10 flights as part of my warm-up before my runs; combined with Wednesday's HIIT, there were 110 flights of stair work this week. Onward!

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

Not Just Another Week

Favorite Things My Favorite Shoes Would Say

Yes, Let's 'Fess

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair! Friday was game day (technically, it was game-night), and my Iowa Hawkeyes had a basketball game against the Illinois Illini. Temps were still cold (hello, it's STILL Winter in Iowa), and I wanted to wear the team colors, so I swiped the hubby's flannel shirt from the closet. Do you ever rep your alma mater on game day? Ever borrow from you significant other's wardrobe, despite the fit? As always, you're invited to join me on Fridays...post a pic on Insta, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and be sure to tag me (@runningonthefly).

The indoor biking has really taken off! I was skeptical that it would be much like the treadmill (b.o.r.i.n.g), but it has been the polar opposite. Saturday's Zoom ride was already the fifth in this "series," and there have been a few other FaceTime rides mixed in on occasion. Whodda thunk? I'm thankful my stress fracture allowed me the opportunity to explore this other form of fitness. And, more importantly, I'm ever grateful for the fitness friends who share my passion.

 

Zoom riding with Debbie and Renee

Well, that's all for now. Winter has been alright (thus far). Even with all the snow this week, we're another week closer to Spring and Summer. It's all good.

Did you get some winter weather this week? Have you had to alter your schedule or routine due to the outside conditions? 

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