Sunday, February 28, 2021

Outrunning The Cold, Literally


Back outside never felt so fine!

After nearly three weeks, the extreme cold weather broke and Iowa returned to its regularly scheduled winter. Some days even saw temps well above the seasonal norm! Of course, that gave way to melting (LOTS of melting) as the 30ish inches of ground snow slowly shrank...but who am I to complain?

Before I dis on 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 this week in my little fitness world:

Never miss a (magnificent) Monday!
With the afternoon's forecast showing all kinds of promise, I started the day riding 15 miles with Sebbe (my indoor bike). There also was a sun-filled 1-mile lunchtime walk on the agenda. After work, I got in a sweet, euphoric 26-minute 5K in the near-perfect outdoor conditions. We're talking 41 and fabulous (the temps, not my age).

The usual typical Tuesday routine.
The morning started innocently, with five miles on the elliptical. It was so beautiful outside, I took Max for a 1/2-mile jaunt around the block, then continued on and walked my 1.5-mile route over lunch. After work, the lunch walks were on repeat.


Wednesday's return to the #5at5 routine!
With my stress fracture's rally-back, I've been slowly increasing my mileage. The mid-week runs have been at the 4-mile distance for a few weeks (meanwhile, I had increased the Saturday long runs, as well as introduced a short run on Fridays). This week, I felt it was time to up the 4-mile Wednesday run to five...which meant rallying Barb and resurrecting our #5at5 ritual (five miles at 05:00). It had been more than six months since we'd done one of these o'dark thirty runs, but it was exciting to get back to this unique mid-week adventure. Oddly, it felt like our 6-month sabbatical had never happened. All was, indeed, quite well! There also were two 1/2-mile walks with Max (at lunch and after work) and 10 miles on the bike (in the evening). I slept well that night.
 

(Somewhat) easy-peasy Thursday.
Despite the brief warm-up earlier in the week, the temps had turned chilly on Wednesday and Thursday. In other words, there was no interest in going for a morning outdoor walk...so I did some upper-body strength and core work in the morning instead. I saved the walk for after work (two miles; some with Max, some alone) and did a lower-body strength workout while watching Big 10 basketball in the evening.

Full moon Friday.
Even in the chilly Friday morning temps (22F, with a feels-like of 12F), this 2-mile run felt fantastic. It's crazy how "mild" the cold temps feel the week following a rather cold one, am I right? And that full moon! It was a definite treat to see the last of the moon as the sun was rising. Total win-win run. Five indoor biking miles for the cool-down, and a 1-mile walk after work. 


Another sunny and sensational Saturday.
With a 6-mile run on tap, I left the house at 6:45 and met up with Barb a few minutes later. Oh, that sunshine! The temps were chilly (28F), but the wind was pretty calm and (bonus!) I nailed my layers with perfection (not an easy conquest with the fluctuating above/below freezing conditions). We made it six miles, but by the time I got back to my house (just a few blocks further), I was near 6.5 miles in distance. You probably know where this going...I did a spontaneous loop around the block, finishing with an even seven miles. No big whoop, just my longest run in over six months.


A short while later, I had the weekly Biking Zoom Ride on deck with Darlene, Debbie, Liz, Kim G., Coco and Renee. When that ended, Debbie and I continued on for another 30 minutes or so, giving me 20 biking miles for the morning. 



Oh what a beautiful SUNday!
With the increasingly warmer weather, my time on the elliptical will be winding down. I've been doing Sunday morning elliptical workouts through most of the winter, but I just couldn't resist an early-morning walk to greet the sunrise (or did it greet me?). Three miles of bliss for my morning "coffee," with a few more likely happening in the afternoon (between basketball games). I'm tempted to bring Gustavas out of hibernation for a Sunday afternoon ride...stay tuned!


What a difference a change in the weather can make. I manage to stay pretty active, on a daily basis, but the nicer weather enables even more outside action. All of my runs happened outside this week; no regrets, whatsoever. With the warmer weather, the lunchtime walks, as well as Max walks, will be more consistent as we approach Spring. Even though the Fight for Air Climb isn't until May, I'm going to be doing more focused stair work periodically...it's worked out well incorporating 10 flights of stairs as part of my warm-up routine!  

Weekly totals:
Running - 16 miles
Walking - 14 miles
Biking - 50 miles
Elliptical - (5) miles
Stairs - 40 flights (warm-up prior to running)
Other -  strength workouts ;(1) upper-body, (1) lower-body

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

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair! Believe it or not, I've been doing this series for more than four years. On occasion, I reference the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) if I'm stuck for ideas on what to wear. This week, I showcased an outfit that highlighted many of my style obsessions...denim, cheetah print, dragonflies, lipstick, and funky shades. Care to join me? Post a pic of your Friday outfit on Instagram, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and be sure to tag me (@runningonthefly).



I'm back for another year as an ambassador for ROAD-iD, a product that I strongly believe in. Personally, I think peace of mind is just as vital as safety. Having emergency contact info at the ready could be a life-saver for myself, for my loved ones, and for you. There are even ID's available for your fur kids. You can check out their site HERE (not an affiliate link). Also, code RUNNINGONTHEFLY will save you 25% (starting on March 1st).


And, last of all, I'm excited to have another live race to look forward to at the end of March. The Chocoholic Frolic is a fun, chocolate-themed 5K, happening at various locations. This will be my third year "chocolating" at the Iowa City venue (it had to go virtual last year). Although it's a live event, they do offer a virtual option for non-local peeps to get in on the chocolate action. For more info, their site is HERE, and CHOCKIM will save you $5 if you choose to join me. The swag is killer sweet!


So, there you have it! Another week down, and another week closer to Spring (and Summer). Truth be told, it feels like we've turned the corner on Winter. Even with all the melting this week, the streets have stayed pretty dry, so the "re-freeze" aspect hasn't been a problem. Onward!

How are things in your world? Does it feel like Winter is on the verge of vacating the premises? Have you found yourself craving outdoor walks, too?

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38 comments:

  1. So glad you were able to bring back 5 at 5.
    Really wanted to join you folks on the bike but between the loud fitness room and mask you wouldn't have been able to hear me.
    Yay melting!

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    1. Oh, the 5 at 5's were long-overdue! And, now with the daylight encroaching, it's kind of nice that we missed the "darkest" part of winter LOL

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  2. I ended up doing 7 miles yesterday as well...I went running with friends and we kept doing "one more mile". See ya winter!

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    1. Ha! Yes, it feels good to give winter the boot (no pun intended)!

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  3. isn't it just SO GREAT when you can run outside again??? feels amazing! was great to bike with you ladies again on Saturday too! Our weather is shaping up here, though I seem to feel freezing in the house lately... can't win -ha!

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    1. Our house always feels cold this time of year...too "warm" for the furnace to kick-in, but not cold enough to have it running non-stop. But, yes, being back outside is SOOOO awesome ;-)

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  4. So nice to catch up while biking.

    Just means that the weather sucked here lol

    But as you know, nothing keeps me inside.

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    1. I've been enjoying our Saturday rides! They're great for now, but I don't know how much longer we'll be "inside" as the temps continue warming.

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  5. Not sure if my last comment went through..it seems like its starting to warm up everywhere which is so nice! I was able to get outside for 4 of my runs this week, with only 2 on the treadmill.

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    1. This week, even with a couple of "cold" days," still felt like Spring. I'm ready!

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  6. You did have a challenging weather month! So glad you got outside this week a few times. Yay for being back to your morning runs with Barb!

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    1. February was rough, so much colder than January (and, usually, it's the opposite). Getting outside has been so liberating!

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  7. Wow, a 26 min 5K! Nice!! So cool your running is getting right back at it. Especially with the weather getting better every day! That chocolate medal is so cute. Great job on all of the workouts this week!

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    1. Yes, 26-minutes! I wish I'd have had my Garmin with me so I could have seen the splits (I just used my phone to time it). Oh well....

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  8. It was great catching up with you yesterday! I haven't even checked scores. Hope your Hawkeyes won!

    Oh man, I could have finally joined you for Friday Fashion Flair and didn't even think of it (happy four years!). I actually wore something besides capris on Friday when I had to go to an eye doctor appointment AND I even jazzed my outfit up with a scarf.

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    1. Michigan State plays in a few minutes (1:00 CST) and Iowa doesn't play until 3:00...so my afternoon is just about to start!! It was so fun catching up yesterday...the time goes SO fast chatting and biking!

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  9. Wow! That was quite the week, Kim! Although I must say I'm a bit envious of all that sun. We still had plenty of gray this week -- don't get me wrong, the warmer temps have been thrilling, but sunshine is mainly absent. Just look at my photos. :)

    I may have to check out the chocolate themed race -- before it gets too warm to ship chocolate (I'm assuming that there is actual chocolate to be had).

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    1. Yes, I know there's chocolate in the race pack (and along the course), so I'd assume that gets sent with the other swag. We've been lucky with the sunshine...it really makes a difference when the temps do go back to their seasonal "norm."

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  10. We have the same here this week! It was so great to finally run outside again. It makes such a difference in my mileage and my mood :) Great job with your 5 at 5!

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    1. Yes, my mileage outside feels so much easier and my pace is almost effortless. I'm hoping I can keep all the runs outdoors from here on out, or at least the longer ones (fingers crossed).

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  11. Lovely to see you back on 5at5, good news! It's so much lighter here now I can go back to pre-breakfast runs with no annoying light. So lovely to join in on the Zoom though I noticed it in my legs on my long run today!

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    1. I had not been out much in the past couple weeks (due to the cold), so it's been such a nice treat seeing the daylight breaking before 6:30!

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  12. It sure is nice to get outside and not freeze, isn't it? We weren't blessed with the sun today but it's warm. I had some house cleaning to do, so it worked out well!

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    1. Well, the sun did a disappearing act shortly after my walk, but has peeked through a few times since. But, YES, it feels awesome out be back outside!

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  13. So glad you're finally thawing out! I'm definitely crave getting back to my walks on a more regular basis - hopefully Mother N will cooperate. And, yay for the return of #5at5!

    Sorry to have missed Saturday's ride - things got busy and schedules were colliding.

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    1. I had not realized how much I'd been missing (or slacking on) my walks until I was able to bring more of them back this week. Max has been beside himself...he gets SO excited when we ask him if wants to go for a walk.

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  14. It's warming up here too... and that's not a good thing! Wednesday is forecast to be 89 (ACK!) I may join you (virtually) for that race because... chocolate!!!
    Sounds like your foot is feeling good- yay!

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    1. Ooooh, I'd love to have a few virtual chocolate peeps join me! Knock wood, things are feeling good with the foot, so I'm ready to cautiously keep ramping the mileage for my half in late April.

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  15. The weather makes such a difference with my motivation! You put up with much harsher conditions than I do.

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    1. The weather can really be a deal-breaker. I don't stay inside much, but there are some days when it's not as easy layering up for a cold outdoor adventure.

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  16. This week was so much better too. The snow is finally melting. Yesterday we had lots of sun and it lifted my spirits. A little sun is exactly what I needed.

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    1. The sun really brightens the day, literally and figuratively. Even with the warmer temps, the air is still damp at times, so the sunshine really helps rectify that.

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  17. Way to finish out February strong! I'd say you've had quite a successful rally back from the sfx. Wasn't that moon something else?

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    1. Oh my gosh, the moon was beautiful! It was a bit hazy on Wednesday (for my #5at5) and I was running east, then south, for the first three miles so the moon had disappeared by the time I was going west and north. But, it was bright and bold both Friday and Saturday mornings!

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  18. I'm glad that Iowa received some warmer temps this week. I feel like you've been in a deep freeze for most of February!

    Congrats on another year as a ROAD-iD ambassador! It's such a great product and every runner should have one for sure.

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    1. Yes, February was downright mean to Iowa LOL Our yard is going to be a muddy mess for awhile as all the remaining snow melts, but I'll gladly take that over the 30+ inches we've had piled up forever.

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  19. Oh, winter may be gone here. It's been in the 80s during the day with the humidity in full force. Boo.

    I'm so proud of you with your recovery! You are doing great!

    Yay for Road ID! Such a great team with so many incredible people.

    I've been walking outside all winter, but I do need that time to get my head right every day, so yes. I crave it.

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  20. Good for you!!! Your longest run since the stress fracture. That's awesome! Your mileage in all the different categories is impressive. I am always amazed at the variety of workouts you do. And you and Barb are finally back to your 5 at 5. Spring is coming...it can't get here fast enough for me!

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