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Sunday, March 14, 2021

The Meltdown


Ahhh, let the spring commence...

Well, technically, we still have another week to go (according to the calendar). Also, there is some more winter-like "precip" in the forecast (thanks, Momma N). But we've "sprung-ahead," and all of the residual winter snow has melted away...so onward!

This week saw daily action with the Week of Pi taking place. For the most part, there was ample sunshine and pleasant spring-like temps. No complaints, no regrets.

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 world this week:

Never miss a Monday!
Even though the Week of Pi was due to begin on Monday, I Pi-fess that Barb and I snuck out Sunday afternoon, for a 4-mile run because the weather was so sunny and glorious (wouldn't you have done the same?). Having run those mid-afternoon Sunday miles, I thought it best to give my legs a little more recovery time come Monday...so we started the day with 10 miles on the indoor bike. After work, I got the Day-1 Pi run done, as well as some ab/core work in the evening.


Triple-Pi Tuesday.
On Renee's cue, I was inspired to do an early-morning walk...but in kilometers. According to Siri, 3.14 km is equivalent to 1.95 miles (you're welcome). The highlight of the day, though, was a quick Pi ride with Gustavas (remember him?) over lunch! Oh, it felt so good to get reacquainted after his winter hibernation. Day-2 Pi run then happened after work, in the crazy wind.



Weird weather Wednesday.
Both my weather app and Barb's showed rain happening in the 05:00 hour. We set our alarms, and double checked things at 04:30, and the rain still showed...so we decided to stay home and I desperately tried, unsuccessfully, to go back to sleep. Finally, an hour later, I decided to just get up and do some indoor biking and throw in some laundry. As I was cueing up the bike, the weather gal (on TV) said that the rain actually wasn't arriving as early as predicted. Well, that was enough for me...I promptly got dressed and was out the door by 6:15 for my (solo) Day-3 Pi run. There was some mist, and the streets were wet (from the overnight rain), but the wind wasn't too bad (16mph). Had I waited until after work, I would have been battling 26mph wind, so this spontaneous run was a good move. This run felt really good , even with only 12 hours of recovery time from the previous day. After work, I did a 2-mile walk, and (yep) the wind was a bear.

Not my typical Thursday.
Thursdays are usually my strength days (lower-body focused), and often include stair-training or HIIT workouts. With the Pi streak underway, though, I opted to keep things low-maintenance (though I had continued the routine 10 flights of stairs, as part of my warm-up, for all of my Pi runs). Sebbe and I did 10 easy miles upon wake-up, and I took a quick 1-mile walk at lunch. After work, I met up with Barb for the Day-4 Pi run. Also, there was an evening upper-body strength and core workout.
   

A very "chill" Friday.
Even with the unexpected drop in temps (upper 30F's felt pretty cold in comparison to the warmer temps we'd been entertaining), the sunrise was pretty spectacular. A 2-mile walk to start the day, a shingles vaccine (my second dose) at lunch, and a post-workday Pi run for Day 5.


Shingles vax hangover for Saturday.
As expected, I awoke Saturday morning in a world of discomfort from the vaccine. My arm was on fire (at the injection site), my body achy, and my brain in a fog. Fun times! Barb and I had plans for a run, and I had considered doing a couple of bonus miles, but opted to call it good at 3.14 miles. Amazingly, even with my compromised energy level, this run actually left me feeling much better than when I'd first arisen. I spent the majority of the day on the couch, though, intermittently napping. Any guesses on Barb's and my alma mater?

It's my birthday and I'll Pi if I want to...
Sunday greeted us with rain! Woot! The thing is, I still had a Pi run to do. What I haven't told many is that Milly died last weekend (when my sis was using it), so it was outdoors or the run wasn't happening. Oh well...if I can run a marathon in torrential rain, a 3.14 mile endeavor is pretty manageable, especially in fairly light rain. So, I laced up and headed out. I even wore my Mission Accomplished hat (from the rainy MCM). Surprisingly, I wasn't cold nor did the rain annoy me. And, it felt like most of the vax hangover was history, so WOOT on that as well.


What can I say? This week was all about the Pi, so not much of anything else happened, which was the plan. Total running miles came in just shy of 26 (including those four "jump-start" miles from last Sunday). Walking was meek, with nine miles. Biking only saw 23.14 miles, but 3.14 of those were outside! With Gustavas! And, there were a couple of abs/core workouts and some upper-body work. All is good.

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

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair! With the Big 10 Tournament in full swing, I felt it most appropriate to rep my Iowa Hawkeyes. Look closely, I'm wearing capri pants and sandals! The good news? The Hawkeye basketball team had a 2-game by, and beat Wisconsin on Friday evening, advancing to the semi-finals. The not-so-good news? They lost to Illinois on Saturday afternoon. Oh well, they had a great season, and it'll be fun to follow them in the NCAA tournament in the next few weeks. Do you ever dress in your team's colors? Anyways, care to join me? Post a pic of your Friday outfit on Instagram, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and be sure to tag me (@runningonthefly).



Good news! This week, we received word that the Drake Relays Road Races in-person events are on! I'd registered a few months ago, to take advantage of the early-bird pricing, knowing the race(s) may have to be virtual. Scheduled for April 18th, that gives me five weeks to prepare for 13.1 miles. I've done a few 6-mile runs, and a 7-mile run. Adding a mile, each week, will get me to the 10-mile benchmark easily and still allow for some taper time. Let's do this!


 And, the Brooks company sent me some funky socks for my birthday! I'm not really a fan of crew-length socks, but these were too pretty to NOT wear for my birthday run. Wouldn't you have done the same?


So, here we are, approaching the official start of Spring! We have some snow in the forecast (???) for later today, and possible tomorrow. I'm not worried because I know it will not linger. Besides, the hubs and I are headed to Florida later this week, so snow will be the last thing on my mind. About Milly...she crapped out on me a few years ago, but came back to life after a few weeks. Maybe that will happen again (?). I can assure you, I'm not in a world of despair over it. Stay tuned...

How was your week? Are your temps feeling less like Winter and more like Spring? Has all your snow disappeared (if you had any LOL)?

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39 comments:

  1. Happy birthday Kim!! Great week of Pi runs (and rides!). I am looking forward to getting some miles on my bike soon.

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    1. I wish I would have had more time for a longer ride (3.14 miles goes really quickly on a bike!), but the wind was nutzo and I had too many Pi runs to take care of LOL

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  2. Happy Birthday! Glad your Pi endeavor was a successful one. So sorry to hear about Millie though! May she RIP.

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    1. I'm going to give Milly some time before we send her off the the treadmill rainbow. A few years ago, she spontaneously came back to life. Maybe this is just another near-death experience (?). At least it's the start of Spring and not Winter, so I don't have much need for her anyways.

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  3. Happy birthday! Great job with all your Pi runs. I guess its not the worst time for Milly to die now that you've made it through the worst of the winter!

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    1. Yes, if this is, indeed, a real death this time, the timing is pretty convenient (how morbid does that sound?) for Milly. The Pi runs were fun, but I'm glad they were only for a week...too much Garmin OCD'ing for my liking LOL

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  4. Happy birthday! THose socks are adorable.
    Way to go on all the Pi. Totally stole your Pi walk idea but is it really stealing when I tell you I'm doing it :D
    Boo on Milly breaking down. Hope you can find a solution before winter returns.

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    1. Oh, I'm just glad Renee inspired me to think in kilograms, so the Pi walks were a great alternative!

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  5. Happy Birthday Kim! Wow, even a vaccine can't keep you down.

    I would be upset if my treadmill truly died (it's been down & out a few times).

    Yes, the snow is finally gone! It was here right up until about Friday I think. :)

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    1. Milly was down & out a few years ago, and I thought that was "her time" back then. But, she came back to life. I'm just glad it happened now and not in February.

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  6. sorry about the vaccine hangover -- but great job still getting out there! and HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

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    1. The vaccine hangover was a buzzkill, but Saturday's run really left me feeling so much better. Of course, I kind of crashed afterwards LOL Today, though, I feel almost back to 100%.

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  7. haha y'all are having some crazy weather as well! glad we aren't the only ones!

    happy birthday Kim! glad I could Pi along with you this week!! Sorry to hear that your treadmill died... I do hope it comes back to life in case you need it!

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    1. oh and YES on the socks. I'd have definitely worn them for a birthday run!

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    2. We definitely have had some crazy wind! I'm thankful the rain held off until today (and that it was mild when I ran in it this morning). Yeah, fingers-crossed with Milly's fate. At least the timing is manageable (glad it didn't happen a month ago!).

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  8. Happy birthday! Love the Pi challenge. Isn't this spring weather amazing? What a mood changer across the board.

    Sorry to hear about your treadmill! We absolutely love our Landice with a lifetime warranty, quiet motor, low profile; it's a true runner's treadmill.

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    1. I'm going to look into Landice...yours sounds like a dream compared to Milly (who was going on 20 years). Then again, Milly came back to life a few years ago LOL But, a big YES to the spring weather!!!!

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  9. Happy birthday! And hooray for getting Gustavas out again! We have spring here, I think no more snow is forecast AND we seem to be getting nearer to getting our vaccines in our top of the 40s category.

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    1. It'll still be awhile before the hubs and I can get our vaccines, so I'm glad we at least have the shingles vaccines done. Honestly, I was much more concerned with getting shingles than Covid because my skin is hyper-sensitive. It was SO great to go for a ride with Gustavas ;-)

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  10. Happy Birthday Kim! Great job on all the Pi runs! And yay for your half marathon happening! Such a bummer about Milly - do you think you'll get a new treadmill?

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    1. I'm going to hold off on getting a new treadmill for awhile, since I don't really have an immediate need for one at the moment. And, Milly did have a near-death a few years ago, but same back to life. That said, I'm torn because I don't need a top-of-the-line one, but still need a decent one (or I won't want to use it at all). I'm just glad the warmer weather is here...

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  11. Good for you for getting your bike out already. I am not a fan of the windy bike rides so I wait a bit. Hope you are feeling better today and have an amazing birthday!

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    1. If it hadn't been so windy, I would have (maybe) gone on a few more rides this week outdoors. The wind is definitely a tough challenge when you're on wheels! My birthday has been pretty amazing, thanks <3

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  12. no bus here yet. It warmed up and quickly cooled down.

    That's great about a real race. I have a half on April 17!!!

    I haven't taken my bike up from the basement. Way too windy!!!!

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    1. Yay! We'll be 13.1'ing the same weekend ;-) I definitely won't have any finish time goals, but will simply just be SO happy to be running another 13.1! I think that will be my 45th one...

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  13. Happy Birthday!!! Sounds like you had a fun week! Funny, I forgot all about converting to kilometers- something to keep in mind for the future. Hope you're busy celebrating today!

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    1. Thank you ;-) It was a fun week! Yes, the kilometers made for a fun variation!

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  14. Loved your Week of Pi! I hope that you had a great birthday today, despite the rain!

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    1. Thanks!! The Week of Pi has been a lot of fun (as it was last year, too). I'm glad I have a birthday with a fun set of numbers to play with LOL And the rain kind of died down by late morning, but the wind really got nasty!

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  15. Happy Birthday and happy pi! R.I.P. Milly.

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    1. Thanks ;-) And, we're hoping Milly just needs some R & R before we really lay her to rest LOL Stay tuned....

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  16. Happy Birthday! That shingles vaccine is a tough one. If you recall, the first dose sent me into an autoimmune hell for about 6 months. Needless to say, I'm skipping the 2d one. The COVID vaccines have also woken up RA, but not to the extent that the shingles vax did. Glad you felt well enough to continue your celebration.

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    1. I'd been forewarned that the second dose would be harder than the first one. It seemed to hit me sooner, and was more intense, but didn't last as long. Yesterday's run really helped me feel better, though. Go figure!

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  17. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I’m glad you had your week of Pi! Was there ever pie? ;-) Glad your “meltdown” is a good one!

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  18. Happy birthday! I am so glad you had such a wonderful, celebratory week! So fun!

    Shingles definitely is something I want no part of! So many of my friends have had it and it's no fun! I'm glad it didn't totally ruin your day.

    I'm so excited for your 13.1! I am looking for a half, but I probably won't have local access to one until the fall.

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    1. I have crazy, hyper-sensitive skin, so I have been so paranoid about getting shingles. I've heard so many scary stories about it as well. The 30ish hours of discomfort were well worth the peace of mind in having the vaccines done. WHEW!

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  19. I hope you had a great birthday! I love the idea of a Pi Challenge. The only thing I can do for my birthday is to run miles of my age but with a decimal point. Haha! No way about Milly! Will you get another treadmill?

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  20. Yay, you had so many great Pi workouts for your birthday week! Say what? I didn't realize you had a sister who lives near by. That's great, even if she does break your toys. LOL

    Thanks for the linkup and have a great week!

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