Awaiting the next Dragon to Slay

It was a week...

There was sunshine. There was wind. Cold temps. Fleeting warm (for February) temps. Did I mention the wind? Inside workouts in the Glisten-n-Glow Den. Outside fitness in the fresh windy air. 

Plenty to do; and many a dragon to slay. 

Before I spill 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 8:00AM (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 down, in my little world of fitness, this week:

A Snowy Self-Care Sunday.

Even with the previous day's sub-ZERO temps (and crazy wind), waking up to a thick layer of snow had not been in the forecast. I had no plans of running (inside or outside), but I was craving a walk and really didn't want any more Milly time (we'd been spending too much time together recently). I decided to layer up and hit the streets for a 2-mile walk...I even beat the snow plow. Afterwards, I did some indoor biking (10 miles), yoga, and core work

.

Never Miss a Monday.

It had been awhile since Amy and I'd had a chance to run together (like, since before Christmas), so we were able to meet up in the o'dark hours on Monday morning. We have a nice routine...walking a 1/2-mile to the college campus, running three miles around said campus, then walking the 1/2-mile back to my place. And, get this...upon returning to my driveway, we could see the start of the impending sunrise! There also were a couple of 1-mile walks (at work) and 10 indoor biking miles for happy hour.

A new Typical Tuesday.

In an effort to give my legs some downtime, I'm going to try to keep my Tuesdays (somewhat) easy-peasy. I love upper-body strength work, so I did a short (but intense) 20-minute arms and shoulders workout and some core work in the early morning (with Coach Max's approval). Also, the temps were bearable, so a co-worker and I were able to get in a couple of 1-mile walks during our morning and afternoon breaks. 

 

Double Workout Wednesday.

Oh, has this weather been a doozy to figure out the layering game! I met up with Barb, for our weekly #5at5, and thought I was safe leaving the puffer vest back home. Ummm...nope! Even in the crazy 16mph wind, I still was over-dressed, and had to unzip the jacket and lose the gloves in the final miles. After work, I got in 24 miles of pedal power and some core work.

 

Thankful Thursday!

A few things I was especially thankful for...my early-morning ME time, 40 minutes of uninterrupted strength work, and the satisfaction of every muscle being "on fire" when I'd finished. Seriously, it felt like everything was throbbing until lunch time (I'd done a short full-body workout, a glutes/legs focused session, and an arms/shoulder workout). Spoiler: I was also quite thankful the DOMS that followed were very minimal. That evening, there also was another full moon 5K (see below)!!!

 

Easy-does-it Friday.

After Thursday's morning strength work and evening full moon antics, I kept things on the down-low with 10 easy miles on the bike. After work, Max and I went for a 2-mile walk around the college campus before settling in for some Olympic viewing (a high school classmate has a son on the US Men's Bobsled Team!).

Long(ish) Run Saturday...

Well, Momma N was having another temper tantrum upon wake-up (-14F feels-like temps and double digit mph wind), so I did a 14-mile "warm-up" on the bike, and then met Barb later in the morning. The temps had only warmed up slightly, but the wind had mellowed significantly and the sunshine was total perfection. We ran seven miles and called it good. A fine example of good things coming to those who wait, LOL.

...and what's on deck for Sunday?

Definitely some indoor cycling (hey, it's my favorite recovery vice!). Also, the temps are looking spring-like (hello, 50F!), so there will be some walking as well.

So, with all the "dragons on deck" this week, I'm pretty satisfied with everything that went down. Due to the crazy cold, walking wasn't too prominent with a mere nine miles (I swear, the wind has NOT stopped blowing since last summer). Running was in the game, with 18 miles. Biking, again, dominated with 68 miles in the saddle. The two strength sessions were legit, and there were some random stairs run (mainly as warm-ups for my runs) and plenty of core work.  

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

We Be Back (mostly) Outside

The Defender Ring

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. The forecast indicated temps in the mid-40's but with the psychotic wind, it still felt pretty chilly. I had a black button-down under the "bobble-patterned" wool sweater, and felt quite cozy. Pay no attention to the distressed denim...my legs don't seem to mind the cold (much).

The moon was almost in its "full" phase Wednesday morning, but it was well-hidden behind cloud cover that evening. Allison and I decided to run Thursday evening instead, and we were rewarded with a clear sky and minimal wind. This was my 10th consecutive full moon run! I'm so glad I started this fun monthly ritual, and I'm especially grateful to have friends who are eager to full-moon-run with me. Life is good!  

And finally, did I mention it was a cold week in Iowa? Although the temps were sub-freezing for most of the week, there was a beautiful sundog display in the late afternoon on Thursday. So, yes, there is beauty in the #brrr. 

So, talk to me! How did your week play out? Did you do battle with any dragons, so to speak? Any crazy weather to fight? Early morning workouts? DOMS? Full moon fun? 

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