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Saturday, February 19, 2022

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:

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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29 comments:

  1. Yes the weather was all over the place. I wish the wind would stop already. I'll take that 50 degrees you got though! Nice variety of workouts!

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    1. The wind has been insane. Even today, in those 50F temps, it was out of control...

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  2. February has been wild this year! I'm only disappointed we didn't get more snow. I guess be careful what I wish for, right? You sure made use of the bike this week.

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    1. I remember February being crazy last year, too. I don't remember the wind being such a factor, but it's been really intense this year. UGH.

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  3. We also had a crazy week of weather over here. It was spring it was winter and now back to winter today. I guess runners get used to adapting to all the weather! Way to mix it up this week and get it done.

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    1. Yes, we have to just adapt and go with what Momma N dishes out, LOL.

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  4. Today the wind is calm but it was gusting fiercely all week -- today would have been a great day to run, but I'm juggling runs next week with a few days at my moms so I really needed to run on Monday. So fighting the cold, wind, and snow it was yesterday.

    You always slay the dragons, Kim! Love Max's photobomb.

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    1. We still had crazy wind today, but at least we had sunshine and warm temps. I was almost tempted to go for an outdoor bike ride...but didn't feel like fighting the wind on wheels, LOL.

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  5. Ups and downs wit the weather. I don't mind the cold but this wind has got to stop!!

    My next dragon is a half marathon. Hope the hills don't slay me.

    You had an active and varied week of workouts. Kudos to you!!

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    1. Totally agree...I can handle most of the cold winter weather, but the wind is such a buzzkill.

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  6. The dragon that went down this week was that we melted off most of our snow! Now we just have a few inches of the white stuff instead of the foot and a half that we've been stuck with for the past month. It's going to warm up later today so I'll be able to get not one but two outside runs this week! Before you know it your weather problems will be down to "just" the wind.

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    1. Ha ha.... "just" the wind. It's supposed to be sub-freezing again tomorrow...so all of the melted puddles will be frozen streets by morning. Fun!! I'd love to just fast-forward to summer ;-)

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  7. We had all the weather on our ski trip — from the teens to the 40s. Luckily the wind was only bad on one side of the mountain. Back home, we’re back to the daily swings — 20s in the morning to 50s in the afternoon.

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    1. The wind has really been a tough animal this winter (even when we were in Florida). At least we're seeing more daylight...hoping the temps will level off as we approach "spring."

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  8. Okay, well.... brr. Great job getting out there in all that crazy weather. Btw your arms are looking muscular! Your upper body strength work is paying off.

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    1. Thank you!!!! I really enjoy upper-body strength-training! The lower-body is never as fun (probably because it usually rewards me with DOMS). But, I definitely see a lot more progress with the upper-body work, so I feel much more encouraged doing it ;-)

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  9. I feel like I've been slaying one dragon after another for the past three weeks, ugh!

    Let's do that early morning virtual ride together soon!

    Have a great week!

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  10. Psychotic wind indeed.
    I have no idea how to dress anymore, even when I get the weather report like yesterday from a friend who went out earlier than we did.
    Congrats on doing all the things and another solid week. Not sure which made me giggle more (in a good way), the naming of it as the glisten and glow den, or Max supervising you.

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    1. Well, and the wind keeps changing directions, too! Wednesday, it was coming out of the southwest, so it was rather balmy (though the temps indicated otherwise). I've been doing this running gig for almost 17 years, and I'm still second-guessing what to wear, LOL

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  11. The weather was all over the place for sure and the wind was especially rude! You had a great mix of workouts as always. Enjoy the 50 degree weather this afternoon - it's headed this way tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it!

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    1. I hope your 50F weather is a little less windy than mine was, LOL. I went for a walk, and it was cold with a headwind, but HOT when I changed directions on the return trip. Keeping me humble....

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  12. The wind can be tougher than some people appreciate! Sounds like the weather kept you guessing this week.

    Thanks for hosting the link-up, have a wonderful week!

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    1. The weather seems to always be a guessing game! I think my body acclimates faster than I realize, so what seems to be cold (via the weather app) feels not as cold as I anticipate. And vice-versa, LOL!

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  13. It sounds like we had similar weather issues this week! Great job getting out there. I ended up staying inside.

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  14. Congrats on another solid week of training.
    Here the expected bad weather has not arrived and it seems to be already in spring with mimosas and almond trees in full bloom: perfect situation for good runs.
    The full moon runs are too beautiful! I am trying to organize something of similar with my friends.
    My early morning runs will start in summer.

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  15. Great week! We have had cold, wind and rain. It's difficult, but more for my mental wellbeing than anything else.

    I love that Max can walk so far with you. I can get about a mile out of Luna if the weather is right.

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  16. You had a great mix of both indoor and outdoor workouts this week! The weather was totally wacky here this week too.

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  17. Coach Max making sure you're holding those weights correctly! I think when I stop working from home, I'm going to coax a co-worker to walk during our breaks (especially in winter where it would be less hot than now). I can imagine that's a great way to reset the brain during the workday!

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