Spring Has (sort of) Sprung

As the saying goes, Spring has sprung.

In Iowa (and probably a lot of the Midwest), that just means the calendar shows we've moved beyond the Spring Equinox. The spring weather can be rather unpredictable and ever-changing. 

This week, for example, we had summer-like temps, spring-like rain, and winter-like snow. The one constant was the daily wind...and the wind was a doozy!

Before I share all 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 went down in my little world of fitness this week:

Simply SUNsational Sunday.

After the previous day's tough 8-mile run, I awoke feeling much better than expected. I haven't been doing long-long runs (gosh, since last Fall?), so somehow I'd gotten away from doing my usual Sunday recovery runs. I decided to test the waters and go for a short run...and I returned home, two miles later, feeling totally refreshed and rejuvenated. Later, I also did 10 miles of indoor cycling (another recovery vice that's been tried and true) and met Amy for a 3.5-mile walk in the noontime sunshine. Now that was a morning well-spent!

Never Miss a Monday (especially when it's someone's birthday!).

In celebration of Jenny's birthday, I'd promised a 3:21 plank (that was my breakfast) and a 3.21-mile run (which was my lunch). Maybe it was the suddenly warm temps (or exhaustion from fighting the 14mph wind), but this #runch left me feeling sleepy. Oh well, a couple of 1-mile walks (during my work breaks) did the trick.

pay no attention to the lovely morning hair

Twofer Tuesday with Tunde.

In recent weeks, I've been doing upper-body work with Tunde (via the Peloton app) on Tuesdays, and I've been LOVING every minute of it. It was raining outdoors (and the temps were rather cold), so I did two 10-minute arms/shoulders classes while power-walking with Milly (1.5 mile), and followed that with some core work. These double-duty workouts have been a challenging way to incorporate cardio, simultaneously, with strength-work, plus they're great for balance and coordination as well. After work, I got in a 1-mile walk, under an umbrella (title pic).

   

Wednesday's Battery-Fail Double-Biking Bonanza.

With the usual #5at5 (with Barb) rained-out, I cued up a couple biking workouts (via Peloton app). I hadn't gotten very far on the first ride (Tabata with Tunde), when the bike's screen went blank, taking all my stats with it. After a few (or maybe several?) seconds of frustration, I decided to just continue on with the workouts. Even though I couldn't increase any of the resistance settings, I could still pedal to my heart's content and do speed intervals. After 50-ish minutes of biking, I roughly estimated my distance to be around 14 miles. After work, I not only replaced the batteries, but I decided to repeat both of the morning's workouts...this time with the proper resistance and speed. Believe it or not, my distance came to just over 14 miles! I guess I know a thing or two about my average input/output, even when technology fails me.

A Very Thankful Thursday.

There was rain (still) in the forecast until late morning (spoiler: we also had sleet and snow!), so I kept it inside in the early morning. And, I kept it on my yoga mat (lizards, and pigeons, and {downward} dogs, oh my LOL. Tabata classes are tough (several sets of intense speed for 20 seconds at a time, with a quick 10 second recovery). Generally, one Tabata class per day is sufficient, so doing two of them was pretty ambitious since I also did the other 30-minute biking class (twice) as well. Sometimes, you just gotta dig deep to see what you're made of, you know? That said, my legs were feeling pretty spent come Thursday morning. By late afternoon, the streets had dried, so Barb and I met for a #5at5PM. The air still felt damp, and the temps (and wind) were chilly. Yadda yadda yadda.

Does it look like my windblown hair is flipping-off the weather?

Upper-Body Breakfast Burn for Friday.

I gave my lower-body a day off, but stacked a couple of upper-body strength classes (along with a core workout) for the early morning. Who would have thought 30 minutes of work could leave me with a serious #ShoulderSmolder that would last for most of the morning? Oh well, that's the way (uh-huh, uh-huh) I like it! After work, I fought the 30mph wind (with some lovely 50mph gusts) for a very brief 1-mile walk. At least I had full sunshine to (sort of) neutralize that crazy wind.

A Spontaneous Saturday (indoor) "Pseudo Du."

The morning temps were simply ridiculous, and the wind was insane, so Barb and I agreed to postpone our long run to Sunday. I still wanted to get in a run, but keep the miles low, so I came up with the idea of an indoor Pseudo Du. I stacked three Peloton workouts, in brick workout fashion, for an intense 70-minute sweat session. This makeshift duathlon gave me six miles of biking, three miles of running (with Milly!), and six more biking miles...for 15 cumulative miles for the morning. Instead of waving the white flag on my long run, I waved my tank in the air like I didn't care (sorry for the bad play on words, LOL). By late afternoon, the wind had tamed back down to 24mph (it had been as high as 30mph), so I got outside for 2-mile walk. Fortunately, walking in the psychotic wind is much easier than running or biking in it.

15 miles for the win!

What's on tap for Sunday?

The forecast is still looking cold (sub-freezing), but less windy and  very sunny. Hopefully, Saturday's postponed run will play out nicely in Sunday's "better" weather conditions.

So, yeah, it was quite a week of weather whiplash. I still managed to get outside everyday, though a few of those were mere 1-mile walks in adverse weather (rain and wind). 12 total walking miles, just over 13 running miles (with a long run happening on Sunday morning), and 50 biking miles. The two strength sessions felt great, and it was nice to fit in a short yoga fix.  

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

Spring? Hey Ho, Let's Go!

Week of Pi - 2022 Recap

How About a Few SpringFessions 

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. How about mixing some cheetah print with black and turquoise? Although cheetah print is anything but bland, it can take on a "neutral" feel when paired with a bright punch of color. At least that's my observation. Besides, a neutral cheetah is more interesting than a plain, neutral color IMO. Your thoughts?

Even with this week's cold spell, there are numerous signs of spring popping up. I spotted these little beauties on my Monday run (below). Our lawns are looking green and the magnolia tree is budding. I also noticed several patches of daffodils and tulips poking through the soil.

So, there you go. The first official week of Spring 2022. Let's hope Spring is, indeed, really here to stay.

How was your first week of Spring 2022? Does it feel or look like the spring season yet? Any exciting workouts or accomplishments this week? Ever done a duathlon, real or virtual, inside or outdoors?

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