MAYbe We Should Chat

MAYbe it's May, but things are feeling kinda "unMay-like" this year.

The weather is 5-6 weeks behind where it should be, and it's been cold, damp and blustery more often than not. We have had plenty of sunshine, though, so that's a plus. Also, despite the cooler than normal weather, the trees are blossoming, the grass is a striking shade of green, and most of the spring bulbs are in bloom.

I am grateful to get outside on a daily basis, though (the #optoutside streak is showing no sign of stopping). A good thing about the cold weather is that it does make a warm beverage (post-workout, or otherwise) a pretty sweet treat.

Even better than a hot beverage, is gathering with friends, and having a chat session. What ya say?  Shall we gather and chat for a bit? 

If you don't mind I'll go first. There's a lot of things I could tell you about...

MAYbe I could tell you how the month of April played out for me. My running mileage was in a good place, and my training rewarded me with a very satisfactory finish time for the Drake Road Races Half Marathon. Walking saw a major increase with the slowly warming daytime temps, which allowed for more walking during my breaks at work. There was quite a bit of pedal time, though all of it was indoors (it's just been too cold and far too windy to even consider saddling up for an outdoor ride). Stair-climbing was my lower-body workout-of-choice for most of the month, as I continued training for the Fight for Air Climb.

MAYbe I'd share my accidental discovery of a great cool-down tactic...rain! During the winter months, I'm all about taking it outdoors, post-workout, for the requisite selfie. Well, much to my surprise, a cold rainfall feels just as refreshing following an intense power-walk session on the treadmill. Kind of a hydrotherapy and cryotherapy mix.

MAYbe I'd tell you about last weekend's PeloFondo. I first heard of the PeloFondo in January. Basically, it's a virtual weekend-long "bike ride" in the Peloton world. Participants can ride each or both days, take breaks as needed, and log their miles after each "rest stop." In January, I was still in Florida, so all my miles were ridden outside. I'd hoped to do some of last weekend's miles outside, but the weather was not very bike-friendly in Iowa. Truth be told, I actually had forgotten about the event until I was on the bike, Saturday morning, following my run. I set an ambitious goal of 50 miles, but wound up riding a total of 60 (15 miles Saturday morning, 25 miles Sunday morning, then 20 more miles after lunch). Some of those miles were with Peloton cycling classes, but the majority were just easy pedaling while I played catch-up on my phone (reading blogs). I was really surprised to see how much faster my indoor speed was, considering I wasn't really pedaling hard. 

MAYbe I'd whine (just a tiny bit) about my outdoor biking FOMO. While I'm ever grateful to have an indoor set-up, nothing compares to riding outdoors. While I shared so many wonderful miles with my dear Fritz last year (the green bike), I decided to trade him for a slightly taller bike. I'm a tall gal, after all (5'9), and my long legs really needed a bike with a taller frame (though the camera angle deceivingly makes the bike look short, LOL). This new beauty has not yet been christened with a proper name , so stay tuned. 

Finally, MAYbe I'd  tell you about my small brush with (supposed) fame. On Wednesday, I made a short reel, showcasing  the contents of my "race packet" for the Fight for Air Climb. I used Bon Jovi's Have A Nice Day song as the featured audio. Imagine my surprise to see the notification (below) that my reel was added to the song's audio page on Instagram. I seriously doubt Jon Bon Jovi himself is the one behind this, but it made me smile. I've made a lot of reels, and this is the first time anything like this has happened. I'll let you know, though, if Jon and his band hire me to shoot their next video.

Anyways, I've probably chatted enough...MAYbe? 

How about you? Anything to share? Are you ready for Spring, or would you be content to just jump into Summer? Has it been warm enough for outdoor biking in your area?

 Since it's the first weekend of the month, I'm linking this with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date.

I'm also linking this with Michelle, Renee, Darlene, Jenn and Zenaida for the Fit Five Friday Link-up.

By the way...are you following me on social media?

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