Moving. Right. Along.

My 2023 off-season is underway, and moving right along. Yay for me, right? 

I gotta admit, as much as I enjoy the off-season, and as much as I know my body needs it, the actual "season" itself can be a challenge. I have a lot of energy (even though I don't drink coffee), so sitting idle is not an option for me. I wake up early, usually before 5:30AM (and that's without an alarm). I don't fall asleep before 11:00PM, ever (unless I'm really, really tired). I love all forms of fitness, and I crave the fresh air of the great outdoors.

Alas, I'm keeping things (somewhat) scaled-back. I'm trying not to give-in to the temptation of doing "long" runs, at least for a few more weeks. My first race of the new year is a 10K (early March), so I don't necessarily need to amp up the distance or my speed just yet.

So far, so good....

Before I share the deets from this past week of off-season fun, 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 this past week:

A simply sensational sunny SUNday!

I had every intention of doing a long (indoor) bike ride, but that bright morning sun beckoned me to get outside. A 2-mile power walk was in order, and I postponed the 20-mile bike ride until later (during the Iowa vs. Maryland men's basketball game). No regrets! And the Hawks won!

Never Miss a Monday.

In celebration of Iowa's win over Maryland, I thought it appropriate to rep my alma mater. I cued up a couple of Peloton cycling workouts and started the morning with 12 miles in the saddle. As I was pedaling, it occurred to me that I had not yet named the new spinning bike. Noticing how well its black and gold colors matched those of my Iowa gear, the name Hawkeye came to me. What ya think?

Monday afternoon turned sunny, and the temps were in the mid-40F range. I drove home in full sun, and was excited for a fabulous run in the warm January weather. By the time I'd changed clothes, though, the sun had gone into hiding and the mist (and the wind) had taken its place. Granted, this still was quite warm, by Midwest standards, but the damp air was a bit of a buzzkill for my post-workday 3-miler. Womp womp, LOL.

Another Typical Tuesday (or so I thought)

My body was ready for a little TLC after the previous two days of cycling (32 combined miles) and Monday's somewhat speedy 3-miler (not even 12 hours prior). Low-impact cardio was on tap, via "3 miles" of elliptical, before heading to my 7:30 PT session. We did more glute/hammy work, as well as back strengthening and stretching. After work, Max took me for a short walk (in the raw wind), then I hit the treadmill for two miles of walking while simultaneously doing a couple of  Peloton arms/shoulders (light weights) workouts (Spoiler: the DOMS were waiting for me the next morning).

Double Workout Wednesday (by default)

It was one of those indoor run/outdoor selfie kind of mornings. Three messy-hair miles on the 'mill because I just didn't feel like layering-up and hitting the dark streets. The forecast was showing a big storm headed our way anyways, so I was planning on another (indoor) bike ride while watching the Iowa vs. Northwestern game later that evening. I got in a 2-mile walk over my lunch hour, in anticipation of beating the snow/freezing rain that was due to arrive mid-afternoon. Here's another spoiler: the Iowa game was postponed (the Northwestern team was plagued with Covid), and the snow storm had arrived with a bang...so I spent a good 30 minutes shoveling (and tossing) some of the heaviest and wettest snow I'd ever scooped. I slept really good that night!

  

Thankful Thursday.

I was up and at it by 4:30AM. I had another PT session scheduled for 7:30, and I wanted to get in a short bike ride (eight miles) AND I knew I'd need to do more shoveling. Thankfully, we'd only gotten a couple additional inches of snow overnight, so the shoveling was much easier than it had been the night before (but my back, my arms and my shoulders were in a world of agony afterwards). I don't know if  the DOMS were from Tuesday's PT session, the arm/shoulder workout (Tuesday evening), or the snow removal antics...but everything was on fire. Later, after work, I got out for a very cold and windy 2-mile walk and was grateful most of the DOMS had worn off. Thankful Thursday, indeed!

Finally Friday!

It was another bitterly cold morning in Iowa. I was craving some serious cardio and leg work, but wasn't up for fighting the icy roads in the dark (call me crazy, LOL). I decided on 10 flights of stairs (for a warm-up), a 2-mile progressive run (compliments of Milly) and five miles of Tabata cycling (courtesy of Hawkeye). Whew! Mission accomplished!

An action-packed Saturday

After a slight sleep-in, I met Barb at 7:30. We ran our #5at5 route (in broad daylight, LOL). The streets were clear for the most part, but there were a few spots that required "balance checks." The temps were in the low 20F's (19F feels-like), but with only 4mph wind I soon realized I'd overdressed. The run went well, but I could tell my body was fatigued all-over (not just my legs). I did a short 7-miler on the bike, for a bit of a leg flush-out, and tackled more shoveling before finally heading inside. Garmin, again, obliged me with a couple of badges for my Saturday efforts.

 

...and what about Sunday?

We have a little more snow in the forecast, so I may head outdoors for a sunrise walk (if the wind isn't too evil), or I may do some early morning biking. There may be more shoveling on tap as well, LOL.

Overall, the week played out alright. I did have a head cold most of the week. It had been a long time (since pre-Covid, I believe?) since I've had any kind of sinus gunk trying to knock me down. A negative Covid test reassured me to just take things easy and let the cold run its course. Anyways, running was still on the conservative spectrum with 13 miles (#offseason, LOL); walking had 10 (#brrr #TooMuchWind), and biking was a decent 52 miles (though a bit conservative as well #ButOhWell). Let me add the sport of heavy snow shoveling to this week's roster. I easily have well over two hours logged of squatting, lifting, thrusting, pushing, and awkward twisting & turning (since Wednesday evening). My arms, shoulders, core, glutes, and legs are ALL feeling the effects. Adding in Tuesday evening's arm/shoulder workout (and all the PT stuff), there has been a lot of much-needed stretching and Theragun'ing this week.

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

Can't Stop; Won't Stop

My 10th Winter Run Streak: a few highlights

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Brrrr, Friday was a very chilly winter day in Iowa! This cozy hot chocolate-colored sweater was the perfect layering piece over my teal button-down. The multi-colored scarf added a few extra punches of color, and the teal wrist warmers (that I keep at my work desk) were perfect for not only matching, but also keeping my hands warm while working on the computer. 

January 19th (Thursday) was our little Max's 13th birthday! We've had him almost 8 years now (his gotcha day is next week), and he's still such a bundle of energy. I swear he's aging in reverse.

Finally, the snow! Admittedly, we have had a very mild January this year. The temps have been cold, but not constantly sub-ZERO. Although the wind has been nasty at times, we haven't had much snow. Wednesday's storm brought us around four total inches, a couple inches less than what we were expecting. It was a very wet, heavy snow and with the sub-freezing temps, the trees had a beautiful hoar frost to show off. The temps aren't expected to climb above freezing for awhile, so the current "winter wonderland" will be sticking around indefinitely (yes, even I can admit the snow looks pretty on occasion).

So that's what's had me moving and shaking this past week. Winter. Cold temps. Snow. An ongoing off-season. My reality, LOL.

How did things play-out in your world last week? Any "new" snow? Training highlights? Weekend racing? Upcoming races? Did you catch any exciting games (football or basketball) over the weekend?

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