Laughing at Winter

We all need a good laugh now and then.

Living in the Midwest, Iowa in particular, I can always count on the weather for entertainment (and a fair number of eye rolls). It's cold (FREEZING cold). It's hot (with lots of humidity) It's (almost) always windy. And, it's rather unpredictable and temperamental. 

This week saw very limited sunshine, oodles of cloud cover, wind, and more precipitation than I'd prefer. Yeah, ugh. Fortunately, I've learned to laugh at that which I cannot control... 

Before I dis on the deets, 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 week:

Sunday - Sunny with a hefty side of wind.

I'd thought of doing some early morning (indoor) biking, but opted to get outside and take advantage of the morning sunshine (amidst the requisite wind). Little did I know, those two miles of sun-infused  power-walking would be the most sunshine I'd see all week.

Later, after watching the University of Iowa women's basketball team claim their second consecutive Big 10 championship, I hit the bike. I'd seen the 40K Garmin challenge, and had until midnight to finish it, so I decided to go for it. Twenty five miles on a Sunday evening - I was good with that.

Monday - Dreadfully damp and dreary.

The forecast was looking damp and dreary for the entire day, but my weather app was showing a "dry window" upon wake-up. So, what's a runner to do? A short 2-miler sufficed nicely for my #NeverMissAMonday ritual run. Turns out, that was a wise move because the day stayed gloomy and the wind picked up by the afternoon (though I did manage a 2-mile walk after work).

 

Tuesday - how about a rain/sleet/snow mix?

The temps hovered all day between 32F-34F, so it was a mystery what the precip would do when it eventually arrived. I did a 10-mile ride, with an arm/shoulder strength chaser before work. We did enjoy a few brief peeks of the sun, over the midday hours, so Michele and I got out for a 1-mile walk for our afternoon break.

I was hopeful the clouds would part, and give us a glimpse of the full moon, but no dice. Barb, Allison, and myself still met up for an evening 5-mile run (because that's what runners do, LOL). Don't be fooled by the two "moons" in the pic...those lights are from the big crane downtown. 

Wednesday - snowfall #1 for the week

We'd been expecting overnight snow, but were told it would melt as it fell. WRONG! I was a bit dismayed to see a 2-inch blanket of the white stuff greeting me at wake-up. Fresh off of the full moon 5-miler from 10 hours prior, I wasn't planning on running anyways. I kept things low-key with a stack of  lower-body Barre, bodyweight strength and Barre core and called it good. Most of the snow was gone by mid-morning. By late afternoon, the streets were clear so I got in a 3-mile walk after work.

 

Thursday - All day rain and snowfall #2

As has been the routine in recent weeks, Deb and I joined forces for a virtual early morning bike ride (15 miles for me) and chat session. Afterwards, I threw on an extra layer (and a warm jacket) and walked two quick miles...and rain was starting just as I returned to my house. By the time I headed to work (not even an hour later), the snow was coming down heavy. This was the day I had my appointment with the pain specialist (see below), so I kept things low-impact that evening with a "5-mile" elliptical session.

Friday - No precip, but sustained double digit mph wind

You guessed it - another cloudy and windy day. Unsure of the road conditions (probable black ice due to the sub-freezing overnight temps), I opted for the stairway. Although my tank says "One more for luck," I did 80 flights instead. After that warm-up, I did some intense upper-body strength and core work.

Saturday - A hint of sunshine

Another somewhat gloomy day in the forecast, but the single-digit wind was a pleasant surprise. I had my mind set on 6-8 miles, and decided to head to one of the in-town lakes for a change of scenery. The paths were clear and not as muddy as anticipated (a huge bonus!). My pace started faster than ideal (a constant struggle when the terrain isn't too hilly), but after a few laps around the lake, I headed towards some hillier streets...and that did the trick. My average pace wound up being 10:10 (for eight miles), which is still on the "fast" spectrum for these long runs, but I'm working on slowing that down. It sounds like a stupid problem, but it really is tough to make one's body run a different pace than what feels natural, whether you're trying to go faster OR slower. But, a bright spot was seeing the sun making an effort to break through the cloud cover!

 

...and Sunday?

No definite plans for the morning...possibly a long bike ride (obviously indoors), or maybe a walk. I might cue up some yoga (what???) and give my body a non-cardio morning. 

All in all, the week played out nicely, in spite of the nutzo weather. Running had a decent showing, with 15 miles. Walking was alright with 12, and biking saw 50 miles of pedal power. Three days with strength training, a great stair workout, and even some elliptical time. A little bit of everything, and that's the way (uh huh, uh huh) I like it. Coming up this next week: the Week of Pi (begins on Tuesday).

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

Feelin' the (spring) Fever!

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. So, yeah. There was white stuff on the ground, LOL. Winter does not want to cut Iowa a break, so what to wear? Well, I went with something bright (to lift my spirits) and thick-soled Chelsea boots for trudging through the messy streets. 'Nuff said.

Did you celebrate International Women's Day on Wednesday? I am so fortunate to have an enormous tribe of gals who constantly inspire, encourage, and support me on the daily. 

...and about my cranky back. On Thursday, I met with the pain specialist at 11:00, and he had me come back at noon (this time at the actual hospital) for the steroid injection. It was a frustrating 90-minute wait until it was my turn in the OR, but well worth it. He told me the local anesthesia might make my legs a little wobbly, so I needed to take things easy for the remainder of the day (elliptical for the win!). He said it may take up to a week to feel the results, but I almost leaped out of bed Friday morning! Currently, I'm feeling, easily, 90% better...whether that's from the actual meds or self-fulfilling, it's anybody's guess. 

So that's the latest! How did your week play out? Did you get some weird late-winter snow storm action as well? Ever had a steroid injection? Did the full moon make a visible appearance in your area?

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

Let's connect : Facebook Instagram  Pinterest Twitter

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter