Welcome to the (winter) Jungle

I’d wish you a warm welcome, but it would be an oxymoron of a gesture.

Yes, it may be the first Weekly Run Down of 2025, but the only thing warm about it would be the spoken words of my greeting, LOL. Holy Brrr, Batman, it done got frigid!

Nonetheless, this is my Midwest reality, and I refuse to let it defeat me…

Back to the BRRR

Well, this was a week!

The past two Decembers, at least in my area, have been mild. There hasn’t been much snow. The temps have been cold, but not extreme. There’s been wind (Hello, #Iowa LOL), but nothing too painful.

This December, thus far? Let’s just say we haven’t been quite so fortunate.

Thankfully, the snow has been very minimal, but the outdoor “feels” have been less than fantastic…and it’s not officially Winter for another week. Eek! I’m glad I’m Iowa Tough!

Frigid, Frosty & Feisty

Well well well...for such a short month, February sure makes a name for itself.

This week started off with sunny skies and pleasant temps, took a turn for the extreme cold, and rebounded back to spring-like weather. Wow, one would almost need a tightly buckled safety belt for such a roller coaster ride!

In keeping with my #OptOutside daily streak, I did get outdoors everyday. And I was blessed with almost every kind of weather imaginable. Emphasis on the almost...

Holy BRRR! Please Make it Stop!

Holy BRRR, it's been a bit brisk...

I guess it should come as no surprise that the real winter weather would eventually make an appearance. The mild January really had me hoping the calm before the storm would remain calm a bit longer, though. 

Oh well. Such is the reality of winter in the Midwest. It's a good thing I'm #IowaTough.

Weathering Another Wild Ride

If we were to talk about this week's weather, I'd have to compare it to a wild roller coaster ride.

We had cold temps (no surprises there), and we had out-of-control wind (much more than usual, and we usually have a lot). Oh, and there were a couple days that had unseasonably warm temps, with oodles of intoxicating sunshine and barely even a slight breeze. Then, within hours, those very temps plummeted 60+ degrees, and the wind (again) took on a life of its own.

 Alas, such is the reality of Iowa. Thankfully, I'm #IowaTough so the #OptOutside streak lives on (now over two years strong).

Weathering the WHIPLASH

So, yeah. The weather, in Iowa, was anything but smooth this past week.

Extreme shifts in temps were the norm. We're talking mid-winter "feels" with the sub-freezing mornings and psychotic wind. There also was a much welcome 50-degree jump in temps, which catapulted us back to the heat of summer (minus the humidity).  

Figuring out the clothing situation was a major guessing game. But, the good news? At least it wasn't snowing!

Acting on Impulse

 

Sometimes you just gotta go with your gut, have faith, and seize the moment.

And that's just what I did, almost on the daily, this past week.

The weather kept me guessing (what's new?), the hip felt great (yay!), and the glute/hammy saw significant signs of improvement (whew!). So, we acted on a few impulses...

We Be Back (mostly) outside

It's always a treasure getting back outside...

After a crazy cold first week back from Florida, this second week rewarded me with much better seasonal weather conditions. Well, at least in the early part of the week. Things took a bit of a downwarad spiral, literally, towards the week's end. 

Let's just say winter in Iowa ain't for sissies. But Holy Brrr, Batman...can we just fast-forward to summer-like weather already? I can handle the cold, but the psychotic wind (and subsequent sub-ZERO windchill) has got to go.

Tis the Windy Season

Holy hyper wicked wind, Batman!

It was a week to hold on (tightly) to one's hat! The temps were a bit all over the place, but the wind was constant. Oh joy!

None the less, I was able to continue my daily "outdoor action" streak. The RW Run Streak continues, as does the (new) Peloton streak. Call me crazy, but it beats sitting idle (don't worry, I'm being careful and am not over-doing it with my #sweatequity). Rest assured (literally, LOL), I'm having fun this holiday season.

Merrily We Streak Along

 ...and the Streak goes on, as does the holiday season.

In a few days, I will pass the halfway point of this year's Winter Run Streak. Yeah, already! So far, the temps haven't been too outrageous, the streets have been (mostly) clear, and the holiday running gear has been making a few appearances. It's all good!

This week definitely had more "seasonal" weather, temps and wind (emphasis on the wind, LOL). I'm still rocking the daily #optoutside gig, though...

Outside is Alright

Yes, it was another cold week.

But the fresh air? The breathtaking sunsets and sunrises? The company of friends? A house full of family?  All made for a worthwhile week of fitness and fun, and the frigid temps were bearable.

Yes, you read that correctly. The cold of the pre-winter season wasn't too bad...

Feeling Fall's Big Chill

How would I best describe this week? 

In a word, BRRR! If I could add a second word, it would be WINDY!

But I digress. As much as I detest the fall season, I desperately try to hang on (ever so tightly) to it. Why? Because I detest the winter season even more (at least in terms of the cold weather). 

While we didn't have actual full-blown (I use that term loosely, LOL) winter weather, we did have winter temps. There was some sunshine, thank goodness, so the chill of the wind wasn't as bad as it could have been, but still BRRR (have I said that already?). 

BRRRing It!

This week? Brrr, things got cold!

There was frost on the ground every morning (which does look quite magical and sparkly in the o'dark thirty hours) and the wind kept us humble. Thankfully, Momma N sprinkled in plenty of sunshine and kept the rain (and snow, LOL) away.

Alas, all those cold temps rewarded us with all kinds of beautiful color, courtesy of the trees. So it wasn't all bad. 

All is Well that ends Well

All is well that ends well, especially in terms of the weather!

But, Holy Brrr, Batman...we had to wait for it.