Sunday, February 26, 2017

Back on the (weather) roller coaster


Well, this is Iowa.

Have you heard the saying that if you don't like the weather, give it a few hours? Yep. Iowa. I don't know where that quote originated, but it probably was an Iowan (or at the very least, a Midwesterner) who penned it.

This past week was a roller coaster ride in terms of weather.

Monday, following a very warm weekend, the temps were a bit cooler and damp. A tiny bit of rain was in the forecast (and a long day at the office was on tap), so I got out the door and ran a quick mile before work. You know, I do have to fulfill that #nevermissaMonday obligation or my world will come to an end.

I was loving those outdoor miles in shorts!
Tuesday, we had our beloved record-breaking temps back. I worked most of the day, but was able to head out after work for a new workout...on an outdoor stairway. This stairway is situated nearby, on the college campus, by the outdoor track and golf course. There are 18 steps, and they are "longer and wider" than my usual indoor stairway, thus the incline is not as steep.


Sounds easy-peasy, right? WRONG! The longer steps require a longer stride, so even though the incline was easier, the long-stepping required more effort. The single steps felt like "doubles," and the doubles felt like "quadruples." No kidding. After 70 flights (up and down), I netted an approximate mile in total distance and everything from the glutes-down felt fatigued. The clincher was the Garmin stats....the "87 calorie burn" obviously is going on distance and not effort (at least that's what I'm choosing to believe).


Wednesday, my usual active rest/recovery day. Nothing grandiose to report, but I did get a great 45-minute power walk over the noon hour.

Another February day in shorts
And I may have celebrated National Margarita Day (some things are just necessary).
National Margarita Day!
Thursday, Barb (my running partner and gal pal) and I reignited our #5at5 routine. We met up at 5:00AM and ran our 5-mile route. And, it was amazing! It felt great to be out of bed, laced up, out the door (and back), and done before my work day started. Let's just confirm that I'm eager for Grandma's Marathon training to get underway.

I love those early morning miles!
Friday, ugh. Remember that roller coaster I referred to earlier? Well, the ride took a turn for the worse (though expected). The temps plummeted to the sub-freezing zone, the sky turned an ugly shade of grey, and the precipitation got busy. We had intermittent rain throughout the day, and by the afternoon, we had snow. Not a lot of snow, but enough to cover the ground.

My #Fridayfashion post (on My Instagram and My Pinterest) was all about the chill in the air. Back to the #brrrr. Back in leggings, booties, and a comfy infinity scarf.


Saturday arrived. In keeping with my new routine of 5-6 Saturday miles (evolving to longer distances  with my upcoming marathon training), I wanted to get outside. I also have been doing back-to-back runs on Sundays (though those runs have been just easy shakeout runs). The temps were in the mid-teens, with a "feels-like" of 1-degree (yes, you read that correctly...ONE degree above ZERO). Brrrrr (did I say that already?).

Back in a puffer vest and double-layer tights!
I made the command decision to switch my Saturday long run for my easy Sunday run instead. Sunday's temps were gonna be warmer (and less windy), so it was a no-brainer. I ran an easy three miles and called it good. Although the air was cold, the wind wasn't as bad as I anticipated. And the sunshine? Extremely beautiful!


Sunday, as promised, the long run went off without a hitch. Barb and I met around 7:30 and were done by 8:45. Eight (and a half) miles in the books, and that will do nicely as I prep for the next three weekends (two 10K's and a 10-miler). We had another day of sunshine with a crazy wind coming out of the southwest...but it's always a win-win when you conquer the "layering game" with the crazy weather.

Most of the snow had  melted, but the wind was still in full force
My week (Monday-Sunday) ended with 17.5 total miles in the running shoes. There also was that mile on the outdoor staircase and a few random miles walked here and there. Daily planking is a given, and the push-ups have continued as well. All is good!

In other news:
It was time for my 8-week hair appointment. Yes, already! You know you've got a great stylist when you don't notice the cut growing out, right? My dark roots, however, that's another story. Granted, I'm very thankful I don't have any grey (at least not any that I can spot). I swear, though, my natural hair color just seems to keep getting darker...what's up with that?

Ahhhh, that's all better!
The husband is whisking me away this coming Thursday on a surprise destination adventure. I won't know any details until we board the airplane. He did tell me there's a 10K race on Saturday morning....so, heads up! Any blogging (and commenting and replying back) may be delayed due to my whereabouts in a few days.

In case you missed them, here's my posts from last week:
Yay for the sunshine!

Three Running Wishes

Warm Weather...So, what's there to Runfess?

As usual, I'm linking up with some awesome ladies and their awesome link-ups:

Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap

Ilka and Angela for the Sunday Fitness & Food

39 comments:

  1. Oh I love that your hubs is taking you somewhere and that he told you there is a race! Is he giving husband lessons soon?

    Yep, we had all 4 seasons this week!

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    1. Don't be too impressed...I think the race was an after thought (that I may have suggested) LOL IT's driving me nutzo not knowing what to pack for clothing (or running gear) #firstworldprobs

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  2. This week was definitely a little crazy when it comes to the weather. Yesterday I was able to run in just a shirt, and then we had horrible winds and rain by 7pm that evening, lol.

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    1. All of our snow from Friday is gone (again)....I anticipate we haven't seen the last of it, though

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  3. Wow from shorts to 1 degree, the Midwest really is a roller coaster of weather.
    We had a beautiful week here so I happened to check my weather ap for next week to see if it will stick around. One day this week it says it will be 69 with chance of rain, but when I look into the extended forecast for the exact same day, it says it will be 49. Not that I would complain about 49 degrees but i'd rather have 69!

    You should tell your husband he has to pack for you to since the destination is unknown and you won't know how to dress for your race. Hopefully he takes you somewhere warm. Do you think you will be coming to PA to visit the daughter?

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    1. ha ha ha....there is NO way I'd ever let the hubby pack for me LOL He's the business man (office attire) type, and I'm the funky #colorfreak. That would be a recipe for disaster (and a reason for me to go shopping after arriving at the secret vacation) ;-)

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  4. I'm loving the greens and grey in your Friday Fashion posts. How cute! I LOVE wearing leggings! My husband always asks why I'm wearing running pants - I tell him " honey... there's a difference!" We are back to the frozen tundra around here now. BOO!

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    1. Our frozen tundra appears to have melted (again)...but stay tuned...I doubt we've seen the last of the white stuff

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  5. Being in IN this weekend, I also got to experience the crazy weather it was nuts. Loving all your great leggings this week. Hope you have a wonderful week

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    1. Thanks!! Yes, us Midwestern folk have some crazy weather, huh!

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  6. Ohh can't wait to hear what the mystery destination is! That's so fun :) Great job running this week, and dealing with the crazy temperatures!

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    1. I'm dying to know a few details of this impending trip.....hello? Running gear? ;-)

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  7. I love your tights in the snow picture!

    I ended up NOT getting a margarita on National Margarita Day. :-( It was my hubby's birthday and he picked a Sichuan Chinese place for dinner, and I didn't think it was the best place to order a margarita. BTW, my birthday is on National Pickle Day. Life is not fair!

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    1. National Pickle Day! Oh, my most sincere condolences....my birthday is Pi Day (March 14), but I prefer to call it Pie Day ;-)

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  8. Omg a mystery trip? With a race involved?? How awesome! What a fun hubby!

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    1. Well, I asked if there was a race involved with this trip...and the next morning, he told me there was LOL The power of suggestion.....

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  9. We had quite the mix of weather this week as well, I was running in shorts one day and the next we had snow again.
    Can't wait to hear about the mystery trip, what a fun surprise!
    Those tights are so pretty, I really like those.

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    1. Thanks! It was weird having to pull on the double layer of tights for Saturday's run after having been in shorts all week...

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  10. How nice to be whisked away -- AND a race! He's a keeper.

    Obviously there's plenty of gray in my hair.

    I wish I'd had the choice to switch my long run to sat -- which was lovely. Sunday was kind of brutal, but the run was surprisingly strong. You just never know.

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    1. Sometimes those brutal runs leave you feeling like a champ (and, other times, defeated). Glad it went well for you!

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  11. I really enjoyed the nice weather. It was a nice break!

    Those tights are super cute, by the way.

    Have so much fun on your surprise vacation! Sounds like so much fun! I wonder where you're going!! :)

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    1. I have a couple of hunches on our destination...but who knows? The element of surprise is kind of exciting...

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  12. The weather is crazy here in Minnesota too! It was so gorgeous last week then snow. Ugh. I am so over it.

    Fit Angie
    http://maria-baer.com

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    1. I'm ready for summer. Spring can bypass us, I just want some heat LOL

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  13. How fun you are going to be whisked away to destinations unknown. My hubs has surprised me with trips before with only a couple of days to prepare but never an all-out unknown destination. Fun! It sounds like you have everything in order to start your marathon training. Except for just a couple of things, I have no idea what I'm doing this year. LOL. I guess I'll figure it out. Thanks for linking, Kim!

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    1. I have a suggestion on what you can do this year...come to Iowa!

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  14. Have fun on your surprise weekend and race. The weather really has been crazy all over the place this winter.

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    1. Our weather (after being a mere 1-degree on Saturday) is now back in the mid-50's LOL

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  15. So excited for your surprise trip! I can't wait to hear all about it!

    I desperately need to make a hair appointment. It's been too long.

    I can't believe you have gone from so warm to snow and back again! That's just insanity!

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  16. Thats so nice that your husband is taking you on a surprise trip! It would probably stress me out to not know where we were going. Our weather has been a roller coaster too! This week its supposed to go from cold to warm with thunderstorms to cold and snowy.

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  17. It was in the high 40s when we started our run on Saturday and I was wearing a beanie because I thought it was COLD! Can you tell I live in SoCAL?
    A surprise destination vacation - I could use one soon!

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  18. Looks like you had another great week of training. I admire you for running stairs each week! Excited to follow your marathon training! The weather down south has been crazy too!

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  19. We had all four seasons on Saturday. It was crazy.

    Let's not talk about hair. I only get mine cut once or twice a year. And I call the grey my highlights LOL.

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  20. Ooooh, a surprise romantic getaway ...this sounds so exciting! Can't wait to hear all about it. What a sweetheart you have there! Have fun!

    Oh and a feels like of 1 ...no, just no!

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  21. This weather just been absolutely ridiculous, and I'm sure is a big reason why so many people have been sick, including myself and my husband. While I love the Spring weather, the weather gods need to pick a season and stick with it instead of playing this game with us.

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  22. I knew I saw you in shorts at the first of the week and then the next thing I knew you were in a hat and scarf! Crazy!!! Have fun with your weekend adventure- I can't wait to see where you land! I love surprises!

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  23. Would you believe we had a raid on a few of our restaurants both Asian places and it was rumored it was immigration issues but the word now it was something far more serious. BUT most of the Mexican places closed too, I think they got scared but it was on Margarita Day! WTH???

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  24. Roller coaster weather here in Pittsburgh too! The plus side to that is we get to wear our cute winter tights AND summer shorts in the same week! I really love your tights in the first and Saturday pics. Those are my favorite colors. Enjoy your surprise weekend adventure!

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  25. Hi Kimberly! Featuring your training log at this week's Sunday Fitness & Food! Congrats!! Have a great Sunday!

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