Sunday, March 19, 2017

Monumental Moments (no thanks to Momma N)



What a monumental week!

Someone (ahem....ME!) had a milestone birthday, and Momma N did her damnedest to put a kink in the celebration. Care to hear what some of her antics were? Read on.....


Monday morning, we awoke to several inches of heavy, wet snow on the ground, and streets were a mess. School had a 2-hour delay and the snow plows were out in full force.  Having done a 9-mile run the previous day, I only needed a short shakeout run...and since it was Monday, well you know my routine:

#nevermissaMonday

Leaving snow prints.....
Tuesday, March 14th, was the big day. The milestone birthday. Without giving you any unnecessary (condemning) information, I'll disclose this much: This birthday had a big "0" on the end of it, and there may have also been a "5" in there as well (and not necessarily in that order).  Suffice it to say I am now in a new age group (in terms of running-related lingo) and we'll just leave it at that.


In recent years, March 14th has become known as Pi Day....you know, a tribute to that number (3.14) used to compute the area of a circle. Having been a total math dork as a kid, I would have really embraced that notion. Now days? I'm a runner dork, so I do a 3.14 "Pi run" every year on my birthday. This year was the coldest birthday I've had in several years (Thank You, Momma N), but there was ample sunshine and the wind was calm.

Another successful Pi Run
By Wednesday, a lot of the snow had melted and the temps were climbing into the upper 30's. I had the afternoon free, so I headed over to the outdoor stairway and got to work.

*30 flights of single-step running
*10 flights of side-step climbing (5 "facing" left and 5 "facing" right)
*20 flights of single step running
*a very s.l.o.w. walk back home

Yes, you can do outside stair work in the snow...
Thursday arrived, and the temps were still chilly, but the wind was very calm at 5:00a.m. My friend, Barb, met me for our #5at5 and we got it done under the bright moonlit sky.

Hopefully my last snow run for several months
Friday was St. Parrick's Day! I'm not Irish (well, maybe I'm 10% Irish), but I always dress as an Irish lass for the day. It's all about the green, right? My #fashionFriday post was a bit on the casual side, but it was a great opportunity to showcase the new hoodie (from the previous weekend's Leprechaun Chase). Side note--are you following me on Instagram or Pinterest ? Post a #fashionFriday pic and tag me!
go green or go home
Saturday (after a 4-1/2 hour roadtrip Friday afternoon) found me in Chicago, running the Wintrust Lakefront 10-miler with none other than Wendy (from Taking the Long Way Home). Momma N was having attitude (again), blessing us with 25mph wind (with occasional gusts), chilly temps (low 40's) and a cloudy  sky. Wendy and I ran the entire race together and we ran it consistent and strong (despite the fierce head wind in the final miles). Stay tuned...the recap is coming!

Yay for awesome running/blogger friends!!!
Sunday was still a bit chilly, but the sky was clear and the sun was shining. What's not to love about that? I met up with Barb and we knocked out three easy miles before church. Life is good!

Doesn't everyone wear the event jacket for the shakeout run the next morning? 
So, all in all, the week went over well, despite Momma N's efforts to rain (or snow or blow wind) on my parade. My weekly mileage (Monday - Sunday) came in at 22.14 miles. With this 10-miler behind me, I can officially say that marathon training has begun! The weekend long runs will be progressively getting longer, and there will be some periodic speed work (gulp) just for kicks and giggles.

My stair training will continue for a few more weeks as I prepare for the Fight for Air Climb (April 9th in Des Moines). If you're interested in donating to the cause, my fundraising page is HERE.

In case you missed them, here are last week's blog posts:
Back in the fleece
Leprechaun Chase-the 2017 Edition
High Steppin' in the SpRiNg

So, talk to me! Are you eager for spring to really arrive (bringing it's appropriate weather with it)?  Do you look forward to advancing into "new" (older, UGH!) age groups? Do you celebrate your birthday with a significant run?

As usual, I'm linking up with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap




and Ilka and Angela for the Sunday Fitness & Food Linkup



Please, do your self a favor, and head over and check out these fabulous ladies and their blogs, and
join the link-ups!

52 comments:

  1. I'm so ready for the wind to blow away! But as I sit here in the Florida sunshine it's, yep, windy! At least it's warm...

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    1. I could not believe how strong that Florida wind was two weeks ago! But, YES, at least it was warm LOL

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  2. It has been in the 50s here and it was even 70 with sun on Thursday this week. I don't mind the cold temps... I know the days are getting longer ! Happy birthday to you ! I NEVER would have guessed your age. So fun to run with Wendy ! Lucky you.

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    1. I'm already loving the longer days...eager for the early morning runs to get brighter and brighter ;-) It was a grand time with Wendy!!

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  3. Welcome to the jungle...er...I mean the new age group where apparently all the cool kids are. Yes, momma N has been very inappropriate lately but it sounds like you and Wendy ran strong anyway. Can't wait to hear more!

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    1. spoiler alert...my two fastest miles were the final two miles...into the wind (what the WHAT???). Maybe Momma N gave me some score to settle ?

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  4. Happy birthday! I'm hoping that last week was winter's last hurrah, wanting to go out like a lion. That just means it will start raining nonstop here!

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    1. I certainly hope we've seen the last of snow until Dec. 24th....

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  5. Great job this week! Looks like you and Wendy had a lot of fun despite the weather. Hope you had a great birthday!

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    1. The weather is the one BIG thing we cannot control on race day, so we made the best of it.

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  6. Happy birthday and welcome to the club ;) I'm so over Mother N and her antics! Glad you and Wendy had a great run - looking forward to hearing all about it.

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    1. Wendy and I had a great time! It's always meeting up with friends and doing what we love...running ;-)

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  7. Happy late birthday to you!! So glad you got to meet up with Wendy and run a race together! I hope I can meet you both one day!

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    1. Thanks ;-) It would be great to meet you someday, too ;-)

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  8. Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!

    We still have lots of snow. I wonder when it will melt....

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    1. I'm glad the snow is gone...hopefully for several months LOL All of my lilies, tulips, daffodils and crocus are popping through the ground....

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  9. Happy Birthday! I'm only a few months younger than you. :-) Nice hoodie! I almost bought one at the NYC expo but didn't think it was $75 worth of cute!

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    1. The hoodie was the "free" upgrade from last weekend's race (early bird promo). It's not tech-material, but colorful and fun, none the less. $75 is a lot of cash for a hoodie, no matter how phenomanal the experience is

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  10. I am all about lying about your age! I cannot wait to hear about your race with Wendy. Looked like a cold one!

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    1. It was a cold race! Wendy said we were "lucky" the wind was out of the NW and not off the lake LOL

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  11. What a great week for you!! Happy birthday again! I'm actually not looking forward to turning 40 for any other reason than to be closer to a BQ. ;)

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    1. ha ha....yes, I guess I do have a better BQ time to shoot for....

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  12. Happy Birthday Kimberly! You look absolutely fantastic and you're in great shape! Love that you got to meet up again with Wendy for this fun race! You guys ran at an awesome pace! I think 9:10, right?

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    1. Thanks!!!! According to my Garmin, it was 9:10 pace (and that doesn't account for the 2-3 minutes we stopped for pics)...so we may have actually been closer to a 9:00 pace. Oh well, we were happy with how the race played out for us. ;-)

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  13. Happy belated birthday! I have a big one coming up this year as well! Great week and that looks like a killer stair workout. and great job to you and Wendy on what sounds like a tough 10 miler with those winds!

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    1. The winds was a bit brutal, but fortunately we only had periodically...if this would have been a point-to-point race into the wind, it would have been t.o.u.g.h.

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  14. Awesome job this week! I love that you were able to celebrate a milestone birthday and running a race with a friend!

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    1. Thanks! We had a great time....us "old ladies" gotta stick together LOL

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  15. I loved seeing the pics of you and Wendy running together in Chicago. Congrats on your race! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I hope you had a great day!

    This weather has been so crazy lately. Do you know I call her "Momma N" because of you? Haha!

    I just donated to your climb - I know you're gonna do amazing! I can't believe mine is this Saturday, I still get nervous every year!

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    1. Oh Janelle....thanks for your donation!!!! I'll be thinking of you this weekend...I know you'll do great as well. This will be my fifth time climbing DeS Moines...and always, after the second building, I do a "mental check" and ask myself WHY??? LOL Then, I carry on and finish the job...no regrets!!

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  16. I just do whatever my training schedule says on my birthday. Luckily this year it had a run on it, since I do have an indulgent dinner.

    Good job on running with Wendy in not so ideal conditions -- although I have to admit your weather sounds rather mild compared to ours :p

    Age groups don't matter to me. I moved into a new one this year too (depending on the race), having my double nickel birthday. I'm never gonna win an AG award, so truly, I don't even think about it.

    Happy belated birthday!

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    1. Fortunately, I've never been deep on the thrones of a training schedule come birthday time...so I just do my Pi Run and call it good ;-)

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  17. Happy Birthday! Sounds like you had a chilly week! We had a pretty cold week as well, and when it wasn't cold, it was rainy. Hopefully this week it'll warm up! How fun you got to meet up w Wendy!

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    1. Running with Wendy was definitely the highlight of the week!

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  18. Happy birthday, You are killing the 0-5 :) !!! Looking great and so active. I feel like a birthday is the perfect day to get moving the start to a brand new year for you!

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  19. Happy birthday! I had three more years until I move up into the next age category and right now I'm fine with that. I'm starting to look forward to spring - warmer weather, less layers, and open toe shoes again!

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    1. I have found the older age categories don't give me advantages...those "old gals" are tough!

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  20. Happy birthday and welcome to the club! I have always embraced my new age group birthday! I'm not so sure how I'll feel in November when I'll have a milestone birthday that just might have a 6 and a 0 in it! Yikes!!!

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  21. What a great birthday week! Happy birthday!! Looking forward to your recap. :)

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  22. It's been a (cold) and busy week for you! What a fabulous way to celebrate a milestone birthday!!! Can't wait to read all about it!

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    1. I'm glad the cold weather is gone...hopefully for several months!

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  23. Happy Birthday! We had a cold week here as well, but today it was 80 degrees! I don't know if I'm ready for it to be that warm yet!

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  24. Welcome to the club! It is an age group you will have no problem dominating! Happy Birthday and great job making the best of the week! Snow, wind, cold- no problems for you!!

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  25. I would be so afraid of slipping on ice on those outdoor stairs! You are such a beast when it comes to climbing those stairs!

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  26. Sounds like a wonderful and busy week! Your stair workouts are awesome!! Congratulations on the 10 miler, awesome job :-)

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  27. Welcome to the "fabulous at 50" club! Hold on tight, it's a bumpy but exhilarating ride :) What an awesome race you and Wendy had in Chicago ...you two are quite the speedsters! Heck, with your speed, I'd say you have even more AG awards heading your way!

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  28. Hold up! Your only 4.5 hours from Chicago and the ChiGirls? I guess I did not realize you were so close to them! How awesome!
    I loved seeing the pictures of you and Wendy at the race. Congratulations to you both! I bet yall chatted the whole time running huh?

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  29. Happy belated birthday!! Love that you and Wendy got to race together! Such fun! and also love that you do a PI day run every year for your b-day.

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