Shall we tame the Lion?

March. It came in like a lion, but it has been (momentarily) tamed. Well, at least in my world.

This past week started with somewhat mild temps and a very easy quick mile. That #nevermissaMonday routine keeps me accountable! In anticipation of a busy day at work (and a big high school basketball game on the evening's agenda), I got it done early....just as the daylight was emerging. 

Early morning running

Tuesday, our temps were back in the mid-70's. I had a few hours free over my lunch break, so I headed back to the outdoor stairway. Remember that little beauty? It's kind of like a new toy (or a new piece of fitness "equipment"). It not only has 18 steps, but the steps are elongated, thus requiring longer strides to scale the stairs.

Instead of just running the stairs, I decided to mix it up and also include intervals of strength-training (arms and shoulders). WHEW! It was a tough one...but don't those tough workouts usually leave us feeling beast-like (albeit, perhaps, a bit of a tired beast).

My routine (these past couple months) has been to have Wednesday as a rest/recovery day. With my upcoming getaway commencing on Thursday, I elected to switch the two days. I should mention there was a small dose of the DOMS in effect from the stair/strength workout (and that statement is an under statement, FYI). I should also mention that the temps had plummeted dramatically overnight, and the first day of March was very cold and the wind was out of control. I met up with my running friend, Barb, after work. We decided to head to the lake in hopes of some shelter from the wind. After three miles, I was done.....my entire body was tired and I felt like I was running in slow motion and with a compromised form (due to the DOMS), I was not doing myself any favors.

Brrrrr at the lake!

The hubby and I boarded a plane on Thursday and flew to a warmer region of the country.  As I mentioned in last weekend's wrap-up post, the hubby had this trip planned as a surprise for me in celebration of an upcoming BIG birthday (gulp). I don't know what it about air travel, but after three-plus hours on an airplane, I felt as if I'd been running a marathon when we landed. I'm glad this was a day of rest/recovery, because there was no energy in the tank for anything other than walking through an airport.

leaving, on a jet plane.....

Friday was another day of travel as we made our way to our the southernmost spot on the continental United States....Key West! My #fashionFriday post reflected my excitement of being in the midst of sunshine, sand, and palm trees.

on the beach!

Saturday, it was time to lace up the shoes and get busy! The husband had registered us for the Sombrero Beach Run 10K, in Marathon, FL (how's that for an iconic name for a place to go racing!). The temps were warm (mid-70's) but very windy (24mph wind!). Over all, the race went well...though the first stretch (1.75 miles) was straight into the wind and the final stretch (with the tail wind) was HOT (why does a tailwind never feel as forceful.,.or as cooling...as a headwind?). The full recap will be posted in a few days...stay tuned!

Sombrero Beach Run 10

With more travel on the agenda, I was up and running (literally) fairly early on Sunday morning. Nothing grandiose, but I wanted to get a few miles done before we hit the road (destination: Tampa). The body definitely is tired....three miles with progressively slower splits (9:36, 9:48, 10:14). And the Florida wind is crazy, but it's a warm wind. No complaints.

Add caption

So, this week's mileage was a bit scaled back (due to travel and continued recovery from the DOMS), coming in at a moderate (13). No big whoop. My mileage has been continuously building in recent weeks, so scaling back the miles was in order anyways. I have another 10K next weekend (Leprechcaun Chase, Des Moines), then a 10-miler (Wintrust Lakefront, Chicago)....then the mileage will be amping up as my training for Grandma's Marathon gets underway. 

Since I'm on vacation, my blogging has been MIA. Sorry folks, the blogging had to take a brief vacay with me. As much as I wanted to post and link on Friday and Saturday, it's a bit of a hassle doing it remotely, and I knew I wouldn't have time to be reading and commenting on all of the linked posts. In case you missed my two posts from last week, here they are:

Back on the Weather Roller Coaster

Kim be Nimble, Kim be Quick

In other news....

My March Goals are all about strength and conditioning. My glutes and hips are my weakest "assets" for running, so I'm gonna work on them daily. Of course, the daily planks and push-ups will continue as well. The Fight for Air Climb is April 9th, so there will also be weekly stair-training for a few more weeks. 

My March plan of action

For now, though, I'm content to enjoy a couple more days of sunshine, warm temps, and plenty of palm trees. Life's a beach!

That's iced tea in the cans...in case you were wondering

So, enough about me...how was your week? What's your weather doing? Do you pack your running gear and take it along on vacation? Do you blog while on vacay, or take a brief sabbatical?

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

and Ilka and Angela for the Sunday Fitness & Food Linkup