Now That's More Like It

Ah, now that's more like it.

The mild weather. The increasing daylight. The on-going fitness. Life is good.

What all went down this past week, and why are things feeling pretty good?


Well, on Monday, our temps climbed up to the mid-40's in the afternoon hours. Granted, that is not a heat wave by many people's standards, but for an outdoor runner who has withstood much colder temps for her dear sport...those mid-40's felt tropical. A couple miles in the bright sunshine, sandwiched in between two sets of 40 burpees, was my #nevermissaMonday reality.

Outside. Capri leggings. No gloves. #win

Tuesday was a pretty low-key day. A 4-minute plank in the early morning hours, and some arm work in the evening.

Another daily plank in the bank

As has been my Wednesday ritual for several  weeks, I started the day with some cardio, via my stairway. I mixed in some intervals of lower-body strength work (squats, leg lifts, lunges) as well as four sets of (20) push-ups. Yowza, that was tough, but a fun quest to conquer.

Taking it to the stairs...again

Thursday wound up becoming a double workout day, starting with no less than 90 burpees. As I said in my Facebook and Instagram posts that day, it IS possible to do burpees with a smile (who'da thunk?), but the post-burpees hair may make you wince.

Scary hair....don't care

Later, I met up with my friend, Barb, for a non-traditional #5at5PM. We usually do our #5at5 runs (five miles at 05:00 a.m.), but this time the 5:00 p.m. option worked better for our schedules. I don't know if it was possible DOMS from Wednesday's stair and lower-body workout, after effects from that morning's burpees, or just general fatigue, but those five miles left me feeling exhausted and sore all over when I returned home.

That would be a fake smile hiding the total body exhaustion...

When Friday arrived, I knew my body needed some serious rest and recovery time. I knocked out a 4:30-minute plank and that's all that happened. I seldom take complete rest/recovery days, but I thought this was well earned.

How do you like that bed head?

Saturday brought me to my first race of 2018! This was my fourth time running the Chamburrrrr Scurry 5K (in a nearby town), and I was eager to pin on a race bib and have fun. The race didn't start until 9:00, so Barb and I arrived early to get our race packets and made the command decision to do a 1-mile warm-up run. We'd originally planned to run a couple of miles after the race, but since we had ample time, we thought it made more sense to get in a brief warm-up run instead of just standing around. 

The 1-mile warm-up felt good, but the race itself was a bit of a challenge for me. The race course involves a 1-mile loop around a community college campus, then an out-&-back segment on the team's cross country course, and a repeat 1-mile loop (around the campus) to the finish line. We had decent temps (in the low 30's) and plenty of sunshine with a tiny bit of wind...but that segment on the cross country terrain was tough. Couple that with the fact that I ran my first mile of the race in 8:20 (usually, that's too fast for a first mile for me), and it was a struggle to get my energy back. My finish time (official 27:11, 8:46 av.pace), surprisingly, was decent considering (1) the too-fast start, (2) the challenging middle mile, and (3) a few intermittent walk breaks... so I am quite content. 

Rocking the red, white, and blue for Team USA

My splits were 8:20/9:36/9:01. We also did an extra mile around the course after the finish line, for 5 total miles for the morning. At first, I was a little disappointed with my finish time (since I'm "usually" in the high 25's/low 26's). In checking my stats from a month ago, though, this was my fastest average pace in awhile, especially since my surgery. Even though I don't consider myself a racer, it's nice to see some of my "speed" easing back (even without any speed work happening).

Sunday morning was so bright and sunshiny that when my weather app showed cold temps, I though it was a malfunction. Then, Max and I headed out for a walk, and brrrrr. Thankfully, I grabbed my winter jacket and put Max's sweater on him. Yes, I realize I live in Iowa, and, yes, it is still January...but a 30-degree plummet overnight is just plain cruel! I had contemplated doing another 5K with Barb, but opted to stay home...and I'm glad I did. My body felt fine, but I thought an extra day of relaxation would be a smart call. Besides, I have 100 burpees on deck for Monday morning, and those are not gonna be a cake walk.

Max and me...back in black

So, that's a wrap on last week. My running miles (Monday-Sunday) ended at 12, and the Burpees & Planks & Push-ups Challenge kept me busy on the non-running days. My off-season is winding down, so I'll be gradually upping my weekly mileage. Also, I have a half marathon happening in mid-March, so my current "long" runs (of six miles) will be increasing as well in February. Perfect timing, right?

In case you missed the posts from last week:

The (weather) Pendulum Swings Back

If These Shoes Could Talk...

Runfessions, Anyone?

In other news:

***As mentioned, the Burpees & Planks & Push-ups Challenge (courtesy of Rachel) has been my reality this month, and will be concluding in a few days (#happydance). It's been a great test of my grit and determination (and my sanity as well), but I can really see substantial gains from it. Mind you, I still do not love burpees, but I hate them a little less, so there's that.

Here's what happened with the challenge last week:

Monday-80 burpees

Tuesday-4-minute plank

Wednesday-80 push-ups

Thursday-90 burpees

Friday-4:30-minute plank

Saturday-90 push-ups

burpees & planks & push-ups, oh my!

***Did you catch my #FridayFashionFlair post on Instagram? Even with the warmer than usual temps, I still had a high school basketball game to go to, so I dug out a favorite sweater featuring our school's colors. What's really special about this sweater is that I not only knitted it myself, but I also designed the pattern. Knitting has been a hobby of mine since I was a kid, and it keeps the #artgeek and #colorfreak in me quite happy. Please consider joining the party...post a favorite outfit on Friday, use the hashtag #FridayFashionFlair, and tag me (@runningonthefly). I love seeing all of my fitness friends in non-fitness attire once in awhile. 

Orange and Black for the win

***And. last but not least, we celebrated Max's Gotcha Day on Wednesday (January 24th). Three years ago, this little guy came home with us from a nearby shelter, and we've had so much fun with him. I did not have a dog growing up, so Max is my first-ever experience with a family dog. As any one with dogs in their family can attest....they are not simply just dogs, but family members as well.

My favorite pic with Maxton McArthur

Talk to me! How was your week? Any fitness goals achieved? Races? Warmer weather?

I'm linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap. This weekly check-in is such a great place to connect with fellow fitness-minded peeps. Please join us! 

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