Saturday, January 20, 2018

The (weather) Pendulum Swings Back...


Seriously, We keep going from one extreme to the other.

Momma N is up to her old games again. Last weekend, it was bitterly cold...like sub-ZERO with "feels like" temps. And, this weekend, we entertained late spring-like weather. Mind you, I am NOT complaining about the warm up, but a little transition between the two extremes would be appreciated.

As I have said before, if you can't beat Momma N, call her bluff and face her head-on.
Here's how I stayed in the game...


We awoke on Monday to some more snow, freezing wind, and sub-ZERO feels-like temps (again). I'd had a pretty active weekend, so my only fitness plans were the 60 burpees taunting me (as per the Burpees & Planks & Push-ups Challenge). Not too eager to do too many miles, I opted to run three laps around the "little" block across the street (netting me one mile in total distance), and do intervals of 20 burpees between each lap. Yes, indeed. I did those burpees on my front patio (after the hubby had cleared the snow)...I think only one neighbor may have seen me at that early hour, though. Whew! My #nevermissaMonday obligation had been served and I was done.
Doesn't everyone burpee on the front porch?
Not much on my roster (fitness-wise) for Tuesday, and still feeling a bit fatigued from the weekend, I did some arm work in the early morning, and knocked out the day's BPP goal of a 3-minute plank. I hosted a lunch for one of my clubs, so my day was action-packed with work and playing hostess. And that's all she wrote.
planks and weights for breakfast
The temps were chilly on Wednesday morning, but were forecasted to climb 20-degrees by the afternoon. As has been the recent routine, I opted for another double-up-day workout. I post-poned my run until later, but did some intervals of stair work (40 total flights) and push-ups (60 total) to get my cardio fix for the morning.
up and at 'em...literally
As was predicted, the temps were 20-degrees warmer by the afternoon, so I ran a couple miles over my lunch hour. Granted, the temps were still chilly, but the sunshine and bright blue sky were wonderful!
The sunshine makes it all better
Thursday morning, the hubby and myself were on the road by 6:00...destination: the Windy City! We arrived downtown Chicago around 11:30. He headed off to his seminar meetings, and I headed outdoors! Our hotel was along the river, on Columbia, so the Bean was only a few blocks away. Dang, they don't call Chicago the "Windy City" for nothing! The temps were in the low 40's, but with the wind, it was a bit frigid....until I turned around (near the aquarium) and headed back with a glorious tail wind and ample sunshine. I ran about four miles and finished the final 10 (of the day's 70 total) burpees in front of the Bean. When in Chicago, right? Doesn't everyone do burpees in front of the Bean?
I never grow tired of seeing the Bean
We had a nice time at the company mixer on Thursday evening. Lots of great food, drinks, and lively conversation with fellow business associates. And, "dress-up" attire!

The hubby surprised me by bringing his running shoes along....and asked about doing some stair climbing. So, Friday morning, we did some stairs! How does 28 floors (down and then back up!) sound? Most of my stair training is done in my house, on my ONE and only stairway. I've done 28 flights of stairs many times, but climbing 28 continuous flights is a much different animal than climbing one flight (up & down) 28 times. Suffice it to say both of us had some achy calf muscles the next day.
Don't you love having access to a "real" stairway?
Our Chicago excursion was a short one. In fact, we were in our hotel room less than 24 hours, and back on the road after the hubby's final session that morning. Although I got to explore some of the city via my running shoes, there wasn't enough time to meet up with any of my Chicago-based friends...so that was a bummer.

Saturday was such a beautiful day back in Iowa! I met up with Barb (my running gal pal) around 7:00, and we knocked out six miles in the glorious warmer temps and sunshine. You know it's been a freezing cold winter when low 30's (which later climbed into the upper 40's) feels almost balmy and tropical. No fleece or thick gloves...just normal running gear. Ahhh, it was euphoric and effortless.
Not only was it my warmest run of 2018, it also was my longest!
With all the week's activity (and all of those %#*& burpees and push-ups), my body was dreadfully tired come Sunday morning. It's rare that I take a total recovery day, but I knew it needed to happen. I did my routine 2:30 plank in the morning, and took Max for a walk before church, and that was it. And, I'm quite alright with that.
Image may contain: shoes and dog
The temps were a bit damp, but still warm!
 So, that's a wrap on the crazy week of extreme weather. Total miles (Monday through Sunday) tallied at 13. Let's not forget all the burpees, push-ups, and two stair workouts as well. So much for an off-season, huh. At least I'm keeping the running mileage low.

In case you missed them, here's my posts from last week:
In other news:
***As mentioned, I've been doing the Burpees & Planks & Push-ups Challenge (courtesy of Rachel). Holy crumpets, the sugar is getting real. Here's what we did last week:

Monday--60 burpees
Tuesday--3-minute plank
Wednesday--60 push-ups
Thursday--70 burpees
Friday--3-1/2 minute plank
Saturday--70 push-ups
I did my 70 push-ups outside on Saturday afternoon
***My #FridayFashionFlair post on Instagram featured the Chicago backdrop. The temps were a bit warmer than Thursday, but still windy (go figure LOL). Thankfully, I had my favorite grey wool sweater and tartan plaid scarf along with me. Everyone knows I'm a sucker for any kind of scarf because they instantly give your outfit a boost, even if you're just wearing jeans. Do play along with us on Friday...post a pic of a favorite outfit, hashtag it (#FridayFashionFlair) and give me a tag as well (@runningonthefly). 
The Chicago architecture is breath-taking
***Friday was our little Max's 8th birthday. He joined our family almost three years ago when we rescued him from a nearby shelter. Don't let his adorableness fool you...he can be a little stinker if we forget to put the trash back under the sink cabinet.
Image may contain: dog
This is what greeted me when I returned from my Saturday morning run
***And, last of all...oops! I did it again. I added another race to my already-filling-up race schedule (don't you hate it when that happens?). Not only is this another St. Patrick's Day-themed endeavor, it's a half marathon. I've never run a 13.1 race this early in the season, so this will be a fun adventure.
This is what's happening on St. Patrick's Day!
So, enough about me. How was your week? Still enjoying the winter temps, or did you have a warm up as well? How often do you take complete rest/recovery days? What's the highest number of burpees you've ever done in a week?

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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45 comments:

  1. 28 flights down and up sounds really hard! I get tired just walking up 4 flights at work! Great job with all those different workouts this week. Glad you finally got a break from the extreme cold!

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    1. Those 28 flights didn't feel too bad at the time, but my left calf is still a bit tight and grumpy...must have been the constant turning/pivoting on all the landings (Obviously, all on my left foot LOL)

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  2. How cool. Guess when my first half of 2018 is? March 17.

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    1. Awesome! I also have a Leprechaun Chase 10K the weekend prior...so lots of wearing o' the green ;-)

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  3. Wow, a St Pat's day half! I thought you were on your off season? Well, you do keep busy enough so it shouldn't be hard to be ready. Glad you enjoyed your short stay in Chicago!

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    1. Well, I can run six miles without much effort, so adding a couple of longer runs in the next seven weeks will not be a big deal. My off-season typically is the month of January...and that's almost over already. It went fast with all of those burpees LOL

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  4. Man, that's a lot of burpees and planks!!! I've never counted how many I've done in a week but I don't think it's that many. OOF! I try to take 2 rest/recovery days but ... I think my coach may have other plans for me. LOL

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    1. The planks are child's play in comparison to all the burpees! These are the most burpees I have done in my lifetime. Ugh. I'll be glad to kiss January goodbye LOL

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  5. I completely forgot about going to the bean while in Chicago. Now I'll have to return! Great job keeping up with Rachel's challenge. And, 28 continuous flights sounds like a killer workout. I guess you'll be coming out of your off season to train for your March half marathon? Personally, a race sounds like more fun anyway. ;) Thanks for linking!

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    1. Yes, my off-season ends on January 31...so the March 13.1 will not be a big deal. You should consider the R'n'R in July....a bunch of us will be in Chicago for that ;-)

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  6. Glad you are enjoying blue skies and sunny days now! We have thawed out here too and temps are back to their normal 40-50 degrees! Let's hope it stays that way! That's a cute outift. I've been forgetting to do the fashion Friday. My goal for this year is to at least do one post a month!

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    1. The thaw felt so good, but it does make things a bit messy for Max.

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  7. Good god that's a lot of burpees. I freakin' hate those things. Planks I consider a necessary evil but I'd rather do pretty much anything else than a burpee. :) Very impressed with your week!

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    1. Indeed, it's too many burpees LOL I have learned to tolerate them, but they are beasts!

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  8. What a week! Yay for adding in the half marathon. I did one a couple years ago as part of my spring training. It wasn't too bad fitting it in mileage wise. I would die going up 28 flights of steps.......3 and I'm out of breathe lol!

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    1. Oh believe me, we both were breathing pretty hard when we finished the stairs! I'm not worried about working in the half marathon...it's several weeks away (almost two months), and I've kept my 6-mile "off-season" base, so it shouldn't be a big deal

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  9. Ahh Mother Nature is a sneaky little thing isn't she?! I very much enjoyed our thaw out this week, especially this weekend. I didn't have to wear 3 layers for my long run - yay!

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    1. It seriously felt so much warmer than the 31 showing on my weather app yesterday. I was tempted to wear shorts.

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  10. Like you, the weather in Chicago has been all over the place. Too bad you caught us on one of our chillier days. Hopefully your next trip out will be longer and warmer so you can really enjoy what our beautiful city has to offer.

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    1. I thought the Chicago weather was fine...just chilly from the wind. It was like a vacuum tunnel in between the buildings along Columbia. Once I got out in the full sun, it was great!

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  11. Happy Birthday Max! OMG look at his little smile! :D So bummed still that I couldn't get my carcass downtown to see you. Sigh. Um yeah I was thinking the same thing: The BPP shenanigans are getting very real. Yikes!

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    1. I wish I could have stayed a little longer so there would have been a bigger window of opportunity to meet up. Maybe I'll have to come back...like in July ;-)

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  12. I would have been all over that one day trip to Chicago, too. And I love how you did laps with burpees in between - although 20 burpees at a time still sounds down right crazy hard to me. You're totally kicking butt with your challenge!

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    1. The burpees are down right crazy, hands down, no matter how many. I'm gonna feel like a total slug when this challenge ends and I won't HAVE to do them ever again LOL

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  13. Our weather is all over the place too! 4 one day and nearly 60 today. Crazy winter.

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    1. Winter is just such a sporadic season. I know it's gonna be cold, but the extreme cold is crazy. And then a quick warm-up? The warm feels good, but it's kind of an evil little carrot to dangle...

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  14. Happy birthday Max! What a little rascal. Super cute.

    It was nice in Minneapolis this week- 40's felt tropical :)

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  15. Doesn't it feel so amazing to start unlayering for runs after the artic weather? It feels so good to only have on one layer! Looks like a great week and a fun time in Chicago. The wind can make such a difference with temps!

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  16. It's a bummer to go all the way to Chicago with no time for a run or meet-up, but I've had trips like that. Impressed that your husband wanted to do stairs with you - your crazy is rubbing off. ;-)

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  17. Great week of workouts Kim! I need to do some stair workouts since we have them in our lake house! Happy Birthday to Max!!

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  18. I just love that you hubs did the stairs with you! How fun. Sounds like you all had a great visit to Chicago. I have not been there in like 20 years!

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  19. How fun that your husband did stairs with you! Stairs are not my thing (stupid knees), but you always make them sound (almost) fun!

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  20. While the burpees still suck ...I am really enjoying this challenge! I love that the hubby not only brought his running shoes but even initiated the stair climbing workout with you... I'd say he's a keeper! Great week Kim!

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  21. I haven't been to Chicago since I was in middle school, so well before the Bean was there. Seems like it's a must-see now, since I see so many pictures of it.

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  22. I've really been enjoying the warmer weather we got this past weekend! Sounds like your Chicago trip was pretty fun :)

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  23. You have the cutest headbands! I take about 1-2 rest days, depends on fatigue. The most burps I've done in a week were 100, in one workout!

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  24. Happy birthday, sweet Max!

    Molly wil be having her 14th birthday in two days. Love these sweet stinkers!

    I think I would rather run in the freezing temps that do that many burpees! I have to get over it!

    Another awesome week for you! I want to go back to Chicago. It's been so long!

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  25. Burpees, FTW!!! :)

    You and your hubs are so darn adorable. Seriously. Cutest couple ever.

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  26. Love the idea of using stairs to get your exercise in even in cold temps!

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  27. I had no doubt that you'd be taking full advantage of this gorgeous weather. I didn't mind the abrupt transition at all. In fact, I wish it would just stay this nice out for the rest of winter. :)

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  28. Twenty-eight flights?! Look at you go! Seriously, you are on some impressive fitness levels right now, keep it up.

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  29. My calves are aching from just thinking about 28 flights of stairs! You go girl!!

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  30. Kim I was tired just from following your posts last week on IG! great week! and yay it got "warmer" !!! you guys really clean up well by the way :)

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  31. Great week of activity! How sweet that your hubs ran stairs with you.

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  32. The weather is being TOTALLY BANANAS! 40, 20, 30, 60, 50, 20...be winter, and stay that way, daaaang.

    Solid week, lady! <3

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