Saturday, March 3, 2018

Spring is coming...I think


Spring is coming...I think.

The calendar shows March and the days are getting longer. We're due to set our clocks ahead this next weekend. And, in Iowa, we have (almost) nonstop wind from November until June...but even that is starting to feel more balmy than bone-chilling.

A huge bonus, with the impending spring season, is being able to be outside for pretty much every run without the worry of ice or snow. And I was ever-so-happy that was my reality this past week. Here's what all went down...


Monday
The temps were cool but calm. Unsure of my afternoon work schedule (but with a basketball game in the evening), I knew the early morning was my best option. I had not done an early morning solo run in quite awhile (maybe before Christmas, when I was still doing my winter streak?), and I had honestly forgotten how refreshing that endeavor can be. I live in a relatively hilly neighborhood, so I ran some intermittent laps around the hillier blocks and netted two miles for my efforts. No distractions, no traffic, no regrets.
two miles of hills for breakfast
Tuesday
Nothing specific on the calendar for Tuesday (but the 100 squats for the Superman, Squat, and Twist Challenge). I had the afternoon off from work and the great outdoors was calling. Having run nine miles on Saturday, and two miles each on Sunday and Monday, I really didn't think a fourth consecutive day of running was in my best effort (especially since I planned on running the next morning as well). So, what's a runner to do? I laced up and hit the road WALKING instead. Three miles later and all was well. I had not been on a long power walk since forever (probably sometime before my running streak began on Thanksgiving), and it felt great to be using different muscles while enjoying the sunshine.
repping my alma mater, the University of Iowa Hawkeyes
Wednesday
Ahh, another #5at5 with Barb! Truly, I have really come to love these early morning runs! Even though a lot of them are in cold weather and the dark of early morning, there is something so tranquil about being out and about when almost everyone else is still sleeping. It is empowering!
5 miles at 05:00
Thursday
I have been in the routine of Thursday morning stair workouts for a few months. This year, in training for the Fight for Air Climb (care to support my fundraising efforts? click HERE), I have been doing circuit workouts instead of just nonstop up/down action on the stairs themselves.

My workout for this week:
*10 burpees
*10 flights of stairs (with double steps)
*10 squats
*5 flights of stairs (with single steps)
*1-minute plank

I had every intention of doing four sets. My body was fatigued when I began, though, and after the first set was not feeling any better. I realized I had not had any scale-back weeks since all of these workouts had begun...so I made the command decision to just do three sets instead. Although I still felt tired upon completion, I did have a solid 20-minutes of nonstop cardio in the bank, and I was completely fine with that. No harm, no foul. Onward!

Friday
Another rest day on tap, but I did a few push-ups, squats,and some planking.

Saturday
Long run Saturday. Ten miles on tap.  My body was tired  (and my back was an achy mess) from the constant travel back and forth from three evenings of basketball, and the 17mph wind was blowing something fierce. I met up with Barb at 7:30 and we got to work. This run was tough. Thankfully, I brought my water along (I had not done that for any of my other long runs) and a Honey Stinger gel as well.  We ran. We talked. We battled the wind. We soaked in the sunshine. We stopped for a bathroom break around the 7-mile mark. And we finished, somehow managing a 10:14 minute pace (those final two miles were smack dad into the wind, and were our slowest miles of the morning). Ten miles, done! That's my longest run since the R'n'R Las Vegas (mid-November), and it felt like a marathon distance in all that wind, but we survived.
SO thankful for the sunshine!
Sunday
Amazingly, Sunday morning dawned and my body felt completely new and recharged. The temps were chilly (and windy, again!),but the sun was strong. The hubby wanted to run a few miles after church, so I postponed my recovery run until then so I could run with him. Ultimately, he wanted to run a different route, so I did my two recovery miles solo. The temps had warmed up to the mid-50's but the wind was still crazy ugly. Thankfully, my body felt great and any last trace of fatigue seemed to be gone.
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Yes, I still have not removed the D-tag from R'n'R Las Vegas
So, the week actually played out nicely considering how busy my non-running life kept me. My mileage (Monday-Sunday) totaled up to 19 miles. I also had plenty of bonus cardio (via the walking and the stair-training), so I'm good with everything.

In case you missed them, here's my posts from last week:
Gloomy, Not Doomy
February 2018 - Pass or Fail?
When your cup runneth over

In other news:
My #FridayFashionFlair post was all about casual. Our girl's high school basketball team
had three games at the State Tournanent this week, and Friday's theme was "blackout" for the championship game that evening. Even though a simple 1/4 zip is casual attire, I opted for pointy toe patent flats to dress it up a bit (I'm not a jeans-n-sneakers kind of gal anyways LOL). As always, you're invited to join me...post a pic of your outfit, use the hashtag (#fridayfashionflair) and drop me a tag (@runningonthefly).
casual does not need to be sloppy
I have naturally straight hair. I mean, extremely straight hair. My hairdresser insists I have a lot of hair, but it's fine...so it appears flatter than what it actually is. Anyways, on occasion when I don't have time to wash it, I will opt to swirl the straightener through it and give it a few "beachy waves." Then, it's not as obvious if the cowlicks are acting up or the base layers are outta whack. What is so perplexing, to me at least, is that the waves actually make my hair appear longer than when I wear it straight. Shouldn't it be the opposite?
crazy hair probs
Our little guy, Max, was long overdue for a day at the groomer's. Unlike me, he has very course, curly hair and he was resembling a woolly mammoth more than a dog. I almost didn't recognize him when I went to pick him up! I'm not crazy about his too-short doggy 'do, but I know it will look much better in another week or so. He looks like he lost 10 pounds of doggy hair right now.
Don't worry, Max, it will grow back...
For those who missed my Friday post....((drum roll))...I have found another marathon! I'm headed to Greensboro, NC for the Cannonball Marathon! I have been searching for a fall marathon (and was eager to get out of Iowa). Barb has a group of friends from her hometown who asked her about joining them...she then casually mentioned it to me...and the rest is history. Stay tuned, I'll be putting together my summer plan of action soon to get me ready for this race on October 13th.
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Marathon #8 will be happening in October
 Lastly, I mentioned above that our high school girl's basketball team spent the past week playing at the State Tournament. No, we did not have a player on the team, but our daughter had a few friends playing, and we knew several of the families of other players. It was such a great community endeavor to see so many people at the tournament (it was an hour away, in Des Moines) for all three of the games (Monday, Thursday, and Friday). Last year was the first time our school has had a girl's team make it to the State Tournament (they lost in the first round), but this year they returned and made it to the championship game. Unfortunately, they were not able to keep their momentum going...but being the State runner-up team is nothing to be ashamed of. They represented the school and our community with dignity and grace.
Image may contain: 4 people, basketball court

So, that's my week! Lots of running, cross-training, several basketball games, and all kinds of busy-ness.

Talk to me...Does it feel like spring has arrived in your area? Have you ever done a scaled-back workout and felt ZERO guilt in doing so? Have you ever had a local sports team make it to a State Tournament?

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! 

By the way...are you following me on social media? You can find me at these various platforms:
Let's connect : Facebook Instagram  Pinterest Twitter


48 comments:

  1. It's been windy here too--that east wind comes off Lake Michigan so it's really cold! But the sunshine felt good.

    Thanks for linking up!

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    1. We usually have N/NW wind, but recently it's all been from the E/SE and it's been crazy strong! Not as freezing cold as the N/NW, but every bit as intense.

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  2. I didn't realize Iowa had such a long windy season. We are just now into our windy season and I'm sure it will last till April!

    That is so exciting you already have a fall marathon planned. Fall races are so hard for me to commit to because there are SO MANY good ones to choose from!

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    1. We always seem to have a lot of wind, it's especially brutal in the winter when the temps are colder. The wind these past few days, though, has been brutal.

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  3. Max is so cute with his new cut! Woohoo! Congrats on selecting a marathon. You're killing it with your workouts so I'm sure that marathon training will be no different!

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    1. I like the challenge of a new marathon to conquer. I think this course has some hills, too, so there will be no grandiose expectations of super fast finish times ;-)

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  4. I had to scale back my last hill workout and I have no regrets! I could tell that my body had had enough after some other challenging workouts that week. Im not sure if spring will be here soon but I sure hope so!

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    1. The scaling back is a necessary evil...the body needs it, but often times the mind is the one that struggles with it.

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  5. Congrats on a great week and surviving the crazy winds on your Saturday long run! Sorry to hear that your back was achy but I hope it feels better soon!

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    1. My back is actually feeling much better already. I think I was just achy and exhausted from our crazy week of nonstop action...three basketballs games (all an hour away) were fun, but physically demanding.

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  6. I have absolutely zero guilt about scaling a workout if I really need to. I feel guilty when I take extra rest days but .... not scaling a workout. Weird, huh? lol

    Great job on your Saturday run! I like to think we were out battling those winds together! :)

    Your little Max is cute!! When I was growing up, we had a cockapoodachshund (yep) and we would take him in for grooming and he always looked silly when he came home. So cute!! But I agree about it needing a week to get back to "normal-ish." haha I'm glad I have labs - no haircuts required!

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    1. Max looks like a street dog who has missed a week of meals LOL I didn't realize how much fur he had until most of it got whacked

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  7. Running in wind is brutal. I've opted for more runs inside this winter because of the wind. No matter which direction I'm running, it always seems like I'm running into the wind.

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    1. I can usually handle wind, but the wind we've had the past few days has been insane!

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  8. Spring you say? Doesn’t look like it here. It’s been windy as well.

    My long run was tough too.

    Congrats on a solid week.

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    1. I guess I as due for a "bad"long run...all the other ones have been relatively easy

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  9. We had a crazy windy few days and lost power for almost 24 hours. Still not one snow storm all year though! I think you have great hair!

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    1. We had a tiny bit of snow blowing around this afternoon...I don't think any of it stayed, but YUCK.

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  10. Congrats on taking the plunge for another marathon! I've run a half in NC. It was very pretty and called Gateway to the Smokies. We are busy going to our youngest's baseball games. This team went to the state championships last year (and so did my grandson's team). I don't think they'll go this year. LOL. But, its early. We'll see. Thanks for linking.

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    1. The championship game was a BIG deal for my little hometown, and it was so nice to see most of the town there supporting them. Gosh, our baseball season is a few months away LOL (We gotta get the fields thawed off LOL)

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  11. I have no guilt about scaling down workouts - it's counterproductive to do more than your body can handle on a given day, after all.

    Does 8ish inches of snow look like spring? That's what we got today.

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    1. I agree...totally counterproductive to press on with a workout when your body is not having it...too big of a risk for injury.

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  12. Your dedication to getting up for the 5 at 5 is amazing to me. I totally get enjoying the peace of a sleeping neighborhood, but man that it early! PS - LOVE the blue sky in your pictures.

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    1. It took me a while to acclimate to the early 05:00 runs, but I really like having the entire day to myself when I'm done.

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  13. I LOVE that the community came out in full support of the basketball team! How proud the girls must have felt to have you all there. What a hard-fought long run for you! Well done! I did my longest run this year too - a 12 km and I felt so proud afterwards!

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    1. I felt relieved to have conquered those 10 miles, but I was a tired gal that afternoon. I was really surprised to feel so well-rested and recovered Sunday morning ;-)

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  14. Yes, spring has come to the Chi already. It's freezing and the wind still bites, but it feels infinitely better than those cold, dark winter days. Plus the wildlife is bountiful and SO busy. Congrats to your team! I love that they do themes for the audience. Makes it even more fun!

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    1. It was a fun time going to all those games...but, yikes, those were three busy evenings!

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  15. You had a great week! And way to go getting those 10 miles done in the wind - never easy!

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    1. Those windy miles were tough! I very well could have similar weather on race day, so I guess I'm glad to know I can handle it.

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  16. Great week and awesome long run in the wind! That sounds tough. I have extremely straight hair too and am so jealous of people with curls...grass is always greener I guess :)

    Little Max looks so cute!

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    1. I do appreciate my straight hair most of the time, but there are some days when it looks like I have nothing to work with LOL

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  17. Spring. Um, no, not so much. Well, it did for a couple of weeks before the noreaster. :)

    I think Max looks really cute! And yes, my hair looks much shorter than it actually is because of the curls so that's really odd.

    I just shake my head at everyone who gets up so gosh darned early to run. And that used to be me. I think the lack of sun in these parts has just sucked the life out of me over the years!

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    1. Well, our weather reverted back to late fall/early winter today...cold and rain and wind all day.

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  18. wind is THE WORST! Looks like you are having fun though.

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    1. The wind was tough! It was such a strong wind, too, and nonstop....

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  19. I need to join into your friday fashion thing! I'm pretty unfashionable, lol, and find myself in yoga pants and hoodies alllll the time. I'm sure my husband would love it if I dressed up just a smidge more sometimes ;)

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    1. Yes, do join the Friday fashion party! It can be a featured outfit from earlier in the week if you find yourself in an outfit on Friday that you don't feel like sharing ;-)

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  20. Yes!!!!!!! I'd love for you to join me in Greensboro!!!!

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  21. Wow, that was a busy week! I always enjoy your photos in the Facebook Challenge - you have such personality! I thought spring had come but we got a dumping of snow - but hopefully we are at the tail end of this snow stuff! Congrats on finding a marathon!

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  22. We've had glimpses of spring, and some summer already! I'm ready for spring and summer for sure! I can't stand any more snow and even us in Atlanta got a lot this winter.

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  23. Our football team made it to State when I was a senior in high school. I remember it being very exciting all around. I think Volleyball did as well that year, but football took all the glory. LOL

    Great week, Kim! It's amazing what a difference the sun can make. It's been pretty cloudy, windy, and overall dreary here in Vegas the past few weeks. I'm over it and so ready for Spring! Well, after I kick this cold anyway.

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  24. I am so ready for spring and no more snow/cold! Your hair looks amazing with beachy waves btw - I have naturally thick, curly hair, but it does not look nearly that good when I try to wear it curly!

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  25. I'm ready for spring here! It's been cold lately (for San Diego) and I'm ready to wear comfy dresses!

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  26. I hate running in the wind and we had some crazy wind here last week! Luckily, I got my long run in before it started up! Looking forward to Spring!!

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  27. Running into the wind is just brutal, especially at the end of a long run. Kudos to you for pushing through and not cutting that long run short. You showed that wind who is boss!

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  28. Spring has sprung here in Houston and that means everything looks yellow from all the pollen! SNEEZE!
    Looks like you had a great week of runs! Love all your creative pics
    Congrats to the girls b-ball team! How fun to support them!

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  29. Way to fight that wind! It was too dangerous here on Saturday, but Sunday wasn't too bad. As for spring, I see big fluffy snowflakes coming down, so ....

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