Sunday, March 18, 2018

Still Running Against the Wind


The wind is a ferocious beast, and one that refuses to play nicely.

Granted, the calendar is still showing winter (for a few more days), but we have had a sprinkling of spring-like weather. This is Iowa, and it is March, though. The weather is usually a crap shoot and whatever shows on the calendar is no guarantee of what Momma N will hand you on any given day.

None the less, she persisted (myself, not necessarily Momma N). Here's what went down this past week...


Monday
With a double workout on the schedule, and questionable weather possibility happening later, I laced up and headed out before the sunrise for a short #nevermissaMonday adventure. As I have done many times in the past, I ran several laps around the hilly blocks  in my neighborhood, netting me two total miles. I also did some shoulder/arm strength work in the evening.
Tuesday
A rest day, so there was nothing too grandiose on the roster other than a short early-morning walk in the morning and a 2-mile walk in the afternoon. There also may have been a few burpees happening in the early evening wind.
Wednesday
Not only was Wednesday Pi Day, it also was the day I celebrated another successful voyage around the sun. Yes, it was my birthday. For the past several years, I have been doing a 3.14-mile run every year on my birthday. This year, those 3.14 miles felt especially tough and trying...not sure if it was due to general fatigue or the 100 mph winds I had to battle. I was very surprised to see I had a sub-10 pace, because it felt like I was barely moving faster than a snail.
Thursday 
I awoke on Thursday morning feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. No aches or pains, but definitely all-over exhaustion (and I had not been up late celebrating my birthday either). With my half marathon happening in a few days, I had already planned on skipping my usual stair-training workout, but I (briefly) considered doing a short run. It was maybe 30 seconds later when I decided the running didn't need to happen either. I took a short early morning walk, did a few burpees (20), some daily planking (ninja-style with my glorious bedhead), and called it good. Onward!
Friday
Another day with icky weather in the forecast, I did a short walk in the morning and that was it. Well, I also did some supermans, planks, and push-ups...then spent the evening watching NCAA basketball.
Saturday
Having stalked the weather all day (and evening) on Friday, I was most unhappy with what Momma N had waiting for me on Saturday morning. We'd had rain most of Friday, which had continued through the night, and it was still raining. My weather app showed the morning temps teetering between 32F-33F (a few degrees colder than previously forecasted), with intermittent rain/snow. Seriously??? I picked up Barb, and we drove through constant rain/sleet/snow all the way to Des Moines. Somehow, though, Momma N relented...we had a bit of a fine mist when the St. Paddy's Half Marathon began, but shortly thereafter, all precipitation ceased! The temps were still chilly and the air was super damp,  but we didn't have to deal with rain or snow or ice. I made it through most of the race feeling good, but did have a bit of crash in the final miles. I'm not sure if that was (1) more of the fatigue I'd been feeling all week, (2) being slightly under-trained, or (3) simply extremely bored with the race course. None the less, I crossed another half marathon finish line (I think this was #39?). Stay tuned, there will be a brief recap in a few days.

Sunday
Having felt tired and a bit sore following the race, I was surprised to wake up on Sunday feeling (almost) good as new.  I doubt my body is as recovered as it appeared, though, and it still needs more than 24 hours to completely bounce back. I got out for a short recovery run, amid the remaining snow (from Saturday's crazy weather), and all things (calves, hamstrings, hips) felt fine. The compression socks seemed to have worked their magic, and I also did more stretching and foam rolling throughout the day (as I watched more NCAA basketball). Priorities, right?

As I said, the wind was especially crazy this week. Even being outside, attempting to simply walk in it, was a challenge. I kept my running mileage low, but did get out everyday for some walking. Total mileage for the week was just over 19 miles (the bulk of that happening on the race course).

In case you missed out, here's the posts from last week:
Almost Blown Away
Leprechaun Chase 10K - 2018 Recap
Walking in the Wee Hours

In other news:
**Did you catch my #FridayFashionFlair post (on my Instagram page)? I only have a tiny bit of Irish ancestry in my blood, but I certainly celebrate it on St. Patrick's Day. How about you? Even if you aren't Irish, do you dress in green? As always, please join me on Fridays...post a pic of a featured outfit, use the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and drop me a tag (@runningonthefly).

**Anyone who has followed me for awhile has heard me mention Dam to Dam, it's my favorite race every year. Well, it's pretty obvious it's the favorite race for a lot of other runners as well. Registration for the final Dam to Dam (June 2nd) opened up at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning, and all 8,000 spots were sold out within three hours. What's more, they decided to add an additional 1,000 spots...and those sold out a few hours later!  And  (this gets better)...our youngest asked me if I'd register her for the race, too! Did I mention this all happened on my birthday? She even gave me a shout on Instagram, and officially started training this weekend.


**Nothing makes for a great day of celebration like coming in to work and finding your desk all decorated...and a birthday sash and button pin waiting for you. Am I right?

**The pics were posted from last weekend's Leprechaun Chase...and the pics are free!

**And, lastly, did YOU celebrate St. Patrick's Day? I hope you didn't get pinched.

That's the latest and (somewhat) greatest in my little corner of the universe. How was your week? Crazy weather? Any races over the weekend? Training for a big race coming up?

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


41 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you ran your race, even if you weren't really feeling it!

    I love your colourful Monday outfit. Makes me want to get some new gear myself. I feel that I've been running in the same things for the whole of winter as its been so cold!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm SO done with the cold weather! I'll take the heat of summer any day over the ridiculous cold of winter. UGH!

      Delete
  2. Happy Pi Day Birthday!! We had that same wind on our hiking trip this week. I wondered who sent it over. Ha! Cute outfit and pic from your race last weekend. Thanks for linking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ironically, a lot of our cold wind has been out of the S/SE...which is really odd. It's usually more of a balmy breeze when it comes from that direction LOL That said, we get a LOT of N/NW wind, and that's always bitterly cold....that's prob the one that you felt ;-)

      Delete
  3. Happy birthday! That's so fun that you celebrate with a 3.14 mile run. Congrats on finishing another half! I'll have to come back and catch the update.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I always do a 3.14 run...just glad I don't have a December birthday ;-)

      Delete
  4. Looks like you made the best of the weather. Congrats on your half! I’m looking forward to your recap!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As you know, I am a summer gal (or at least a warm-weather-runner), so I'm done with cold temps. I'll gladly make do with "cool" temps, but these cold temps need to take a hike outta here LOL

      Delete
  5. Wait! You ran two St. Paddy's Day races? How cool is that? I think I might sign up for one next year - that's a holiday themed race I've never participated in before. Can't wait to read yesterday's race recap, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I did two St. Paddy races this year...on two different weekends. It was fun seeing all the runners dressed in green ;-)

      Delete
  6. I have never run a local half in March. I once ran a half as part of a relay, and we got blessed with really nice weather. So I think just the fact that you're out there is definitely winning! I hope you're feeling better.

    Our wind was absolutely nuts yesterday, but thankfully calmer today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As much as I was excited to run this 13.1 in March, I also was a bit anxious for it, too, given the typical March weather. Thankfully, the precip held off, but the temps were chillier than I'd prefer.

      Delete
  7. It was windy here this week too! By the weekend it was kind of deceiving...the weather app said 4 mph winds but I disagree. They were definitely stronger than that. There was a strong, steady wind in 3/4 directions both days! And yesterday was really cloudy so just felt chilly and gross. I hope you had a good birthday! Congrats on the 1/2, looking forward to the recap!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree...I never believe the "feels like" temps when it's super windy because it ALWAYS feels much colder. And the wind ALWAYS feels windier.

      Delete
  8. Happy belated birthday!! I love your birthday run tradition. That makes me want to implement something like that. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I started running the Pi runs probably 5 (?) years ago. Thankfully, I've never had rain (but have had plenty of wind).

      Delete
  9. Ugh, I hate running in the wind! It's the worst! Congrats on your half though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The wind is totally my nemesis. It really is a game-changer.

      Delete
  10. Wow have you really done that many half races?! Impressive! The wind has been the worst part of the last few weeks. I am over it!! Looking forward to reading your race recap have a great week!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the wind has been crazy everywhere! What is up with that, anyways? This winter needs to end pronto ;-)

      Delete
  11. Totally agree with you about the weather. Even though Spring technically starts on Tuesday, I highly doubt we'll be seeing warmer temps :(

    Awesome job on your workouts this week and congrats on the half marathon! Love your outfit and also your outfit for the Leprechaun Dash - so festive, and hooray for free photos!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish all races gave out free photos. I am starting see a few more races offer them, though...but they are usually some of the smaller events. St. Pat's is a fun day to dress up for, right?

      Delete
  12. Great job doing all those runs in the wind. The wind is really good at making me exhausted post-run.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a fun day for a birthday! I don't think we had the crazy wind like you did. It's just cold and I'm sick of it. Although today's 60 was pretty sweet!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It got pretty nice this afternoon...maybe in the high 40's (?). At least all of yesterday's snow is gone (again).

      Delete
  14. Happy Birthday! The wind has been ridiculous - combine that with the snow and I'm just so done! Congrats on another half marathon!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love that your daughter is doing Dam with you! Maybe all those burpees are taking a toll? I'm sure they are making you stronger too, but that doesn't come without a price. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Shorts and 32 degrees?!?! AHHH, I'm cold just looking at your picture ;) Someone is definitely ready for Spring!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Happy belated birthday! It's so fun that you do a 3.14 mile run to celebrate your birthday. I love that idea. I'd never heard of the Dam to Dam race, it sounds incredible - definitely need to put it on my race bucket list.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Weather has been crazy on our end in Florida too! All of February was unseasonably hot and so far March has been cooler than February. The weather can't make up its mind.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm from Iowa but I have never run the Dam to Dam. Looks like an awesome race :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Happy belated birthday! I hope you had a great day! I can't believe you had 100 mph winds...we've had so much wind lately too but at least it wasn't that strong! And congratulations on your race!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Sounds like a great week! I'm so over this weather, girl. I need a BREAK. I need to be able to open the windows or sit outside on the patio. I can't take this cold much longer!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Happiest birthday to you! I totally forgot to celebrate pi day, unless we count the pizza pie we ate :)

    That sounds like a crazy race! I can't imagine racing (or even running) in cold, snow, rain and sleet. That sounds like a total nightmare! So glad you were able to add another finish line to your grand total!

    We are Irish and yes, we donned our green and partied! It's always such a fun day!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Happy, happy birthday to you!! I hope you had a fabulous day celebrating!! I love the work decorations and the sash!

    Also, way to go on those workouts last week!! You're rocking it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Happy Birthday Kim!I think it's great when races free free photos! I wish more races offered that! Wow, that Dam to Dam is almost like Disney race because the registration sells out right away. Must be a good one!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Sounds like you had a great birthday week!
    How awesome that your youngest will get to do the Dam to Dam race with you!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Happy birthday! Great week of workouts. I was exhausted last week from all our skiing and skating....I wish I had a day off to recover haha!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wow, what an awesome week! Happy belated birthday, and yay for Dam to Dam now being a family affair this year!

    ReplyDelete
  28. A birthday on pi day? How lucky. Loved reading about your week. Congrats on the St. Paddy's Day race. Will look forward to reading the race report. Very inspirational post!

    ReplyDelete