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Sunday, April 1, 2018

A Break from the Weather 


Our spring break could not have come at a more opportune time.

Remember that nasty snow storm that happened upon us last weekend? Well, let me refresh your memory....it rained all night (Friday evening), most of Saturday morning, and then turned to snow. And that snow continued to fall most of the afternoon on Saturday. Sunday was bright and sunny, but cold. Although the icy tree branches looked kind of magical in the bright glow of the sunlight, I was over and done with any beauty of winter.

Fortunately for us (the hubby, myself, and our youngest daughter), we made our way to the airport late Sunday afternoon and flew the heck outta there. Destination: Florida!

The temps were in the high 60's on Monday morning, and I was euphoric to head outside for a short run in the balmy Florida air. Ahhhhh! Our hotel's golf course was right outside our building, so I ran a couple miles along the cart path while the hubby and daughter played tennis. I may have even done some strength work with the daughter and yoga in the afternoon.
A nice balmy #nevermissaMonday run
On Tuesday, we had plans to head to Cocoa Beach. Tuesdays are typically a rest/recovery day for me, so I kept things light...a few climbs on the staircase and some burpees. Doesn't everyone do burpees and stair-training while on vacation?

Eager to see a few sights, I ventured out and about for my Wednesday morning run. We stayed at the Shades of Green resort, which is a very short distance from the Polynesian resort...both of which are on Disney property. I headed to the Polynesian resort grounds, which I knew had a designated running/walking path. It was another beautiful Florida morning; the temps were mild with a gentle breeze (yes, I could definitely get used to these kind of mornings).
Not my typical #5at5...more like a #5at8 LOL
Thursday (already) was our last morning waking up to warm temps. I headed out to the trusty staircase and did my first outdoor stair workout of 2018:

**2 sets of double steps (8 total flights)
**10 burpees
**1 set of single steps (4 flights)
--> 4 total circuits netted me 40 burpees, 48 total flights climbed, and 804 total steps! 
Doesn't everyone smile during a set of burpees?
Friday brought me back to reality with an abrupt 40-degree plummet in temps. Brrr! I had nothing on my agenda but heading to the office...well, except for my daily plank (in the pj's with bedhead).
Having been gone for the past 4-1/2 days, Max would not let me out of his sight
Saturday was a windy day in Iowa! My incentive for getting outside as early as possible? The temps would be dropping (and the wind getting stronger) as the day progressed. That said, I still didn't get my booty out the door until after 9:00. This was my longest solo run in several months (I usually do most of my long runs with my friend, Barb). I ran eight miles, but it felt like double the quantity battling the crazy wind. Thankfully, the sunshine was amazingly bright and I nailed the correct layers (a fleece base layer, a thin middle layer, and a light windbreaker) so I never felt cold or uncomfortable. My body did feel like it was hit by a train when I returned home, though. Staying vertical in the 20-40mph wind gusts was exhausting!
Even my "messy bun" bit the dust in all that wind!
Sunday morning was another cold one! I seriously cannot ever remember going for a run on Easter morning dressed in thermal layers. Thankfully, the wind was much more manageable than it had been on Saturday. I ran a couple easy-paced miles to shake out  my legs, and (amazingly) everything felt great.
Image may contain: 1 person, smiling
Nothing like a couple early morning miles on Easter Sunday to start the festivities!
So that's my week of fitness, spring break style! Total (running) mileage tallied at 17 miles. There was also plenty of daily walking, strength work, and even some extra yoga (at the hotel). 

In case you missed them, here are the posts from last week:

***Since I was spring-breaking, I didn't do a Tuesday/Wednesday post last week, nor did I participate in my usual link-ups on any of the days we were in Florida (since I knew I wouldn't have time to read other blogs or reply to the comments on mine in a timely fashion). Oh well. Sometimes the blogging has to take a back seat to family time, right? 

In other news:
My #FridayFashionFlair post (on Instagram) saw quite a bit of action. I'm a sucker for bright colors and funky color combos. I love the mix of teal and lime green, especially on a cold day! The vibrant colors certainly brighten my mood when there's a lack of sunshine. Of course, the white skinny jeans and cheetah print flats are a staple, and they truly dress up a simple shirt and cardigan without much effort. Please join me on Fridays! Post a pic of a favorite outfit, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and drop me a tag (@runningonthefly). It's fun to see all of my fitness-minded friends in "regular" clothing once in awhile!

This spring break trip was unique for our family in that we only had one of our kids (the youngest) with us (more details on our trip HERE). The older daughter (in Pennsylvania) wasn't able to get time off from work to meet us, and our son's college spring break was a couple weeks ago. We have not taken a "family" trip with just one kid in almost 20 years (but, unlike 20 years ago, this trip didn't require any diapers or strollers LOL).


We had fun in the workout center, on the beach, and enjoyed a spa day
And, how about an update on Voldemort? Remember him? He's the scar from that "little" emergency surgery last summer. Last Thursday, March 29th, was his 9-month birthday! Although he still is rather ugly to look at, he is (slowly) fading in color. I pretty much have complete range of motion back, but I have to be careful with putting any pressure on my right knee near the scar (ouch, no kneeling on that knee!).

So, that's a wrap! Although I spent the majority of the week on vacation, I'm glad that I was able to keep pretty active. How was your week? Spring-like weather yet? Do you try to stay active with fitness-minded activities when on vacation? 

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

52 comments:

  1. Glad you had a good time on vacation! Im sure it was really nice to enjoy the warmer weather for a bit.

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  2. I know you could not have been more happy running in your warm weather! Glad you had a nice break from the cold. We have a snow flake in the forecast this week-really??

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    1. I don't think we have snow in the forecast, but I think it's a high of 40F for the ENTIRE week....What the WHAT???

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  3. That's awesome that you were able to weather summer running clothes. We haven't gotten to that weather just yet, lol. In fact, we're expecting more snow tomorrow - I can't make this stuff up haha

    So happy that you had an awesome time on your vacation!

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    1. The vacation was short, but still a nice little getaway. Coming back to such cold weather was a total buzz kill LOL

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  4. Isn't great to leave the cold weather and see sunshine.

    I loved my vacation.

    Looks like you had a fun and active one too.

    Hope we both get spring temps soon.

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    1. Seriously, where is spring? Winter needs to vacate the premises....

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  5. Glad you enjoyed a break from this ridiculous weather! I don't remember Easter ever being to frigid either, unless I'm blocking it out. I'm so ready for some heat!

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    1. I would be quite content to simply skip spring and just fast-forward to summer, thank you very much ;-)

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  6. Sounds like your workouts in the beginning of the week went much better than the end of the week. At least you were in warmer weather. Hopefully the colder weather is behind us now and warmer temps are to come everyone in April.

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    1. We still have at least another week of cold weather in the forecast....I think there's a high of 40 expected the entire week #ugh

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  7. Your vacation sounds amazing. No kids, no spring break plans. The upside of course is that we get to travel alone. Unless we take the furkids. :)

    It was actually a nice weekend here -- your weather takes a few days to blow through us, and next week -- let's just say it doesn't look pretty.

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    1. Our week is not looking too pretty either...or warm ;-(

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  8. Glad to hear that you had a great vacation! Shorts and tanks what a treat! I'm looking forward to better running weather this month. Voldemort looks pretty good....my gosh, how far you have come from when I first "met" you.

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    1. The shorts and tanks felt oh so good! IT's crazy to think how fast (at least in retrospect LOL) the past nine months have gone with Voldemort ;-)

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  9. I'm so glad you were able to shake the winter weather and enjoy a few days in sunny Florida. It's great to see you in your tank tops. Last year we vacationed with just our youngest. It felt weird at first, but we had a good time. I typically do more running or cycling while on vacation as I have more free time. And, who can pass up those activities with a beach view? Happy Birthday to Voldemort. ;) Thanks for linking.

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    1. I agree....I felt totally relaxed even though I was pretty active every day. The warm weather was SO NICE ;-)

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  10. Your Florida smile is radiant! I always loved leaving cold and snowy New Hampshire for sunny Florida for winter break. It was always just what my inner self needed to survive the rest of winter. And I like to workout/stay active on vacay too!

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    1. It was nice getting away, even for just a few days. I am so ready for winter to leave!

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  11. Sounds like a nice little get away! I felt like my trip to Florida was way too short. But it's better than nothing! Hopefully it will warm up soon.

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    1. Yes, I really hope it will warm up soon. This winter has overstayed its welcome...

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  12. Wow, how nice to get to Florida, but how rude to come home to cold weather again! Hopefully spring will get it's act together soon. I've never done a stair workout on vacation, but I have made my husband take the stairs instead of the elevator up to our hotel room. ;-)

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    1. It was a rude awakening getting off the plane and walking to our car when we returned to Iowa last week. Brrrr!

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  13. It’s definitely good to take a blogging break and just enjoy life from time to time. It looks like you had a great few days of lovely weather!

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  14. Vacation in warm weather is always fun. Even though I didn't go anywhere, I took an extended weekend, and it's tough getting back into the swing of work. I need to get back into my routine.

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    1. I love the change of routine, but it is tough adjusting back to reality when the vacay ends

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  15. Sounds like a fun vacation! And I love that combination of blue and lime green in your Friday fashion post :)

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  16. Aw! What a wonderful vacation! The weather here is a complete 180 from what you're used to - but I promise, the next few week are going to start getting fairly unpleasant for us. It will be pre-sunrise and in the 80s with 100% humidity. And that's still the best time to run because once the sun comes into the picture? Forget it.

    I'm so glad you were able to have some activity and fitness on your trip! And I think we all need to let our blogging take a backseat to life sometimes. That's the balance part!

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    1. I agree, taking the blogging break was really an easy decision.

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  17. Way to go with your long run!!! Voldermort sure isn't holding you back. I ran in the wind yesterday and man its hard!!!

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  18. What a treat to spend sometime in FL to escape the winter! Only you would find so many stairs to climb while on vacation. :D

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  19. So nice that you were able to slip away and enjoy some warmer temps! And I think it's good to take a little break from blogging in favor of family time. Glad you had a good time!

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    1. It was nice to slip away, even though the time was too brief

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  20. Looks like a fantastic vacation Kimberly!

    I enjoyed the update on the scar...interesting that you can't put any pressure on it. Will that ever go away?

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    1. I think I'm slowly getting feeling back in the skin surrounding the scar, but it's also a "bony" area so there's nothing to absorb the pressure from a hard surface (if I'm kneeling)

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  21. I imagine the warm balmy Florida weather was quite a treat for you guys!! Glad you all had a great trip and here's hoping Mother N will pack her winter gear away soon and pull out the warmer weather for you guys!

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    1. Momma N needs to pack up and go away for a long time...

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  22. No not everyone does stair-climbing and burpees on vacation! Haha!
    However I do admit that I usually am doing something active on holiday! I don’t mind, even though people say “but you are on vacation!” I don’t care, this is how I like to live my life.
    And I know I mentioned it on your previous post, but I think it’s great that you got to have a vacation with just one of your kids, even if it might have been a bummer if the others weren’t able to join. Cherish these moments right?


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    1. You are so right! Although it wasn't the entire family, it was cherished time with the youngest...and she's never really had us all to herself LOL

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  23. So glad you had a nice trip down to Florida and enjoyed the warmer temps!! It’s definitely warming up down south! Great job on getting those workouts in on vacation!

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  24. Yay for vacations and a break from the cold. Glad you all had such a great trip and you're not confined to staircase workouts ;-)

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    1. yes, indeed! It was nice being able to climb four consecutive flights of stairs before having to turn around and head back down (...just to do it all over again) ;-)

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  25. Your spring break sounds awesome! The last time I stayed on a Disney resort I really enjoyed running around the path - the weather felt great! It had to be a shock to the system to come back home :(

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    1. Yes, it was a good 50-degrees colder when we got off the plane....

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  26. I love running at Disney! We stayed at Shades last April, and will be staying there again next month. I cannot wait to run the Shades/Polynesian/Grand Floridian loop!

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    1. The loop over at the Ploynesian/Grand Floridian was nice, but not very well marked so I may have ventured off course a few times (oops), but it's all very scenic.

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