Breaking Into Spring

Talk about a serious break, and just when I really needed one.

The cold weather broke, our Spring Break commenced, and I was (finally) able to break away from the treadmill!


Anyways, first things first

Welcome to the Weekly Run Down! I am so excited to host this link-up with Deborah (from Confessions of a Mother Runner).If you write a fitness-based blog, you're invited to join the party.The link-up opens at 1:00 (EST) on Sundays and remains open  Monday(noon). Please share your weekly fitness endeavors, training
highlights (or low lights) and race recaps. We ask that you link back to both hosts, and we encourage you to read/comment on the other linked blogs as well.

So, here's what went down this past week...
Never Miss A Monday

The forecast promised warmer temps in the
afternoon, so I just did a quick 1-mile morning walk with Max (our dog). After
work, I headed outdoors (ahhhhh!) and decided to do a 3-mile Fartlek
run. I don't think I've done one of those since last fall, when I was
training for my marathon (Cannonball Marathon, October 2018). I
alternated between 3-4 city blocks at a moderate pace (effort level
around 5-6) and 2-3 blocks at a tempo-like pace (effort level 8-9). Wow.
Did those three miles feel great!

Trick-play Tuesday

With our upcoming trip, I wanted to get in a strength session, and Tuesday was really the only day it would work. In anticipation of a potential DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) episode, I purposely did my workout in the evening...ideally allowing for a Wednesday morning run without incident. I did an all-body strength workout, involving numerous squats, lunges, push-ups, 1-minute wall sits, various arm/shoulder moves and some stair work. And I slept quite soundly that night.

A Wonderful Wednesday #5at5

After a several month sabbatical, I resurrected the #5at5 (five miles at 05:00), albeit it solo (my friend, Barb, is still recovering from knee surgery). Granted, there have been a few indoor early morning 5-mile runs in recent months, but they have been inside, on the treadmill (ugh!). Getting back outside felt amazing! The spring-like temps were near perfect. The streets were all mine. My legs felt invincible. It's pretty incredible how those five miles, outside, felt so much easier than the four miles I've done with Milly in the past couple weeks. Side-note, as predicted, the DOMS were a no-show until later Wednesday morning. Score!

Low-key Thursday

The hubby and I boarded a jet plane and arrived in Tampa Wednesday evening. As mentioned, the DOMS showed up around noon on Wednesday, and they were still taunting me most of Thursday. My hammies and quads were on fire like never before. All I had on tap was some walking in the Florida sunshine, so all was well.

Fabulous Floridian Friday

I was up and out the door for another early morning walk among the palm trees in the warm air. I didn't have any fitness plans on the agenda until the the Heroes Memorial Twilight Run 10K, which wasn't until 6:30 p.m. When race time rolled around, things were feeling great...the DOMS were gone, the weather was perfect and the course was pretty flat. I just tried to run strong, with minimal glances at my watch. Thankfully, all went well. Low and behold, my finish time was (almost) my fastest 10K ever, and I was able to snag a top-25 (female) finisher award. More details to come in the race recap...stay tuned.

Simple Saturday

I debated, briefly, about going for a short recovery run, but opted for a walk with the hubby instead. Seriously, shouldn't all days begin like that...outdoors, sunshine, pleasant temps, and a nice walk with Starbucks at the finish?

Sunny Sunday

Up and out the door! How about a rise and run adventure in the sunrise? Even with a relatively low-key Saturday, my body felt a bit stiff and cranky. The hubby and I drove over to Bayshore Drive. He walked and I ran the scenic route, along the bay. I ran three miles, and each mile took longer. That said, I will never regret a run, especially in a beautiful setting. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a sunrise.

Overall, it was a pretty sweet week. To say that I was over-the-moon excited to be back outside for all of my running would be a massive understatement. Monday's Fartlek run was a nice change of pace (quite literally) from my usual Monday runs. The one strength workout I did was very thorough. The timing of the DOMS that followed couldn't have happened more perfectly with the Wednesday early morning run and the downtime before Friday night's race. Total running mileage came in at 18, and total miles walked topped out at almost 10. I have another 10K happening this next weekend, so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with that. Knock wood, the momentum will continue.



In case you missed them, here's the posts from last week (there only were two):

Seeing Green!
A Few Basic Necessities

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. As luck would have it, I had a small wardrobe malfunction and one of my sparkly sandals bit the dust. I didn't have to walk around barefoot in Florida, but I did have to make do with "only" one pair for the final couple of days in the sunshine state. First world probs, right? Anyways, the temps were a bit cool in the morning, but I was still quite comfy in shorts and cheetah print. Life was still good. If you want to play along, it's really simple...(1)post a pic of a favorite outfit, (2) grab the hashtag (#fridayfashionflair), and (3) be sure to tag me (@runningonthefly).

Spring Break in sunny Florida was awesome! The hubby and I had a great time in the Florida sunshine, hanging out in Tampa for several days with some friends. The weather was perfect and was the perfect break from the cold winter we'd endured.

So, that's the run down on this past week's fitness. A break from the cold, and a breakaway from the treadmill. Both did my body, mind and spirit a ton of good.

How about you? Does it feel like Spring has officially arrived? Any Spring Break plans? Racecations? Do you stay active while on vacay or just chill, and take things easy?



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