Hello Spring!

 Bring it, Spring! I've waited (what seems like) a long time for your arrival.

The snow is history, and the streets are dry. The temps have still been a little on the cool side, but the buds on the trees are starting to show and I have spotted some bulb stems poking through the ground. Things are looking more like Spring and less like Winter.

And I could not be happier!


But, 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 through 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, anyways, here's what went down in the first full of week of Spring 2019:

Never miss a Monday
After a long weekend in Florida, we had a 7:00 (EST) departure for our return flight to Iowa...which called for a 4:15 wake-up. If you do the math, that's actually a 3:15 a.m. wake-up on this Iowa gal's clock. Our plane landed in Des Moines at approximately 8:30 (CST), and we pulled into our driveway just after 10:00. A quick walk with Max (who could not stop jumping on us), and I was seated at my work desk a short while later. Thankfully, the chilly morning temps were warmer by the time I got home from the office. I headed over to the college campus and did a series of intervals (approx. 200m of speed/200m recovery run) for a grand total of three miles (including warm-up and cool-down).

Just enough time for the manicure to dry

Take it easy Tuesday
Holy Heavy Hamstrings, Batman. My hammies (and actually everything from the waist-down) were feeling pretty cranky come Tuesday morning. No doubt the speed workout was a major factor, as well as my lack of slumber from the previous day. The hubby and I took Max for a short walk, and I headed to work. Any thoughts of cross-training quickly evaporated because I felt so tired and achy. But, I had cause for celebration...by way of bib-transfer, I officially secured my Marine Corps Marathon registration! And, as Fate would have it, a new motivation bracelet had arrived in the mail, further making my MCM dream a reality.

OORAH!

#5at5 for Wednesday
Up and out the door! Oh, how I have missed my early morning outdoor runs! Even without Barb (the other crazy local gal who frequently does these early morning runs with me), I'm ecstatic to rise and run anyways. The temps were moderate (upper 30F's), and the streets were all mine. The legs were feeling much better, but I kept the pace easy and just enjoyed the sheer euphoria of being back outside. It's really the simple things, right?

I love those #5at5's!

HIIT'ing it early on Thursday
I finally was feeling the effects of limited sleep by Thursday. I did a short "mini" HIIT workout and, in less than 30 minutes, I was wide awake and ready for the day.

3 sets:
*20 jump squats
*20 triceps dips
*5 flights of stairs
*20 push-ups
*10 burpees
*20 sets of weighted Russian twists

non-running day #1

Playing it safe on Friday
I don't know if it was the speed intervals from Monday (delayed DOMS?), fatigue (from the vacation and not getting quite caught up on all the sleep), or just some general wonkiness...but my hamstrings were feeling kind of "off" Friday morning. The temptation to run a few easy miles was overwhelming, but my gut was telling me NO. With the 10K happening on Saturday, I chose to listen. We all have a gut instinct, after all, and usually it's spot-on. I opted for 20 minutes on the elliptical, and felt much better afterwards.

non-running day #2

A sensational Saturday
With the Chocoholic Frolic 10K on tap, I was up and ready to go early. The temps  were moderately cool (upper 30F's), but fortunately there was plenty of intermittent sunshine. But the wind was a major player. Oh, Holy Mad Momma N, the wind was brutal. Those two non-running days had served me well because fighting that 22mph wind was tough. Somehow (please don't ask me how, because I am still stunned myself), I managed to sub-54 those 6.2 miles (official time was 53:57), which landed me a 10K PR and a 1st place AG. More details to come on the race recap...stay tuned...

A very windy Chocoholic Frolic

Slow-motion Sunday
Amazingly, my legs felt fine following Saturday's race, but my entire body was feeling the affects of the whirlwind weekend (see below). I got out for a couple of (hilly) miles near our hotel and felt rejuvenated upon my return. Funny how that works. No complaints.

Recovery miles in Iowa City

Over all, I'm calling this first week of Spring 2019 a success, though it did feel like a week of recovery from Spring Break. My mileage was moderate (16 miles in the running shoes),  but I kept it on the low spectrum in anticipation of this weekend's race. I'm getting out for more walks (usually on the daily) now that the weather is less frigid (approximately 10 walking miles this week). Thursday's HIIT gave me a great workout without overdoing it. The one elliptical session was a nice change of (recent) routine. All went well. 


In case you missed out, here's my posts from last week:
Breaking Into Spring
Heroes Memorial 10K Run
BACK at it...Runfessions for March

In other news:
My Friday Fashion Flair post (on Instagram), featured my favorite white skinny jeans (again). If it seems like I'm wearing these all the time, it's because I am. Literally, they go with everything. They can be dressed up or down depending on the accessories you pair with them. As usual, you're always welcome to join me on Fridays...post a pic of a featured outfit, grab the hashtag (#fridayfashionflair) and be sure to tag me (@runningonthefly). Easy peasy.

 Finally, we're seeing some color in Iowa! I noticed the purple crocus blooming!

 Lastly, our son's fraternity (at the University of Iowa) hosted a Mom's Weekend. It was so much fun hanging out with him Friday night, most of Saturday after my race (which was scheduled before this weekend's activities were announced), and we had breakfast Sunday morning. My heart is quite full.

So, that's the latest run down of all things fitness in my life.

How was your first week of Spring? Better weather? Great training? Any races?

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