Sunday, March 10, 2019

Spring Ain't Here...Yet


Nope, it ain't Spring yet.

As much as I'd like to curse the groundhog, it's really not his fault. He did see his shadow, right? Doesn't that (supposedly) predict another six weeks of winter? If that's the (folkloric) case, then (technically) we still have another week to go...so I'll cut him some grace (for seven more days).

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.

Anyways, even with the still cold temps, this past week felt like things are at least moving in the right direction towards Spring. The increased daylight has been wonderful, and the snow and ice are becoming less and less. And, I have been able to get outside an itsy bit more. Glass half full.

Monday
As seems to be the trend (at least in recent weeks), my body felt kind of tired and achy upon wake-up. Not a big deal. I did a quick 1.5-mile power walk (on the 'mill) and saved the running until later. After work, though, I put things in motion. Most of my #nevermissaMonday runs are easy-paced endeavors, usually short (2-3 miles) and are meant for jump-starting the momentum for the new week. I decided to switch things up this week and made that simple run into a (somewhat) fast and furious sweat session with Milly.

Here's what happened:
1200m at 5.9, 400m at 6.3 (10:06)
1200m at 6.0, 400m at 6.4 (9:53)
1200m at 6.2, 400m at 6.6 (9:35)
1200m at 6.3, 400m at 6.7 (9:25)

Four total miles! And, I can honestly say I thoroughly LOVED this run with Milly! Believe me, I have not had such gushy thoughts or feelings towards my treadmill in a long time (if ever). The thing is, the challenge of upping the pace with each mile (both for the 1200m AND for the 400m surge) was pretty euphoric. It didn't feel like an all-out effort, but it was a challenging test of my endurance. My pace was near 9:30 in those final miles, and it felt tougher than it should have. Remember that fast 5K I ran a couple weeks ago? My average pace was around 8:20 for that...more than an entire minute faster (per mile), and that 5K felt much easier than this treadmill run felt...even with the aid of the moving belt underfoot. I only had the incline turned up one notch, so I really cannot figure out how these treadmill runs feel so much harder than my outdoor runs do. That said, I am pretty thankful to finally have a treadmill run leaving me feeling quite giddy for the experience.
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Tuesday
Mostly a rest/recovery day. I did an early morning 1.5-mile walk on the treadmill (while the manicure dried) and a short upper-body strength session in the evening.
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pretty nails, ugly Voldy scar
Wednesday
As luck (or Fate? or Karma?) would have it, my time with Milly on Wednesday morning was anything but pleasant. My legs felt a little cranky (possible DOMS from Monday's run?), and I just couldn't get my mind to embrace the run like it had done two days prior. I finally pulled the plug at the 4.5-mile mark instead of continuing to suck it up all the way to 5 miles. I gave it a thumbs down because I quit early, but also a thumbs up because I really wanted to quit at 3.5, but was able to stick it out for an extra mile. Although my hamstrings loosened up, and nothing else hurt, my mind was totally bored. After Monday's intense speedwork, I didn't think it wise to do 400m surges or push the pace too much, and I was out of ideas to make the run any less boring. Oh well. No apologies, no guilt. Onward!
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...but look at that steam rising off of me outside
Thursday
HIIT  in the early hours:

**four sets of the circuit**
-5 stair flights (double-steps)
-10 burpees
-15 mountain climbers (each leg)
-20 plank jacks
-1-minute wall sit
-10 slow-motion push-ups

All told, this workout netted me 20 flights of stairs, 40 burpees, 60 mountain climbers, 80 plank jacks, 4 cumulative minutes of wall sits and 40 slow-motion push-ups. Not bad for about 30 minutes of work in the wee hours.
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Friday
Another rest/recovery day for me. There was an early morning 1-mile walk with Max...outside!! Truth be told, I think HE took me for the walk; he was so excited to be on a leash again (instead of just doing his morning business in the back yard). I also did some stretching and some planking. And that was it.
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Saturday
My second race of 2019 was on tap, and Momma N didn't want to play nice. Granted, she did give us above-freezing temps, but she also blessed us with non-stop rain. Oddly, those less-than-ideal race day conditions may have worked in my favor because I didn't want to waste any extra time getting to the finish line. I have run the Leprechaun Chase 10K for the past six years, and I was finally able to score an age group finish (second place). Stay tuned, I'll post a brief race recap in a couple days with a few more details.

Sunday
The morning was cold and windy (flirting with single digit feels-like temps), but there was bright sunshine! I had to dodge a lot of ice patches, but a short shakeout run felt amazing following the previous day's 10K. I almost always do an easy-paced recovery run the day after a challenging run or race, and I usually come home feeling better than when I left the house. This run was no exception.
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cold, wind, ice...but I got outside

All in all, it was a decent week on the fitness front. Running mileage was just over 16, walking (intentional walking, not stats from a motion device) tallied around 6 miles, an upper-body workout and some HIIT. I'm good with that. I'm also trying to do a little ab/core work each day, as well as daily push-ups, this month.

In case you missed out, here's what was posted last week:
Sorry Winter...You will not break me
A Treadmill Catharsis
Strong Women - let us CELEBRATE them

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Did you see it on my Insta? Temps are (slightly) above freezing, but still a bit chillier than I prefer (I like my summer weather, don't forget). My solution, keep the colors bright and the patterns fun...mixing in some denim with the leopard print gives it some funk, and I'm all about that. If you want to play along, (1) post a pic of a featured outfit on Friday, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair), and (3) be sure to tag me (@runningonthefly).

Lastly, as most of us know, Friday was International Women's Day. I kind of have mixed feelings on this, since I don't think we should single out just one day to honor significant people (women OR men) in our lives. People who have lead, inspired, and supported us should be acknowledged on an ongoing basis (in my humble opinion). None the less, there are a lot of important women whom I value, and I'm ever-so-grateful for their influence and encouragement.

So, that's another run down on another week. Although I have appreciated the increased daylight in recent weeks, I'm really excited for the time change. And I'm eager to spring ahead to warmer weather.

Enough about me, tell me something about your week....Any weekend races? New training? Has it been warm enough for you to get outside more often? Did you remember to set your clocks ahead? What do you prefer...springing ahead or falling back?

Thanks for joining Deborah and myself for the Weekly Run Down!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter

57 comments:

  1. great week Kim, but I can imagine you had a case of the DOMS on Wednesday. Milly doesn't WANT you to adore her too much, clearly!!

    Loving the leopard print. I would totally join you but 1) I'm not fashionable and 2) my clothes are old as... funnily enough I was accused by someone of having a luxurious life because of all the travelling we do. Even though we live in a shoebox and my clothes are all about to walk themselves to Goodwill...

    International Women's day is SO important but I hope that one day we won't need a "day" and like you, think it's good to celebrate good people, not just men and and not just women. That said, there are so many badass women out there, don't you think? :)

    Weather was psychotic - that's our spring! We haven't sprung forward yet but I definitely like springing forward more than falling back! BRING ME THE LONGER DAYS PLEASE!

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    1. Yes, there definitely are a lot of badass women, and I think you're one of them ;-)

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  2. Congrats again on your 10K! I cannot wait to hear all the details. Perhaps Milly is really helping with your speed. Hae a great week

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    1. I think Milly may have played a small part in that 10K, more so in mental toughness than anything LOL This was not an especially fast 10K for me, but given the crappy conditions, it definitely was NOT an easy conquest. I hope Momma N plays nice on April 7th!

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  3. Congrats on your awesome race this weekend!

    I'm actually not a fan of Daylight Savings because now it's dark again in the morning when I leave for work at 7am and we lose an hour of sleep :( Although I do appreciate the extra daylight in the evening.

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    1. I'm really looking forward to the extra daylight after work....I might be trying to work in a few more post-work runs since Barb is still out of commission for a bit longer.

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  4. It is much easier to tolerate the treadmill doing intervals, that is for sure.

    Congrats on your 10k and AG place.

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    1. Yes, I'm all about the intervals and speed surges. Anything to break up the monotony of running in place. I've been on that treadmill TOO much this winter..

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  5. Solid week for you. I hope you celebrate that AG award with Milly. She definitely played a role in helping you earn it.

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    1. ha ha ha....well, I think she definitely helped my mental toughness game. It wasn't a fantastic 10K finish time for me, but the race definitely was tough with all the rain and numerous puddles. UGH. Probably similar to your Tokyo experience (but 20 miles shorter LOL) ;-)

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  6. While I don't enjoy getting the dark mornings again, the extra daylight is good. I guess it's a wash!

    We are still dealing with snow and literal ice, but not for long. Yippee!

    I'm not sure I can say I ever really LOVED a treadmill run, but obviously I've been on there a lot lately. And yes, Bandit was SO excited to walk without a coat even yesterday morning (but no walks today, sadly, it's warming up but still rather messy & they don't like that).

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    1. It's hit and miss on the roads/sidewalks. There's still some ice patches (difficult to see in the dark), and sand everywhere...and slush and puddles. Even with the above-freezing temps, it's still a production getting Max all cleaned up after a walk.

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  7. Great work and love the shadow selfie. Also love the medals in your plank pic - I have medals in my yoga pics this week! No clock change here till the end of the month which always feels weird. And it's turned cold again: we got hailed on during our run and it snowed this afternoon when I was in the cafe!

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    1. ugh...hail? Our race yesterday had non-stop rain, which turned to golf ball-sized snowflakes (just after I'd finished), and then to sleet (after I'd changed my shoes and was walking to the after-party, a few blocks away).

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    2. Yup hail and it was all blowing around so whichever way we turned, the hail was in our faces!

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  8. Congrats on your race, Kim! I'm looking forward to reading your recap. Here's hoping spring is just around the corner!

    Thanks for the linkup!

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    1. I hope Spring is close! It's still cold, but it's feeling a little less like Winter...

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  9. Congrats on your race!

    I don’t like this time change. I liked how when I would leave for work at 6:30 it was already light. Now it will be dark.

    Looks like it will warm up this week which makes me very happy.

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    1. I think we actually have an entire week of above-freezing temps on tap. I won't know how to act (or dress).

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  10. Congrats on that AG award! That's awesome! You are some kin of talented to be able to dry your nails on the treadmill!

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    1. ha ha...well, my nails desperately needed attention. The trick is to get the shoes on (and tied) and everything ready BEFORE doing the polish. I think the arm swinging helps them dry faster LOL

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  11. You have had a lot of treadmill runs this year. What a winter!!

    Congrats on your race.

    I can't wait for my leg to be healed. so frustrating.

    I am looking forward to those LIGHT after work runs.

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    1. I have had 19 treadmill runs this winter LOL That's 19 too many! But, it's forced me out of my comfort zone, and I think that's always a good thing.

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  12. Great week! Love the multitasking of manicure and treadmill time.
    Weird how runs just carom from good to awful.
    Congrats on the AG

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    1. The treadmill runs are a crap-shoot for me. I don't love them, but I definitely hate them less. That speedwork run, though, totally took me by surprise at how much I actually liked it. Of course, two days later, I was back on the struggle bus LOL

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  13. Yeah on the race! Oddly, I didn't even know it was International Women's Day until I got home from work. I must not have been stalking Instagram that day! It's not really spring here, but the temperatures are springing around! It was 30 degrees, then up to 50 degrees (a high) last night at 1am, and then today back down to 30. Go figure.

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    1. Our temps are wavering some, but still staying more cold than "warm." We have so much snow, still, that when we do get some consistent warmer weather, it's gonna be a major mess of slush, mud and puddles.

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  14. Very solid week and congrats on your race! The thing I find frustrating about the treadmill is that it can often feel harder than running outside. I'm not sure why it works like that sometimes! I'm recovering from being sick, but I am starting to get back to working out and taking it easy. Your 30 min circuit looks great!

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    1. Total agreement, the treadmill runs ALWAYS feel so much harder than outdoor running. Like I said, that speedwork run (Monday) was fun, but really felt like I was working much harder than a 9:30 pace. Outside, a 9:30 pace is not a big deal, but on the treadmill, it was a challenge (??????)

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  15. I love that you let your manicure dry while on the treadmill. Genius! Congrats on a solid week AND your race. Spring is near...it has to be!

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    1. Spring HAS to be near, I refuse to think otherwise.....

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  16. Another fabulous week! I'm so glad you do get those great runs with Milly, even if they aren't all the time!

    Honestly, I'm going to need you to start fashion consulting for me. You always come up with the cutest outfits! I am always stuck in the same clothing rut (usually with jeans or yoga pants) and really struggle to break out of it. I have Stitch Fix, but I get lazy with that, too.

    I'm sure Spring is coming. Soon. It has to be!

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    1. The great runs with Milly do not happen very often for me. Granted, the terrible ones don't happen every time, either, but still. I just need to get back outside ;-)

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  17. I was so happy to get out of the midwest and taste some spring weather this week! COngrats on the second AG award!!

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    1. We're headed to Florida in two weeks, and I'm looking forward to a few days of warmer weather.

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  18. It's still freezing where I am too and I didn't race yesterday because of freezing rain. Oh well, this to shall pass. Glad you were able to race and snag an age group place!!! Congratulations!! Hope your week with Milly is all sunshine and roses :-)

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    1. haha...Milly is gonna get some action in the morning because we have rain in the forecast until Friday...but it will not be sunshine and roses LOL

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  19. Congrats on an age group place - that's awesome! I hope you get some warm temperatures soon! This week is supposed to finally bring some spring weather and I am so ready for it.

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    1. We do have warmer temps this week ((finally!!!), but we also have rain! Can't win 'em all, right ;-)

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  20. I feel you on being OVER winter and still trying to make friends with the treadmill! Great work at your race, looks like another great week!

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    1. I can tolerate winter, but this one has really been extreme. I'm ready to move on....

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  21. I think your winter has gone on long enough (as has my summer actually) - so it's time for us to swap seasons lady! I think we will both be happier for it! Well done on your 10 km Race and on that 2nd place award!

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  22. I totally love doing speedwork on the mill now. I use to be so scared of going faster on it! I feared i would just fly off of the back but for some reason putting the incline on 1% helps me not feel that way! Plus since i like to stare at the display, this gives me a reason to lol!

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    1. I don't especially love speedwork on the treadmill, but I certainly like it much more than doing the same pace non-stop. Ugh...just gotta get back outside...

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  23. Boo to the rain on race day! The weather has been so all over the place. We had a surprise 5 inches of snow yesterday. Not cool! Longing for spring running. Great job with all of your workouts this week!

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    1. Yeah, rain on race day is not ideal. If it's in the 70's (like in the summer!), I don't mind it much...but in the high-30's it's pretty cold!

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  24. Congrats on that age group win! That's impressive given the bad weather :) Fingers crossed that we all get more Spring like weather soon :)

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    1. Thanks!! Yes, I think most of us area longing for warmer weather....pronto!

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  25. Congrats on the race! I agree, bad race weather is motivation to get it done faster ;)

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    1. So true....I just wanted to get to that finish line ;-)

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  26. Congrats on the AG place! Way to go. Too bad about the rain. I don't mind running in a WARM rain, but an early March rain? Takes grit!

    I enjoyed reading about how you broke up your treadmill run into intervals. When I used to run more on the treadmill, my rule was that I had to push a button every .25 miles - either increase (or decrease) the speed, change the incline, something!!! It kept me from getting bored.

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    1. For sure, March rain is not as pleasant as July rain LOL The treadmill....if I was just doing a random run (like every 5-6 months), I could (maybe) just keep the pace steady. But all the runs I've had to do required some variety. Hopefully, these treadmill runs are on the decline...

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  27. I am glad to hear that you and Milly had another good run! I am just sore from reading about that workout, so I am sure your legs were feeling it!
    Congrats on another race and AG!
    I hope spring comes to y'all soon! We went from winter to summer in 2 days, then back to springlike temps. All over the place this winter down here!

    Love all the pink from this week too :)

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    1. I am big time eager for Summer (Spring is optional at this point) ;-)

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