Saturday, December 28, 2019

A Grand Finale


Can you believe 2019 is winding down?

It's been quite a decade, a phenomenal year, and a decent week for this runner. This final full week of 2019 had all the makings of a Grand Finale. Go big or go home, right?

Before I give you all the details, welcome to the Weekly Run Down!

I love hosting 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 noon on Monday. We love reading about everyone's 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...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)
So, here's what went down on the fitness front this week:

Another #nevermissaMonday 
Can I just say a sincere "Thank You" to Momma N? She's been pretty generous, recently at least, with all of this unseasonably warm weather. Anyways, my legs were a bit tired (Umm...Sunday evening's Under the Holiday Lights 5-mile run was fun, but the final three miles were fast). I elliptical'd for 20 minutes in the early hours...
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...then got in a great 1-miler after work in the pleasant 48F temps. This itty bitty 1-miler put my 2019 miles at 1,001! I've come close several times (in the upper 900's), but have never crossed the 1K mark for yearly mileage.
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Not a typical Tuesday
Another 5-miler with Barb...this was our fourth 5-mile run in the past five days...and  my legs (finally) said "Mommy, no more!" I typically don't push the mileage that much in such a short time span, but it's the holidays and those miles were necessary (more for scheduling issues than stress LOL).
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A non-traditional Christmas on Wednesday
The hubby and I had a noonish plane to catch for a (somewhat) impromptu mini holiday vacation. I got out for a brisk 2-mile walk through the hilly 'hood before we hopped on a 3-hour flight to Phoenix.
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We met up with some local friends (who were, coincidentally, vacationing with some of their family in the area). I went for a short (1.5-mile) run and refueled with a couple of hand-picked oranges. Trust me, that doesn't happen in Iowa!

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An action-packed Thursday
Another early morning, the hubby and I were in the rental car by 6:00 for our 5+ hour drive to San Diego. All was going well until we made it to Ocotillo...and I-8 was closed, due to an unexpected overnight snowfall! We hung out in a crowded parking lot (of a shady convenience store) along with hundreds of other vehicles for over an hour before the road was re-opened. Eventually, we pulled into San Diego around 1:00 p.m. We checked into our room, and had plenty of time to head downtown for some of the Holiday Bowl festivities...including the National Funding Holiday Bowl 5K.
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I'll save the bulk of details for the recap, but suffice it to say the iffy (rainy) weather cleared up. The course was shortened due to flooding, but the first and third miles on the route were intact. I was able to secure a 2nd place AG (out of 35), and the hubby (who has not run in a few months) was able to avoid any walk breaks.
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Holiday Bowl Friday...but first a streak run!
What a beautiful morning! Even though I'm the running streaker (for a few more days), the hubby wanted to run a couple miles with me Friday morning. We took a scenic route around some of the Coronado Naval Air Station grounds.
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Double Run Saturday
With another long drive on the agenda (this time heading back to Phoenix), I took a short run through downtown Coronado.
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We were back in the car, and on the road, just after lunch. We made it to Phoenix just as the daylight was fading. Since it wasn't too late (or too dark), I decided to do another short run. Believe it or not, Phoenix (and vicinity) was under a freeze warning. After all, I won't be running bare-legged (among random cacti) for awhile, right? And my running streak ends on New Year's Day...why not have a little fun?

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TBD on Sunday
As this post goes live, I'll be enroute back to Iowa. I do plan on a short run after we make it back home, so stay tuned...

**UPDATE** I did get out for two fast and furious (and nearly freezing LOL) miles after we made it back to Iowa. Dang, the temps sure did plummet...30F temps, with a 20F feels-like, were a major jolt to the system after several days in California and Arizona.
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All in all, it was a decent week, despite the travel and not being in my own setting. The running miles tallied at 16 (which includes two from Sunday afternoon). Walking was on the upswing (in comparison to recent weeks) and came in at 13 (possibly more of those on Sunday afternoon/evening as well). There was one elliptical session (20 minutes) and some body resistance work (while on vacation)...kind of meh. It is what it is LOL

In case you missed out, here's what went down on the blog this week:
My Kind of Winter
One Last Set of Runfessions for 2019

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair
OOPS! In all the busy-ness of Friday's Holiday Bowl, I totally forgot to post my Friday outfit. No big deal....but I was decked out in black and gold, repping for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Anyways, you're always welcome to join the party on Fridays...post a pic of a featured outfit, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and be sure to tag me (@runningonthefly).

Go Hawkeyes!
As mentioned, the hubby and I traveled to San Diego to support our alma mater, the University of Iowa. In addition to the  race, we also saw some of the parade and attended a pre-game rally and met up with some friends for tailgating. It was a great game, and the Hawkeyes defeated the USC Trojans 49-24. Go Hawks!

Finally, it was a nice Christmas with our family, albeit celebrating a day early on Christmas Eve. It was a major non-traditional experience, though, spending it in an airport (and also on a plane).

Enough about me, how was your week? Any big family get-togethers? How's your weather been? Have you ever traveled on Christmas Day?


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41 comments:

  1. Wow, you had a hectic week, but I'm sure that warm sunshine - and visiting with friends - was worth it. The lead-up to my holiday was rough, but Christmas and beyond have been great! That's probably how it usually is with the stress of getting ready.

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    1. Isn't it crazy how much stress goes into ONE day? I'm getting better at doing less...and no one seems to mind, so it's all been good LOL

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  2. Looks like everyone was gifted with some warmer holiday temps this year. Your whirlwind vacay sounds like a blast. I love how you are super fans for Iowa! Safe travels home and look forward to reading about your race

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    1. Of course we are super fans :-) I'm just glad most of our trip was without incident (though it gets a little tense "playing co-pilot" to the hubby in a strange place with crazy traffic...ugh! rental cars!). Your trip looked fabulous!

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  3. You definitely had a busy last week of 2019! I love seeing all of your smiling photos :)

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    1. Thanks, Kim :-) What's not to smile about? Great weather, family, fun places to visit, and a Hawkeye victory? Oh, and let's not forget running ;-)

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  4. What a hectic week but also fun week for you. Love that you had warmer weather to run in shorts and a tank. My favorite! We had some unusually warm weather for December which was nice.

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    1. Our warm December weather promptly vacated just before we returned this afternoon.....#BRRRRR

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  5. I am getting dizzy just reading your week! Well done that you managed to get so many runs in despite travelling! I know how hard that can be and it takes a good portion of discipline to do that. Love your Friday outfit!!

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    1. Thanks, Catrina! I make the Streak a priority every winter....it's only for 4-5 weeks, so it's worth the extra planning to make it happen. Besides, it's fun running in new-to-me places :-)

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  6. Very busy week for you but looks like you had a lot of fun! Great job keeping your run streak going!

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    1. It was a fun week, but we were on the go non-stop. I don't like hanging out in a hotel room, so I'd rather be doing stuff (and running LOL).

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  7. Looks like a fun week. Curious why you need to run when you get home? Why not relax!

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    1. (cough, cough...still run streaking for a few more days LOL). After several hours on an airplane, my legs needed some action...but BRRRR, where did all those warm temps go???

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  8. Happy travels Kim! I love that you got another 5k in and got to soak up some sunshine. Sounds like the perfect Christmas to me.

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    1. Christmas Day was a little wonky, with the hubby and I traveling...but our Christmas Eve was nice. And the weather "down south" was nice!

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  9. It sounds like you had a fantastic trip and yay for your team's win! I love this time of year with all of the bowl games. Ours is New Year's Eve at noon.

    I've only traveled locally to a friend or family member's house on Christmas Day.

    Thanks for the linkup! Happy New Year!

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    1. We've traveled to relatives' houses on Christmas Day...but never on an airplane across the country. OH well....hopefully, that's a once and done thing LOL

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  10. Love the black and gold which is like our black and orange club kit! And I really enjoyed your oranges picture in the week - how wonderful is that! We had Christmas Day just the two of us then went to tea at my husband's brother's with his and sister in law's family, which all worked really well. Happy new year!

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    1. Happy New Year to you, too!! It was fun picking the oranges, and actually having said oranges within arm's reach :-)

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  11. Look at you! Such a jet setter! ;) Sounds like a full but very fun week. My parents came to visit this week from Michigan. They had a wild and crazy trip home yesterday with lots of snow and ice but oddly, no delays or traffic headaches. Happy New Year!!

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    1. Another odd thing...we had to wait while they de-iced the plane in Arizona yesterday LOL The weather continues its crazy antics...hopefully 2020 will bring us a little normalcy :-)

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  12. I bet that Arizona sunshine felt great! Happy holidays to you, it's been quite a fun year of running for you! Thanks for taking over the link-up this year as well.

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  13. Glad you had a great trip!
    I so loved the cacti when I was in Phoenix for a conference. So random and fun. Congrats on the bowl win -- my Irish did too

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    1. I confess I was actually cheering for ISU (even though they're our big inner-state rival)...but they were no match for ND. I was really surprised those two teams got paired up for that game LOL The cacti are amazing! The one in the pic was probably 15-ft tall.

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  14. That's a busy and fun-filled week right there! It's so crazy that AZ is cooler than we are right now. We're still in the 50s as I type but not much longer. Coronado has a cute candy store that sells something called Coronado Crunch. It's like a Rice Krispie treat on super steroids. So good! Glad you enjoyed!

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    1. As we were driving there Saturday afternoon, my weather app kept buzzing with freeze warnings for all of the towns we drove through LOL Coronado was such a nice, quaint place! The downtown was beautiful!!!

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  15. That's such a beautiful Christmas Family Photo! What an action-packed final week of the year! You and hubby are clearly my kind of people! That's just awesome - and so glad you did some of your running streak in new places. As for that 2nd place AG - not surprised at all, you've been killing it this year!

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    1. Thanks, Shathiso! I always do this winter running streak (this is my 6th or 7th year), and it's a fun challenge doing ALL of the runs outside, and keeping the runs happening if we travel. Go big or go home :-)

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  16. Being Jewish, yes, I can say I've traveled on Christmas Day. In fact, we admitted my Dad to the nursing home on Christmas Eve Day. Helps when it doesn't matter to you! Or rather mattered for different reasons.

    Anyhoo, wow, I don't know how you do it or where you get all that energy from. Could I have a little, please? Congrats on placing in your AG!

    We were unseasonably warm, but it never got really warm. Today will be a washout, but at least it's not cold enough to snow -- today. That will change overnight, but not a lot of snow is expected (and sometimes you have to worry cause they're not often right!).

    Sounds like a marvelous holiday, Kim.

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    1. After the recent warm-up in Iowa, the Cali/AZ weather wasn't that big of a difference...but coming back yesterday was such a shock to the system! Back to the sub-freezing "normal" temps LOL

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  17. I'm glad you had a good time in SoCal! I'm so sorry I couldn't get it together to meet up with you! Weird about the freeway being closed. I've done a few century bike rides in Ocotillo and it sure does get cold there!

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    1. I'm bummed it didn't work with our schedules, too...but there's always next time :-) It was so odd seeing the snow, and then the rain, then bright clear skies...all in a matter of 20-30 minutes. And I though Iowa had out-of-the-ordinary weather LOL

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  18. Wow you are amazing...congrats on your streak...don't know how you do it.

    I'd love to go to Arizona...now! I need some warmth.

    Happy New Year!

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    1. Arizona was nice (we were only there Wednesday late afternoon/evening and Saturday night....but it was actually colder than Iowa right before we got on our plane Sunday morning. Of course, by the time we got back, it was dramatically colder here LOL

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  19. Wow, that sounds like a really busy week! The drive down sends adventurous given the closed highway, glad you made it safely :)

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    1. The closed highway was totally unexpected, especially since it was due to the overnight snowfall!

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  20. So glad you had such a wonderful, non traditional holiday! We generally stay home on Christmas, but I have no issue with traveling on holidays. I think sometimes it's good to mix things up!

    I'm really, really ready for 2020. I am hopeful that the upcoming year will be better than this one!

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  21. Looks like a busy but wonderful week! I'm jealous of that sunshine -- but glad you made it out safely even with the snow. We traveled for Christmas but were able to get out and back without an issue. All the snow came much earlier than our travel schedule.

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  22. what an amazing week Kim! and I think we can forgive you on the Friday Fashion Flair as you were kind of distracted by other very important things ;-) love seeing the whole family together on Christmas eve <3

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