My Kind of Winter

When it comes to Iowa weather, you never know what you're gonna get.

We have hot summers, damp and windy springs (usually with residual snowfall), and sporadic autumns. Winter is a crap-shoot all its own.

This week, we had a taste of everything.

Before I reveal the down and dirty, 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 ;-)

Here's what went down this week in my little world of fitness and whatnot:

Never miss a Monday
I started the day with 30 minutes on the elliptical. My left Achilles (and vicinity) had been feeling a little wonky, so I wanted to give it a little more time in between runs. Besides, it was cold outside! Later, after work, I headed out for two miles...and everything felt great. The Christmas lights were shining bright at our town's central park display.

   

Take it easy Tuesday
The temps were 22F (with a feels-like of 12F), but there's a beautiful tranquility of the early morning hours. Tuesdays are typically a rest day, so just a 1-mile run to keep the run streak alive.

Even in the cold, I love that early morning tranquility

Double workout Wednesday
Another brisk morning (with too much wind), I decided to keep it inside. Upper-body strength work to the rescue (and 20 minutes on the elliptical).  After work, I did another 1-mile streak run through the 'hood. Nothing grandiose, but it was already day 21 of the run streak!

    

High-stepping it Thursday
Another weekly #5at5 run with my friend, Barb. The temps were chilly (22F, with a 14F feels-like), but bearable. The weather really turned nice by lunchtime, though, so I took Max for a short walk over the noon hour. Later, after work, we went for another walk together and I continued on for two additional miles. It had been awhile since I'd taken a long walk outdoors, so it was a nice change of routine.

Double fitness Friday
The morning temps were moderate, but forecast to be beautiful by lunchtime. I started the day with some fasted cardio, via a lower-body focused HIIT session. It may not look like much on paper, but it was a solid 20 minutes of sweat equity.

four sets: 
*10 squats
*10 mountain climbers
*1-minute wall sit
*10 plank jacks
*10 regular jumping jacks
*10 burpees

Coach Max kept a watchful eye on me

 Over my lunch break, I got outside for two glorious miles in the 48F temps in the sunshine! Now, this is the kind of winter weather I like. It's not every day I can comfortably wear shorts - in  December - or take a pass on gloves.

Sensational sunny Saturday
Holy Chilly Sunrise, Batman! The temps felt colder than anticipated, but only for that first mile. A big day ahead (ahem, the son's collegiate graduation!), so I met up with Barb for another 5-mile (somewhat) early morning run. Nothing like fresh air, conversation with a runner friend, and a beautiful sunrise...am I right? Later, the temps climbed to the 50F's...that's downright balmy for Iowa!

Simply sunsational Sunday
With the unseasonably warm temps the day prior, Sunday morning greeted us with a fresh layer of frost everywhere. With our annual "Under the Holiday Lights" group run happening at twilight, I opted for some power walking with the hubby (after we took Max around the block for his morning business). I was really glad to NOT be running on the slick, frosty pavement...walking was tricky enough for this klutz queen (#glasshalffull).

Is it obvious which set of legs are mine and which are the hubby's?

Later, a few of us met up for a 5-mile run around town, canvasing the holiday lights. The temps were near-perfect (low-40F's,  but with a bit of wind), and the lighted displays were beautiful.

So, it was a decent week in my fitness world. It felt good to get back outside for some walking (8 miles). The elliptical saw 50 minutes of action. Friday's HIIT was a nice reminder of how much I like those early morning sweat sessions. Total running tallied at 21 miles (including those five miles on  Sunday evening). I mentioned my left Achilles being a bit wonky. What I didn't mention was hitting the inside of my left ankle on an obnoxious bolt sticking out from our futon (on a dark morning LOL)  almost two weeks ago. No bruising, but it hurt something awful. I think my Achilles suffered because I was compensating for my ankle (without knowing it). After wearing a compression wrap on the ankle most of this week, everything feels better...both ankle and Achilles. I'm keeping my "long" runs at 5 miles for the remainder of my streak (ending on New Years Day) as a precaution, though.

In case you missed out, here's what went down on the blog this week:
Back to the BRRR!
Just Cool It...and don't skip the cool-down
2019 - Looking Back, Moving Ahead

In other news:
Friday Fashion Flair on Instagram....Tis the season for holiday-inspired fashion, right? The ugly sweaters have staged quite a comeback, by being "fashionably unfashionable," I'm hoping the same isn't true for my handful of holiday-patterned dresses. In my defense, I only get to wear them a couple times each year, so I choose to embrace the brightness.  As always, you're invited to join the fashion party on Friday...post a pic, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and be sure to tag me (@runningonthefly). It's fun seeing our fitness friends in "real" clothing, right?

Saturday was a busy day for our family. Our son graduated from the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business! So, yes, we have another Iowa alum in the family. We had a nice time celebrating his achievement, but we also paid tribute to Iowa's former football coaching legend, Hayden Fry (who passed away earlier in the week).

And, finally, I want to take a minute to thank each and every one of you for all of your support, encouragement and inspiration! I'm so grateful for all of my runner friends, near and far. I wish I could hug all of you in person.

Anyways, that's what happened last week. This coming week is going to be action-packed as the hubby and I head to California (via a detour through Arizona) to support our Iowa Hawkeyes at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. I'm excited to check off a few more cities (and a new state) on my running journey.

How did the past week go for you? Crazy weather? Holiday happenings, races or fun runs?

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