Back Outside Never Felt So Fine

Back outside never felt so fine!

You gotta believe me on this. After three of my last four runs had happened indoors (from the previous week), I desperately needed a sabbatical from Dear Old Milly (my not-so-beloved treadmill). Thankfully, this week's weather was much more bearable and allowed me to take most of my workouts back outside.

This week threw me a lot of challenges. We're talking time management, social obligations, appointments, you name it. I'm thankful I didn't have to deal with more Milly time as well...

Before I get to the nitty gritty 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 ;-)

Here's what went down in my little world of fitness this week:
Monday - Double workout day #1
Temps were still chillin' in the early morning, and I didn't feel like suiting up and heading out on the icy streets. I improvised a short stair workout, as a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., echoing the message of one of his many quotes of inspiration (see below). I did three sets of 20 flights (double steps)/20 push-ups all in an approximate 20-minute time span.

Stairs = fasted cardio to the max

After work, it was still quite cold (8F with a -3F feels-like ) and the streets were still quite icy, but the sun was shining SOOO bright. I just couldn't bring myself to do another treadmill run (three of the last four runs had been courtesy of Milly). I drove over to the main campus, and ran two loops on the sidewalk perimeter. The cement was icy in more places than not, but without any traffic distractions, I could focus on my footing and veer into the snow-covered grass if needed. I considered three miles, but ended with two due to the temps. The only thing cold on me was my face, but I didn't think it wise to stay outside too long in those extreme temps. None the less, this caged bird had been set free!

As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Free at last! Free at last!"

Tuesday - Long day #1 of the week...
I was up and on the elliptical for a 20-minute fasted cardio fix, then it was fast-forward to work, a club luncheon, and a long afternoon at the office. Then we got a call that the son (who has been living at home and commuting to Des Moines for work) had been able to line up a few more house-hunting appointments, so the hubby and I road-tripped (50ish miles) and met him and the realtor for a few hours. We didn't get back home until after 9:00...I caught up on all the blog reading (sorry for all the late comments/replies) and called it a night soon thereafter.

Elliptical for breakfast

Wednesday - Long Day #2 of the week...
Barb wasn't feeling well, so I was on my own for early morning miles. The streets were still questionable, but (again) the 'mill just wasn't calling to me. I drove back over to the campus, and planned to run the 1-mile sidewalk loop...but after making it almost all the way around, I decided to take to the street and run the 2-mile loop instead. Although it was 14F (feels-like), it actually felt fresh and crisp because the wind played nice (or maybe I have acclimated to the sub-freezing weather???). I ran two loops (four total miles) and actually saw a couple other runners out and about (and no vehicles (#win). I had to hustle back home to start my crazy day:
*7:30 dentist appointment
*9:45 ortho appointment (at their main office, 20 miles away)
*back to the office at 11:30 for a crazy busy day (putting out lots of fires, in the figurative sense)
*major crash on the couch with Max, after work (watching the Iowa men's basketball game)
*20 minutes of arms/upper-body strength before lights out

Early morning miles for my wake-up

Thursday - Double (snow) workout day
With a substantial snowfall overnight, there was a lot of snow that needed to be dealt with. I created a stair/snow-throw/stair "brick"workout of sorts. I'm all about multi-tasking, you know. How does this sound?

**30 flights of (barefoot) double-steps (you know, for a warm-up)
**20 minutes of snow-throw cardio (preferable with heavy, wet snow)
**50 flights of (barefoot) double-steps (for the grand finale)

Please note, this is a full-body workout...and your entire body will probably feel it the next day (if not sooner). The double steps (done barefoot) are a great variation of stair-climbing, and are done a bit slower than with shoes (due to the #faceplant risk). Your arches will enjoy a much fuller range of motion, too!  I did slide on a pair of leggings (and boots) for the outdoor snow-throw portion. The whole "lift with your legs" thing is kind of null and void when done with an awkward heavy shovel, just saying.

up and at it, literally

Friday - Holy OUCH!
Oh my aching body! I woke up in a world of hurt following all of Thursday's excursions, mainly the intense snow-throwing (there was an additional 30 minutes of snow shoveling, throwing and heave-ho'ing Thursday evening). With even more snowfall (3-4 inches) from the overnight, running outdoors was out of the question...but walking wasn't. Our street hadn't even been plowed when I headed out (just before 6:00a.m.), so I stayed in the 'hood and "broke trail" for a good 30 minutes of deep-snow power-hiking in the (still) falling snow. Kind of like snow-shoeing minus the snow shoes.

Yep, I beat the snow plows (but you can't tell from the pic)

Saturday - Iowa Winter Games 5K!
After the crazy week I'd had, I was more than eager to head out of town with Barb for a quick over-nighter and race on Saturday morning. Let me set the scene...it was somewhat cold (33F with a 24F feels-like), it was windy and the air felt damp. The course was quite hilly, which I embrace (because "flat and fast" races are for sissies LOL)...but it does make for a challenging experience. It was a fun endeavor, though, and a new-to-me race. Oh, and Barb and I both brought home 1st place AG gold medals. Stay tuned, I'll share a brief recap in a couple of days.

My first Iowa Winter Games experience

Sunday - Recovery: 101
Saturday's chilly and hilly 5K did a number on me (those conditions actually made the 3.1 miles feel much farther). We also hosted a (delayed) graduation celebration for our son that evening...so there was some last-minute prepping after returning home from the race. I got out Sunday morning for a short recovery run, and returned home feeling much better, though still a bit rickety. Let's just say there will be plenty of stretching on tap for later. It's all good...I get to choose this running stuff, after all. I'm thankful for the need to stretch and recover...if that makes sense.

So, it was an interesting week. The running miles were very minimal (only 12, yikes!). Only one walking adventure, but it was an intense hike on unplowed, hilly streets. One elliptical session (20 minutes). Stair-climbing topped out at 140 flights (I'm starting to train for the Fight for Air Climb, March 29th). And the snow-throwing....I challenge anyone to a duel if there's any doubt as to the legitimacy of it being a substantial workout. There's squatting, pushing, dragging, lunging and a whole lot of thrusting with an unbalanced device (the shovel). It's been two days, and my body is still feeling the DOMS from that.

 In case you missed out, here's what went down on the blog this week:
Okay Momma N...GAME ON!!!
Tackling the Treadmill Turmoil

In other news:
Friday Fashion Flair! It's Winter in Iowa, in every sense of the word. Friday had me swaddled in a blanket wrap in an attempt to stay warm amongst all the falling and blowing snow. How do you feel about blanket wraps? I'm kind of on the fence...they're very trendy right now, but not always a practical option unless you're sitting perfectly still. This pretty plaid one, though, has arm slits, so I can answer the phone and write without needing to completely "unwrap" myself from its warmth. Care to play along? Post a pic of your outfit on Instagram, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and be sure to tag me (@runningonthefly).

Did you honor the late Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday? He was such an inspiring leader, who was taken from us much too soon. I came across his quote about "having faith" and "taking that first step" years ago, when I was in the middle of stair-training. It struck a very deep chord for me, on many levels.

And, finally, the days are getting longer! It's such a great feeling having daylight lingering AFTER I get home from work. Summer can't get here soon enough in my opinion!

So, that's my week...crazy, somewhat stressful, and action-packed. I'm thankful I was able to get it all done and still have some energy on reserve.

Tell me something about YOUR week...any races over the weekend? Any races coming up? Have you done any heavy-snow throwing as of late? Noticing the extended daylight?

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