A Winter "Wonder" Land

Ever wonder, really wonder, exactly what season is happening outside?

Well, this was such a week. It was cold. It was windy. There was fog. And rain. And more snow. But, there was sunshine. And it got warm.

Talk about your "wonder"land.

Before we get into all 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 - How about some precip? And fog, for good measure?
When you're just not feeling the run in the wee hours, and the early morning rain ain't exactly calling your name, what's a runner to do? This runner painted her toe nails (because, eewww, they needed some TLC) and did 60 flights of stairs while the polish dried.

With the run postponed until after work, the great outdoors were still looking bleak. The temps had been flirting with sub-freezing/above-freezing all day. The streets were still damp with intermittent black ice lurking. And, there was fog, lots of fog. You can probably see where this is going...I decided it was best to keep the run inside with Milly, but I still selfied outside afterwards. Two #nevermissaMonday miles of running and a mile of walking (for the cool-down). Gotta love those  double-workout days!

Tuesday - non-impact/recovery day inside 
As per usual, the indoor Tuesday routine continued. Twenty minutes of elliptical (and 20 flights of stairs) to greet the morning. Max and I had a couple of short walks (at lunch and after work) and I walked a little more on the treadmill before dinner.

Wednesday - a cold & windy #5at5
Dang. In case there was any doubt, Winter was still very much a reality in Iowa. At least it wasn't snowing and the streets were clear for the weekly early-morning adventure with Barb. Glass half full!

Thursday - another arctic blast outside = HIIT inside
I posed the question on Facebook and Insta...Cardio, coffee or cryo for a thorough wake-up? Hands-down, it's cardio for me, and with the freezing (-13F) feels-like temps, it happened inside. But that brief post-workout cryotherapy certainly was pretty effective as well.

Here's what went down:
*40 total squats
*40 total push-ups
*40 total "Spiderman" mountain climbers
*40 total burpees
*40 total stair flights

Doing four circuits (sets of 10 for each move) netted me about 30 minutes of sweat equity. I also did some upper-body strength work in the evening (no pics, but I pinky-swear it really did happen). I'm kind of liking these double workout days!

Friday - easy-peasy recovery day, complete with wind and sunshine
I have gotten into a routine (during this non-26.2 cycle) of keeping my Fridays low-key. There's usually a semi-tough workout on Thursday, as well as a long-ish run on Saturday, so an easy Friday is a perfect fit. Thank goodness! Remember those squats from Thursday? There were only 40 of them, but I must have done them with vigor, because my glutes and hammies were a little cranky come Friday morning. I walked a mile on the treadmill and climbed 20 stair flights, and everything felt much better. There was also some stretching on tap for the day.

Saturday - a chilly, hilly and windy 8-miler in the sunshine
I met up with Barb and we set out for eight miles. The hammies were still entertaining some residual DOMS, but they were manageable. The temps were cold at 7:15 (31F with a 22F feels-like), and the wind was a little naughty, but that sunshine! We even shed the gloves, a couple miles into the run, because it didn't feel that miserable once we had the wind at our backs. Then, as the day worn on, the temps climbed into the upper 40F's!

Sunday - more sunshine and mild temps
I woke up Sunday morning feeling a bit stiff and tired (despite actually getting more than six hours of sleep). So, I went for a 2-mile recovery run. As predicted, I came home feeling so.much.better. Maybe it was the bright sunshine? Or the fresh air? The crisp (mild) wind in my face? Honestly, I wish I would have figured out the magic of recovery runs much sooner. Everyone's recovery strategy is different (duh, it has to be LOL), so I'm glad I figured out what works for me.  Movement is magic.

So, a decent week. Running capped out at 17 miles. Walking had 11 (intentional) miles logged. As I've mentioned in previous weeks, I'm focusing on stair-training this month (in prep for the Fight for Air Climb, on March 29th), and 200 flights were climbed this week. As for other cross-training, there were 20 minutes of elliptical, one HIIT workout and some upper-body work. Variety, anyone?

In case you missed out, here's what went down on the blog this week:
Can You Say Daylight
2020 FreezeFest 5K race recap
10 Special Keepsakes from 10 Significant Races

In other news:
Friday Fashion Flair! I've mentioned my fondness for puffer vests a time or two. With Friday's windy  (but not-too-cold) temps, a puffer vest was a perfect fit...warmth from the wind, without the bulk of a full jacket. Plus, the funky, colorful pattern is anything but boring. As always, you're welcome to join me on Fridays...post a pic on Instagram, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and be sure to tag me (@runningonthefly).

Did you know Thursday was National Love Your Pet Day? I also heard Saturday was National Walk Your Dog Day. Well, I don't know who is making up all these "national" days, but they are kind of fun. We walk Max a lot (when it's not extremely frigid outside), so there's no need for even more pics of that, but I did post this favorite pic of him on Thursday. As many know, we adopted him from a nearby shelter five years ago, and it's been such a great ride. He's a fun, crazy, energetic (and sometimes mischievous) little dude, but he's also quite a charmer.

So, talk to me! How are things in your fitness world? Any races happening, or coming up? New cross-training endeavors?

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