Sunday, February 9, 2020

Outside Is Alright


Winter outside? It's alright with me...at least it was this week.

It was a cold week, no doubt. At times, the wind was crazy. We also got snow (again) on Friday (it was our fifth consecutive Friday with the white stuff coming down in some capacity).

More importantly, it was my third consecutive week of winter running exclusively outside (Sorry, not sorry, Milly). In my book, that's a victory.

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 ;-)

Anyways, here's a look at what down in my fitness world this week:

Never miss a Monday
The past few Mondays, it's been kind of cold and damp in the wee hours. I've done a stair workout in the morning, and postponed the run until after work. So, why mess with a good thing? This Monday's stair workout was the same as in Mondays past - 40 flights (done in sets of 20) with 40 push-ups mixed in (also done in sets of 20). I also did 1-mile (inclined) walk on the treadmill.
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After work, the temps were still quite frigid. The sun had disappeared and the wind had taken on a life of its own...but the daylight was ever bright! Instead of the usual 2-miler, I changed things up and did a 5K for my #nevermissaMonday gig. All was well!
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Another tri-Tuesday
In keeping with the theme of repeating, I did the same workout as the previous Tuesday. Kind of a triathlon of sorts, I started with 20 minutes on the elliptical, followed with a 1-mile (inclined) power walk with Milly, and finished with 20 flights of double steps.
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Weekly #5at5 Wednesday
Holy Brrr, Batman! Momma N sure seems to be basking in the wind. I met up with Barb for our weekly early-morning 5-miler. We were quite jovial, enjoying the cold (but not too uncomfortable temps) until we made the turn at the halfway mark on our course....and had to fight the headwind for the final (almost) two miles.
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Strength & Stair-work Thursday
Although I'm doing daily stairs (20 flights of doubles, daily, for February), I've been doing more focused stair work on Thursdays. I came up with a challenging circuit this week, mixing in some upper-body strength moves:

 4 sets:
*5 flights of doubles
*5 flights of triples
*15 upper-body (shoulder) reps
*5 flights of doubles
*5 flights of triples
*15 upper-body (arms) reps
*5 slow-mo push-ups

Doing the math, four sets of the circuit netted me 80 total flights of stairs, 8 sets of upper-body strength, and 20 total slow-mo push-ups. I ended with a 1-mile walk outside for a cool-down, literally. I also did a couple more (walking) miles on the treadmill in the evening...because, why not?
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Just-the-minimums for Friday
Feeling the need for an active rest day, I did the bare minimums upon wake-up. My February Challenge had me doing the 1-mile power walk (with Milly), 20 stair flights (doubles) and 20 push-ups...all while my manicure dried.  I was totally fine with that.
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Super Sunny Saturday
Another especially cold morning, Barb and I decided to wait until we'd have sunshine before meeting up for a run. And, sunshine we had! We joined forces at 7:15 and knocked out seven miles under the bright, blue sky. It's a good thing we had that sunshine, too, because the wind picked up in the final three miles, and blessed us with a nasty headwind for the final stretch. Thankfully, it "warmed up" to the mid-20F's by afternoon...I went for a 2-mile walk, and it almost felt Spring-like. Yeah, almost.
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No sun Sunday
I'm especially thankful for Saturday's daylong sunshine, because there was thick cloud cover on Sunday morning. I headed out for an easy 2-mile recovery run only for Momma N decide to dump a bunch of precip on me, after I'd gotten 1/2-mile out. Nice! Well, the joke's on her because I decided to morph my run into a feel-good tempo endeavor instead. Glass half full, even with messy #rainhair to recoup before church. I guess my daily walk will be with Milly later (I know, first world probs).
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All in all, a decent week. The running mileage was still pretty minimal (17 miles), but the walking had a slight boost (10 miles). There was one upper-body session (Thursday) and daily push-ups. As mentioned, I'm doing more focused stair-work this month, which is serving as my lower-body strength work. These are actual "intentional" stairs climbed, not the random ups-and-downs during the day. This week, I climbed 230 flights, mostly double-steps, but there were some triple-step climbs from Thursday's workout. Onward!

In case you missed out, here's what went down on the blog this week:
Winter: We Got This!
Not a setback, but a lesson in Gratitude
5 Fitness Hacks, Courtesy of the Stairs

In other news:
Friday Fashion Flair! Being it was National Wear Red Day (in support of women's heart health), and also a frigidly cold and snowy winter day, I was bundled up in a red t-neck sweater and a cozy plaid scarf. Pay no attention to the black flats sans socks LOL (I typically don't wear socks unless I'm wearing boots OR decked out in workout gear). 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 Wednesday was National Girls and Women In Sports Day? I hope you celebrated!


Lastly, in the Good News category...this weekend, I learned that I was accepted into the ROAD iD ambassadorship program for 2020! I've owned (and worn) a ROAD iD wrist band for several years, so I'm excited to represent the company and help encourage others to take safety precautions when they're out and about. Stay tuned, I'll have a discount code to share soon!
#TeamROADiD

Anyways, enough about me....tell me something about YOUR week! 
Winter weather? Cold temps? Opting outside or keeping it inside? Did you wear red on Friday? Any racing over the weekend? 



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43 comments:

  1. Nice week Kim! Congrats on the Road ID ambassadorship, they chose wisely. I guarantee that Milly's feelings are not hurt in the slightest about being left out of your runs.

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    1. Well, I sincerely hope Milly is alright with my shunning her...she's SOL if she thinks I'm gonna spend any unnecessary extra time with her LOL

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  2. Solid week of workouts as always! I think we've been more mild here although it seems we have more snow. We've got a storm in progress as I type. Congrts on the Road ID gig!

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    1. Our snow has been progressively melting...the temps keep hovering between 32F and 34F. Other than the morning rain, it was mild here (except for the on-going wind).

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  3. You are always great about getting it done.

    I did too even though it was cold and my foot STILL hurts.

    There are worse things.

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    1. I love getting my workouts done in the early morning...it would be tough to get them done (consistently) if I waited until after work.

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  4. I like that you were able to get outside more this week - I know that you and Milly aren't the best of friends, lol.

    Congratulations on being selected as a Road ID ambassador!

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    1. Milly is fine for walking. I'm not sure how the walks don't seem as painful as the running does...probably my stride is less compromised. But, YES, I'm glad to be back outside for running!!!

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  5. Way to get outside as much as possible and congrats on the Road ID ambassadorship! Sounds like a good one. I need to start wearing my Road ID more frequently...especially when running alone.

    Who's ready for warm-weather running? I'm sure you are, I definitely am!

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  6. I have managed to take all my runs outside for the past couple of weeks, but I have a strong feeling some treadmill runs could be in my future next week. More mixed precip forecast. It's the worst!

    Congrats on becoming a Road ID Ambassador!

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    1. This morning's run got tricky...I kept feeling slick spots under my feet that didn't "look" slick.

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  7. I *did* wear red on Friday! A few of my coworkers did, too, so we got in a nice group photo. I managed to get outisde for a few runs this week but also took it inside a few days -- it was snowy and icy some mornings, and I didn't want to slip.

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    1. Now and ice can really be tricky, and not runner-friendly. I've been luck with not having much ice to deal with recently (at least on my running days).

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  8. good work Kim and great news on RoadID! congrats! Saturday's blue sky looks STUNNING!

    still quite mild here! I never really know what to wear so I just keep wearing and washing my thicker InkNBurn top and doubling up on tights!

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    1. I've been doubling up on tights, too. My two pairs of fleece-lined tights are both black (which is boring for me LOL), so I layer my prettier ones over them :-) The temps are so tricky, though...they get super cold, I acclimate...then they "warm up" a little, and I have to re-acclimate to that. Constant guessing game!

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  9. 10F! That's hardcore. I've gotten used to the 20s some winters but so far this winter has been a bit more mild. I missed wear red day since I was working at home.

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    1. Did you see that it was 10F, but with a feels-like of 0? Hardcore, and probably a little crazy. The sun, though, really brightens the day and makes the chill not feel as bad.

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  10. Congrats on the RoadID Ambassador! It's a great product, and I wear mine! I did a lot of treadmill miles this week but a long run outside. I figured that was enough Vitamin D for this week. haha!! We are getting more snow right now, so no sun, and the kids are crossing their fingers for school delay tomorrow! :)

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    1. Saturday's sunshine was amazing! I didn't get any Vitamin D on my other runs, but I'm alright with that. I just can't do the 'mill if there's a chance of getting outside.

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    1. Congrats to you, too. It will be fun learning more about their products, especially the ones for dogs!

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  12. A successful week all around! all those stair workouts would kill me. Congrats on the road ID program. I love mine that goes on the Garmin. Have a great week ahead

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    1. I bet you could make the stair workouts happen, they just take some training to get used to them. Like all those Peloton rides you do with Denis :-)

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  13. Congrats on the ambassadorship! I love mine and wear it every single day. Ugh, I don't like headwind. I am still running outside though I almost went out today but it was still dark.

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  14. Love to see the red for GRFW! I am super impressed with your stair work even though I do the stepmill at the gym every week. I think I'd injure myself doing it your way. I'd probably miss a stair and twist an ankle or trip up the stairs and bang up my face. Lol!

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    1. Ha ha...and I think I'd face-plant on the stepmill because I'm so uncoordinated ;-)

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  15. You know I'm happy with the cold, but wind is my nemesis. Congrats on the RoadID ambassador! (I really need to order one with my current info.)

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    1. Wind is definitely a nemesis for me, too. I don't like the cold, but I can tolerate it LOL I just got my promo discount for ROAD iD...KIMBERLY10OFF ($10 USD off a purchase of $20 or more) :-)

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  16. You are going to rock your stair event this year with all of the hard work you're putting into training!

    Congrats on the Road ID ambassadorship! I've been using Road ID since you had to order via the mail after seeing the ad in the back of Runner's World Magazine. I was an ambassador several years ago until they ended their program. I've recently noticed people mentioning it and that it's back up and running again.

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    1. Thanks, Debbie!! I'm looking forward to the Climb, especially since I missed it last year. Too bad you can't come and join me...

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  17. I love your tile under your treadmill. Somehow never noticed that until this round of pics. Are your Wednesday tights reflective? Awesome
    Congrats on Road ID. I look forward to shopping with you. They recently got my email and I've gotten some ads so curious about them

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    1. The Wednesday tights are not reflective...actually just "summer" tights layered over the thermal ones (because the summer ones are much prettier than the drab black ones LOL).

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  18. 220 flights of stairs!! What a great workout for your legs. This will serve you well when your race season starts!
    Great that you had some glorious sun on Saturday.

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    1. Saturday's sun was incredible! Totally worth the cold temps :-)

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  19. Not bad for a winter week! Glad you were able to get outside as much as you did. The sun feels so good when its cold and windy. Congrats on your Road ID ambassadorship!

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    1. Well, I think the sunshine is amazing year-round :-) But, it's especially appreciated this time of year!

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  20. 2 miles with a headwind - that's tough! I never appreciated the powerful force that wind is until I was caught in it on a run in December. And at least mine was warm wind, not cold! Another solid week for you - I missed the National Girls and Women in Sports Day!

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    1. I have run a few hot summer runs with a headwind, and that's a frustrating force of Momma N, too! I hot headwind is almost (almost!! LOL) as bad as a cold one...

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  21. Love your USA red white and blue! And yay for Road ID! So glad to be part of that crew with you!

    The weather has been really chilly, but also gorgeous, short of a scary wind storm on Thursday. I think this was the first time I was in Disney and not in full sweat LOL!

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  22. Great job making the most of the crazy weather, especially the rainy run on Sunday!

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  23. I'm always impressed by how consistent you are with those early morning runs, even in winter! I can't bring myself to run in the dark during winter.

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