All is Well that ends Well

All is well that ends well, especially in terms of the weather!

But, Holy Brrr, Batman...we had to wait for it.

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 - kind of a daily double
My Monday routine (as of late) has involved early morning stair-training (with a few push-ups thrown in), then a post-workday outside run. Why mess with a good thing? 40 flights and 40 push-ups in the early hours, and a feel-good 5K after work (with 10 bonus flights of stairs before and after). Works for me!
      

Tuesday - easy does it
A double workout day on Monday means an easy, no-impact day for Tuesday. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and the usual 20/20 (stairs and push-ups), and I was good for the day.

Wednesday - the usual #5at5 run
Another cold morning, Barb and I met up for our weekly 5-miler at o'dark thirty. I kept seeing fog everywhere...only to realize (duh) it was my breath hovering under the glow of my light-up hat. It remained pretty cold all day, so I walked a couple miles on the treadmill after work instead of layering up to do so outside.

Thursday - another stairway HIIT workout & another double workout day
I've said it many times, but I seldom do the same workout twice. Such was the case with Thursday morning. I came up with this to "up" the intensity on the stairway with a few more intervals.

All About the 5's HIIT Extravaganza
***5 sets (obviously)***

*5 push-ups
*5 plank jacks
*5 burpees
*5 stair flights (double-stepped)
*5 push-ups
*5 mountain climbers
*5 jump squats
*5 stair flights (double-stepped)
*1-minute wall sit

Final totals: 50 stair flights, 50 push-ups, 5 minutes of wall-sitting, and 25 of all the other moves. Total time was 27:31, and I was wide awake when finished. The wall sits acted as a brief recovery period between the sets. This workout wound up being more intense than it looked on paper (at least for me), so a brief cryotherapy fix outside was warranted afterwards. There also was some upper-body strength work in the evening (but you don't need to see another pic of my biceps curling LOL) .

Friday - recovery day
Nothing grandiose...20 minutes on the elliptical, 20 flights of stairs, and 20 push-ups. Less than 30 minutes of action, just enough to wake up the body and mind. I've been fielding a lot of questions about my stair-training, and the time commitment of doing 20 flights a day (at the minimum). Friday's 20 flights took all of 4:36 minutes (which includes both going up and coming down). Similar to run-training, I don't "run" them fast very often; I just take the steps "by two's." It's really nothing strenuous, but just enough stair action to keep my endurance in peak form for the Climb.

Saturday - a preview of Spring...as the day progressed
Temps were forecast to be in the upper-40F's by afternoon, but it was a different story in the early morning. Barb and I met up for nine miles and had the great idea to run some roads on the edge of town (in other words, in the open air without the benefit of buildings to act as a wind barrier). All I can say is the 5mph wind on my weather app was a big fat liar, and those miles were a lot of work. Everything hurt, from the armpits-down when I finished. Granted, that was my longest run since my last half marathon (Hillbilly Hike, early November), but UGH.

Sunday - recovering in the Spring air!
After lots of stretching, rolling, and couch time (Hey, there were some GREAT basketball games to watch!), I awoke on Sunday morning feeling better. Still a bit stiff and rickety, but much better than 12  hours prior. I headed out for a 2-mile recovery run before church...and  WOWZA! What a beautiful morning in the sunshine! Within a very short time, I knew my body was back on track. Not everyone embraces that kind of action the morning following a long run, but movement is magic for me.

So, the week played out decently. Running miles totaled out at 19, and walking miles were 10. The elliptical saw 50 minutes of action and the stairs dominated with 190 flights. I've been doing 10-20 flights as a warm-up/cool-down for my runs, which has been a good strategy. There also was one upper-body workout and all kinds of push-ups (190). Onward!

In case you missed out, here's what went down on the blog this week:
A Winter "Wonder" Land
Winter...A Tricky Test of a Runner's Tolerance
First, Let Me Runfess

In other news:
Although the weekend had a big warm-up in the forecast, it wasn't happening yet on Friday. The sky was grey most of the day, and there was an abundance of wind (I ask you, WHAT'S new???).  Anyways, sometimes you gotta bring your own sunshine and brighten the day with some color and pattern. At least that's my strategy. 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).

Guess who came out of hibernation? With the (somewhat) warmer temps on Saturday afternoon, the bike (remember Gustavas?) and I did five miles on the dry streets. My post-run legs appreciated the flush-out from pedaling around town in the fresh air. Besides, I'm pretty sure I've never done a Leap Day ride, or even a February ride for that matter.

Last of all, February was an action-packed month in my fitness world. My running mileage is starting to increase, with the upcoming March races on tap, and the stairs were well-utilized (Fight for Air Climb is March 29th). I'm on the fence if I'll continue with the daily push-ups...I might consider doing them a few times/week since I did get a little burnt-out doing them on the daily. Stay tuned.

So, that's a wrap on the final week of February 2020.

How are things for YOU in your fitness world? Does it feel like Spring yet? Is Winter still hanging on, for one last hurrah? Any big or fun fitness achievements this week? Upcoming races? 

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