Sunday, March 22, 2020

Spring Break: Broken


If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Or, in my case, break it anyways by canceling all your Spring Break plans. I wish I could say "crisis averted," but plenty of COVID-19 drama still went down. At least I had the "luxury" of not worrying about air travel and dirty airports. That said, as of Saturday morning, there has now been one confirmed case in my area.

But, like most others, I chose to forge on. My current count of affected races is at six. Not a big deal...it is what it is, and I'm all about doing what's best for the general population. Most of my races are postponed (one did have a virtual option), and only one was outright cancelled.

Alas, it was another interesting week...

But, first and foremost, 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 how the fitness played out this past week:

Never miss a Monday
Much of the same routine I've been following for the past several Mondays...some stairs in the morning (40 flights) but with a bonus of a 2-mile walk with the hubby and Max before work. After work, I laced up and headed out for a couple miles in what looked (and felt) like a desolated college campus. I respect this is a trying time for everyone, but I'm just amazed at the rudeness among us...especially at a time when we all should be kind to one another and grateful for what we have. I can usually shake off mean or inappropriate stuff on social media, but that wasn't the case on Monday. My mind and soul needed those miles more than my body did.

Early-morning "Roaring 20's hat trick" Tuesday
Back at my usual recovery day routine, I greeted the day with 20 minutes on the elliptical, 20 stair flights and 20 push-ups. Then I got dressed in green and headed to the office. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Stuck inside Wednesday
It was another "raining-and-pouring-treadmill-is-boring" kind of morning. Nothing crazy...2-mile power walk with Milly, 20 flights of stairs, and some upper-body strength work. I'd much rather be outside, but I am grateful for all of my indoor options.


Social distance solo run for Thursday
We'd had rain all day (and night) on Wednesday, and Thursday's forecast was looking similar. I got up early, anticipating some Milly time, but Momma N must have waved the yellow flag on the precipitation. Although the rain was (temporarily) a no-show, the fog was thick. None the less, those four miles were worth the wet, soggy shoes and icky hair (in case you were wondering, the rain did reappear in the final mile LOL).


Fasted cardio Friday
With a big virtual event happening on Saturday, I wanted to keep Friday's fitness pretty low-key. How do 25 minutes of elliptical and 20 flights of stairs sound?

Upon getting home from work Friday afternoon, though, my race packet was waiting for me from the Chocoholic Frolic (which would have been on next weekend's agenda). So I spontaneously decided to start my virtual run early (more info, down below)...and laced up and ran those 6.2 miles (in the wind, thank you very much).

Virtually running on Saturday
It was not the Saturday I had envisioned. I was supposed to have been in sunny Florida, toeing the start line of a race on the streets of Tampa. Instead, I was grounded in Iowa, due to the COVID-19 drama and precautions.  I had a 19-mile virtual run on tap. Since I had already run 6.2 miles the evening prior, I had 13ish miles remaining, which needed to be completed before 5:00. I set out, planning on running eight miles (then finishing the remaining 5 miles in the afternoon). Well, things felt surprisingly good, so I ran 10 miles instead and knocked out the final 2.8 miles by early afternoon...and finished the virtual run well ahead of the 24-hour time allotment (and there may have been a bonus mile worked in after the remaining 2.8 were finished, just saying). Mission accomplished!

Chillin' on Sunday
Waking up with a stiff body (running 20 miles over the course of 36 hours will do that to you), I knew the best thing for me was to get moving. Barb had made the comment that we should do another plogging run (picking up trash while running), so that's what we did. The temps were chill (literally) and so was our run. Two miles and four bags of trash (with lots of bending, lunging and squatting), and I felt much better upon my return home.


So, another interesting week! This is the highest mileage week I've had since MCM, even with no upcoming races. Total running miles tapped out at 28. Stairs flights totaled at 140. Elliptical got 45 minutes of sweat equity, and there was one upper-body strength workout. No HIIT or speed work this week...my bad. Oh well. No regrets.

In case you missed out, here's what all went down on the blog this week:
March Madness and Mayhem
A Week of PI Challenge recap
5 Coping Strategies for a COVID-19 Cancellation

In other news:
Friday Fashion Flair! Although the temps are still wavering a bit back and forth with Winter and Spring, I'm all on board with the new season. White skinny jeans, floral prints, and pointy toed shoes, come to Momma. 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).


New trending term...Social Distancing. It seems like the COVID-19 "rules" are changing everyday. A new term, brought to the center of all the precautions, was social distancing. In an attempt to keep people safely away from human contact (and, ideally, lesson the chance of exposure and spread of the virus), many businesses were forced to give their employees the work-from-home option. Restaurants and bars were ordered to close (other than take-out or delivery). Most stores cut their hours of operation. YIKES! The #ish kept getting more real.


About that 19-mile virtual run...
At Wendy's suggestion, I decided to do the COVID-19 Mile Social Distance Run. The participants could do it any time (March 13th-31st), in segments or nonstop, but it had to be completed within 24 hours of starting. As mentioned, I started with the 10K , on Friday after work. That gave me until 5:00 on Saturday to "finish" the 19 miles. It worked out well running it in segments...I had time to rest and recover (briefly) between each of the three runs. For me, it was very similar to the team relays I have done in terms of running multiple times and with similar cumulative mileage. Ironically, the initial 10K was the hardest part of this, due to the cold temps and wind (the temps had a 20F feels-like with the 20ish mph wind). Saturday morning's 10-miler felt relatively easy in comparison to Friday, and the afternoon's 2.8-miler wasn't an issue. I'm really glad I gave this challenge a go!



Finally, have you heard? Deborah and I are hosting a fun challenge starting tomorrow....the 19 Minutes for 19 Days Challenge. Basically, in the midst of all the COVID-19 stuff, we're encouraging peeps to commit to 19 minutes of fitness for 19 continuous days. It can be simply 19 minutes of one activity (running, walking, biking, swimming, etc.) or a combination of exercises (yoga, calisthentics, etc.). Hopefully, after these 19 days have passed, we'll be through the worst of this COVID-19 crisis. Hopefully. At the worst, we'll still be maintaining our fitness through it. You can post your workouts or selfies on Insta/Facebook and use the hashtag #19for19Challenge. Please join us!
#19for19Challenge
So, that's the latest and (somewhat) greatest for now.

How was your week? Are you staying active through this COVID-19 crisis? Have you been quarantined at home yet? Are you being a good social distancing participant?  

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter

45 comments:

  1. Sorry I missed that 19-mile virtual run. It sounds like a great challenge. I did a 13-miler today. I could do 6 tomorrow! As always, your workout week is so impressive. I'm amazed at all the fitness activities you get in on a recovery day! And picking up trash as you run is a great idea. I'm going to see if Bill wants to try that one with me.

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  2. You had another great workout week. I'm hopeful that I'll feel up to getting some better workouts in this coming week, but my key is to not overdo it!

    I'm so sorry that you had to cancel your spring break trip. We had to cancel two smaller trips - to see my mom last weekend and to the beach this coming weekend.

    Thanks for the linkup and stay safe!

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    1. Cancelling the trip was a bummer, but not a big deal in the grand scheme of all that is happening. We all gotta do our part to prevent this virus from getting any worse.

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  3. So sorry your spring break plans in Tampa and the race were canceled. 2020 is shaking out to be "interesting" so far to say the least. Way to keep on keeping on though!

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  4. So sorry your Spring break and other travel plans were canceled. We canceled our trip to DC as well. I have been trying to get out and run most days, but I'm still recovering from the flu. But running helps with my anxiety which is at an all time high right now with everything going on so I'm trying to get out as much as I can. Hope you are staying healthy!

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    1. SO far all of are staying healthy. The bigger battle is keeping my parents healthy because my mom does not like staying home...

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  5. Bummer about your travel plans. But wow, way to knock out those 19 miles!! That is such a fun idea. Even though I wasn't going to do any really long runs right now, I might need to reconsider just to join in. Speaking of plogging, I did pick up some trash on my run today. That's always a great feeling to help keep our routes clean! Great job on your workouts this week.

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    1. Plogging does feel like the right thing to do. This 19-mile virtual is open until the 31st, so there's still plenty of time ;-)

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  6. Congrats on 19! I'm sorry that you missed out FL and your race. Shelter in place isn't mandatory for us yet but it's recommended and common sense, so we're on board. Being at home with my family for the foreseeable future is nothing short of heaven and we're soaking it in.

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    1. I agree, it's alright to sty home and enjoy the family. We helped our son move into his condo this late afternoon/early evening and had to do a target run. It was so eery...I think we were three of maybe 20 total people in the entire store.

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  7. Broken indeed. I feel like the world is at times. I love this 19 challenge and will do my best to do it, even though my social media game is not the best. There's been lots of instagram lately, which is odd for me when I'm home. Your stronger than fear (? I think) shirt is awesomely timed.

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    1. Yes, the tank says "Stronger than every fear," and it's quite an appropriate mantra for our current times. We'd love to have you join us in the 199 for 19 challenge!

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  8. Crazy times we're living in...hopefully something we only experience once in a lifetime.

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    1. So true....it's like nothing I could have ever imagined!

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  9. Thankfully I haven't seen rude comments. I guess I don't spend enough time on Social Media (well, I know I don't!).

    I'm sorry about the Spring Break plans. Even though it's necessary, I'm sure it still stings.

    I'm not even running 19 miles in one week at the moment, so that challenge just wasn't right for me. Glad you enjoyed it!

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    1. Unfortunately, the rudeness is a reality, and I'm hyper sensitive. I also know that everyone is affected by this virus situation differently, and some just need a punching bag LOL Spring Break was a bust, but a necessary one...we're all alright, and that's the important thing.

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  10. Sorry your Florida plans were waylaid. We had college visits on tap for this week, but of course, that's not happening.

    Big congrats on the 19 miler!

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    1. Fortunately, we had ZERO problems canceling and have up to Dec. 31 to rebook with the travel voucher (which was 12-months from the date of the original booking). Not a huge deal in the grand scheme.

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  11. I"m pretty bummed that my spring break was cut short and not due to coronavirus ! But I had a trip planned to visit a certain southern friend in May that is looking like it might not be happening. sigh.

    Nice job on the 19 miler.

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    1. A Lot of stuff has thrown us for a curve in recent weeks...glad we all have our fitness to keep us in check, physically and emotionally.

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  12. I'm coming away from running blogs for a bit and my own one, as I am trying to limit how much c'virus stuff I mull over, for the sake of my mental health. Being careful, have written a note to everyone, and will see you all when this is over, or when I feel more stable.

    I do love your chocolate medal - a Hershey's Kiss this time, right?

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    1. Yes, the medal resembles a Hershey's Kiss...cute,huh? I'm pretending it's a dark chocolate kiss.... ;-) The virus is all over social media as well as the news), and I'm just scrolling past 98% of it because I'm tired of it as well. Take care!

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  13. OMG, I just got why you chose 19 minutes for the challenge. Duh! You always have a great way at looking on the bright side. I'm grateful my kids are doing well and we all have food at home.

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    1. Right...and do you have plenty of TP? ;-) I'm still shaking my head at all the hoarding.

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  14. Way to mix up your workouts this week and log so many miles too. Nice job on the 19 miler virtual. Feels pretty good to accomplish something like that amidst all of this craziness. Excited for our challenge!

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    1. The 19-miler was a no-brainer because I like doing challenges such as that. I think our challenge is gonna be fun! I've had so many people asking about it ;-)

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  15. Love all of the workouts that you did this week, especially the virtual 19 miler. I'm really considering doing it since it can be done over a 24 hour period. It might make my agenda for Friday-Saturday, depending on how I feel!

    I'll be joining you and Deborah for the challenge Thanks so much for doing this!

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  16. Kudos on completing that challenge. I don't run two days in a row so it was a no go. I am working from home and pretending that my races have not been cancelled.

    I ran NYC half virtually (unofficially) and plan to do a half each month the same way.It's about the miles, right?

    It will end and we will race again.

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    1. Exactly!!! This will end, and we'll get to race again. And, I'm betting we will appreciate it that much more ;-)

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  17. I'm so sorry that all your plans got changed. This has been no fun for anyone.

    I saw the COVID-19 challenge, but there was no way I could manage 19 miles in that short a period, even with walking. Congratulations on getting it done!

    I am definitely in for your challenge! It's great to have a challenge I CAN physically do, without critical modifications. My husband is in, too!

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  18. The majority of my friends are saying that there running mileage is higher than ever even though most races are cancelled (or will be cancelled). My running mileage is right on schedule but my walking mileage sure has increased. We've been taking numerous walks as a family. Max is LOVING all the extra exercise!

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    1. I have noticed so many more people out walking recently! I think everyone is either loving all the fresh air, or escaping the cabin fever LOL

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  19. Ah, I did that 19 mile virtual run too! I ran more than ever last week, too.
    Six races postponed/cancelled! That's a lot. Did you get a refund for the cancelled one? We will get partial refunds or a voucher for participating next year.

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    1. Yay!! Glad we could (virtually) run together ;-) The cancelled race was the one I was to do this past weekend in Florida...they might be sending out the swag to the participants, but I honestly don't care either way. It's a chance we all take registering for a race.

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  20. Sorry that so much has been cancelled for you! Glad you could still get in your workouts. Great job with those 19 miles! That seems like alot even split up into segments!

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    1. The 19 was a lot, since I've only run as far as 9 miles (nonstop) since MCM LOL Once I got past those first 6.2 miles (Friday after work, in the wind), it was pretty smooth sailing.

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  21. That's great news that you were able to get outside for Thursday's run in spite of the weather. And yay for logging! I'm always saddened by the amount of trash I see on some of the local trails.

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  22. Congrats on completing that challenge! Since I didn't have any races coming up soon, running is business as usual so far.

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  23. I really like the 19 Minutes for 19 Days idea! You inspired me to get out for a 19-minute walk today, even though I was going to take off today. Thanks for the motivation!

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  24. I also signed up for the challenge but did not read it correctly. I thought the 19 miles had to be done whenever but before March 31st. Haha, I did not realize the time frame was 24 hours. Great job on getting it done! I also have been home for almost 2 weeks. I've gone to the store for a few things and to do laundry on Sunday.

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