Spring? Is that you?

I'm just gonna go ahead and say this out loud....I believe Spring is officially here to stay!

What's more, this next week is forecast to have summer-like temps. Thank you, Momma N!

A lot of our blossoming trees have shed their colorful petals. Many of the summer perennials are filling in. And, just a couple days ago, I could smell the sweet scent of lilacs in the air.

Yes, as the weather took a solid turn for the warmer, I was able to #optoutside everyday. There was all kinds of daily walking, legit cross-training, and the running felt pretty sweet as well.   

Before I share the down and dirty 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 ;-)

Okay, so here's what went down in my little fitness world this week:

Never miss a (5K time trial) Monday

In keeping with my current (COVID) Monday routine, I did a 2-mile walk in the early hours, before work. I also did a 1.5-mile walk at lunch. Then, after work, I headed back to the "5K time trial course," on the college campus, a half-mile away. I did an easy warm-up run there, set the Garmin, and took off. The temps were comfortably cool, and the wind was "only" 13mph, which was a substantial improvement from the previous weeks. My goal all along, with these weekly time trials, has not been to PR, but to run them strong with the hope of improving my finish time each week. Finally, mission accomplished! This week showed the biggest improvement in finish times and, overall, the run felt strong and steady (splits were 8:48/8:38/8:15). I was beginning to doubt myself, but this week gave me the mojo to continue on for the five remaining weeks of the Un-Canceled Project-2.

now that's more like it!

Recovery day Tuesday

Monday evening's 5K definitely left me tired, so I kept things low-key on Tuesday. A 2-mile walk before work, a 1-miler at lunch, and a 2-mile walk with the hubby and Max after dinner. And that's all she wrote.

Whirlwind weather Wednesday

The sky was clear and the air was calm when Barb and I met for our #5at5 on Wednesday morning. I mentioned this on Insta/FB, but it's crazy how all of a sudden, in the past few weeks, these early-morning runs now have more daylight than darkness. There's a hint of sunrise when I leave the house at 5:00, and before we reach the halfway mark, it's almost full daylight. Yes, summer is coming!!! That said, the sky turned rainy by noon. I attempted to go for a walk after work, and my theory about the umbrella making the rain halt was proved wrong.

HIIT'ing it hard Thursday

Since I had taken a hard pass on doing a HIIT workout last week, it was game-on this week. Here's how my Thursday morning started:

***Little Bit of Everything HIIT***

*5 stair flights (double-stepped)

*10 burpees

*10 push-ups (inclined)

*20 sets of mountain climbers

*20 plank jacks

*10 jump squats

*50 rope jumps

*1-minute wall sit

I did four sets, which took me just under 29 minutes. Suffice it to say I was well awake and alert when finished. Later, I had a fast-paced Walk & Talk, over lunch, with Deborah. 

Take-it-easy Friday

Friday had all the makings of a beautiful day, complete with sunshine and warm temps!  I kept the fitness on the down-low with an early-morning 2-mile walk (with the hubby and Max), and another 2-mile walk after work.

Long run Saturday

Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day! Temps were in the mid-50's when Barb and I met up for our run. The forecast had called for partly-sunny skies, but Momma N granted us full sun (no complaints). We'd planned on 8-10 miles (depending on how the first seven went LOL), but we were able to crank out all 10.  Afterwards, I did a good 30 minutes (or more?) of garden squats, hoping to get the last of the flowers potted before the impending afternoon rain (which, BTW, never materialized). Later, the hubs and Max took me for a 2-mile walk, and I spent the remainder of the evening on the couch, with my feet up.

the matchy-matchy yellow was not planned, just saying

Recovery day Sunday

The good thing about sleeping in (ahem...over-sleeping, if I'm being totally real) is that the "overnight-into-morning" rain was done. The air was still quite damp and the sky was most dreary, so the solution? Bright colors! Just a couple of miles of running, followed by a 2-mile walk with the hubby and Max, before online church and a birthday ZOOM call for the SIL. Ugh, my lower back has really been cranky recently. I blame Netflix (and the comfy couch I keep snoozing on), so getting outside and running (easily) or walking really loosens things up. 

So, a decent week in terms of both fitness and weather. Total running miles came in at 21 and walking saw 22 miles. Monday's 5K served as speedwork. Thursday's HIIT was fast and furious. No upper-body strength work this week (and I'm alright with that). As per my May goals, the daily walking and push-ups are going well, as are the Tuesday/Thursday ab/core sessions.

In case you missed out, here's what went down on the blog this week:

Winter Rewind?

It's just a race...What Could Go Wrong?

Little Bit of Everything HIIT Workout

And, in other news...

Did you catch my Friday Fashion Flair? Friday's pleasant spring-like temps had me excited to be back in summer-like clothing. We're talking open-weave sweaters and bare legs, my friends! Anyways, this pink Bunko-inspired sweater is one of my own creations (notice the dice?). What can I say, I'm an #artgeek and a #knitwit. 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).

...finally, although a lot of the spring blossoms are done, some of the late spring/early summer flowers are coming to life. The bleeding hearts and iris bloomed this week, along with the few remaining tulips.

So, that's a wrap on what felt like the first real week of spring. How are things in your world? Sunshine? Rain? Training or maintaining? Any virtual races?

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