Outrunning The Cold, Literally

Back outside never felt so fine!

After nearly three weeks, the extreme cold weather broke and Iowa returned to its regularly scheduled winter. Some days even saw temps well above the seasonal norm! Of course, that gave way to melting (LOTS of melting) as the 30ish inches of ground snow slowly shrank...but who am I to complain?

Before I dis on the 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 what went down this week in my little fitness world:

Never miss a (magnificent) Monday!

With the afternoon's forecast showing all kinds of promise, I started the day riding 15 miles with Sebbe (my indoor bike). There also was a sun-filled 1-mile lunchtime walk on the agenda. After work, I got in a sweet, euphoric 26-minute 5K in the near-perfect outdoor conditions. We're talking 41 and fabulous (the temps, not my age).

The usual typical Tuesday routine.

The morning started innocently, with five miles on the elliptical. It was so beautiful outside, I took Max for a 1/2-mile jaunt around the block, then continued on and walked my 1.5-mile route over lunch. After work, the lunch walks were on repeat.

Wednesday's return to the #5at5 routine!

With my stress fracture's rally-back, I've been slowly increasing my mileage. The mid-week runs have been at the 4-mile distance for a few weeks (meanwhile, I had increased the Saturday long runs, as well as introduced a short run on Fridays). This week, I felt it was time to up the 4-mile Wednesday run to five...which meant rallying Barb and resurrecting our #5at5 ritual (five miles at 05:00). It had been more than six months since we'd done one of these o'dark thirty runs, but it was exciting to get back to this unique mid-week adventure. Oddly, it felt like our 6-month sabbatical had never happened. All was, indeed, quite well! There also were two 1/2-mile walks with Max (at lunch and after work) and 10 miles on the bike (in the evening). I slept well that night.

 

(Somewhat) easy-peasy Thursday.

Despite the brief warm-up earlier in the week, the temps had turned chilly on Wednesday and Thursday. In other words, there was no interest in going for a morning outdoor walk...so I did some upper-body strength and core work in the morning instead. I saved the walk for after work (two miles; some with Max, some alone) and did a lower-body strength workout while watching Big 10 basketball in the evening.

Full moon Friday.

Even in the chilly Friday morning temps (22F, with a feels-like of 12F), this 2-mile run felt fantastic. It's crazy how "mild" the cold temps feel the week following a rather cold one, am I right? And that full moon! It was a definite treat to see the last of the moon as the sun was rising. Total win-win run. Five indoor biking miles for the cool-down, and a 1-mile walk after work. 

Another sunny and sensational Saturday.

With a 6-mile run on tap, I left the house at 6:45 and met up with Barb a few minutes later. Oh, that sunshine! The temps were chilly (28F), but the wind was pretty calm and (bonus!) I nailed my layers with perfection (not an easy conquest with the fluctuating above/below freezing conditions). We made it six miles, but by the time I got back to my house (just a few blocks further), I was near 6.5 miles in distance. You probably know where this going...I did a spontaneous loop around the block, finishing with an even seven miles. No big whoop, just my longest run in over six months.

A short while later, I had the weekly Biking Zoom Ride on deck with Darlene, Debbie, Liz, Kim G., Coco and Renee. When that ended, Debbie and I continued on for another 30 minutes or so, giving me 20 biking miles for the morning. 

Oh what a beautiful SUNday!

With the increasingly warmer weather, my time on the elliptical will be winding down. I've been doing Sunday morning elliptical workouts through most of the winter, but I just couldn't resist an early-morning walk to greet the sunrise (or did it greet me?). Three miles of bliss for my morning "coffee," with a few more likely happening in the afternoon (between basketball games). I'm tempted to bring Gustavas out of hibernation for a Sunday afternoon ride...stay tuned!

What a difference a change in the weather can make. I manage to stay pretty active, on a daily basis, but the nicer weather enables even more outside action. All of my runs happened outside this week; no regrets, whatsoever. With the warmer weather, the lunchtime walks, as well as Max walks, will be more consistent as we approach Spring. Even though the Fight for Air Climb isn't until May, I'm going to be doing more focused stair work periodically...it's worked out well incorporating 10 flights of stairs as part of my warm-up routine!  

Weekly totals:

Running - 16 miles

Walking - 14 miles

Biking - 50 miles

Elliptical - (5) miles

Stairs - 40 flights (warm-up prior to running)

Other -  strength workouts ;(1) upper-body, (1) lower-body

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

I Made it Through the Freeze

A Few 'fessions for February

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair! Believe it or not, I've been doing this series for more than four years. On occasion, I reference the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) if I'm stuck for ideas on what to wear. This week, I showcased an outfit that highlighted many of my style obsessions...denim, cheetah print, dragonflies, lipstick, and funky shades. Care to join me? Post a pic of your Friday outfit on Instagram, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and be sure to tag me (@runningonthefly).

I'm back for another year as an ambassador for ROAD-iD, a product that I strongly believe in. Personally, I think peace of mind is just as vital as safety. Having emergency contact info at the ready could be a life-saver for myself, for my loved ones, and for you. There are even ID's available for your fur kids. You can check out their site HERE (not an affiliate link). Also, code RUNNINGONTHEFLY will save you 25% (starting on March 1st).

And, last of all, I'm excited to have another live race to look forward to at the end of March. The Chocoholic Frolic is a fun, chocolate-themed 5K, happening at various locations. This will be my third year "chocolating" at the Iowa City venue (it had to go virtual last year). Although it's a live event, they do offer a virtual option for non-local peeps to get in on the chocolate action. For more info, their site is HERE, and CHOCKIM will save you $5 if you choose to join me. The swag is killer sweet!

So, there you have it! Another week down, and another week closer to Spring (and Summer). Truth be told, it feels like we've turned the corner on Winter. Even with all the melting this week, the streets have stayed pretty dry, so the "re-freeze" aspect hasn't been a problem. Onward!

How are things in your world? Does it feel like Winter is on the verge of vacating the premises? Have you found yourself craving outdoor walks, too?

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