We Be Back (mostly) outside

It's always a treasure getting back outside...

After a crazy cold first week back from Florida, this second week rewarded me with much better seasonal weather conditions. Well, at least in the early part of the week. Things took a bit of a downwarad spiral, literally, towards the week's end. 

Let's just say winter in Iowa ain't for sissies. But Holy Brrr, Batman...can we just fast-forward to summer-like weather already? I can handle the cold, but the psychotic wind (and subsequent sub-ZERO windchill) has got to go.

Before I spill 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 8:00AM (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: 

A Sunday Sleep-In

After a very late Saturday evening concert, I did the (nearly) impossible and slept in on Sunday morning. A sleep-in, as such, is nearly impossible because I usually awaken around 5-5:30, even when I don't set an alarm. Sunday morning, I didn't see daylight until around 8:00. My body, obviously, needed those 3ish bonus hours, LOL. I kept the fitness low-key (due to the previous day's "long" 7-miler on the treadmill) with a 2-mile wake-up walk, 11 (indoor) biking miles, and some core work.

Never miss a Monday

Still a bit cold and icky in the wee hours, I opted for 12 miles with Sebbe before heading to work. The temps were on a gradual incline, so a co-worker and I got in a couple of walks on our breaks (2 total miles). After work, I met up with Barb (remember her?) and we ran and chatted for four miles amidst all the remaining daylight and witnessed the beginning of a pretty spectacular sunset (title pic, above).

  

Typical Tuesday

I'm not sure how it happened, but my Tuesdays have evolved into a mild strength day. These usually involve a couple of short Peloton workouts (in the early hours), as well as some core work. This week's Tuesday gig involved a Flash 15 (kind of a short-but intense-15 minutes of full-body) and also a 20-minute session of arms and shoulders. Also, there was a 1-mile walk at work, and two more walking miles after work (taking advantage of the mild-for-February weather).

Double workout Wednesday!

It had been upwards of two months (TWO MONTHS!!!) since Barb and I last met up for a #5at5, so we were able to ressurect that routine this week.Silly me, I thought the sub-freezing temps (and wind) would feel much colder than reality, so I was precariusly overdressed (it happens). I'd rather be too warm than too cold; end of story.

Later, after work, I knocked out 20 miles on the stationary bike as well as more daily core work.  

Thursday's bum-burner...

After a slight sleep-in, I just wasn't feeling like doing my scheduled strength workout, so I did a quick 1-mile walk with Milly instead. Over lunch, I accessed the morning's post-poned glutes/legs and full-body workouts. UGH. As I said on my social media channels, this noontime workout got moved to the "Bad Idea" column. I don't know if it was residual fatigue, the time of day, or the intensity of the chosen strength classes, but I really struggled in keeping up with the instructor. I could not get into a groove and a lot of the moves felt much tougher than anticipated. Thankfully, I drew on my grit reserve, modified a few of the moves, and persevered to the finish...but it was not pretty, LOL. At least the temps were pleasant enough for a couple of 1-mile walks at work (glass half full).

Friday's fitness: back inside...

After a few days of bearable weather, things went dramatically downhill, temps-wise. I kept it inside with some upper-body strength and barre, as well as two treadmill miles, in the pre-work hours. Remember Thursday's struggle-bus workouts? All that tough glute work came back to nibble at my backside by Friday afternoon...so I did some easy biking after work (18 miles) to work out some of the crankiness.

 

Another stuck-inside Saturday.

...and the temps kept falling (oh joy!). Seriously, all of my winter-loving friends need to remind me exactly what it is they love about this ridiculously cold season. My sense of humor, and outdoor selfie coping vices, are just about maxed-out, just saying. Oh, and remember those DOMS? They were clear and present Saturday morning as well, LOL. Not too eager for a long run, I did a similar run/stair interval routine as I did last weekend. I started with 10 flights of stairs, ran a mile with Milly, then alternated the 10 flights/1-milers for a total of 50 flights and four cumulative miles. Originally, I'd thought of going five miles, but bailed after four and had ZERO regrets in doing so. Afterwards, I hopped on the bike for some easy leg work, but lost track of time watching Emily in Paris, and finished with 15 miles of biking (#oops). Also, a very fast-paced 1-mile walk before the MSU/Indiana basketball game.

on tap for Sunday:

The jury is still out...there will probably be some biking, and hopefully some outdoor walking. I also plan on some TLC time with stretching, foam-rolling, and Theragun'ing. 

Despite the downward spiral in temps, Momma N at least kept all precip away (though she was more than generous with the wind). My daily outdoor streak is still going strong, though a couple days only had the bare 1-mile minimum. Running was nothing grandiose, with 15 miles, but I don't "need" anything more than that for the time being. Walking saw 13 miles (I'm really hoping for some above-freezing temps, and much less wind #fingerscrossed). Biking dominated, with 76 miles, but almost half of those were low-key "flush-out-the-legs" miles (and not from intense workouts). Strength-training is holding its own, but I think I may need to scale that back a tiny bit to allow for more rest (especially on Tuesdays). Stay tuned... 

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

A not-so-warm Welcome Back

A Few Fun Favorites From '21

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Brrr, Friday was a cold one! The wind was out of control, so I was glad to have another of my blanket wraps to keep me cozy. I'm amazed at how warm these wraps are becasue they are so light weight.

Have you seen the "old man balance" challenge? I first saw it Wednesday evening, so I gave it a go Thursday morning. Unbeknownst to me, this challenge involved BOTH putting on one's socks and shoes, while balancing on the opposite foot. The first reel I shot only had me doing the shoes (yes, another #oops). To keep in the game, I did a second reel Thursday evening, doing both the socks and shoes maneuvers, LOL. It's crazy how much tougher it was adding the socks segment to the act! Balance and mobility are two skills we shouldn't take for granted.  

both reels are on my Instagram page (HERE) if you're dying to see me in action

So, that's it for now. I haven't looked too far ahead on the weather forecast, but it looks like the temps are trending slightly warmer, though the wind will still be a factor. Hopefully, I can take all of my runs to the streets this next week. Dear old Milly has seen more action in the past 10 days then she saw in the past 11 months. I'm grateful to have her as an option, though she is my absolute last resort. 

How did your week play out? Crazy cold, or bearable? Did you see, or attempt, the "old man balance" challenge?

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