A Tease of SPRING

Supposedly, no one likes a tease...

But when it comes to Spring weather, I beg to differ. After all, we know the warmer weather is on the way. It may not get here as quickly as we'd prefer, but getting a little preview of it sure feels good!

Such was the case in Iowa this week. Cold mornings. Warm afternoons. Plenty of wind. Singing birds. Sunshine, lots of sunshine. Temps warm enough to melt away the bulk of the snow. It was all good.

Before I share 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 in my little world of fitness, under the temporary Spring conditions: 

Here comes the SUNday...

Temps were forecast to hit the 40F's by afternoon, so I started the morning with 20 miles in the saddle. I met up with Amy, after lunch, and we walked and chatted for almost five miles in the spring-like sunshine.

Never miss a Monday...

February's final Monday did not disappoint! First, there was a pleasant early-morning 5K (gotta love the emerging daylight, already by the 6:00AM hour!). Later, there were a couple of 1-mile walk breaks at work, and a 1-mile walk with Max before dinner.

Toned-down Tuesday...

The morning was somewhat low-key with 10 minutes of upper-body strength and 10 minutes of arm-focused work. The day also included a couple of 1-milers at work, a 2-mile walk with Max after work, and some core work in the evening.

Double workout Wednesday...

I have really been loving my double-workout days! The after-work temps were looking much more enticing than the pre-dawn ones, so I opted to stay inside (on the bike) in the wee hours (12 miles). Again, more walking at work (2 miles). After work, Barb and I hooked up for another #5at5PM excursion in the low-60F temps. Of course, it wouldn't be a real selfie without a drive-by selfie bust.

Full-throttle Thursday...

Note to self...when Tunde's arm workout calls for light weights, go ultra light. Silly me, I didn't think my 8-pounders were overly ambitious, but YIKES. After 40 minutes of strength work, let's suffice it to say everything was on fire...and that's a good thing. I've said it before, but those short 10-20 minute Pelo classes are power-packed! The weather was the coldest (and windiest) of the week, so there was only one walk at work, and a quick one with Milly after work (two total miles).

A solid Friday finish...

It was another chilly morning with the promise of a warmer afternoon, so I started with 10 miles on the bike for breakfast. Saturday's forecast was looking rather damp, so Barb and I moved our "Saturday run" to Friday after work. Even with moderately "warm" temps, the wind was still obnoxious, so we sought the shelter of the lake path. Five loops later, with five miles done and dusted, we decided to celebrate with a real happy hour.

 

Saturday's switcheroo...

With my usual Saturday run done (the evening prior, LOL), that left the morning wide open for a long bike ride. I cued up Grace and Frankie and binge-watched all four episodes of the current season. That had me almost at 27 miles, so I found a 10-minute cool-down Peloton cycling class to finish at 30 miles for the morning. Only, the thought occurred to me to just pedal for another mile and end with a 50K for the day instead. So I did. In between rain and storms, I was able to sneak out for a very easy-paced 2-mile recovery run. Funny how I'm usually using the bike as a recovery vice for running, but this morning the roles were reversed. I then spent the afternoon inside as several tornado watches and warnings swept across my region of the state.

...and what's on deck for Sunday?

I plan to save my legs (a little bit, LOL) for Pi Week, so I'll probably do some easy cycling in the early hours, and some walking later. 

This week didn't seem that busy, as the days ticked by, but every 'little" bit of sweat equity adds up. I finished the week with 15 miles of running and 16 miles of walking. Biking, again, took center stage with 80 miles. With all of the cycling, it's been working great to have just one day of lower-body strength work. I've been doing a couple days of upper-body work, and that's been a great fit for me as well. I don't mention it much, but there's still daily planking and push-ups. I'm also (still) utilizing the stairway, and doing 10 flights as part of my pre-run warm-up. 

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

Into The Light

Just 5 Words?

A Wee Little Coffee Chat

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. How do you feel about wearing black and brown together? Often times, it's a tough color combo because both colors are dark and, therefore, competing for "dominance." But, that's what I like about pairing the two of them together. Throw in a pair of cheetah print booties (and a cute dog), and everything works in unison.

Week of Pi. As mentioned in my coffee post, the third annual Week of Pi begins on Tuesday. If you're interested in Pi'ing with me, you're invited to run (or walk) 3.14 miles any (or all) of the days leading up to Monday, March 14th...which is the National Day of Pi, as well as my birthday. Whether you choose to participate or not, you can follow on Instagram with the hashtag #WeekOfPi. There's already a lot of peeps joining me for the Pi party, and I'm looking forward to all the fun!

Finally, I runfess, I was getting bored with the bland color scheme of my current Brooks Adrenalines. What to do? I switched out the boring grey laces for some blue laces (that I'd switched out of another pair of shoes). Presto! 

Well, that's the latest and (sort of) greatest. Although Spring isn't official for a couple more weeks, it's exciting that Winter is pretty much in the rear window. I still haven't spotted that first robin, but my magnolia tree is budding and the grass is looking more green and less muddy.

How was your week? Any accomplishments or milestones? Weekend racing? Upcoming races?

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