Saturday, March 26, 2022

Spring Has (sort of) Sprung


As the saying goes, Spring has sprung.

In Iowa (and probably a lot of the Midwest), that just means the calendar shows we've moved beyond the Spring Equinox. The spring weather can be rather unpredictable and ever-changing. 

This week, for example, we had summer-like temps, spring-like rain, and winter-like snow. The one constant was the daily wind...and the wind was a doozy!

Before I share all 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 this week:

Simply SUNsational Sunday.
After the previous day's tough 8-mile run, I awoke feeling much better than expected. I haven't been doing long-long runs (gosh, since last Fall?), so somehow I'd gotten away from doing my usual Sunday recovery runs. I decided to test the waters and go for a short run...and I returned home, two miles later, feeling totally refreshed and rejuvenated. Later, I also did 10 miles of indoor cycling (another recovery vice that's been tried and true) and met Amy for a 3.5-mile walk in the noontime sunshine. Now that was a morning well-spent!


Never Miss a Monday (especially when it's someone's birthday!).
In celebration of Jenny's birthday, I'd promised a 3:21 plank (that was my breakfast) and a 3.21-mile run (which was my lunch). Maybe it was the suddenly warm temps (or exhaustion from fighting the 14mph wind), but this #runch left me feeling sleepy. Oh well, a couple of 1-mile walks (during my work breaks) did the trick.

pay no attention to the lovely morning hair

Twofer Tuesday with Tunde.
In recent weeks, I've been doing upper-body work with Tunde (via the Peloton app) on Tuesdays, and I've been LOVING every minute of it. It was raining outdoors (and the temps were rather cold), so I did two 10-minute arms/shoulders classes while power-walking with Milly (1.5 mile), and followed that with some core work. These double-duty workouts have been a challenging way to incorporate cardio, simultaneously, with strength-work, plus they're great for balance and coordination as well. After work, I got in a 1-mile walk, under an umbrella (title pic).
   

Wednesday's Battery-Fail Double-Biking Bonanza.
With the usual #5at5 (with Barb) rained-out, I cued up a couple biking workouts (via Peloton app). I hadn't gotten very far on the first ride (Tabata with Tunde), when the bike's screen went blank, taking all my stats with it. After a few (or maybe several?) seconds of frustration, I decided to just continue on with the workouts. Even though I couldn't increase any of the resistance settings, I could still pedal to my heart's content and do speed intervals. After 50-ish minutes of biking, I roughly estimated my distance to be around 14 miles. After work, I not only replaced the batteries, but I decided to repeat both of the morning's workouts...this time with the proper resistance and speed. Believe it or not, my distance came to just over 14 miles! I guess I know a thing or two about my average input/output, even when technology fails me.


A Very Thankful Thursday.
There was rain (still) in the forecast until late morning (spoiler: we also had sleet and snow!), so I kept it inside in the early morning. And, I kept it on my yoga mat (lizards, and pigeons, and {downward} dogs, oh my LOL. Tabata classes are tough (several sets of intense speed for 20 seconds at a time, with a quick 10 second recovery). Generally, one Tabata class per day is sufficient, so doing two of them was pretty ambitious since I also did the other 30-minute biking class (twice) as well. Sometimes, you just gotta dig deep to see what you're made of, you know? That said, my legs were feeling pretty spent come Thursday morning. By late afternoon, the streets had dried, so Barb and I met for a #5at5PM. The air still felt damp, and the temps (and wind) were chilly. Yadda yadda yadda.
Does it look like my windblown hair is flipping-off the weather?

Upper-Body Breakfast Burn for Friday.
I gave my lower-body a day off, but stacked a couple of upper-body strength classes (along with a core workout) for the early morning. Who would have thought 30 minutes of work could leave me with a serious #ShoulderSmolder that would last for most of the morning? Oh well, that's the way (uh-huh, uh-huh) I like it! After work, I fought the 30mph wind (with some lovely 50mph gusts) for a very brief 1-mile walk. At least I had full sunshine to (sort of) neutralize that crazy wind.


A Spontaneous Saturday (indoor) "Pseudo Du."
The morning temps were simply ridiculous, and the wind was insane, so Barb and I agreed to postpone our long run to Sunday. I still wanted to get in a run, but keep the miles low, so I came up with the idea of an indoor Pseudo Du. I stacked three Peloton workouts, in brick workout fashion, for an intense 70-minute sweat session. This makeshift duathlon gave me six miles of biking, three miles of running (with Milly!), and six more biking miles...for 15 cumulative miles for the morning. Instead of waving the white flag on my long run, I waved my tank in the air like I didn't care (sorry for the bad play on words, LOL). By late afternoon, the wind had tamed back down to 24mph (it had been as high as 30mph), so I got outside for 2-mile walk. Fortunately, walking in the psychotic wind is much easier than running or biking in it.

15 miles for the win!

What's on tap for Sunday?
The forecast is still looking cold (sub-freezing), but less windy and  very sunny. Hopefully, Saturday's postponed run will play out nicely in Sunday's "better" weather conditions.

So, yeah, it was quite a week of weather whiplash. I still managed to get outside everyday, though a few of those were mere 1-mile walks in adverse weather (rain and wind). 12 total walking miles, just over 13 running miles (with a long run happening on Sunday morning), and 50 biking miles. The two strength sessions felt great, and it was nice to fit in a short yoga fix.  

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

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. How about mixing some cheetah print with black and turquoise? Although cheetah print is anything but bland, it can take on a "neutral" feel when paired with a bright punch of color. At least that's my observation. Besides, a neutral cheetah is more interesting than a plain, neutral color IMO. Your thoughts?


Even with this week's cold spell, there are numerous signs of spring popping up. I spotted these little beauties on my Monday run (below). Our lawns are looking green and the magnolia tree is budding. I also noticed several patches of daffodils and tulips poking through the soil.


So, there you go. The first official week of Spring 2022. Let's hope Spring is, indeed, really here to stay.

How was your first week of Spring 2022? Does it feel or look like the spring season yet? Any exciting workouts or accomplishments this week? Ever done a duathlon, real or virtual, inside or outdoors?


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35 comments:

  1. Um yeah the first week of spring here was nasty. The last week of winter was so much more spring-like, but what can you do? Love the blooming flowers! Nothing here yet, but hopefully soon!

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    1. I keep crossing my fingers the magnolias take their time in blooming because almost every year they get zapped with that "one last surprise frost."

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  2. We've had some lovely sunny weather and many flowers this last week; unfortunately we have cold temps forecast again but that might not come to pass. Was meant to do an update once a month but really have just been running around and worrying about various friends I don't want to read about me worrying about them (if you see what I mean) so will leave it this month. Great work from you as always, so fit and active even when the tech fails!

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    1. Up until this week, we've had a lot of sunshine...which makes the cold temps more bearable. But, three days of rain? UGH. I wasn't enjoying any of that.

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  3. I'm preparing to head out into that cold as we speak. At least it's sunny. It sure was a rocky week, weather-wise. Here's to hoping it calms down soon.

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    1. Well, the 7pmh wind that I thought would be a cake walk was 14mph by the time we finished our nine miles. At least we had full sunshine!

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  4. Crazy spring. Maybe we say that every year but I just have amnesia. Cold again here!!

    But like you, we get out there.

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    1. I had amnesia, this morning, on remembering what to wear!

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  5. we have had our ups and downs in DC but Chicago this weekend is crazy cold and windy. I am not prepared at all for this weather. Way to crush it this week

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    1. We always get cold weather, after some Spring-like teasers, but this weekend was pretty extreme. Single-digit feels-like temps and 25mph+ wind were so not welcome...

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  6. Ha, our first week of spring was gross. It was cold and snowy! I'm ready for real spring to arrive. Nice job this week!

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    1. Thankfully, we only had about an hour of snow, Thursday morning. And, thankfully, none of it accumulated. I just want my summer back...

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  7. Great week of workouts!

    The weather for my first week of spring has been amazing, but I'm in Florida. LOL Back home we've got another polar vortex passing through. Ugh! Hopefully, it will warm up by the time we return home.

    Have a great week!

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    1. This weekend felt like a polar vortex, in comparison to what we had last Sunday and Monday. It was brutal!

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  8. Spring is showing - the flowers are popping up, but then the leaves are all wilted due to the cold temps and snow :( And the wind. But we're getting close! Great workouts this week! Love the picture of you waving your shirt (brrrr!).

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    1. Ha, thanks! Waving the shirt was an act of triumph (and defiance, LOL)..for having survived the the Pseudo Du, another run with Milly, and for being stuck inside

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  9. Well, if I had any thoughts of moving back up north, you've cured me of that- your weather is insane! But that's the way I remember it. I hated the saying "March goes in like a lion and out like a lamb." March NEVER went out like a lamb in the midwest!
    Great week of workouts- I want to hear more about that plank. How was the last minute- were you trembling violently and cursing my name? I would have been!
    I like your Pseudo Du- great way to get in a long workout without stressing your running muscles too much. Hope you got in a nice long run today!

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    1. The plank wasn't too difficult. I do 2:30 plank every morning, so adding an extra minute wasn't too much of a stretch, and there were no curse words uttered on your behalf ;-)

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  10. Around here March usually goes against the adage, and goes OUT like a lion, and that’s what we’re experiencing too. Wind, temps in the 20s tonight, and a “wintery mix” in the forecast. Love your duathlon idea! Have you tried the Peloton bootcamps yet?

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    1. No, I have not tried any of the bootcamps. I need to figure out a good day that they would work, or maybe I could try one some evening after work? If they involve treadmill stuff with other strength moves (?) it might be tough finding a suitable location (my treadmill is in our mudroom, and there is no space for anything else in there).

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  11. Oh man I did not see the storm coming! Yesterday I got to run a race in a snow storm, but it was good since the roads weren't slippery. Right now it's just "normal" winter instead of the "18 inches of snow and ice that means there's no point in leaving the house" winter than we had last month. I hope that things cooperated for you to be able to get your long run today.

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    1. Oh wow! I hope to hear more about that race! I did get out for nine miles with Barb. We'd planned on eight, but by the time I circled through the campus (after parting ways), my Garmin was just over the 8-mile mark. I was a sweaty mess and didn't feel like walking the last 1/2-mile home in the cold (14mph wind), so tacked on a little more distance to get to nine miles just before my driveway.

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  12. We are most definitely in Winter today & tomorrow (complete with some snow pellets on my run today, and yes, plenty of wind), and while the upcoming bulbs always bring a smile to my face, there are no flowers anywhere -- which is probably good considering it's supposed to get into the teems tomorrow morning! All par for the course.

    Sounds like a week full of fitness, as always, Kim!

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    1. I'm worried about my magnolia tree. Every spring, the buds form and some open...just in time for a final snow "hurrah" or ice storm. I think we have winter temps on tap until Thursday, then it's supposed to return to Spring. Yeah, we'll see, LOL.

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  13. Oh, I haven't tried walking on the treadmill while doing Tunde's classes...that seems like a tough challenge! I really like her; I'm just about done with the second "block" on the schedule and excited to start the third.

    The weather was all over the place here as well, from 65 and sunny to a sleet/snow storm. No thank you...

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    1. I've done a couple of treadmill power walks while doing Tunde's arm/shoulder workouts ;-) It works out well...I can get a 1.5-mile walk done (great cardio!) and knock out two of the 10-minute classes. I'm going to try to keep that as my Tuesday routine for awhile, since that's the best day for an active-recovery day (for my legs, at least).

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  14. The weather has been just nutty, especially the wind these past couple of days. We've got a frost advisory for tonight and tomorrow...sigh. Despite the weather woes you had a great week!

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    1. Sounds like we all got hit with nutty weather these past few days. Can we just MOVE On from this ridiculousness, please? Momma N really needs to get her act together...

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  15. I don't think we can consider this the first week of Spring - we need a do over, lol. We've had all the seasons in one week here.

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    1. Yes, a do-over is a great idea! Momma N, and her crazy weather, needs to pick a lane ;-)

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  16. I think I've given up on seasons altogether. Everything is all wacky and mixed up.

    I love your "neutral" cheetah with the turquoise! What a fun combination!

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  17. Momma N is clearly playing with you guys - sun, spring flowers, yet sleet, snow and wind! :-( But as always you kept things going no matter what! I absolutely love you waving the tank in the air like that!

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    1. Thanks ;-) I'm not a "bra squad" fan, but this was a necessary evil after the major sweat session I'd just conquered, LOL

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  18. Ugh. It SAYS spring on the calendar, but yesterday was freezing, windy, and there was even a little bit of snow.
    But, I'm able to wear sneakers instead of winter boots on the morning walks to school and yesterday fit in a walk with a friend and another with my husband for a walking total of about 17 km (~10.5 mi) which wasn't too shabby!

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