Saturday, March 19, 2022

Spring? Hey Ho, Let's Go!


Let's just say Momma N gave us a nice preview of what's to come this week, Spring-wise.

After a nasty week of winter-rebounding, this new week seemed to have turned the page. The final week of Winter treated us to spring-like temps with all kinds of sunshine. Of course, there was the requisite wind (frankly, I think it's here to stay)...and things did turn a bit chilly in the final days. 

But, alas, I do believe the frigid worst is behind us.

Before I spill 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 and fun this week:

A sensational sun-filled Sunday!
With morning temps in the just-above freezing zone (and afternoon temps approaching the mid-50's), it was hard to believe I'd endured one of the coldest (and windiest) races of my life the day prior. Unfortunately, with the hubby out of town (until mid-afternoon), I was on house arrest with my dear little Max in the morning (he's recovering from ACL surgery and needs constant supervision to remain as "immobile" as possible). It also was Day-6 of the Week of Pi Challenge, so I took the run to the 'mill (ugh) and then did a 15-mile ride on the indoor bike.


Never Miss a (Birthday Pi) Monday.
For the Week of Pi grand finale, I hit the streets for 3.14 birthday miles. I realize it's a quirky thing, but I think it's pretty cool having a quirky National Day that coincides with my birthday. If that's not an invitation for having some fun, then I don't know what is. Anyways, I simply had to don the festive tights (brought back from NOLA , via the hubby) and relish the run. That "lost" hour of sleep may have given me a semi-dark sky, but things were brightening up by the time I finished my run. Later, there were a couple of 1-mile walks at work.


Two-for-Tuesday.
For the past month or so, I've been keeping my Tuesdays low-key (at least for my legs) and focusing on upper-body work. I knocked out two Peloton upper-body workouts in the wee hours, and snuck in a 1-mile walk during my morning break. After work, Sebbe and I pedaled for 10 miles before dinner (he's my stationary bike, BTW).


Double-Run Wednesday!
It's not very often I have the option (or desire) to do two runs on the same day. For starters, Barb and I met up for a #5at5 (it had been a few weeks since we'd done so). In looking ahead at the weather forecast, it was looking cloudy and rainy for the full moon's appearance on Thursday (and Friday). What to do? Allison and I decided to take advantage of Wednesday's ideal conditions and run that evening. The thing is, the moon was looking pretty full for both of my runs, so that was a total win-win. Also, there were two 1-mile walks, at work, under the full sun. 


Double workout day, St. Patrick's style.
Daniel is one of my favorite Peloton instructors, and he's also an Irish lad. As a tribute, I stacked two of his workouts for my morning, and Holy Yikes! He totally shredded me green backside and left me shoulders smoldering as well. Seriously, everything was throbbing and burning! I got out for a quick 1-mile walk before the rain hit...and stayed inside thereafter. After work, I stacked a couple of other classes - a cycling class (12 miles of intervals and climbs) and more arms/shoulders toning.
 

Finally Friday.
 Amazingly, I didn't have any DOMS greeting me upon wake-up (I attribute that to the evening's cycling), but my body was feeling pretty fatigued none the less.  The previous day's rain was still in the forecast, the temps had fallen to the upper 30F's, and the wind was blowing like crazy (18mph). Umm, that would be a big No Thank You. I decided to do a few (or 10) more miles of cycling to keep the legs in motion. I was able to get out for a quick 1-mile walk afterwards...and that was the end of any and all outdoor action for the day. 


A Sunny (albeit slow) Long Run Saturday.
Thankfully, all of the rain had moved on. Barb and I waited until 7:30 for our meet-up, hoping the slick streets would have thawed in the morning sun. Don't be fooled by the smile amidst the bright sunshine, this 8-mile run was a tough endeavor. Sometimes, giving 100% looks much different than how it feels. My body had been feeling tired, and fighting a strong wind (14mph) on a cold morning (36F with a 25F feels-like) had me tapping into my grit reserve. But, I can do hard things, and I'm quite grateful for that ability. 


What's on tap for Sunday?
The forecast is calling for a warm and sunny day, with much less wind (can I get an Amen?). I might attempt a short recovery run, but I do plan on some early-morning cycling. There will be plenty more NCAA basketball on the roster (the Spartans take on the Duke Blue Devils late afternoon), but I am also hoping for some walking in the sunshine. I've said it before, movement is magic...and my body recovers best when it's in motion.

In summary, this was a pretty action-packed week. I'll be recapping the highlights from the Week of Pi, but suffice it to say it was a success. Running kept me busy with just over 22 miles. Walking was meh with nine (I attribute that to my being housebound with Max). Biking was decently conservative with 47 miles. It felt good to bring back some lower-body focused work, though I do favor upper-body strength work a bit more. No apologies.

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

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. With my Hawkeyes out of the picture (see below), I'm all about cheering on the remaining Big 10 teams. The Michigan State Spartans are my favorites, having lived in the East Lansing area many years ago. I got this sweatshirt in 2000, right after they won the NCAA championship game, but I had to modify it:

-1) I detest crewnecks, so I cut the sweatshirt's neckline into a scoop-neck
-2) I don't like ribbed cuffs, (they look too poofy, LOL), so I cut those off as well
-3) Ribbed hemlines hit me in an awkward place (actually, I think they're unflattering on most people), so I cropped that also. Problem(s) solved.



As most know, my birthday was on Monday. It was a pretty sweet day, filled with numerous texts, messages, greetings on social media, and the two daughters surprised me by showing up for dinner. 

Finally, they don't call it March Madness for nothing. After riding the high from winning Sunday's Big 10 Championship, the Iowa men's team fell to Richmond on Thursday...Day-1 of the NCAA tournament play. What's more, several other top-seeded teams also were defeated over the course of the first three days of games. My basketball demeanor went from total bliss to (almost) complete frustration. Oh well, it's all in good fun, right???


So that's the latest. All is well that ends well, and I'm glad to be moving out of the winter season. Of course, I realize the warmer temps are still going to have some cold sprinkled in there...hopefully the last of the heavy snow and ice is history for the next several months. Fingers crossed! 

How are things in your world? Does it (finally) feel like Spring has sprung? Or is Winter still in a holding pattern? Any fun races on the calendar? Did you catch the full moon? Did you have any bracket-busting games this weekend?

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36 comments:

  1. Looks like it's a "bracket busting" year for March Madness. So many upsets! It is definitely starting to feel like spring here, although I well know that can be short lived, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts! Glad you had a fun birthday! The moon has been beautiful this past week!

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    1. ...and the bracket-busting continued Sunday afternoon, LOL I think we had almost four days/nights of full moon viewing...it looked very full Wednesday, already, and still looked pretty robust Saturday. No complaints!

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  2. Hope you had a wonderful birthday!! You had such a great workout week. Hope your body is feeling good after those 8 milwa. Goos job sticking theough with it!

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    1. I got out for a short 2-mile recovery run Sunday morning, and everything felt great. Thank goodness!!!

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  3. I was shocked and upset to see my alma mater, Marquette, be crushed in the first round as well! It was NC, tho, so there's that. ON WISCONSIN!

    The moon this morning almost looks full! Glad you had a good Pi birthday.

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    1. I was surprised, though excited, to see Iowa State take down Wisconsin. I'm a Big-10 supporter, but we've got two Iowa State gals in the family, so I had to sway my allegiance for that game, LOL.

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  4. Sad ending for both of our college teams! I bet it is so dark for those 5 am runs right now. Glad you had a fun birthday week :)

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    1. I'm used to the dark 5:00 runs, so it's a real treat when we start seeing daylight this time of year.

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  5. sorry I don't follow college basketball. I used to because we pciked our teams for the brackets in my last two jobs.

    We was pretty warm this week at least for us but that is ending.... 20s coming back. And rain I guess today.

    We now that we both get it done no matter what and do it outside.

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    1. I love NCAA basketball (and football, in the fall), so the tournament is always fun. This year, though, WOW. Everything's up in the air!

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  6. Looks like a great birthday week! We have a family bracket game going on - but I just pick teams and don't watch the games. I do like live games, but never watch sports on TV for the most part. So far my bracket isn't too bad.

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    1. I don't watch much TV, in general, but I do catch college football and basketball (especially Big-10 games). I did two brackets, and both are a mess!

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  7. I thought about you on your birthday! I had a boyfriend whose birthday was March 14th- mine's the 21st and we used to celebrate this week as "birthday week." Glad you got in all your pi runs! And glad you got to see your daughters- that's awesome.
    I've done a couple of Daniel's classes but forgot about the fact that he's Irish. Good choice for St. Patrick's Day!
    I'm happy for you that things are warming- up it's warming up here too and that's not really a good thing! Oh well, I just have to embrace the heat once again.

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    1. Oh, I love Daniel! HE cracks me up with his sense of humor (and his accent is rather charming). Ahem...I did a 3:21 plank in your honor this morning ;-)

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  8. One of us is going to jinx the other weather wise, aren't we? LOL on the sweatshirt. DO the ribbed cuffs flatter anyone?
    One of my dear friends is in SC for the MSU game so hoping they win for both of you. Not at all a college basketball person so enjoying St. Peter's story. They're fun.

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    1. Answer: No, the ribbed cuffs/waistbands flatter nobody, LOL. St. Peter's team is having a great run!

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  9. Sounds like you had a great birthday week, Kim! I'm sorry the weather wasn't always playing nice. That wind can suck the life out of you!

    We saw the full moon in DE. I took photos of it, but nothing really came out. We actually saw it as we were eating dinner, and I wanted to walk up the street to the beach again to get some photos, but dinner took too long and it was getting really chilly so that didn't happen (we had poor Bandit with us, too).

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    1. The wind has been relentless, and it seems like hasn't stopped since last Fall. At least now it's feeling more balmy than frigid (most days).

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  10. Happy birthday and how lovely that your daughters surprised you. We've had some beautiful sunny days and the idea that spring is coming. I've needed my runs as therapy as I'm dealing with a good and frail friend being seriously ill. Thank goodness we have that!

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    1. Oh, sorry to hear about your friend. I hope things turn around <3

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  11. Nice birthday week though Ma Nature could have been nicer to you ;) I'd be amazed if anyone's brackets are still in tact - this tournament has had some big surprises. I am loving the St. Peter's story - I hope it lasts!

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    1. I agree, St. Peter's team really added a nice twist to the tournament! Ma Nature...well, we just have to take what she deals out, right? ;-)

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  12. I really enjoy your blog. As a runner (walking now) trying to make a comeback it really gives me a lot of motivation. God Bless, "Running On The Fly," Happy Trails!!!

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  13. Happy birthday week! So glad it's spring, we made it! Hopefully its not false spring. It's 60 here today and I'm loving it. When we were in Michigan to visit my parents, I had to google to see which college is Ann Arbor and which is Lansing- all sorted now :) I LOVE crewnecks and think they are very hip right now. :)

    Have a great week!

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    1. I was just thinking, yesterday on my short morning run, that yes, WE MADE IT! Hard to believe the Solstice was already three months ago!

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  14. Happy Birthday week! I like Daniel a lot too. His classes are hard and he’s got a great personality. I took a gamble that spring weather is here to stay and washed all the gloves I wear for running. (I do wash them during the winter too ….)

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    1. His classes are intense...he doesn't waste much time in getting the work done. I need to do a final wash of all my winter gloves and headbands, too. They get washed as needed, but there's always a few that might not make it to the laundry basket on wash day...

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  15. My team fell in the first round of the tournament after winning our conference title as well. Boo!

    I hope Max is healing nicely so you can get back out for your walks; although, I guess with hubby back home you have more flexibility.

    Have a great week and thanks for the linkup!

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    1. So many teams fell in the first round, and many of those losses were totally unexpected. I wishfully had Iowa going to the Final Four, but didn't think they'd go out on Day-1. UGH. Max is doing well...the bandaging was removed, so he's in the cone 24/7 until they remove the sutures this week.

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  16. would you believe that we are getting cold weather AGAIN? Enough!

    Great week for you. Happy birthday! I'm so glad you got to celebrate with your girls.

    Sweet Max. I hope he's ok.

    The Hurricanes played and won Friday and it's their first time in the NCAA championship in forever. I don't follow basketball as much, so I don't know what's next. Mr PugRunner is at the tournament, so he's having fun.

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    1. Ugh on the cold weather! We finally are feeling "warm." Hoping it continues...

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  17. Happy Birthday. And I think you deserve to be tired. Wowzers - you packed a lot of workouts into this week!
    It was sunny and people were out in t-shirts a few days ago and today...they're calling for snow. Whomp, whomp. But, you're right, the worst is definitely behind us!

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    1. That's a bummer on the snow! Although, a few years ago, we went prom dress shopping, on April 2nd, and we drove through a heavy snowfall, LOL.

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  18. I love that 'One more for luck" shirt - perfect for Daniel's classes, lol.

    I haven't watched too many games this year, but have heard that March Madness has been insane this year! So many brackets destroyed early on lol.

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    1. March Madness has been like none other, and it started on Day-1! Even yesterday's games were out-of-the-ordinary, LOL.

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