How about a week on the down-low?
Most know I don't like sitting idle, even after a tough (hilly and windy) race. I do know how to "scale-it-back" while my body recovers, though. We all get to do our fitness our way, and recovery is no exception. Thank goodness!
Of course, Momma N did her best to intervene, but she also threw in a few nice surprises...
Here we are again...another month is winding down, already!
I am (again) in a whirlwind of wonder at the passing of time ( I swear I just wrote my March Runfessions post yesterday). I am also in a continued state of confusion as to which season we are really in (because it changes every day in Iowa). And, I have a few 'fessions to come clean about (some things never change).
Shall we do a quick pass through the 'Fessional? You know, cleanse our soles (and souls!) and all that jazz...
Shall we talk about 13.1 hilly miles of smiles?
I've said it many times...I much prefer a challenging race course over an "easy" one. Of course, it's all relative who deems what is "easy" or "challenging." If you're looking for a race course that will test your legs, your determination, your endurance and your grit, the Drake Road Races Half Marathon will fill those needs.
Couple the hilly race course with the usual erratic spring weather of Iowa, and you're in for a morning like none other on the streets of Des Moines.
You gotta love a good "cause," am I right?
Such is the case with partaking in an event (ahem, like a race) and fundraising for their charity partner(s) or the event itself.
Hence my 10-year relationship with the Fight for Air Climb, my favorite cause.
Well, another round of Weather Roulette went down this week.
Can I runfess that I'm not a very willing player? Every time I wash the fleece-lined tights, headbands and gloves, I wistfully hope it's for the last time this season...only to have to dig them out ((again)) for "just one more run."
Thankfully, I do know the end is in sight, and that all these cold (and windy) days will be a fading memory. And, thankfully, I am grateful to have a good supply of fleece-lined gear in my possession for the time being. That said, I'm ready to spring ahead to brighter and warmer days.
I'm not stranger to streaking. It's happened for the past nine years with the RW Winter Run Streak. I also did the RW Summer Run Streak once (Memorial Day through July 4th). Most recently, I completed my third Week of Pi 7-day streak.
Ever since Thanksgiving Day 2020, though, I've also been #OptOutside streaking. Just last week, I passed the 500-day mark.
And I don't plan on stopping anytime soon...
It was another week of Spring in Iowa...and it's left me (still) waiting for Winter to take a hike.
We did have an itsy bit of sunshine, so it wasn't all gloom and doom. But there were falling temps, rain, non-stop wind, and even some of the white stuff (I refuse to call it by name this time of year).
Sigh.
There's a lot to be said for being #IowaTough, so I wasn't completely stuck inside. But I'm eagerly waiting for some warm spring weather to arrive (and stay).
It's no secret how much I embrace my sunrise runs, and how much I love my early mornings. Now that we're on the bright side of the Equinox, the sunrises are coming earlier and earlier...and I'm over-the-moon excited about it.
Case in point, my most recent sunrise run...
It was a crazy week of weather, and there was a lot of pivoting and dancing to get things done. Alas, if you want it bad enough, you'll find a way. Momma N be damned.
So, yeah, there was wind, rain, cold temps, snow...and did I mention wind? Thankfully, there also was some intermittent sunshine thrown in for good measure.