Saturday, December 10, 2022

Busyness!!!

 

If we were talking busyness, this week was a doozy.

We're talking all kinds of work-related stuff, daily run streaking, and a host of pre-holiday to-do's that needed attention. Oh, and did I mention we have a college graduation happening soon (like next weekend!)?

I was especially thankful for each and every fitness fix (aka coping vice) that I had at my disposal this week....if you know what I mean. 

Before I dis on the deets, 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 the lowdown on what went down in my busy little world this week:

Sunday: a busy and action-packed morning
If you recall, I had a grandiose plan of doing a 25-mile ride, followed by a 5K run (title pic, above). Both of these would reward me with a couple more Garmin badges (which I really didn't need, but they were up for grabs, so why not?). Well, the joke was on me because after finishing all these biking and running miles, only the 5K run badge popped up. It turns out the biking challenge wasn't due to start until this current weekend (#FacePalm). Oh well, the miles still count in my fitness arsenal, so no big whoop.


Another Never Miss a Monday
A little bit of everything happening. The morning started with 10 miles on the bike and a quick 1-mile streak run. My friend and I took advantage of the nice weather, and knocked out a couple of 1-mile walks during our work breaks. And, I got in another 2-mile walk before dinner (followed by a full  evening of knitting...see below).


A very non-typical Tuesday
The morning Barre and lower-body strength work were on task, as was the 1-mile morning walk at work.  The weather was beautiful, again, but with a big company-wide meeting happening on Thursday and Friday, it was a mad scramble with "email overload" in preparation for the two days of "inactive" work...so no afternoon walking.


With the forecast showing much colder temps and cloudy skies for Wednesday evening, Allison and I decided to do our full moon run an evening early. Hey, the moon looked pretty full to us, and the weather was immaculate. Our Full Moon 4-Miler felt almost effortless!

A surprisingly sunshiny Wednesday
Coming off of the previous evening's full moon run, I chose to keep things low-impact. I hit the bike for 12 easy miles before heading to my 7:30 PT appointment. Oh my...this session was intense with a lot of monster walks (in numerous directions), deadlifts, squats, and a lot of balance work on the glutes and hammies. There was more walking at work (two 1-milers), and a spontaneous 1-mile run in the bright noontime sun (I'd originally planned to run after work but simply had to take full advantage of the beautiful 39F day). The evening also saw a couple upper-body strength workouts.
 

A much needed easy-peasy Thursday
By Thursday morning, my mind, body and soul were ready for some TLC. I cued-up a couple of mobility classes (Peloton app), for the hips and the spine. I also did a short 1-mile streak run (in the cold wind) before heading to the office (for a full day of non-stop action).
    

Friday's fitness...recharged!
After a somewhat late night (see below), there's nothing better than full-on cardio to wake-up my body. Enter: Tabata on the bike! I did a 20-minute low-impact ride as a warm-up, then hit it hard with a 30-minute Tabata class (and finished with a 10-minute upper-body strength session). Then, I headed back to the office for Day-2 of company meeting fun.
  

Finally, after work, I headed out for a 2-mile run to ease into the weekend (and prep for an evening of knitting and Christmas movies).  


A Saturday slow-down
After a slight sleep-in, I mounted the (new-to-me) spinning bike, who had just joined the family. Sebbe, the stationary bike I'd grown to love, had really been showing his age recently (I'm not even sure how long we'd had him because I'd never ridden him until the past few winters). This will take some trial and error, in getting used to the new bike, but this first ride went well (10 miles). Afterwards, I headed outside and knocked out a couple more miles of run streaking. 
 

...and what's on deck for Sunday?
Well, there's that 25-mile ride on deck (in the early hours) and also a streak run (probably a short venture of 1-2 miles). And, there will be even more knitting, LOL.

So, all in all, this week played out pretty nicely. The weather was a bit cold and windy, at times, but overall wasn't too bad. My running miles topped-out at 14, which is the biggest mileage I've had in a couple months! Walking took a major nosedive, due to the cold days...so, a whopping seven miles. Biking, was on-task with 73 miles in the saddle. Currently, my YTD biking miles are at 2817. As mentioned recently in my coffee post, I'm hoping to break 3,000 by year's end. Doing the math, that means 183 miles remain...so I would need to average 61 miles in each of the three remaining weeks. That shouldn't be a problem, but I'll still be keeping my fingers crossed

In case you missed out, there was only one blog post this week:

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Have you ever discovered a long-lost treasure from the depths of your closet? I've had this red and green "Christmas flannel" for decades, but I'd forgotten about it. Well, upon it's (re)discovery, I had to showcase it. After all, 'tis the season. 


Thursday evening, the son and I hustled over to Iowa City to see our Iowa Hawkeye men's basketball team defeat our inner-state rivals, the Iowa State Cyclones. What a game...final score: Iowa 75, ISU 56.


...and, because I needed a few more time-consuming tasks on my plate, LOL, I'm working on a couple of "ugly Christmas sweaters" for the son and youngest daughter. I jokingly offered to make one for the son last year, in the UofI team colors, and now his younger sister wants one as well, in her team's colors. BTW, she'll be graduating from Iowa State on Friday, December 16th. Can I just say that sleep is so overrated this time of year.

sweater #1

So, yes, it's been a week of busyness! I had to take a pass on blogging to devote any and all free time to the knitting needles, in between the daily streak running and extra stuff at the office. Speaking of which, I just realized, on Friday, that I had forgotten to reply to all of the comments on last week's WRD post. Oops, another #FacePalm. The run streak is going well. Sunday's run will be Day-18, so the halfway mark (Day-20) is almost a reality.

Anyways, that's this week's story and I'm sticking with it.

How did your week play-out? Any extra busyness happening in your world as well? Did you catch the full moon? Any fun workouts that need mentioning? Have you been able to opt outside most days?

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30 comments:

  1. That sweater project is really impressive! I wish I had the patience to knit. I'm sure your daughter will love it.

    Enjoy your new spin bike! Have you named it yet?

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    1. Knitting does require a lot of patience, but it's also very relaxing and therapeutic. The bike has not yet been christened with a proper name...

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  2. I was lucky enough to get outside all last week. But it was a struggle! I know the weather is going to change soon and I'm taking advantage of every dry morning I can.

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    1. Yes, I know the Iowa weather will be only getting colder and darker in the days to come, so I refuse to stay inside.

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  3. Well done this week and well done braving the low temperatures (almost as bad as here!). How fun with your Christmas sweater project!

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    1. The December temps are cold, but they're MUCH colder in January and February. UGH. It is what it is.

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  4. Gosh, that “ugly” sweater looks gorgeous!

    Glad you are able to ramp up your running miles.

    Congrats to your daughter!!

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    1. Thanks!! I was so surprised when both her and her brother BOTH wanted the sweaters! Makes me wonder how long these "ugly sweaters" will really be in style, LOL.

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  5. It was a busy week for you! Your sweater looks like it is coming along nicely. I have none of those talents. Enjoy your new bike

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    1. The new bike is working nicely (two rides, thus far), but there's a definite learning curve.

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  6. Congrats on your new indoor bike! I tried to do an early morning full moon run, but the moon didn't cooperate and stayed behind the clouds.

    I agree with Coco ^ . That "ugly" sweater is very pretty!

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    1. Surprisingly, the full moon actually was visible on Wednesday after all. The temps were much colder, though, so we made the right call in running the evening prior.

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  7. Busy or not, you're getting the fitness in!!! I didn't know that you were a knitter! And congrats on the new "Spinster" addition to your family.

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    1. ooh, Spinster might be a good possibility for a name! Knitting has been a longtime hobby of mine. I learned how to knit when I was in grade school, and started making sweaters when I was a teen. Another of my art geek hobbies!

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  8. Why do business insist on day-long work meeting in the busiest time of the year? It just adds more stress for everybody.
    Well done on getting all the fitness in - not to speak of knitting, too! Do you use instructions for that pattern?

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    1. I'm using a written pattern for the stitch count and measurements, but I'm kind of "winging it" with the colors and individual "ugly" motifs. It's a good use of my math skills and artistic vision, LOL

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  9. When I saw the full moon this week, I thought of you!
    Congratulations to your daughter- although, I always think big events like that should not be allowed the week before Christmas!
    I love those sweaters, and I hope we get to see a photo of the finished product. Good luck with everything this week!

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    1. Thank you, Jenny! Our son graduated from Iowa three years ago, right before Christmas as well, so it's not the first time we've had an extra celebration to plan. I plan on getting pics of the sweaters, and their respective owners, after I get them finished.

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  10. Busy busy! But til that time of year. Great job with the run streak. Congrats on the new bike!

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    1. Yes, this time of year is always busy, in more ways than one. The new bike will be a fun addition to the family ;-)

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  11. That sweater is impressive... I love to knit but nothing complicated.

    Congrats on your streak and all your colorful outfits. Tis the season...

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    1. I think I remember you mentioning that you've knitted socks (?). Those look complicated to me! They're probably not as time-consuming as full-size sweaters, though. I much prefer quicker projects, like wrist warmers and scarves, but the sweaters do feel like a major accomplishment when they're (finally) finished.

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  12. That "ugly sweater" looks really pretty to me! Enjoy your new bike. And, big congrats to your daughter!

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    1. Thanks, Michelle!! It's really weird to think I will soon have three college grads...really proud, but really weird, LOL.

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  13. Your week's busyness tops mine but it was a busy week here, too, and next week -- same story. We'll have to agree to disagree about the sleep thing though.

    I still love my stationary bike, although it hasn't seen a lot of action for a while -- I think it'll see more over the Winter. Hope the graduation isn't too emotional!

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    1. We've been through many graduations (three high schools, two community colleges, and two other college graduations), so hopefully I'll be able to hold my own. Although, this IS the 'baby" of the family...

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  14. I'm always so impressed on how many two-a-day workouts you get in throughout the week!
    Love that red and green flannel!

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  15. You got a new stationary bike? How nice! That sweater looks so pretty! I'm very impressed. I have no knitting skills but I did just buy a kit to make a felted animal. I have never tried wool felting (is that even what it's called?) but I do love the look of it.
    I just ordered a flannel like that! Hopefully I'll see it before Christmas (my packages seem to be lost at the post office!).

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  16. Coping vice indeed.
    I tink we've all had a week
    Congratulations to the graduate and kudos to pushing through it all.

    (Cari, who still can't log in)

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  17. The full moon was lovely this week. it's been busy, but I'm kind of in charge of all the things right now. It's a lot, but we have to get it done. Love your new bike and the sweaters! I wish I could knit!

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