Weathering Another Wild Ride

If we were to talk about this week's weather, I'd have to compare it to a wild roller coaster ride.

We had cold temps (no surprises there), and we had out-of-control wind (much more than usual, and we usually have a lot). Oh, and there were a couple days that had unseasonably warm temps, with oodles of intoxicating sunshine and barely even a slight breeze. Then, within hours, those very temps plummeted 60+ degrees, and the wind (again) took on a life of its own.

 Alas, such is the reality of Iowa. Thankfully, I'm #IowaTough so the #OptOutside streak lives on (now over two years strong).

Before I disclose 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 what went down this past week in my little chilly corner of the fitness universe:

Feelin' 22 on Sunday...

I don't know about you, but I was feelin' 22 (at least in terms of indoor biking). I can't remember, but it was probably that "warm" outside as well. I've been loving my early Sunday morning bike rides, and each week I've been adding an additional mile, thus 22 miles (and another Garmin badge popped up upon completion). Afterwards, I added a layer and a puffer, and got my streak run done (just one mile). And, there also was a 2-mile walk in the evening.

Never Miss a Monday.

The morning was cold and chilly, but the forecast was showing better weather conditions late in the day. I started the morning with some HIIT cycling, and added some arms, shoulders and core work (all via the Peloton app). At the office, my friend and I got in two miles of walking (on our breaks). After work, I was able to get in a solid 3-mile run in the balmy low-40F's temps.

Typical Tuesday.

Nothing out-of-this-world crazy or intense...just an easy-paced 1-mile streak run and 3ish "miles" on the elliptical (just over 31 total minutes of sweat equity in the wee hours). Also, there was another 1-mile walk at the office. And, as forecasted, the afternoon temps hit rock bottom and the threat of precip was real. Yuck.

Wednesday's triple-treat workout day...

What a morning! I had a couple of Peloton cycling workouts on deck, and had made it through the first 20-minute session. About seven minutes into the second one, the bike's batteries putzed-out on me. UGH! I had to make a mad dash upstairs to get replacement batteries, and I was already on a time crunch because I had a PT appointment before work. I'd remembered finishing the first workout with almost seven miles on the bike, but all those numbers and stats were wiped out. The bike showed 4.25 miles in the final 13 minutes of the second workout, after I'd replaced the batteries. Soooo, for those first seven minutes (of the second workout), I'm guesstimating there were 2+/- miles that went missing. Therefore, I'm going with approximately 13 miles for the morning. And, that's gonna have to do. BTW, my bike does not have a power cord, it's four D-size batteries or nothing.

After the early-morning bike fiasco, I hustled to to my 7:30 PT session (and it was a doozy). I wanted to get in a 2-mile streak run and surmised the lunch hour would be my best option, especially in terms of sunshine. There was a wicked wind out of the west, so I kept my route mostly in a north/south direction. I even ducked into some alleys, which blocked the wind pretty well. So, yeah, my first official runch for the '22 streak is in the vault, complete with a lucky penny found near the halfway mark.

Thursday's pivot...

Ugh, it was one of those mornings. I had fallen asleep on the couch and woke up around 1:30, and then could not fall back to sleep for a couple hours (at least). I had a couple of strength workouts cued-up for the early morning, but knew my body and mind were far too fatigued. I also had some DOMS (courtesy of the previous day's PT session). On a whim, I found a 20-minute yoga class instead, and m-a-g-i-c. I still felt fatigued, but energized as well. Later, I got in another 1-mile runch over the noon hour and an invigorating 2-mile power walk in the evening (14:53 pace, thank you very much).

 

Full-on Fitness Friday!

What say we start with 14 miles of cycling (including a 20-minute HIIT ride) and add some bodyweight strength work. There also was a 1-mile walk at work and a 2-mile walk over lunch (the temps were in the 50's, what can I say?). After work, I headed out for a fabulous 2-mile run (title pic, above), wearing shorts none the less (9:56 and 9:59 splits).

Saturday - chilling, quite literally.

And, just like that, the overnight temps plummeted almost 60-degrees and the wind turned evil. I opted to start the day on the stairs (because it had been awhile). I did 100 flights, and tried to time the workout on my Garmin, but when I went to sync it to the Garmin Connect app, nothing showed. Ugh, another technology fail? Or just impatience? It turns out, I just needed to reboot my phone. I pinky swear, though, I really did 100 flights in 21 minutes, 24 seconds. By late morning, the temps had "warmed up" to above-zero feels-like conditions, so I layered up and headed out for two miles. That bright sunshine was much appreciated!

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

Well, in keeping with my early morning Sunday long rides, I'll be saddling-up with Sebbe in the wee hours. While I'm not much into the Garmin badges, there is a 40K cycling badge up for grabs this weekend. Hey, why not? It's 24.9 miles, and that's not too far out of reach from last week's 22-mile ride. Also, there's a 5K running badge for this weekend...so, again, why not? The temps will still be cold, but will feel much warmer than Saturday's by mid/late morning.

So, it was quite the week, in terms of weather. It seems like it was one extreme or the other, but I refuse to let it dictate my livelihood. After all, I don't have to love the weather to get outside and move on a daily basis. Anyways, running logged 12 miles this week; walking had only 10 (I blame the crazy cold temps); biking had 58 miles. Strength training was minimal (three sessions, including PT...which actually was quite intense, LOL). The elliptical has been a nice alternative, and it felt oh-so-good to be back on the stairs this week!  

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

Now That's Much Better!

The '22 Streak is a GO!

A Holiday Coffee Chat

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. It's the time of year when I wear an obnoxious amount of red and green. It's also the time of year when I wear a puffer vest almost on the daily. With the holiday season underway, it would be a shame to not be donning the festive apparel, right?

On a fun note, this meme totally made me think of myself and Barb. Although it's been a few weeks since we've met for a #5at5, we usually are up, dressed and ready well before 5:00 on those cold winter mornings. 

So, that's the latest. It seems like time is really flying...hard to believe I'm already 11 days into the Streak, and we're closing-in on the Solstice. Not to mention, 2022 is almost history! 

How did your week play out? Did you get a nasty, frigid cold spell as well? Have you ever worn shorts for a December run? Are you wearing any festive gear for the holiday season? 

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