Saturday, January 21, 2023

Moving. Right. Along.


My 2023 off-season is underway, and moving right along. Yay for me, right? 

I gotta admit, as much as I enjoy the off-season, and as much as I know my body needs it, the actual "season" itself can be a challenge. I have a lot of energy (even though I don't drink coffee), so sitting idle is not an option for me. I wake up early, usually before 5:30AM (and that's without an alarm). I don't fall asleep before 11:00PM, ever (unless I'm really, really tired). I love all forms of fitness, and I crave the fresh air of the great outdoors.

Alas, I'm keeping things (somewhat) scaled-back. I'm trying not to give-in to the temptation of doing "long" runs, at least for a few more weeks. My first race of the new year is a 10K (early March), so I don't necessarily need to amp up the distance or my speed just yet.

So far, so good....

Before I share the deets from this past week of off-season fun, 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:

A simply sensational sunny SUNday!
I had every intention of doing a long (indoor) bike ride, but that bright morning sun beckoned me to get outside. A 2-mile power walk was in order, and I postponed the 20-mile bike ride until later (during the Iowa vs. Maryland men's basketball game). No regrets! And the Hawks won!


Never Miss a Monday.
In celebration of Iowa's win over Maryland, I thought it appropriate to rep my alma mater. I cued up a couple of Peloton cycling workouts and started the morning with 12 miles in the saddle. As I was pedaling, it occurred to me that I had not yet named the new spinning bike. Noticing how well its black and gold colors matched those of my Iowa gear, the name Hawkeye came to me. What ya think?


Monday afternoon turned sunny, and the temps were in the mid-40F range. I drove home in full sun, and was excited for a fabulous run in the warm January weather. By the time I'd changed clothes, though, the sun had gone into hiding and the mist (and the wind) had taken its place. Granted, this still was quite warm, by Midwest standards, but the damp air was a bit of a buzzkill for my post-workday 3-miler. Womp womp, LOL.


Another Typical Tuesday (or so I thought)
My body was ready for a little TLC after the previous two days of cycling (32 combined miles) and Monday's somewhat speedy 3-miler (not even 12 hours prior). Low-impact cardio was on tap, via "3 miles" of elliptical, before heading to my 7:30 PT session. We did more glute/hammy work, as well as back strengthening and stretching. After work, Max took me for a short walk (in the raw wind), then I hit the treadmill for two miles of walking while simultaneously doing a couple of  Peloton arms/shoulders (light weights) workouts (Spoiler: the DOMS were waiting for me the next morning).


Double Workout Wednesday (by default)
It was one of those indoor run/outdoor selfie kind of mornings. Three messy-hair miles on the 'mill because I just didn't feel like layering-up and hitting the dark streets. The forecast was showing a big storm headed our way anyways, so I was planning on another (indoor) bike ride while watching the Iowa vs. Northwestern game later that evening. I got in a 2-mile walk over my lunch hour, in anticipation of beating the snow/freezing rain that was due to arrive mid-afternoon. Here's another spoiler: the Iowa game was postponed (the Northwestern team was plagued with Covid), and the snow storm had arrived with a bang...so I spent a good 30 minutes shoveling (and tossing) some of the heaviest and wettest snow I'd ever scooped. I slept really good that night!
  

Thankful Thursday.
I was up and at it by 4:30AM. I had another PT session scheduled for 7:30, and I wanted to get in a short bike ride (eight miles) AND I knew I'd need to do more shoveling. Thankfully, we'd only gotten a couple additional inches of snow overnight, so the shoveling was much easier than it had been the night before (but my back, my arms and my shoulders were in a world of agony afterwards). I don't know if  the DOMS were from Tuesday's PT session, the arm/shoulder workout (Tuesday evening), or the snow removal antics...but everything was on fire. Later, after work, I got out for a very cold and windy 2-mile walk and was grateful most of the DOMS had worn off. Thankful Thursday, indeed!


Finally Friday!
It was another bitterly cold morning in Iowa. I was craving some serious cardio and leg work, but wasn't up for fighting the icy roads in the dark (call me crazy, LOL). I decided on 10 flights of stairs (for a warm-up), a 2-mile progressive run (compliments of Milly) and five miles of Tabata cycling (courtesy of Hawkeye). Whew! Mission accomplished!


An action-packed Saturday
After a slight sleep-in, I met Barb at 7:30. We ran our #5at5 route (in broad daylight, LOL). The streets were clear for the most part, but there were a few spots that required "balance checks." The temps were in the low 20F's (19F feels-like), but with only 4mph wind I soon realized I'd overdressed. The run went well, but I could tell my body was fatigued all-over (not just my legs). I did a short 7-miler on the bike, for a bit of a leg flush-out, and tackled more shoveling before finally heading inside. Garmin, again, obliged me with a couple of badges for my Saturday efforts.
 

...and what about Sunday?
We have a little more snow in the forecast, so I may head outdoors for a sunrise walk (if the wind isn't too evil), or I may do some early morning biking. There may be more shoveling on tap as well, LOL.

Overall, the week played out alright. I did have a head cold most of the week. It had been a long time (since pre-Covid, I believe?) since I've had any kind of sinus gunk trying to knock me down. A negative Covid test reassured me to just take things easy and let the cold run its course. Anyways, running was still on the conservative spectrum with 13 miles (#offseason, LOL); walking had 10 (#brrr #TooMuchWind), and biking was a decent 52 miles (though a bit conservative as well #ButOhWell). Let me add the sport of heavy snow shoveling to this week's roster. I easily have well over two hours logged of squatting, lifting, thrusting, pushing, and awkward twisting & turning (since Wednesday evening). My arms, shoulders, core, glutes, and legs are ALL feeling the effects. Adding in Tuesday evening's arm/shoulder workout (and all the PT stuff), there has been a lot of much-needed stretching and Theragun'ing this week.

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

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Brrrr, Friday was a very chilly winter day in Iowa! This cozy hot chocolate-colored sweater was the perfect layering piece over my teal button-down. The multi-colored scarf added a few extra punches of color, and the teal wrist warmers (that I keep at my work desk) were perfect for not only matching, but also keeping my hands warm while working on the computer. 


January 19th (Thursday) was our little Max's 13th birthday! We've had him almost 8 years now (his gotcha day is next week), and he's still such a bundle of energy. I swear he's aging in reverse.


Finally, the snow! Admittedly, we have had a very mild January this year. The temps have been cold, but not constantly sub-ZERO. Although the wind has been nasty at times, we haven't had much snow. Wednesday's storm brought us around four total inches, a couple inches less than what we were expecting. It was a very wet, heavy snow and with the sub-freezing temps, the trees had a beautiful hoar frost to show off. The temps aren't expected to climb above freezing for awhile, so the current "winter wonderland" will be sticking around indefinitely (yes, even I can admit the snow looks pretty on occasion).


So that's what's had me moving and shaking this past week. Winter. Cold temps. Snow. An ongoing off-season. My reality, LOL.

How did things play-out in your world last week? Any "new" snow? Training highlights? Weekend racing? Upcoming races? Did you catch any exciting games (football or basketball) over the weekend?


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30 comments:

  1. I don't want to jinx us by saying it's a mild winter but I've been enjoying the warm January. We've just had a little snow this week. Enjoy your down season (more like prep season for this spring).

    Happy gotcha anni to Max!!!

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    1. I like your calling it Prep Season! That sounds more enticing than off-season ;-) All thing considered, it has been a mild January, I just hope February doesn't bite our backsides as a result...

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  2. Pretty snow! Happy birthday Max. Looking good for 13!

    Wow, you really don't need a lot of sleep. I rarely make it past 10 pm each night. Yesterday after a 17 mile run and some social stuff in the early evening, I was ready for sleep by 8, ha!

    Glad its been a relatively mild winter.

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    1. I actually felt a little sleepy this week, probably because of the head cold. It's rare for me to be nodding off while watching the 10:00 news, LOL!

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  3. That snowstorm whipped right past us and we had rain. They did get snow up in Wisconsin, tho. We have a dusting today and I'm looking forward to hitting the trails in a bit. I hope it warms up a little bit for you so you can get outside. I'm fighting a head cold too! It's been a long time...

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    1. We were right on the southern edge of it, so we didn't fare as bad as the northern part of the state, but still. I'd rather get gradual snow than a huge dumping of it. THis head cold has been a beast! I'd totally forgotten what one of those felt like.

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  4. We have not had any snow yet this year and it’s been pretty mild so far. I think it’s great that you take an off season of running. I do it in the summertime which works better for me. I need way more sleep than you do! Glad you PT is working well for you. Have a great week

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    1. My January off-season works well for me since there's not much for races this time of year. The extreme cold weather (that we usually have) is tough to run in, so it's a perfect time of year to not be worrying about long(ish) runs.

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  5. I don't want to jinx us, because February can be a nasty month, but January so far has been mild. We do have snow in progress as I type, but I doubt it'll be more than a few inches. Great week of workouts for you! Happy Birthday to teenager Max!

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    1. I agree, February often times is worse than January! March can be a brat, too.

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  6. I am hoping they are wrong about our upcoming snow... snow impats my running.

    I am always outdoors but not in the AM

    I am inspired by your dedication.

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    1. We were supposed to just get a dusting of snow last night, but it was more like 2-3 inches. Not a big deal, since we'd already gotten the other snow...but I've seen enough of the white stuff for now. Bring on Spring, or better yet, bring on SUMMER!

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  7. Max is such a cutie!

    it really can be hard to hold back, but your body will thank you when you do ramp things up again. Matt Wilpers always talks about having “seasons” to your training and the importance of “off seasons.”

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    1. It IS hard to hold back, especially when so many others are going full steam ahead. But, not many of those "others" did the winter run streak, so that's my rationale, LOL

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  8. What a week you had, Kim! I can understand why DOMS reared its ugly head. We still haven't gotten any snow this winter...

    I think Hawkeye is a great name for your new stationary bike!

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    1. I had another hour (or more) of shoveling thismorning...so my shoulders are back on fire, LOL

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  9. I didn't realize Max was that old! We can definitely tell Bandit is aging (he's a year older).

    I love watching snow fall. I just hate shoveling it and the mess it makes of everything! But the last couple of Winters January has been unseasonably warm (which obviously doesn't mean warm). I will take it. Maybe Winters are just getting shorter? One can hope!

    Great job getting it done, as always, Kim.

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    1. The snow is really pretty, especially the hoar frost. BUT, it does create such a mess within a couple days...all the muck and salt! YUCK.

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  10. Hard to believe we live in the same country- I'm cranky because it's supposed to get up to 85 today! It's been a long time since I shoveled snow- but I know it's quite a workout.
    Max looks so happy in his birthday photo! What a cutie. And I think Hawkeye is the perfect name for your bike.

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  11. You had a busy week! We had lots of rain and sleet here but only an inch or 2 of actual snow. I'm starting to really miss the sunshine!

    That picture of Max is too cute :)

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    1. Thankfully, we did have some sunshine, so that made all the snow (from Wednesday on) bearable. I really do miss my sunrises, though....

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  12. Just when I thought it would never happen, we woke up to snow this morning! :) You know that makes me happy! You did a great job keeping very busy in your offseason week.

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    1. I'm glad you like the snow; you have a much better appreciation for it than I do ;-)

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  13. Happy birthday to Max! He's adorable. And well done with a nice active week.
    We actually had snow this week! It got cold on Monday and started snowing late Monday night... for once, the snow even stuck to the ground which is rare here. But now we're back to our ordinary weather of 50-ish F, which is the winter weather I prefer. My week was a bit miserable because of my new injury (and the weather!) but I had some good lifting sessions and a nice walk in the rain, when my foot finally showed signs of getting better.

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    1. I think I'd like your winter much better than mine ;-) I'm glad your foot is feeling better!

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  14. You had a great week, despite your "off-season"... I definitely understand the urge to get outside when the sun is out, but it sure is nice to have the indoor options when it's nasty and/or dark outside.

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  15. I love that you have so much energy and that you don't drink coffee - please tell me your secrets, lol.
    Happy belated birthday to Max! He really is the cutest pup :)

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  16. We got some snow on Sunday and it didn't stop! It was big, heavy, wet snow so it will be sticking around for awhile. It's pretty, but not the best for running!
    I also don't drink coffee! Every so often, I'll have a decaf latte for "fun" but I rarely drink the whole thing. I have one sitting in my fridge right now from yesterday, that I got for my birthday :) I'll drink it all week!

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  17. What a week for you! So many different activities. I am the opposite of you. I don't have the energy to do that much. :-) Happy Birthday to Max!!

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