Chillin’ in the Spring Heat

Now this feels more like it.

With the cold and windy winter over and gone, I have been embracing any and every semblance of warm weather. This week fit the bill with near perfection!

While most mornings were still on the chilly side, the afternoons gave way to summer-like temps. Granted, the wind has not mellowed much, but it has been much more tolerable. 

Before I dis on all 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 blog as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)

Anyways, here's what went down this in week of moving and grooving in the spring sunshine:

Sunday - a full day of sun, fun, and family

As mentioned, the mornings have been cool, and Sunday was no exception. My biking had been minimal, the week prior, so it just made sense to start the day on the (indoor) bike and save the outdoor action for later. Hence, the morning began with 12 miles on the indoor bike (with Deb as my witness!). 

After church, I grabbed a few groceries, and knocked-out a fast 2-mile walk before meeting my two local kids and my parents for a celebratory lunch for my dad’s 85th birthday (see below). We had dessert back at my house, and afterwards I saddled-up my sister’s bike (which had spent the winter hibernating in my garage) and got outside for seven late-afternoon miles. Did I mention, I decided to name this bike Sissy? 

Never miss a Monday

Brrr, the morning temps were (again) chilly, but beautifully sunny. The morning started with a brisk 2-mile walk (alone), then a 1-mile walk with Max. The weighted vest joined me for a 3-1mile walk over the lunch hour. 

Later, after a week of TLC tuning-up at the bike shop, I picked up Krystal (she’s my hybrid cycle) and took her out for a 10-mile ride on the High Trestle Trail. After I got home, I changed into the running gear and enjoyed a fun negative-split 3-miler before dinner. Oh, and Max took me for another short walk after we’d eaten. Would you believe I slept great that ?

Low-impact Tuesday

The morning was active with some walking and upper-body strength work. This particular workout had me utilizing those new heavy weights.  I don’t know what was harder: the static holds or the “simple” curls…or doing both at the same time. I also added a10-minute arms/shoulders class (with light weights) just for fun.

Wednesday - the weekly early morning gig

It was just Hannah and myself this week for the 4:45 meet-up. We ran the regular 3-mile route (in summer clothes!), and I stuck around for two bonus miles after she left. The day also included a quick walk around the block with Max and a 2-mile walk over lunch.

 

All-things-thankful Thursday

The morning started with the weekly cardio hour with Deb (15 miles for me, on the indoor bike)…

Afterwards, I hit the Sweat Den Down Under (ahem, my basement) for an intense lower-body session…with those heavy weights again. That was followed by a shoulder-focused strength session. In the  afternoon, I had to pick up Gustavas from his TLC at the bike shop (remember him? My mountain bike?). A friend met me over at the High Trestle Trail for a 14-mile ride. Garmin even rewarded me the 100K outdoor cycling badge! Oh, and let’s not forget the Thursday night 3-mile group run (title pic, above). Yes, I slept well that night as well.

 

Active Recovery for the Friday win

After all of Thursday’s busyness, I thought it wise to keep Friday low-key. Besides, I had the Market to-Market Relay happening all day Saturday, so I wanted to give my body some rest. Other than some core work, I kept things easy-peasy with walking (two different 2-mile walks, one with the weighted vest). And that’s all she wrote. 

Summer-Feels-Like Saturday

The day started with a 4:45AM meet-up with my team, then an 80ish-minute drive to Jefferson for the Market-to-Market Relay. This event is always a great time! All was going well, though the heat got intense by late morning. I was the 8th runner, so my first leg wasn’t until around 11:00, and I ran 5.8 miles on the Raccoon River Valley Trail (which went very well!). The heat kept rising and one of our team members found herself in much distress, requiring medical attention. We pulled out of the Relay after the 13th leg (with four leg’s remaining) and spent a few hours with her at a local ER. Although it resulted in our first-ever DNF, our gal was eventually released and we were much relieved. Stay tuned…I’ll have a recap in a few days, with more details and some fun pics. 

...and what’s on deck for Sunday?

A few plans are in the works, including an early morning run before church (since I did’t get a chance to run my second leg at the M2M on Saturday) and a longish bike ride later in the morning/early afternoon. There will probably be some bonus walking, as well, as the forecast is looking beautiful!

Anyways, I’m quite happy with all the fitness fun this week. Running saw a 17 miles. Biking had 58 miles in the saddle (most of which were outdoors). And walking logged 21 “intentional” miles, but Saturday saw 21,268 steps with all the extra walking back and forth (in addition to the almost six miles that were run during the M2M). I’m loving all the strength work, and the DOMS weren’t too treacherous following Thursday’s lower-body extravaganza. Onward! 

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

Keep in Motion

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. As mentioned, we had some awesome summer feels this week. It was the perfect opportunity to break-out a favorite tank top and sparkly sandals. This top looks orange in the pic, but it’s actually more of a coral/red color. Go bright or go home!

As mentioned, last weekend we celebrated my father’s 58th birthday! It was a nice lunch and afternoon with family.

Another celebration, this week, was my little grand-doggy’s 9th birthday. Isn’t Lola a sweetie?

So, that’s a wrap-up of the latest and greatest! Although we still had some wind, it wasn’t as extreme as it’s been. The sunshine has been fabulous, and the temps were totally on-point. I’m grateful for all the time I was able to spend outside. 

How did your week play-out? Is it feeling like spring, or more like summer? Any big fitness gains this week? Races? Training for any upcoming events?

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