February Weather…say WHAT???

Did I fall asleep and miss the last of Winter? 

Doubtful, but a gal can dream, LOL. As much as we desperately need some precipitation, the past couple weeks have been rather…dare I say, pleasant? The extreme cold has left the scene (for the time being), the wind has mellowed, and the sunshine has been incredible.

Not needing my jacket in the afternoons has been intoxicating, and sweet little Max has really enjoyed the extra walks after work (and sometimes before I leave in the morning). Instead of dreading the eventual return of Winter, I’m choosing to bask in the here and now. All is, indeed, quite good!

Before I dis on the deets from the week, 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 in my little “feels-like-Spring” week:

A beautiful SUNday…

After a late night (ahem, rock concert), I may have slept-in ever so lightly. Since I had full-on sunshine upon wake-up, I skipped the usual Sunday morning stair workout, grabbed the weighted vest, and headed out for a couple of miles of power walking. 

Later, after lunch, the temps were feeling sweet and the wind was tame. There was a 5K Garmin badge up for grabs, so I hit the trail and took care of business.

Never miss a Monday…

The morning began with 10 miles on the bike, and an upper-body strength session. Oof, I wasn’t lifting heavy, but the workout felt much tougher than it should have. If the phrase “no pain, no gain” holds true, I should be looking buff soon, right?

There also was the daily 2-mile lunch walk. The highlight of the day, though, was the afternoon 62F temps. You can be rest-assured, I got out for a couple of miles in those conditions! A tank & shorts run… in February…in Iowa? Yes, please! Things felt so good, my legs rewarded me with a 9:52 pace.

Taking things easy onTuesday…

After the previous evening’s tempo-ish run, I thought a low-key active recovery day was in store. I found a weighted yoga flow class (Peloton), which was anything but low-key. I struggled in keeping up with what the instructor was leading us through and wound up modifying many of the poses and holds. Later, the skywalk kept me active over lunch (2-1/4 miles of walking). After work, I summoned the weighted vest (again) for two miles amidst the fading sunset. 

Wednesday…a change in routine…

The 4:45AM group opted for a morning off, so I opted for the elliptical (30 minute: 4-ish “miles”). I had some extra time, so I cued-up a chest and back workout, A new move for me was the gorilla row…and I can certainly see where it got its name, LOL.

The post-workday mid-50F temps were feeling worthy of a few miles. Since I hadn’t run the usual three miles in the morning, this was the perfect setting to make those up…with the bonus of sunshine!

Thankful Thursday…

Nothing out of the ordinary…a 20-mile bike ride before work and two miles of walking over lunch. There also was a short Max walk after work, and then two additional miles on my own (while playing catch-up, on the phone, with my BF from college). 

A low-impact fitness Friday…

I broke routine again (there seems to have been a to of that happening this week), and took Max out for a quick walk first thing. He was over-joyed since I typically just let him out (briefly in the backyard) so I can get to the basement ASAP. After returning from our walk, we headed downstairs, and I did some upper-body strength work. Due to my time frame most mornings, I tend to utilize a lot of the high-reps workouts, which focus on low or medium weights. This particular workout, though, got me out of my little comfort bubble. There were several moves using the heavier weights, and maxing-out. Yes, it was a challenge, but the burn was incredible. It was a powerful reminder that mixing-up the routine is SO beneficial and a crucial move in the right direction of increased strength and stamina.

“Long Run” Saturday…

After a slight sleep-in, I took Max for a quick walk (yes, that’s two days in a row for him!). He was ecstatic to go for another morning walk, and it gave me a chance to gauge the weather. It had been awhile since I’ve run further than 3-4 miles, so I set my sights on a 5-miler. In a nutshell, the run went well! Although I was feeling a bit fatigued in the final stretch, overall everything felt great. I was happy to see how consistent my splits were, and even happier to know my endurance is still strong. Given the fact my weekly mileage has been pretty minimal in recent weeks, this run was a huge victory! I later took Max for another walk (title pic, above)…the temps were in the low-60F’s after lunch!

…and what’s on-deck for Sunday?

There’s a Weekend 40K Biking badge up for grabs (via Garmin), so that’s probably gonna be my breakfast. I do plan on getting out for some walking as well, either after church or in the early afternoon. These spring-like temps are too good to ignore!

So, it was quite a week of fabulous weather! I know it’s not gonna last forever, but I have been totally loving every minute of these fabulous temps. For the first time, maybe in 2026 (?), I had a double-digit week with the running mileage—>13 miles, thank you very much. What’s even more remarkable is two of the runs were done in shorts (it’s the little things, right?). Walking was decent with 20 miles. Biking wasn’t as stellar, logging only 30 miles, but there will be another 25+ miles added on Sunday morning. Several strength sessions, all of which went well. There was no stair work this week, but oh well. I’m not losing any sleep over that. 

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

A Sneak Peek into Spring

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. I’m all about the color  red, especially when there’s a significant holiday it represents. The thing is…I do not like wearing red lipstick. I think it looks chic and stylish on others, but it’s just too bright for my preference. First world problem, right? Fortunately, I have a plethora of more muted color options that serve me well. Onward!

Finally, there was no shortage of Garmin badges handed my way this week. As I’ve said before, these badges don’t rule my world, nor do I need them for motivation. They are nice incentives to have on the roster, though. 

So, that’s the latest. We still have warmer-than-usual temps in the forecast (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are showing temps in the mid-60F’s). I’m looking forward to a few more outings in spring (or summer) gear!  

How did your week play-out? Has your weather been a little out-of-the-ordinary as well? Any significant workouts this week? Are you training for any big spring events?

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