We have been having some AMAZING weather this week. Warm- like mid 50s I think yesterday?!- and sunny. Asher asked if “spring was here” now.
Oh. Um, no. I’d love to say yes, but I’ve lived here long enough to know not to be fooled by Mother Nature’s trickery. It will snow again.
It’s been a good week overall. Compared to last week which just felt super chaotic, this week is flowing along better. At work we have these sets of big (long) quarterly Quality meetings for all the various organ transplant programs I work in (liver, heart, pancreas, kidney, peds, etc.). There’s one for each program, and when they all line up in the same week, it makes for a really hectic week. That was the last couple weeks but now they’re done (for now- til next quarter). So this week has had more breathing room! Yay.
I also re-committed to morning workouts this week! With Charlie’s GI stuff recently I fell off the wagon on that, with I think good reason. But my workout track record was very poor last week as a result, since p.m. workouts just aren’t fitting in well, either.
So this week I vowed to get up and out the door to the gym, and I have! This is the right time for me to work out right now! It makes everything easier. I just have to keep reminding myself of this. Every time I do it, I am just so thrilled all day.
Speaking of workouts…. I’m sort of pausing on the running thing right now. I know, I said I was going to give that a go. In fairness, I kind of did? Looking at my records, I started running intermittently back in early December I believe. Granted, we had a 2 week trip in there, and I never really built my distance much… but I ran a decent number of times over a span of a couple months.
But despite a few days of good weather, overall, the weather in February in Wisconsin is just crappy. It’s usually cold, mornings and evenings are so dark… I kept finding myself basically not wanting to go running. And I truly don’t love the treadmill.
I like the “idea” of incorporating more running! It is fun when it’s nice out, like on a beautiful summer morning. Love that!! It’s good cardio. It’s easy to squeeze in a quick run.
But it’s also complicated. When it’s cold out, you have to dress just right. It’s easy to actually overheat if you dress too warm. But in order to be dressed “light enough that you don’t sweat to death but still warm enough that you don’t freeze to death”, you basically have to be slightly under-dressed for the weather- and then deal with being quite cold and uncomfortable for the first 5-10 minutes until you warm up. I hate that part!!!!
I walk in the winter all the time, no problem. But that’s different. I wear a big coat, a sweater, my fluffy hat, gloves, scarf, boots, etc. I’m typically plenty warm the whole time. But with running I can’t wear a big coat or I would die of heat (and also, look very odd. Ha.)
Anyway, I guess I am more of a fair-weather runner than I realized. (Also, winter/ very early spring tend to be super windy in Wisconsin. What is worse than cold temps? Cold temps + getting blasted in the face with a cold wind.)
SO, I think I’m going to just hit the pause button on running. Not like I’m training for a race or anything anyway. I think I’m going to just really lean into ensuring I do my minimum of 4x/week strength (which is by far my preferred form of exercise anyway, AND honestly the most effective for my Vain Self who likes to try to look decent/ strong/fit, too 😜).
I’ve picked back up doing a few Emkfit Dance videos on You Tube this week (so fun, too!) to keep some cardio in the mix, and trying to walk extra! Good enough. When the weather warms up and the mornings get lighter, maybe I’ll circle back to more running again then. 🙂
Quote of the Day:
In a society that has you counting money, pounds and calories, be a rebel and count your blessings. ✌
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful that my phone usually always works…. currently experiencing some sort of AT&T nation-wide outage and I have no phone service! Which would not be the end of the world, but I do not have a landline and Charlie is at the groomer’s… who is supposed to text or call me when he’s done for pickup! Hmmm. Fortunately I was able to get ahold of someone’s personal cell with a text on iMessage, but jeez. A bit problematic now that no one has a regular phone anymore!
Funny Pic of the Day:
GRATEFUL KAE 
I went for a short run after work on Tuesday. You just can’t beat this weather in February. My allergies are starting to go crazy, though. Just settle down, pollen! Come back in April!
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It was so great until now sudden temperature plummet and snow/rain moving in! I knew it wouldn’t last…
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Can I borrow the crate for R? LOL I can provide treats, too. ❤
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haha! A crate + ice cream seems like a fair deal. 😉
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The weather was a huge part of why I gave up on running. I had heat distress in warm weather – and by warm I mean over 60, so it was a low bar. Winter running is a dumpster fire. Get the clothing wrong and you’re either too hot or too cold. January and February were pretty much treadmill only months due to snow and ice. Yes we *can* run on the treadmill and I did for many years, but it was so tedious. Because my training was getting constantly interrupted by the weather I just wasn’t able to run the way that I wanted to run. And that’s fine – there are plenty of other fitness options!
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Exactly- I didn’t even touch on the snow/ ice issue in this post! Currently not a problem but we had a long stretch of frigid temps and snow/ ice that lingered for weeks. It’s super annoying to plan an outdoor run, only to find that there are slick spots everywhere when you get up in the morning… Definitely another reason I want to table running right now.
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I totally understand the unpleasantness of running in the cold. I remember feeling scared when running on icy roads when I lived in Virginia. Every morning going out ,a bit under dressed, for a run required extra mental power. the cold, the wind, the gray sky made an otherwise enjoyable run a drag. I do like running on winter when the sky is clear and sunny.
Get back to it when weather gets better. meanwhile, strengthening is great. I’ve been doing 3 times a week, 30 min each, this week, after my runs, and it feels great.
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Yes! It’s hard enough to want to exercise first thing in the morning without adding the cold, dark, wind on top of it. I don’t mind the cold on some days, like you said when sunny, clear, low wind. But that’s just not the norm here this time of year. Glad you are enjoying your strength training! That will pay off on your next marathon.
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Hi Kae! Do you follow a specific strength training plan?Thanks!
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Hi Nina, yes, I do! I recently switched to the monthly program by “Momentum by Sohee” (previously “Lift with Sohee”). I love it! It’s $19/ month and includes options for 2, 3, or 4 sessions per week, plus home and gym options, plus 30 minute “turbo” options for all of the above (plus the full length which is more like 45-60 minutes). You get a new program each month. I can’t seem to link in this comment, but if you go to soheefit.com and click Training and then find Momentum by Sohee, that’s the program I’m doing. (soheefit on IG)
Before that, I did the monthly workout by EmPowered Fitness (macroswithem on IG) for the last ~year or so. Also around $20/month- hers have home and gym options, 5 workouts per week, also a new program each month. (macroswithem.com, select “group training” then “Empowered Elite Monthly Membership” to see that one.
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You’re the best! I really appreciate all of the info. As much as I prefer cardio, I know strength training is way better for the body and needed. I will check these out!
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I feel you on the cold weather running; it is much less pleasant! It’s already hard enough to get out sometimes on a good day. I usually do what you said and underdress and am then cold for the first few minutes. I found that investing in a good lightweight windbreaker is key as you can layer it with other things and you don’t freeze your patootie off. But! I get if you are going to table it until it’s warmer! I spent a lot of my winter in Iowa running on the treadmill and it was not fun, but I had a March half marathon (stupid me) and had to do it! Note to self, always sign up for fall races, not spring ones!
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I do have a good windbreaker that really helps a lot! But I still inevitably have to feel cold at the beginning. (And then sometimes end up sweating after a little bit and being uncomfortably warm….). My first half marathon was in May, so not quite as bad as March, but I remember having plenty of cold spring days to start my training off!
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So a couple things here. Nice job on getting back to the early morning workouts. I heard somewhere that even harder than starting a new habit is REstarting is after you’ve fallen off for a while. I really do love working out in the morning- it just makes me feel good all day. If I leave it till later, I feel like it’s hanging over my head and stressing me out.
I totally get it about the running. For all my complaints about the Florida heat, one thing I appreciate is there’s very little to think about, clothing-wise. Most days it’s shorts and tank tops. This winter has been unusually cold so sometimes I’ll wear long sleeves. And that’s about it! I can see how it’s just not worth it for you to deal with the winter running attire- like you said, you’re not training for a race and running is not your main thing. Maybe you’ll get back into it in the spring or summer when it’s actually enjoyable to run outside.
Glad you had such a good week!
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YES, just slipping on shorts and a tank is sooo nice. That is definitely a factor- having to get all “geared up” in the early morning (or ever…) to run just adds a whole other annoying layer of friction. Hat, gloves, the right layers… just too much! I think I’ll enjoy it more when the weather gets nice again. 🙂
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This post reminds me of the time that I went for a run around Lake Monona on a 70 degree day in late February. I was so excited to have such warm temps and didn’t think about the fact that the wind coming off a frozen lake is VERY cold!
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Oof, I can imagine!! I really, really despise cold wind!! Actually that’s really why I generally strongly dislike spring in WI in general. It always “looks” nice out (sunny, birds chirping, etc…), but then it’s freezing and windy! So annoying! lol!
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I completely understand pausing running until the weather improves. It is hard to get excited about running in the cold, esp in icy paths! I will only run if the paths/sidewalks are dry. So I got some runs in recently and now I will wait until this latest batch of snow/ice melts and will focus more on strength training.
Hmmm the crate idea is tempting! Ha!!
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I hear you on the fair-weather running. If we had freezing temps/snow, I’d most definitely either a) own a treadmill (and find space for it) or b) have a gym membership again to have access to a treadmill or indoor track. I can handle the CA winter (where I live) but it’s definitely more tricky to fit the runs in during the winter months (due to darkness and rain mostly).
But yay for getting back to morning workouts. I know I also feel really thrilled for the rest of the day when I work out first thing in the morning.
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