Welcome to the Weekly Wrap. This week was all about running and surviving “Chiberia.” Chiberia is a popular recent nickname for Chicago winter weather. A polar vortex hit us Wednesday through Friday. The high on Wednesday was -20F. Yes the HIGH. The entire city seemed to shut down. Luckily EDGE was open so I could still run.  Linking up with Holly and Wendy for this Weekly Wrap.
Monday 1/28
Run: Team Workout.  Only Lydia and I showed up to the workout. It was snowing heavily, so we opted to do the run on the treadmill. It was really nice to have each other to make the treadmill more bearable. The workout was 4x .75 mile progressions to 5k pace. Even though I had just raced, my legs felt fresh and poppy. It was a great way to start the morning!
Other: Core Class.  My goal is to attend the Monday night abs and arms class with Chris at least 3 times a month. My core needs a lot of work! It makes for really long days, but the class is a lot of fun. We jammed out to some Backstreet Boys while doing planks, what more could I ask for?
Tuesday 1/29
Run: Easy.  The snow turned to ice and I cancelled Sprint Tuesdays again. More miles for me on the treadmill! Luckily Katie O. was on the treadmill with me. What’s funny is that the same day last year we had been on the treadmill together too!
Other: Athletic Performance class.  Went to the AP class and did more ladder drills, sprints and single leg activities.
Wednesday 1/30
Run: Tempo.  Running and surviving Chiberia was in full effect today! The morning high was -22 degrees and the wind chills approached 50 below. Luckily, EDGE was open (one of the few things open in Chicago that day). I was able to complete my tempo workout on the treadmill and felt GREAT! 3 straight miles at 6:50 felt easy, and then a final mile at 6:40 was doable. Progress!
Other: Trying to stay warm! I worked remote at EDGE for the majority of the day before heading home and cooking to keep the apartment warm. I made cookies and then had a friend over for pizza. Who else likes baking when it’s cold out?
Thursday 1/31
Run: Total rest day.  With the weather even colder than Wednesday, I pushed my workouts until Friday and took a total rest day. It was a great chance to recipe test. I made some baked vegan cheese bites and garlic knots using the leftover pizza dough. I also compiled a roundup of vegan Super Bowl recipes for this weekend.
Friday 2/1
Run: Core class + easy run.  Went to EDGE core class in the morning and realized how weak my core was. After, Liz and I went outside to run on the 606. It was 4 degrees out, but it felt so great to be outside!
Saturday 2/2
Run: Long Run.  More “warm” weather! I went out to Morton Arboretum with Liz, Lydia and some 3Run2 runners. The Morton Arboretum is a paved, hilly running route in Lisle, IL. The hills are no joke and I was quite humbled. But it was a great route and I am looking forward to going back.
Other: Highschool Hangout.  In the evening, a group of my highschool friends and I went out to get dinner and catch up. With how busy we all are, it’s been easy to lose touch. We went to a Mexican restaurant and then out to a bar. I’m glad I didn’t flake out on this even though I was pretty tired.
Sunday 2/3
Run: Easy.  From -25F on Wednesday to 45F today! A temperature swing like that calls for shorts weather, and I ran in shorts and a long sleeve. I felt so free and unrestricted on the run. Spring can’t come soon enough.
Other: Lunch Date and Super Bowl.  My friend Katie and I went to Althea, a new-ish vegan restaurant in Chicago. Renowned chef Matthew Kenney creates BEAUTIFUL plant-based dishes that are just as much visual artwork as they are delicious. Althea is on the 7th floor of Saks on Michigan. While it’s jarring to walk through the men’s section and then BOOM be in a restaurant, the food is phenomenal, and the portions are big for such an upscale restaurant. We both left very happy, satisfied, and wanting to go back.
And that’s a wrap! I logged 49 miles this week, with two solid speed workouts, two core workouts and a hard and humbling long run. Running and surviving Chiberia meant most of those miles were on the treadmill, but such is Midwest living! The next race on my calendar is Shamrock Shuffle 8k in March and then the Milwaukee Marathon in April.
I’m glad that this week brought so many moments of hanging out with friends even with the crazy weather.  So far, my intention of community is going well. I’m adding a layer to that this February with a daily gratitude practice. Each evening, I’ll reflect on the day and find moments of gratitude, no matter how small. I’ll be posting them to my Instagram stories (inspired by my friend Melissa), so be sure to follow along!
How was your week? Let’s stay in touch! Follow me on Instagram or Facebook for more food/fitness related posts. Â
Happy running,
Becca
Glad EDGE was open so you could still run. This weather was bananas.
That is a wild swing of temps, to go from the crazy Polar Vortex to +45!!! People would be busting out the shorts and flip flops if we got up that high here 🙂 I miss running shorts! Way to put in the miles this week!
It got up into the mid-40’s in Iowa on Saturday (as well as in the 50’s on Sunday, but it was rainy and foggy). Talk about heaven!!!! Now, we’re back to the single-digits…..womp womp 😉
oh my goodness, that meal at Althea looks amazing!
You had a great week, despite the weather! The drastic change to nearly 40 was pretty phenomenal wasn’t it? Problem here in Minneapolis is that everything melted and now froze again and its SUPER icy out there. Winter running, amiright? I’ll just be on the treadmill for a while 🙂
I feel like we cannot complain about the cold in DC bc you all had it so much worse than we did. That vegan food looks super yummy. Have a great week
I commend you for surviving Chiberia this week – I know it was tough for all of you in Chicago!
Kudos to you for getting in so many workouts, despite the crazy weather.
I have a friend that mentions Morton Arboretum for his running too. It sounds like a beautiful place to run! You were definitely colder than Ohio. Good job on your workouts this week!
How did you get to EDGE on Weds? Drive or walk? It was so brutally cold! Kudos to you. My husband drove to the Jewel–he said hardly anyone was there. What a crazy week and yep, it was great to get out this weekend and feel warm!