Hello from chilly Florida! I know “chilly” is a relative term, but we’ll get to that in a minute. I’m linking up as usual with Kim and Deborah for this weekly rundown. It was a good week, ending with an awesome run! Let’s get started.
Monday
Keeping on my (for now) every-other-day running schedule, this was a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday week. So I started this Monday with a power yoga class on the Peloton app with my buddy (he doesn’t know we’re buddies) Denis Morton. I had an exciting breakthrough where I finally, FINALLY was able to get my body rotated to do a proper half moon pose, which I had been struggling with for months.
I followed this victorious yoga class with work on the pull-up bar. Notice I don’t say “I did pull-ups.” Still working up to that! I mostly hung from the bar and did sets of “pre-pull-ups” where you raise yourself a few inches only by retracting your scapula- you don’t bend your arms at all. This gets the correct muscles (lats) activated. Even this was tiring for me. Boy, am I weak. Not for long though!
Tuesday
A three mile run!
Later in the day I did my “ten down” pushups workout. You do a set of ten, set of nine, set of eight, etc. One thing I came away with from Living With a Seal is that pushups can be done just about anywhere, anytime. No reason not to throw in a mini-workout while I made dinner.
Wednesday
One of my goals for this week was to do a new-to-me Peloton strength workout, so I did Jess Sims 30 Minute Glutes and Legs Strength. I liked it! So far I’m liking the regular strength classes better than the strength for runners classes.
Followed this with a 30 minute yoga flow, because I had to practice those half moon poses! This was the David Bowie flow, but the real reason I chose it is the picture shows Denis in half moon.
Thursday
4 mile run! Interestingly, My entire body was sore today. My legs were sore from the strength work and my neck was sore from… sleeping the wrong way? It was really bad, one of those situation where you have to turn your whole body in order to look sideways. Running was fine, but I didn’t do any other workouts this day.
Friday
Started the day with a 30 minute slow flow yoga class, chosen once again because the picture showed Denis in half moon. I also chose a slow flow in the hopes that it would help my neck. I’m not sure if it helped, but it definitely didn’t make it worse.
I got out the pull-up bar again, and this time did some assisted pull-up with a band. Ouch, ouch, ouch. Why are pull-ups SO FRICKIN’ HARD???
Saturday
We had been warned all week that a big cold front was coming our way, with temperatures down to the 40s this morning. No problemo! I got up early to get my run in before work. As I was getting ready I heard a strange… roaring sound? What in the world? I realized it was the wind, and checked the weather to find that we had this alert:
I’m just imagining the thought process behind this- “These people won’t know what to do! We have to tell them about hats and gloves!” Well, 40s is already hat and glove weather for me. I hadn’t been counting on the wind though, so I doubled up on my top layer. Off I went!
My first mile was AWESOME! I felt like I was flying effortlessly! Ha ha… the wind was directly at my back. Well, we all know how that goes. Let’s just say that I experienced some major uitwaaien and, for the record, David Goggins would have approved.
I tried and failed to take a picture at the beginning of the run. It was so windy I couldn’t prop my phone up. Here’s the end though…
So, (you may be thinking) if it was so cold, what’s up with the shorts? Well… I lived in New York City in the 90s. Boy, those were the good old days. There were literally races every single weekend, and I raced a lot. One winter I raced every other weekend (they weren’t that expensive, either) and no matter how cold it was, there would always be some guy wearing shorts.
Some weeks I would think, “well, it’s twenty below. No way will anyone be wearing shorts TODAY!” But, yes- there was always someone. I’m not actually sure if it was the same guy or not- more likely it was a handful of guys who were doing it. But I always think of him as the Central Park Shorts Guy.
When I first moved to Florida, I would wear tights on “chilly” running days until I realized- I hate wearing tights, and it really doesn’t get cold enough here to require it. So I’m carrying on a Florida version of the tradition and wearing shorts no matter what, a la Central Park Guy.
This was a fun and invigorating five mile run, and I loved it! I saw one other runner out and I noticed he was dressed similar to me- long sleeves, hat and gloves, shorts, and he had a hydration vest so I figured he was doing a long run. As we passed each other he said “Beautiful day, huh?” “Yep!” Ah… I love runners.
When I got home, my husband was just getting ready for his run… in shorts and T-shirt. He asked me about the weather and I told him it was cold. He said “Oh! Should I wear a hat?” Yes! And gloves. Sheesh- someone didn’t read the weather alert.
Later in the day I did a 20 minute Peloton glutes and legs class with Jess Sims, and then my ten down pushups routine.
Sunday
It got down to 37 degrees overnight, and I stayed warm and snuggled in my bed until 9:00 am! If it had been a running day, I would have embraced it and had another invigorating run. But it wasn’t! And I thoroughly enjoyed being in my bed, happily under a quilt. Gotta have balance, right? Yin and yang.
Soon I’ll do a yoga class- I already have it cued up.
So that’s it! I know our weather doesn’t seem cold compared to what everyone is having up north, but it’s really different for us. And different is good! It’s fun to mix things up a bit. I hope you had a great week!
What’s your cutoff temperature for wearing shorts vs. tights?
Do you do pull-ups? Have any advice for me?
How was the weather in your area?
38 Responses
Oh wow, I don’t think I could do half moon now, though I have in the past! I must get into some peleton yoga classes now I’ve got a bit more fit in that area. Can’t do a pull up, so can’t help there, but I’m sure you are going about it the right way. It has to be super hot to get me in shorts, I have to say, not sure what the temp cut-off is. My friend Claire is in them in all but sub (our) zero temperatures, though!
It’s funny, people in cooler climates are the opposite (like you) and never wear shorts. I’ve heard of such a thing! So different from Florida.
I’ve really been liking the Peloton yoga. I tried a few different teachers before I settled on Denis- every once in a while I try someone else but always go back to him.
I hate to be cold. So my cut off for shorts is pretty high, well, actually I never run in shorts, LOL! But I do run in skirts. Somewhere around 50ish for me, although I ran one very cold half in a skirt in like the mid 30s (it wasn’t supposed to be that cold!). It was also very foggy. I was SO cold after I finished!
But at least we’re used to it.
It’s funny, I do have a Yoga video I filmed recently (for March) which works up to half moon. 🙂
Oh really??? Maybe I’ll check it out- you’re publishing it in March?
My upper body gets cold way before my legs- I could even wear shorts, tank tops, and a hat- my ears will get cold before anything else.
Thank goodness for the weather warning or you might have left the house without a hat and gloves, lol! Only in Florida, right? I love that you wore shorts. I will wear shorts until it gets below 50. Cold muscles just don’t move as well.
I love your quest for the pull-up. I am with you on the ‘why is it so hard’ refrain. But it is great to think about all the strength you are gaining in the process. I’m simply amazed at how I can do things now that were so hard for me a year ago. Keep it up!
Yes, Florida is so strange. I actually feel a little bad for my kids that I made them grow up here! They have a warped sense of reality.
Trying to get back into pull-ups, I can see how much strength I’ve lost. OR, looking at it the other way around, I can appreciate how much strength I can gain if I keep at it consistently
I’m so impressed with your strength training. I wish it would rub off on me. Never done a pull up.
I wear a skirt until like 30 degrees. I will add calf sleeves for extra warmth.
In Florida, no matter what I wear skirt. And there have been times I’ve regretted it.
Here this am it was -11 with the wind hill. but sunny so not that bad.
Brr! -11 sounds really cold to me, even with the sunlight.
I have a lot of motivation to do strength training because I’ve had so many injuries. If I could just run and not be injured, I probably couldn’t convince myself to do strength.
I can do half moon, but not a pull- up! It’s been quite cold here (below zero most nights this past week), but because it’s Wisconsin, there’s always someone out in shorts grilling when I walk the dog. I’ll have on wool base layers, a heated vest, and my down winter jacket, but there’s some fool out in shorts. I appreciate your toughness in running in shorts in the 40s – that is pretty cold for shorts!!!
I’m laughing at the thought of some guy grilling in shorts when it’s zero. It’s funny- I don’t remember that happening when I was growing up in Illinois. In the winter, everyone wore pants, period. But now shorts all the time seems to be a thing. I guess my legs don’t get cold when I run because I’m moving- but if we got real winter temperatures down here I’m sure I’d be in tights.
I am so happy to see you breaking into new strength training classes. I have a feeling they are going to be great for you. I bet that is why you were sore. My cut off for shorts is under 50. I usually go to capris and a tank after that. Hope you survive your cold front! 🙂
Hmm! Interesting you would go to capris and a tank… I would be at shorts and long sleeves around 50. Funny how different we all are!
I don’t have any specific cut-off temps for shorts, etc. I just go with what I’m feeling. The wind, dampness, location, etc. all affect the actual temps, so it can vary what I’ll be wearing. Temps in the 40’s actually feel tropical following a few weeks of sub-freezing temps. I wore shorts, once, for a Christmas-themed race because it felt so warm for that time of year (and the shorts were Santa-inspired red velvet beauties with white fur trim, LOL).
Ha ha, somehow I knew fashion would enter into your wardrobe decisions! Those shorts sound awesome- I would probably push the limits a little and try to wear them for a Christmas race, regardless of the weather.
Pull-ups are crazy hard!
My shorts cut-off is somewhere between the mid 40s and 50 – depends if there’s wind involved.
I’m glad you’re trying out some of the other strength classes. And, I would agree that I prefer the regular strength classes vs. the SFR classes.
Yes, wind makes a big difference. We usually don’t have extreme wind (unless it’s a hurricane) so that’s what made our weekend so unusual.
That is funny about the hats and gloves. You know us in Ohio, if it’s 40 we’re probably just wearing hoodies haha! I do get very cold ears so I like to always wear a hat or headband. I was wondering about the shorts situation for you. Since I have several pairs of capris I like to get some use of them, so I won’t run in cold weather in shorts. I do have a friend who is notorious for wearing shorts all year round. I think he did end up wearing pants this week!
Did you see any falling iguanas? That part of the forecast sounded sad!
I didn’t see any iguanas but my husband did- yes, it’s sad!
It seems to be a thing for some people to wear shorts even when it’s freezing. We don’t get that cold here- I wouldn’t be that hardcore.
You are going to master half moon! I did Denis’s Bowie yoga class this week — it was a good one. I’ll wear shorts in the 40s. I don’t do wind though. It can be dangerous around here with so many trees losing branches. Glad your running is going well.
Jess Sims was the instructor who got me hooked on Peloton. Her workouts are no joke but her energy gets me through them!
Yeah, she’s definitely tough! I liked the two classes I took, BUT I don’t do the plyometrics so I feel like I’m not getting as much out of them as I could. I just can’t do that to my foot!
I like the sound of that 10-down pushup workout. I plan to add it into my routine! And I would love to be able to do a pull-up. I’ll have to read up more on how to build up to it.
Yay for running feeling good!
I might have been “central park shorts guy” at the Baton Rouge marathon in those temps, ha!
OMG you were! Not only shorts but a tank top! Ha ha.
I love that you’re running with hat and gloves, but in shorts 🙂 For me, it’s the other way around – I’ll put on tights before I wear a hat or glove when running.
My head and hands get cold way before my legs do! But it’s funny how everyone is different.
I switch to capris when it dips under 50 and the tights come out around 30 degrees. Once I ran a turkey trot in North Carolina and brought capris and a short sleeve shirt because how cold could it possibly get? It was 27 degrees and I froze my butt off!
When I am trained, I can do 3 unassisted pullups. That said, I haven’t trained them since we canceled our gym membership. I suppose that would be a nice goal to work toward.
Okay, I’m impressed! Three unassisted pullups is a lot. I’ll bet you could do them again with a little work- you’re already strong and you body would probably remember what to do.
The weather here is SO cold. It has been an intense winter all-around it seems. We got a LOT of snow over the weekend but I am just so, so thankful schools are open today! Hallelujah.
My strength training was shoveling, but I really do want to do a bit more work in this area. I’m thinking 1-1-1; 1 minute of planking, 1 minute of wall sits, 1 minute of pushups every day in February? We’ll see. I have to be so careful right now not to overdo things…but this feels doable.
I legit laughed when I saw you in a hat, gloves…and shorts. And then laughed again when you showed how the weather advisory suggested what you should wear…and then laughed again about your reasoning for always wearing shorts.
Oh – and huge kudos, gold stars, jazz hands etc for your success with the half moon pose. Go Jenny!
Thank you Elisabeth! I’m not sure I deserve all that, but I’ll take it!
Florida is such a weird place. I promise you that on the day we had the advisory to wear hat and gloves (so weird, I know) there were people out in flip flops. ALongside people wearing winter coats. It’s like we can’t decide if it’s hot or cold out. Very confusing!
Nice job on the half moon! That’s a tricky one!
There’s always SOMEONE in shorts! I will frequently see someone running in shorts in super-cold weather, and all I can think of is “your poor knees!” The person in question is often red and sometimes blue from the cold.
Running in wind is the most challenging thing!
Thank you Nicole! Half moon is harder than it looks (at least for me.)
I promise if I didn’t live in Florida, I would be wearing tights in the winter! I’m not that crazy.
It’s always a beautiful day when we run!!!!
Running on a windy cold day is challenging but you did it! A very good job on the strength training.
In my 30’s I raced in full winter in singlet and short pants, now I would die!!!!
I like your thinking- yes, it’s always a beautiful day when we can run.
That is definitely a cold front for your area! It seems like most of the country was in a deep freeze over the weekend.
No matter how cold it gets here in CT, I always see someone wearing shorts, lol.
Good to know the insane shorts tradition continues everywhere!
I hear you on doing half moon pose correctly. I don’t think I’ve been able to get into the full pose for 20 years.
I run in capris in anything lower than 40°, but that hasn’t always been the case. I get colder these days now that I’m older. I’ve actually worn full length tights twice this year, something I hadn’t done in years.
Hmm, that’s funny because I feel like I get hotter now that I’m older! But maybe it’s because I live in Florida… I’m sure if i lived up north, I’d be plenty cold.
Running in shorts in 40 degree weather? BEAST. If it’s anything under 60 degrees, I’m in long pants, haha. I’m a Florida girl, through and through.
People who grew up here have a whole difference perception of the cold! I grew up near Chicago so 40s is chilly, but still shorts weather (to clarify, only while running- otherwise I’m bundled up!)