Sunday, June 3, 2018

The Heat is On



The heat is on, at least in Iowa.

It's totally crazy how hot (and humid) it got so quickly. Our temps catapulted to the upper 80's/90's a couple of weeks ago, and have not returned to "normal." I'm not complaining, because I much prefer the heat to the cold, but it's been a bit much (even for me). I even heard a meteorologist make the comment that we're actually about a month ahead of schedule in terms of the temps! May 2018 was our second warmest May on record, ironic that April 2018 had been our second coldest April on record. Isn't that crazy???


This past week kept me plenty warm and well-sweated. Here's the proof:

Monday was Memorial Day.In honor of the day, several locals (and myself) met up at the lake, which is adjacent to our town's cemetery. For the past several years, we have been doing this tribute run...we observe the flags on display and wear ourselves out on the hilly paths through the grounds. Oh gosh, was it hot! We're talking temps in the 80's already at 8:00, with a very elevated heat index.
Three miles of tribute running
When Tuesday rolled around, my entire body was feeling ready for a good old day of active rest/recovery. In addition to the three miles on Monday, I had also run four miles on the Sunday prior...and those miles were hot and humid as well. I got out on Tuesday morning for a sunrise walk, and that's all she wrote.


Doesn't the sunrise make you want to dance?
Wednesday was another weather-app-fail. We had a #5at5 (five miles at 5:00 a.m.) on tap, but the app showed rain coming. Although it wasn't raining in my yard, it was raining elsewhere in town. Not wanting to waste that early wake-up, I got outside and did a mini HIIT workout on my front porch. Push-ups, burpees, squats, and jump squats. Four circuits with 10 reps of each movement. And a very sweaty persona when finished. Onward!

Front porch HIIT, anyone?
Thursday wound up being a perfect-timing-scenario for our routine #5at5. Dang, the temps were in the mid/upper 60's, but the heat index was much, much higher. The air didn't feel that warm as we were running, but as soon as I stopped (and walked into my air-conditioned house) all of my sweat equity dampness came to the surface and I had to head back outside to cool down or risk hypothermia.
You know you've sweated profusely when you have to "cool off" outside instead of inside your house
Active recovery/rest day for Friday. With my 20K race on Saturday (and my hammy/piriformis still a bit cranky), it was a perfect opportunity for some TLC. A morning walk, some push-ups, tri dips, and how about a wall sit (against a fence post LOL)?
In one of my (many) vintage Dam to Dam shirts
Saturday arrived. It was Dam to Dam race day, and all the weather apps (and local meteorologists) did not have good news for us Dam racers. I had been stalking the weather for several days, in hopes that Momma N would show us some love, but Saturday morning it looked pretty ugly...thunderstorms all morning, with a 100% precipitation forecast for 7:00 (start time). There even was the threat of a delayed start time due to potential lightning.

The race is a 20K (12.4 miles), and is a point-to-point course. All racers are shuttled out to the start line (which is, coincidentally, on a dam north of Des Moines). My youngest daughter (the recent high school graduate) was along for the journey, and I felt bad that this had to be her first race (ever!) with such nasty weather conditions. It seriously looked and felt like a hurricane...extreme wind, rain, and debris blowing everywhere around us. Long story short, after the first couple of miles, the weather mellowed and the sun eventually broke through! And, best of all? I got to celebrate the daughter's first race, and run her into the finish line. How's that for a proud mom moment? (Stay tuned...there's  a full race recap coming)

Image may contain: Kimberly Busse-Hatting, smiling, closeup and outdoor
Totally proud!!!!
Sunday surprised us with a drop in temps and humidity. I got out for a walk with the hubby and Max (with a short recovery run planned for later). My body didn't feel too achy from the previous day's epic race, and the cooler temps and walk left me feeling quite refreshed.
Image may contain: one or more people, people standing, sky and outdoor
All is calm, all is bright
So, the week's running mileage tallied around 21 (plus a couple of miles happening later on Sunday), but there also were numerous (daily) walking miles and some strength work. Nothing grandiose, but my hamstring has been so tight lately, I wanted to give it some TLC this week. Now that Dam to Dam is done, there are only a couple smaller races happening before RnR Chicago (July 21-22), so I can give my body a little break. I still will be doing long runs on the weekends, to maintain a 10-mile base, but those are easy-peasy at this point. I will be doing a little more yoga (see below) as well as extra stretching and foam rolling to fine tune everything before marathon training commences (late July).

In case you missed out, here's my posts from last week:

In other news:
Did you catch my #FridayFashionFlair (on Instagram)? I'm all about color, but once in awhile I do embrace a neutral colored outfit, especially if it has funky detailing. Also, this distressed/faded denim skirt is one of my favorite go-to pieces because it can be dressed up or dressed down depending on what accessories I mix into the picture. Every Friday, I post a pic of a featured outfit....you're welcome to join the party! Follow the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and give me a tag (@runningonthefly). After all, we may be fitness-minded friends, but we don't spend every waking minute in fitness clothing, do we?
Neutral top, frayed skirt, funky sandals
Finally, I came up with a few goals for June. As mentioned, I'll be doing some TLC maintenance, so there will be some daily yoga (flexibility) and wall sits (leg strength) added in. I will be keeping the early morning daily cardio (usually a run or a walk). Rachel is hosting an upper-body strength challenge that I plan to follow (push-ups, tri dips, and core work). I'm also adding gratitude journaling, just to help me keep things in perspective. I'm a glass-half-full gal, but if I see or experience snarkiness or rudeness, it does get to me. Focusing on gratitude is more healthy than "snarking" back, right?


Well, that's the latest! How are things in your little corner of the universe? Hot weather? Summer training? Any races happening soon? Ever tried gratitude journaling?

I'm linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap. This weekly check-in is such a great place to connect with fellow fitness-minded peeps. Please join us!



54 comments:

  1. It's crazy how quickly it got hot! Especially compared to April. I feel like we have had constant rain and humidity lately which is not ideal for running, but I agree- its better than the cold! Congrats to your daughter on her first race!

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    1. Ironically, we have not had much rain. Even with the crazy weather yesterday, the rain was relatively light in my town.

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  2. I'm glad the weather finally calmed down during the race. How fun that it was your daughter's first. Can't wait for that Recap!

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    1. It was a totally epic day, on so many levels. The crazy weather, the transition to full-on sunshine, and being with her at the finish line. I get all teary-eyed thinking about it ;-)

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  3. Good to hear that you got your race in, in spite of the turbulent conditions. Have a good week.

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    1. The weather certainly was turbulent at the start line!

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  4. Wow, I didn't realize the conditions were so crazy for the Dam to Dam race! I had a few friends visiting family who ran it and I hadn't heard. Sounds tough- hopefully your daughter knows races can be a lot better!

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    1. I kept apologizing to the daughter as we were huddled under the umbrella...and kept telling her that not all races were this bad LOL

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  5. I'm glad the weather improved during D2D. Kudos to your daughter for braving those conditions. Pretty sure mine would have made it her first DNS. ;-) Our weather was all over the place last week today. Today it's still monsooning.

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    1. I was really proud of her for sticking it out! Her training had not been ideal (with all of her dance stuff, tennis, and senior stuff happening as well), but she persisted ;-)

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  6. We experienced a huge drop in temps too - in 2 hours it went from 70 to 55 and I went from sweaty humid puddle to goosebumped. I love the goal of gratitude journaling!

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    1. I'm excited for the gratitude journaling! SO far, it's been an easy "obligation."

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  7. We got a nice break from the heat this weekend, but it's coming back. I want to get out and walk each day after work, and the heat is going to be a challenge.

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    1. It almost felt cold this weekend, at least in the early hours!

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  8. Wow, those conditions for that race were crazy!! I'm so glad they improved as the race went on!

    On a different note, looking at that picture of your squat, looks like your left knee is tracking in. Try widening your stance and concentrate on keeping/driving your knees out. Also, you may want to pay attention when Wendy shares the exercises she does to strengthen her vastus medialis oblique because yours may need strengthening too. Of course, it could all just be camera angle and if that's the case, never mind. :)

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    1. ha ha...well, I do think (in this case) it may be a weird camera angle thing LOL. Also, my feel were not even, etc. BUT, my knees do turn inward, my right knee more so than my left. I do have to always be conscious of what my knees are doing when I squat or lunge. And it's a given my hips need work #myreality Thanks for the tips!!!

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  9. Most of the week -- including the race yesterday -- was indeed quite hot & humid. But no hurricanes. I think we would have enjoyed some rain yesterday. It's coming tomorrow and the temps are dropping into the fifties . . .

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    1. IT's been in the 50's/low-60's the past several mornings.....welcome back to spring?

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  10. Props to your daughter for taking on such a long race as her first! Can't wait to hear more about it.

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  11. Looks like you have another runner in the family! Well done to your daughter for doing that 20k! Wow! And in such conditions too - glad things brightened up a bit! Looking forward to the race recap.

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    1. She even said she's interested in doing another race, just not any time soon ;-)

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  12. Congrats on another Dam to Dam race finish! I love that your daughter also ran the race this year too :)
    It was super humid here on Saturday - I'm SO not looking forward to the humidity this summer - ugh!

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    1. The Dam to Dam is always a great event, even in nasty weather

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  13. wow look at your daughter! How much fun is that? Congrats to both of you. I am really looking forward to reading the full recap. The humidity has been off the charts for this time of year already. Hope I can make it through the summer

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  14. Congrats on your Dam to Dam race! It looks like you had fun even though the weather was a bit whacky ('tis the season, right?).

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    1. 'tis the season is right! You never know what's gonna happen on race day

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  15. That's great that the sun came out for at least some of the race!

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  16. Congrats on the race and that the weather improved!

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  17. Mamma N just goes all out, huh? Extreme cold or extreme heat. Woof. I'm glad the weather turned around for Dam to Dam. Congrats to your daughter!!!

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  18. It's hot here too! Be careful with the heat! I love the journaling goal too! I'm working on doing one daily as well!

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    1. I don't mind the heat, especially after the crazy ((long)) winter we had

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  19. Lol. You went from frigid temps to stinking hot in a blink of an eye! We have been so spoiled with weather in Colorado. We had an absolutely gorgeous fall that lasted right up until the holidays, then a mild winter, and now a beautiful spring. I hope you get some summer storms to at least cool off the afternoons and evenings!

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    1. Yes, our weather did a total 180, practically over night. FUN!!

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  20. It's just disgusting here. It went from freezing to seventh circle of hell in the blink of an eye, and I'm not loving it. The air is like absolute soup and I am struggling hard.

    That being said, although the rain was surely not ideal for your race, I love that you and your daughter got to run together and that you got to see her cross that finish line. What a huge deal for you guys!

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    1. Crossing the finish line was such an epic experience, at least for me. I'm so glad how the day played out.

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  21. Congrats on toughing out the crazy race start conditions! It hasn't been that hot here yet (90s is a heat wave any time of year), but we did jump from the 50s to the 70s without much in between.

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    1. It was crazy how hot/humid it's gotten, so quickly! I love the heat, but a little bit of a transition makes all of us much happier ;-)

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  22. i don't know how you humidity gals do it. seriously. i despise humidity. it gets sticky here but I think nothing close to what you have in Iowa (or Florida). UGH. still you got a great amount of activity in. And your daughter's first race was a 20K???? In those conditions?? Do you think she'll do another one?? I thought I was nuts with my first race being a 12K!

    have you consider massage for your hamstring/ piriformis issue? or trigger point therapy?

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    1. Soon after she finished, I asked her if she'd ever do another and she said yes, but not any time soon ;-) There is a 5K on the 4th of July she seemed an itsy bit interested in,though. I do a lot of foam rolling and self-massage, but it would be nice to have a professional get to work on it. Care to jump on a plane and help me out? ;-)

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  23. It's looking like its gonna be the hottest summer on record for a while in Florida! We had the coldest winter temps we had (even if it was only for 3-7 days in January) and now record highs...I'm not liking this...I prefer mild weather year round lol. I think I need to move.

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  24. Congrats on the race and happy the weather was good for the actual day!

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    1. Well, the weather turned out good, after freaking us out for the first couple hours LOL It was crazy!

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  25. It's pretty impressive your daughter jumped right into such a long race! I know you enjoyed having her there with you. It's always hard to start a race in poor weather conditions but thankfully that improved as you went along. Good luck with your June goals. Thanks for linking!

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  26. We haven't been that hot yet! It's been the strangest spring and summer so far.
    Congrats on the race!

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  27. How fun that your daughter just ran her first race. I can't wait to read the recap!

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  28. Aw, what a special moment for you and your daughter! I love that!!

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