Sunday, June 6, 2021

Gimme Gimme Some Sunshine!


Can you say SUNSHINE?

I say that because there was ample sunshine, and summer-like temps, for most of the week! Even the humidity played nice, for the most part. And the wind? Well, it definitely had its moments, but it didn't  give me too much attitude.

Overall, it was a pretty busy week, but that's just the way I like it.

Before I share all the sunshiny details, 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 1:00 (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 blogs as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)



So here's what went down this week:

Starting with last Sunday's ride...
While I usually start my weekly review with Monday's stuff, there was a bike ride that played a big part in this week's fitness fun...so I'm including that (just this once). This ride was part of the Bicycle Brew BBQ, a group ride that featured an out-and-back route on the Chichaqua Valley Trail. It was 46.2 miles of fun, but almost constant pedaling (the perils of a rail trail with gentle rolling hills). 


Never miss a Monday, especially when it's Memorial Day.
In years past (with the exception of the Covid-laced 2020), a group of us have gathered at the lake for a tribute run. We run a lap around the lake (1-mile), then veer off to the cemetery (right nearby). Our cemetery has a lot of hills, and most of them are short and steep. We keep silent (except for our labored breathing), and pay our respects to all who are laid to rest, and admire all the American flags. Afterwards, some stick around for a few bonus laps around the lake. After the previous day's bike ride (and a few hours of intense "garden squats"), my energy was pretty dismal Monday morning. Although the four hilly miles felt better than expected, I still had more gardening awaiting my attention. I was an exhausted mess that evening.   


A very tired Tuesday.
Believe it or not, everything hurt (from the waist-down) Tuesday morning. I got out for an easy 1.5-mile walk before work, and that was all I had any early-morning energy for. Later, I heard of the 215 bodies of Indigenous Canadian children that had been found recently (more info HERE). I saw where people were encouraged to devote 2.15 miles (walking or running) in prayer, so I felt compelled to participate. Although I could not fix the tragedy, nor even begin to understand it, at least I could pray about it. So, I walked a slow 2.15 miles after work...


Global Running Day!
Did you get out and celebrate our special day? Obviously, as runners, we don't need a designated day to go for a run, but it's nice that there is a "day" that commemorates our sport. I met up with Barb, and we knocked out our weekly #5at5 in the early hours (almost in total daylight now!). After work, Gustavas and I pedaled 10 miles...and "selfied" in the same spot, 12 hours after the morning's run.


How about some stair work?
Thursday saw a very late start for me (we're talking a 6:40 departure from the house LOL). So, here's a question for you... did the dog walk veer off for a short stair workout, or did we simply bring Max along with us? He'll never know, and I'll never tell. We did get in a 1.5-mile walk, with an interval workout sandwiched in the middle (10 flights/10 push-ups/10 more flights/10 more push-ups/10 final flights/10 final push-ups). 


Friday's fitness.
First we run, then we lift...both outside. Oh, what a beautiful morning! I got out for a quick 2-mile run, and "cooled down," afterwards, with some upper-body strength work on the deck. Have I mentioned how good these summer-like temps feel?


Saturday: Welcome to Summer!
It was one of those runs. You know the type...your body just feels sluggish, the sudden humidity made the temps feel much warmer, and the wind (again) refused to play nice. We had eight miles on the roster, and we ran not three steps further. Kind of a bummer when a beautiful morning lands you on the struggle bus, but that's the reality once in awhile. The good news? My average pace was 10:06 (???), so although the run felt tough, it is reassuring to know my body can still move. Besides, every run is a gift...especially the tough ones because they make us even tougher.


...and then shortly after returning home (and a quick shower), the hubs and I hit the road for Adel (about 80 miles away). We met up with some friends for a long ride adventure. The temps continued to heat up (91F when we finished), and the wind was a bear (17mph, I kid you not!). We cycled to Dallas Center, along the Raccoon River Valley Trail, had lunch (and some "refuel"), then headed back. Total miles on my bike computer showed 28.9. Whew! It definitely felt like summer, but it was great to reincarnate the weekend biking gig.


Sun-kissed Sunday.
Trying to keep things on the down-low, I got out for an early morning 2-mile walk. Upon returning back home, the hubs and Max were waiting...with dog leash in tow. Not one to refuse an invite, we headed back out for an additional 2-ish miles in the morning sunshine. There still were more garden squats awaiting my attention, so my easy-like-Sunday-morning wasn't so easy LOL.
 

So, it was a busy week, but the weather was top-notch. It got warm, but we didn't have much humidity until the weekend. No complaints, though it would be nice to have the wind take a vacation any day now. Total running miles were 19; walking saw 15. Gustavas and I rode about 85 miles. Plenty of stairs climbed (70 flights) and some upper-body strength. I'm good with that!

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

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair! Warm temps (actually, pretty hot temps LOL) outside usually mean freezing cold temps inside. My solution? A light-weight, ruffly-sleeved blouse. The flowy fabric has enough coverage that the (too cold) air conditioning won't be a frigid distraction at the office.  


The hubs and I  went to our first picnic in a l-o-n-g time Thursday evening...and, he promised everyone a sour cream raisin pie. I usually make this pie once a year, for his birthday, and he's the only one that will eat it. It's a high-maintenance endeavor with cooking the raisins (to plump them),  then cooking the sour cream mixture (in a double-boiler) and making the meringue. There's a reason I only do this once a year, and it's definitely not a crowd pleaser. Amazingly, we only brought home two leftover slices.


This week's flowers...still more peonies to admire, fragrant catmint, and the first of the hosta blooms made their appearance.


...and, finally, my May totals took me a bit by surprise. I didn't realize how close I was to hitting the century mark for my running miles!


So, that's a wrap. It feels oh-so-good to finally have summer-like temps on a consistent basis. We all know I've waited a long 8-9 months for them!

How did your week play out? Did the summer temps arrive? Any races on the calendar? Sour cream raisin pie: yay or no way? 

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36 comments:

  1. Busy week for you! I runfess I've never heard of a sour cream raisin pie. Sounds like a labor of love for sure. June is one of the very best months for flowers and yours are gorgeous. Garden squats for the win!

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    1. LOTS of garden squats LOL Even the hubby squatted with me this morning ;-)

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  2. Every run is indeed a gift. The story of those indigenous children was just heartbreaking, and somehow I fear there are so many more we don't yet know about
    Yay for all the puppy time, and I can just see wind giving you attitude. LOL. Enhoy your summer running. We know how I feel about that.

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    1. The wind definitely had attitude this weekend! I don't like it when I'm running, but it's pure evil on the bike.

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  3. Now I want to go on a picnic! I've never heard of sour cream raisin pie. I'm not a fan of raisins baked in things so I'd probably take a pass, too.

    Great running mileage for May (and for your other sports as well). You've come a long way since your stress fracture last summer!

    Thanks for the linkup and have a great week!

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    1. I report my weekly miles on the WRD each week, but I honestly don't pay attention to the monthly totals until after the fact...in this case, it was just yesterday LOL.

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  4. Interesting...I have never heard of such a pie! Is it an Iowa tradition? I'm very curious! Kudos to you for putting in all that work for something that is "not a crowd pleaser!" Ha!

    Full and fun week- I swear, I do love the heat, but it does make running a bit of a challenge when its so extreme :)

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    1. I love the heat, as well, but it is a different kind of running we have to do. Yeah, the sour cream raisin thing, I believe, is an "agricultural thing" for Iowa. It definitely is not a favorite of mine...

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  5. You must be in heaven! It's your kind of weather. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around that sour cream raisin pie. I've never heard of it before. I have to laugh at your description of it being "high maintenance" and "not a crowd pleaser.' Yes, I can see why you only do it once a year!
    Sounds like you had a great week of workouts!

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    1. Ha ha ha, with all the feedback I'm getting, I might have to share the recipe LOL No complaints on the weather (except that ongoing wind).

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  6. I've never heard of that pie-is that a midwest thing? It has been a little too summery for me lately but I know the worst is yet to come. Nice monthly totals!

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    1. I have no idea on the origins of the pie. The hubs is a huge fan, though...I think it's popular at county fairs (?), which are a big agricultural nuance of Iowa LOL

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  7. Nice job this week! It got warm here but was pretty humid too. I keep reminding myself how much I prefer this over cold weather, but its been tough to acclimate!

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    1. I think I'm feeling about 98% acclimated by now. Yesterday's run was a real tough one, and I think the humidity was the major cause. I will gladly take this heat and humidity over winter weather, though. Any day.

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  8. You are a good person to devote your walk to praying for others and also to make your husband that pie. :)

    Definitely a busy week for you, Kim, in a good way!

    Our week started out very chilly and ending about 30 degrees warmer. It's really hard when we keep going back & forth this way.

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    1. This week was the first week of somewhat consistent temps, finally! It's no secret I love the warm weather, but I do prefer it just arrive and stay awhile ;-)

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  9. Ugh. I had one of "those" runs on Saturday and cut it short. My legs were happy with that decision on Sunday! Doing my laundry this weekend, I can't believe I was wearing sweat pants last weekend -- it's full on summer now.

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    1. I ran with Barb yesterday, and she was struggling as well. She'd done a 20-mile bike ride the evening prior, so that was her theory LOL My legs felt fine on the bike ride, though, and by then the temps had gotten much warmer. I guess it was just one of those runs that wasn't going to feel good, and that's fine. At least they don't happen very often ;-)

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  10. What a busy week!! We had some warm weather come in too. Last Saturday was we wore winter gear, today it's 80s!

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    1. Last weekend was really cold here, too (at least by my standards). I'm glad it finally feels like summer ;-)

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  11. Great pie and iconic photos as usual! We had sun this week but then a lovely drizzle for my longer run today which was a relief.

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    1. We had eight straight days of rain recently (two weeks ago), and this week was so much warmer with constant sunshine. I love the sunshine, but a little bit of rain (now and then) would be alright...).

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  12. I've never heard of that type of pie - definitely sounds like a labor of love!

    Busy week for you with a great mix of workouts! Hope those garden squats today don't take too much of a toll.

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    1. The hubby squatted with me, this morning, after our walk LOL So I had only half as much work to do as anticipated ;-)

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  13. Awesome job on all your exercise totals for May! It was fun running virtually with you for Global Running Day and thanks so much for putting together the photo collage!

    Love that you devote your walking to pray for others. Such a great way to exercise and show gratitude.

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    1. Thank you, Kim ;-) I know praying is not everyone's gig, and that's okay. It's something that brings me comfort, peace, and strength <3

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  14. I thought my hubs rhubarb pie was bad but that raisin sour cream pie...well, lol. I guess everyone has something they like that maybe isn't a fan favorite!

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    1. Yeah, this pie is a doozy, and it's definitely NOT a favorite of mine LOL

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  15. Lots of rain and then the heat wave. Not complaining - just shortening and slowing down the runs which is ok.

    That pie sounds heavenly.

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    1. I might have to share the recipe LOL This pie is getting a lot of attention ;-)

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  16. Hmm...I would have to try raisin sour cream pie in order to make the yay or nay call. Now that I've gotten two really hot long runs under my belt I'm excited to see where summer running takes me this year.

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    1. Summer running is not easy, but it IS doable. We just take it at face value and be sensible about our training. I'm excited for summer running, too!!

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  17. Summer temps have been here the past few weeks haha! I always find it so fascinating how every person has a preference. Some people embrace the summer and some embrace the winter. Some prefer running in warmer weather and some hate it. It's very interesting to me.

    Sour cream raisin pie sounds...interesting? I'd probably try it because I try lots of stuff. Not sure how I'd enjoy it.

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  18. Our summers are so very different. I don't mind it because I'm used to it, but the humidity can go jump in a lake.

    I love pie but i have never heard of a sour cream raisin pie! That's different. We are friendly with a baker who makes individual pies. I love pie and the boys don't... She is going to make me a few small peach pies since I'm the only one who eats it, and it's so much work to make a whole pie just for me.

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  19. Busy week for you! You know I am exhausted just reading everything that you get done. :-) I've never heard of sour cream cream but it sounds very interesting.

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  20. That's a very interesting flavor of pie. I've never heard of that one! Is that a local thing? Great workouts this week. Summer mornings are the best!

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