About Me

Saturday, July 6, 2024

Kinda Sorta Chillin’


Well, well, well. 

Just when it was really starting to feel like summer, Momma N flipped the switch. Holy yikes, she dumped some crazy cold conditions on us this week! 

Typically, moderate temps in the 70F range are quite comfortable. Immediately following the recent tropical conditions we'd recently had, these “moderate temps” felt a bit frigid. We also had cold (as opposed to balmy) wind and more rain than necessary. 

At least it wasn’t snowing, LOL, and the grass is a beautiful bright shade of green as a result…

Before I share the nitty gritty deets from the week, 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 8:00AM (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 blog as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)


Anyways, here's what went down this week in my little world of fitness and whatnot:

Long Ride Sunday
The morning started with a chilly 2-mile walk, requiring an extra layer (title pic). A couple hours later, Jim took me on a 30-mile hilly adventure along the Neil Smith Trail, to the Saylorville Lake. I’ve been on the Saylorville Dam numerous times, always sporting a DAM to DSM race bib, with my running shoes tightly laced. On a bike, though, it was crazy hilly! My cycling legs have not seen hills of this magnitude since last summer, and it was ever-so-humbling. I never needed to dismount, thankfully, but there were a few times when it felt like my bike came to a near standstill. That which doesn’t kill us…


Never Miss a Monday
It was a chilly & breezy 57F for my pre-workday 2-mile run. Seriously, it felt like football weather! Afterwards, I did a short arms/shoulders workout just to warm up.  I tried walking over lunch, but the cold wind got the better of me (as did the late afternoon walk with Max). 


Take It Easy Tuesday
Nothing ground-breaking to report. I woke-up to rain, so to the spin bike I went (for eight miles).The rain continued, intermittently, all day. It finally came to an extended halt after I got home, so I promptly got out for a quick 1-mile walk. 


Making the best of Wednesday
All of Tuesday’s rain left the air quite damp come Wednesday morning. Our 4:45AM run was mucho muggy. The good thing about all that moisture in the air is you don’t know if you’re a wet mess from actual sweat or if it’s just the humidity at fault, LOL. Three miles with the group, then I did two bonus miles before heading back home. I also took a nice 2-mile walk over my lunch break (the breeze knocked-out some of the humidity's mugginess).


Later, after getting home from work, I decided to go for a bike ride. After all, I hadn't been on my bike since Sunday, and there wouldn't be any opportunities for riding until (probably) after the upcoming weekend. Well, at about 1-1/2 miles in, I noticed the ride was feeling bumpy...and my rear tire had gone flat. UGH. I took a shortcut, and walked the bike back home, and grabbed the other bike (Gustavas to the rescue!). I'd hope to ride 15 miles, but the "walking detour" cut-into my riding time, so I settled for 10 miles total. First world probs, right? 

Gustavas to the rescue!

Thankful Thursday on the Fourth
With plans to meet a few run club peeps mid-morning for a local parade, I wanted to get out for a few miles before all the festivities began. Talk about your crazy weather...it was a light misty rain for my 5K run, then an all-out downpour for the next few hours. Ironically, the rain tapered off as we were meeting for the parade, the sky cleared as we were walking (handing out American flags and run club info), and we had full sunshine for the remainder of the day. My sister, her dog, and my parents joined Max and myself for an afternoon of food and fun. So much for the day-long rain forecast, huh!


Going Flying on Friday
I was up and moving by 4:00AM, and arrived at the DSM airport around 5:30. I did make time to get in that daily plank before leaving the house. Garmin thinks I got in several naps, due to all the sitting on the plane. Although I didn't record any of my walking (to and from the car, inside both airports, and in the evening, after arriving at my daughter's place), I'd guess I had around  two cumulative mile on foot.


Simply Saturday
With no specific fitness plans on the roster, I got out for a 4-mile run in the hot and humid Charlotte, NC air. It's a good thing the humidity doesn't bother me much, because this was a very warm endeavor. Later, the daughter took me sightseeing, via our walking shoes (approximately two miles).

don't be fooled by the Dunkin sign; no donuts were harmed or consumed for the taking of this selfie

...and what about Sunday?
I need to be to the airport around noon for my return flight to Iowa. I am hopeful we can do some walking in the morning before we head to the airport. I anticipate a lot of airport walking again, and possibly an evening walk after I get back home. Stay tuned...

So, it was an interesting week! There was temperamental weather, fun times (and some challenges) on the bike, moderate running, and an itty bit of strength-training. Running ended with 14 miles logged. Walking saw 15-ish miles. And biking tallied 48 miles of pedaling (on three different bikes, nonetheless). Strength training was pretty much upper-body focused (just a couple of short sessions). It is what it is.

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

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. With a day of travel on the agenda, my wardrobe was nothing exciting. Instead, I shared a glimpse of my 4th of July attire. Yes, I might be a patriotic dork, bot no apologies for sporting the red, white and blue. Psst, if you look closely, there's an American flag pattern on my scarf-tied ponytail.


As mentioned, I flew out early Friday morning for a quick trip to see my youngest daughter in Charlotte. I've never been to this charming city, and it was fun seeing all the architecture, downtown and in many of the residential neighborhoods, as well as several local sights and landmarks. We had great food, lively chatter, and a nice time in the North Carolina heat. 


So, that's another wrap-up of another week of fitness, fun, and whatnot. Although the trip to Charlotte gave me a much warmer ending to the week than anticipated, it did feel good to briefly escape the sudden coolness. It's July, so I know the true seasonal warmth will not be a stranger.

How was your week? Did July arrive in a warm burst of heat and humidity, or was it slightly chillier than usual? Any 4th of July races? Family time? Traveling?  


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24 comments:

  1. I think if we could have the cooler mornings i would enjoy summer running much more. Alas, our heat and humidity is a lot like Charlotte I imagine. Hope you had fun with your daughter and a nice getaway

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    1. It was a nice (and much needed) getaway! The recent cooler mornings were kind of out of the ordinary...not sure if we'll have more of them or not...

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  2. How nice that you were able to visit with your daughter! I seems like it's humid everywhere this summer. You'd think we'd get used to it, but it's not happening for me.

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    1. The humidity is a definite wild card. Oddly, I don't mind it as much running (or biking) as I do just walking back and forth outside (when I'm in street clothes and don't appreciate my hair getting all droopy, LOL).

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  3. I love that your new running group walks the parade route handing out American flags and club info brochures. Sounds fun! Our Independence Day was hot so we got out extra early for our annual bike ride through Gettysburg. We've had high heat and humidity here and now our county is considered to be in a severe drought. We keep getting forecasts for pop-up storms, but none develop.

    I hope you had a great visit with your daughter and a safe trip home!

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    1. I made it home, safe and sound. It was a fun time in NC, but that humidity was no joke! Even sitting at an outdoor bar, in the evening, was really uncomfortable (even with a breeze).

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  4. I haven't been to Charlotte, but it's on my list of places to go.

    My latest hobby is exploring a local bike trail that's 85 miles long. Since my max mileage is in the teens, I'm riding small sections back and forth, picking it up from where I left off the last time. I can't tell how far I am from the northern end, but I think I'll reach it in 3-4 more sessions.

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    1. That's an exciting quest! It's always fun seeing where the trails lead when you ride them for the first time.

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  5. Ha, your daughter looks just like with, but with a black wig on! Sounds like you had a nice visit.
    57 degrees??? That is chilly for July! I'm envious- I love running in 50s temps, but that's winter for us. i'm glad your rain stopped in time for the 4th of July parade!

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    1. Yes, this one looks al ot like me. Her kindergarten pic was such a close resemblance to mine!

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  6. So nice that you could see your youngest daughter! I bet you don't see each other often if she lives so far away. Does she also do sports? Or did you do your runs alone?
    It's funny how Garmin thinks we're napping when we're sitting still! My Garmin does that to me too. I guess I should step away from the desk more often!

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    1. I ran solo while in NC, but she did walk with me. She's more into strength-training than cardio stuff (but she did run the Dam to Dam 20K with me a few years ago).

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  7. My Garmin clearly needs to update because mine doesn't have any of those cool features. But I've had my fenix for 6+ years - it's older than my daughter! What a chilly fourth of july. Thank goodness the weather held out for the parade!

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    1. It was really strange (in a very good way!) how the rain disappeared just in time for the parade. It wasn't looking too promising just 15 minutes prior to lining up.

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  8. I'm not surprised your Garmin thinks you're napping when you sit still for once, lol! How nice for you to go and see your daughter and visit Charlotte, and see the place walking. That's the best way to do sightseeing! Here the weather has turned cooler and it's very annoying, more like a decent spring than summer. I could use some hot weather now!

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    1. I actually wore the Garmin to bed both evenings, so it'll really think I've gone crazy, LOL. I usually take it off at bedtime, so it "thinks" I never rest.

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  9. We had a few tolerable mornings, but they were far from chilly!

    I love your red top in your Friday Flair photo — so cute!

    Glad you had fun with your daughter this weekend.

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    1. Thanks, it was a nice weekend ;-) The upper-50F temps felt chilly in comparison to what we'd had prior...but I doubt we'll see them again for awhile...

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  10. You impress me with the "mucho muggy workouts" LOL I've been complaining about the heat but humidity is another level of discomfort. You make it sound like NBD.

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    1. Ironically, I don't mind the humidity as much as most people. I don't love it, by any means, but I can tolerate it. I don't notice the heat/humidity (much) until after I stop my workout(s)...then the cold, air-conditioning actually makes me feel insanely sweaty.

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  11. Oh, looks like such a fun trip to Charlotte! I have never been, but it looks so pretty and you made the most of your time, as expected! And how special to spend it with your daughter. Happy 4th Kim!

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  12. Looks like a really fun week! Things were pretty hectic and rushed here, so our 4th was as slapdash as they come. It's ok. I do love that you had a parade. It's not something we see here. And I skipped the local 5ks, because it's just so hot.

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  13. How nice you got to visit your daughter! And go you on that 4am plank ;)

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  14. Hot here but not bad if you get out early..

    Glad to see you got to visit your daughter. I have a friend near Charlotte and she keeps telling me that there are races there.

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