the HEAT is ON-POINT

"There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart."

Celia Thaxter knew what she was talking about. Yowza! The heat is on, and it’s most definitely on-point, but I'm grateful for whatever summer brings my way. 

After the previous week’s “cooler conditions” relapse, this week was all about sweat equity. Suffice it to say there was a lot of glistening & glowing going on and creative hot weather hair hacks happening on the daily. You do what you gotta do...

Before I disclose the steamy deets from this heated 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, amidst the glistening & glowing …

Sunday - a last glimpse (and feel) of the southern heat

My flight back to Iowa didn’t depart until 1:53, so the daughter showed me the Briar Creek Trail near her place. That one last jaunt, in the humid Charlotte heat, may have only been slightly over a mile in distance, but it was a scorcher. Such a fun time, though, seeing the city and having some quality one-on-one time with my youngest. I got in more airport walking and then a 6-mile bike ride and a 2-mile walk, back in Iowa, that evening. 

Never miss a Monday

After the overnight rain, my early morning 3-mile run was all about dodging puddles, a little bit of mud, and a whole lot of humidity. The 2-mile lunch walk was balmy, but breezy, and therefore bearable. 

Tuesday’s shoes were made for walking

The morning started with 30 minutes of upper-body strength work (biceps, shoulders and back) before heading to work. Then, there was plentiful walking to be done: three different 1-milers (throughout the work day) and an evening 3-miler (back at home) 

Wednesday? We got this early-early routine down!

I met Hannah and Bill for the weekly 4:45AM 3-miler, and we kept a steady 9:47 pace for Miles 1 and 2, and then hit 9:41 for mile-3! Bill usually splits-off about 2-1/2 miles in (which is why he’s never around for the group pic), but Hannah said she’s gonna join me for the two “bonus” miles sometime. Yay! 

Thankful Thursday X3

Thursday saw a lot of low-impact movement happening! As per usual, Deb and I joined forces (virtually) for an hour of chatting and four early-morning walking miles. 

After parting ways (also virtually, LOL), I hit the basement for some lower-body business (squats and lunges and RDL's, oh my!). Then, there were more walking miles added...two during the workday and two more after dinner. Yes, that would be eight cumulative miles for the day! 

Friday Fitness = Easy-Peasy Movement (sort of)

With Midnight Madness on tap for Saturday night, I wanted to keep things low-key for Friday. Since I took a pass on the Thursday night group run, I opted for a simple 2-mile run upon wake-up…only my legs kind of had a mind of their own, running that 9:33 pace. Oops. At least my 2-mile lunch walk wasn't quite so naughty. 

gotta love the fake fishnet look, courtesy of the nearby fence

How about a Saturday sweat fest?

After a late evening, Saturday morning afforded me a slight sleep-in. I was craving some cardio, and with the temps already flirting with 80F, a bike ride was the perfect fix. Krystal and I hit the Chichaqua Valley Trail and rode to its furthest west point and doubled back for 20 miles.

Saturday evening was my return to the Midnight Madness10K (I missed it last year). Only, #spoiler, due to the heat advisory, all 10K runners were shifted to the 5K (#WhompWhomp). Although I like this event, the past few years it's been held at a different site, so it has a different vibe than the previous location. Not a bad vibe, but a much tougher route (the entire final mile is a long, gradual hill). After a much-too-fast Mile-1, I had to take a few walk breaks in the second and third mile. The heat was intense, even by my standards, LOL. But, I managed a 1st place AG, and had a mini reunion with my dear running friend, Barb. So, I can't (nor won't) complain much about the evening. There's a race recap coming, so stay tuned.

…and  what's on deck for Sunday?

The jury is still out. I may (or may not) do another long ride (the temps are supposed to be extreme again, so biking would be a great choice). I may do an early run. I'll probably do some walking. Lots of options.

So, how do I feel about things this week? In a word: content. Though I'd rather have substantially more biking miles, the 26 will do. Running saw 13 miles (again, nothing spectacular, but I'm not losing any sleep over it). Walking really kicked buttocks, though, with 23 miles logged. Strength training wasn't too stellar, either, but I'm at peace with that as well because Tuesday's and Thursday's workouts both were thorough (thanks, JJ and Peloton). I'm pretty active on the daily, so I don't sweat the weeks when the mileage is minimal and/or the strength training isn't over-the-top. It's called balance, LOL.

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

Kinda Sorta Chillin'

Looking Ahead...

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. The temps were still decently warm, but the humidity wasn't quite as extreme and there was a nice breeze. This sleeveless linen top was a perfect option for such conditions. A fashion hack I've adapted in recent years is to use a hair tie as a "sincher" for loose-fitted tops. I recently came across a bejeweled hair tie (one of the daughter's dance recital cast-offs), and it's been used on repeat ever since its discovery. Besides, it matches my sparkly sandals (#winwin).

A nearby brewery hosted "Yappy Hour" this week, benefiting the Des Moines Animal Rescue League. Max and I met a friend there, after work, and it was so much fun! Typically, Max doesn't like dogs that are bigger than him, but he did great! He even got a collapsible water bowl to bring home. 

The week may have been balmy and sticky (and icky) at times, but I'll gladly take it. Even though the laundry machine is in constant use, and my ultra fine hair is sporting various different up-dos (as a coping vice), I'm fine with the weather. Granted a little less humidity would be welcome, but at least it's not snowing. End of story.

Did it get seasonably warm in your area this week? How do you cope? Keeping the workouts indoors? Gritting-it-out on the streets or trails? Taking more recovery time? 

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