When the Damp Runs Deep

Hello, summer heatwave!

Yowza! We all knew it was bound to happen, but the first heatwave of 2025 arrived on the scene rather quickly, and brought a lot of dampness with its punch. We’re talking lots of rain (causing flooding in what had been barren streams and valleys) and heavy humidity (that lasted most of the week).

Suffice it to say my hair spent most of the week off my (sweaty) face and in a messy bun (disguising the dreadful humidity-driven flatness and frizz). You do what you gotta do, right?

Before I delve into the deep, but not too dark, deets of 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, amidst the dramatic dampness, in my little world this week:

Sunday - Long Biking Day-2

After a crazy humid 3-mile pre-church walk, I spent the greater part of the day indoors, blogging, dozing and recovering from the previous day’s 25-mile ride in the heat and humidity (and heavy wind). I joined forces with a friend for a late afternoon ride (hoping for slightly cooler conditions). We headed east, on the Chichaqua Valley Trail, which afforded us a great deal of shade cover and (mostly) a crosswind. Mind you, it still was hot and humid, but much more tolerable due to the shade for our 29-miler. And there were mulberries.

Never miss a Monday

My hip flexors (and vicinity) have been feeling cranky recently. I hadn’t run over the weekend, so I thought I’d test the waters with an early morning 3-miler, and all felt well. I got out for another bike ride (yes, this would be Day-3 of a hot and humid bike streak). We kept this ride fairly short, 16 miles, but the sun was bright, the air was humid and there still was plenty of wind to battle.

Tuesday - keeping things low-impact

Despite Monday’s 3-mile run feeling so good (at the time), my hips were not too happy upon wake-up Tuesday morning. I headed out for another humid early morning walk, and got hit with some sprinkles in the second mile. Back home, I hit the basement for some upper-body and core work. I attempted another walk, over lunch, and  more sprinkles tried taunting me before I finished three miles. Max and I walked later, amidst the humidity (but the rain had moved on). By the evening, the temps were a slight bit cooler, so I tackled another two miles of walking. All told, I logged eight miles of walking for the day and the hips felt much better (though still not  great). 

Double Workout Wednesday

With heavy rain forecasted for the early morning hours, the 4:45 weekly run was a no-go. Instead, I opted for 15 miles on the indoor bike, followed by more upper-body and core work. Oof, I’d forgotten just how steamy it gets on the spin bike, even with a cooling fan blowing nearby. By mid-morning, the rain had moved out, leaving the air even more humid (lucky us!). I contemplated running later in the day, but my hips were still feeling cranky, so more walking sufficed (two miles on my own and a mile with Max).

Thankful Thursday, sort of…

The early morning 2-mile walk felt decent, in terms of the somewhat cooler temps. My hips, though, were still not feeling 100% (not really sure what’s going on). I did some lower-body work…ugh, the reverse lunges weren’t optimal, but the curtsy lunges felt fine. Due to the continued hip crankiness, and forecasted rain, I skipped the Thursday night group run. The joke was on me, though, because the late afternoon storm moved out just before the runners took off at 7:00.

Finally Friday

More walking to greet the cloudy morning. The temps were cooler, though still humid. My hips were feeling better. Despite the temptation to lace-up, I thought it best to continue with the TLC (in other words, stay out of the running shoes). I did more walking, later in the afternoon, as well (and a short upper-body workout afterwards).

Saturday - a long day of fun in the sun

The day started with a 6:05AM arrival time at the Storm the Park 5K. This was the second year of this event, that my running club has sponsored, and we had over 300 registrants! Adventureland is an amusement park in Des Moines, and the route loops around the parking lot and through the park itself (similar to a Disney race, but on a much smaller scale). No, I didn’t run the race, but volunteered at the registration table and also at the finish line.

Afterwards, I met-up with Barb for 30 miles of biking on some of the Des Moines area trails. While the temps were approaching 90F when we finished, the humidity wasn’t too terrible and the breeze felt nice. We may have gotten lost briefly (for maybe 30 minutes, LOL), but it was a great day in the summer sunshine.

…and what’s happening on Sunday?

I’m anticipating a pre-church walk, probably 2–3 miles. Then, I’ll be heading out for another 30-ish mile ride with Amy and Mike. Hey, it’s summertime, and I’m trying to soak-up every minute of it that I can. Hence, I will be a little tardy in reading/commenting on the blogs, but will get to them later in the afternoon (#pinkyswear). 

Anyways, this was an interesting week. The rain was desperately needed, so I’ll give Momma N a pass on that. The humidity was a bit much, but it’s a summer reality (and at least it wasn’t snowing, right?). Did you notice the running was almost non-existent? After Monday's 3-miler, my hips were just too cranky to justify any additional miles. After nearly a week sans running, they’re feeling much better. I just need to get to a running store and figure out if I need a gait analysis (most likely), and where to go from there. Walking held its own with 23 miles. Biking dominated with 90 miles in the saddle. The strength training was decent and felt productive. Onward!

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

Awaiting Summer’s (official) Arrival

Shall we drop a few ‘fessions?

In other news: 

Friday Fashion Flair. Yes, it was hot and humid on Friday, though not quite as hot as in recent days. Still, it’s a challenge dressing for the hot weather while still keeping warm amidst the A/C when inside. My solution? Always have a cardi on standby. I’m not sure if I’ve ever paired this square-neck purple top with the taupe skirt, but I thought the color combo was a winner. Go bright or go home!

How about a peek at my flowers? There’s been a lot of activity sprouting through the soil. At this point, I’m not sure what are true flowers and what are weeds…but I’m alright with that. I’m in search for some border pavers (?) to give it a more finished look. I’m also hoping to score some perennials on sale soon. 

Finally, I discovered this little guy (gal?) hiding in my front yard landscaping plot. He was huge!

So, that’s the latest! I’m hoping to test the hips this next week, and see how they’re fairing, with a little bit of running. As mentioned, I’m hoping a new pair of running shoes will do the trick (or at least improve the situation).

How are things in your world? Hot? Humid? Rainy? Any races on the roster? Toads in your gardens?

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