It was a week with all kinds of feels in my midst.
The weather was “seasonal,” which is to be expected. The workouts tested my muscles (and a few may have had me questioning some life decisions, LOL). And there was a full moon!
Before I dis on the 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, with all the feels happening:
Sunday - Feelin the weather
The morning featured a 2-mile walk before church (with the weighted vest). It was a very humid day (which is the norm for July in Iowa). I stayed inside, after church, and got caught up on blogging duties and a few household things. By late afternoon, though, I was caving some fresh air so I took Krystal for a 12-mile bike ride.
Feelin’ the Never-Miss-a-Monday routine
It’s been a long time since I’ve run more than 2-3 miles on a Monday. Things were feeling good, though, so I kept going, and finished with four morning miles. I got out for a 3-mile walk over lunch, and #ugh, it was SO humid. I walked again, after dinner, both with Max and also on my own (2-1/2 more humid miles).
Tuesday - Feelin’the burn everywhere
Yeah, things were burning everywhere. The early morning walk had my eyes burning from the perspiration seeping into them (title pic, above). The arms, shoulders and core saw some “heated” action as well. A very humid bike ride had my legs burning from the fast cadence. And, even the evening 2-mile walk was a heated and humid mess, LOL.
The Wednesday morning miles had me feeling good!
After several weeks off, Bill joined Hannah and myself for the weekly 4:45 meet-up. He and Hannah peeled-off after three miles, but I continued on for a bonus mile…then kept running for a second bonus mile, ending with five total miles in the bank. Later, I made the grave mistake of heading out for a pre-dinner 3-mile walk. That had my eyes burning as well (see Tuesday’s notes, LOL) and the humidity left me feeling like I’d dumped a 5-gallon bucket of perspiration over my head.
Feeling Thankful on Thursday
A little bit of everything and a whole lot of gratitude: 2-mile morning walk, lower-body work, an intense biceps-focused strength session, 2-mile early evening walk (instead of the usual group run), and a late-evening full moon run (see below).
The overnight rain had left the air even more humid and the streets wet. The forecast was looking damp, but there was a brief window, upon wake-up, showing a break in the precipitation. I took Max for a quick loop around the block, then headed back out for a couple miles of walking on my own. Back home, I had some time, so I hopped on the bike for 15 miles of pedaling.
Saturday - Feeling the Sunshine
After a damp and dreary Friday, Saturday morning blessed us with an abundance of sunshine! My hip vicinity issue is feeling better, but is still not at 100%…in other words, I’m proceeding with caution in terms of mileage. I left the house with a 3-miler in mind, but ended with four miles since things were feeling really good (and maybe the beautiful sunshine upped my mojo?).
After my run, I had time for a quick clean-up, then met a friend at a nearby local parade. I had loaded my bike and brought it along, in anticipation of a bonus ride afterwards. The High Trestle Trail is a favorite trail of mine, and I’m glad it’s only a 7-mile drive from my driveway. The trail was busy! There were a lot of walkers, runners, and numerous cyclists taking advantage of the beautiful weather. These 21+ miles generated the 100K July Ride Badge (100K, or 62.2 miles, from July 6th-12th). A bonus was the 3-mile evening walk, amidst a beautiful sunset.
…and what’s on the roster for Sunday?
The forecast is looking like a repeat of Saturday (temps in the mid-70F range, with ample sunshine). I have tentative plans for a long-ish morning bike ride with a few friends, but there will probably be some walking in the afternoon and/or evening also.
So, yes, this was a busy week! The hip issue “recovery” is going to be a work-in-progress. I’m keeping the running miles easy-paced, and all seems to be going well. There still is some residual post-run crankiness, but it’s much more mellow than in previous weeks (I don’t really feel any discomfort while running; it’s usually a few hours afterwards when/if I notice anything). Saturday’s long ride (a couple of hours post-run) seemed to work some magic as well. Anyways, the running miles were at 15 this week, which is a good number for me. Walking had 26 miles logged. Biking came in with 64 miles in the saddle (15 of which were on the spin bike).The 3X1Minute Challenge is going strong (3 daily “holds,” including a wall sit and forearm side planks on each side). I’m doing a daily Wall Pilates thing, but am not convinced it’s very effective for me, LOL.
In case you missed out, here’s what happened on the blog:
In other news:
Friday Fashion Flair. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of brown, unless it’s more of a “chocolate” brown (as opposed to a “tan” variation). That said, when I do wear brown, I try to pair it with a pop of color. Enter: turquoise, via jewelry. I used to have a really cute pair of turquoise sandals, but they bit the dust a couple years ago. If they were still around, I would have worn them (I’m still on the hunt for a replacement, just saying).
As mentioned, there was a full moon this week, and I took full advantage. The Buck Moon was quite impressive, Thursday evening, but it went into hiding about two minutes after I snagged a selfie with it. Talk about good timing! BTW, this was a crazy #Feeling HotHotHot venture as well! The 94% humidity was insane, especially with no breeze (says the gal who usually curses the wind).
Finally, my first Garmin badge of July showed up on Thursday. I wasn’t keeping track, but Garmin said I’d already recorded 20 activities of 20 minutes duration.
So
that’s the latest! I’m enjoying all the summer feels, though it did get a bit more humid than typical this last week. The cooler temps, late in the week, made the humidity much more bearable. As I’ve said, at least it ain’t snowing, so I’m good.
How did YOUR week play-out? Any exciting training milestones? Upcoming races? How’s your weather been feeling?
I thought of you when I saw that there was a full moon. Looks like you had a good week of training!
ReplyDeleteOh, you reminded me that I need to sign up for July's Garmin challenges. I miss our Thursday morning workouts! "See" you in a couple of weeks!
Humidity is definitely challenging this time of the year! It is also very draining! Nice work getting out there. I like the chocolate brown all year around :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear the hip is improving, even if it's still a bit touchy post-run. Sounds like you're managing the mix of running, walking, and biking really well.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the 100K badge! That High Trestle Trail ride sounds like the perfect way to earn it!
The humidity has been crazy high this summer! I'm looking forward to some cooler days before the heat returns. Glad your hip is feeling better.
ReplyDeleteWe've been hot and humid here too, but I think I'm finally getting used to it! Luckily I run in the morning so it isn't awful. I always forget to sign up for Garmin challenges - thanks for the reminder! They have such fun badges.
ReplyDeleteIt ain't snowing is a good way to describe the weather! We've had some really hot days with the occasional thunderstorm. Looking back on the week all I remember is the treadmill, but when I looked at Garmin just now that's not accurate - I got outside for 3 of my 5 cardio workouts! I guess my body was craving the outdoors.
ReplyDeleteIf you have to have hip crankiness now is the perfect time of year because it's prime bike season. But hopefully things will clear up soon so that you have the full gamut of outdoor things to do in "It Ain't Snowing" season.
I love those runs where you feel so good, you tack on a couple bonus miles! Glad your hip is feeling better. I would say my hamstring is still a "work in progress" as well- not hurting when I run but sometimes I feel it afterwards. It's a reminder to us to keep us our strength and mobility work!
ReplyDeleteGlad your hip is getting better — even if it is still taking time I am sure your patience will pay off.
ReplyDeleteIt has been so humid here it’s just hard to breathe outside!
Great week Kim! So glad your running is going well! All the feels, all the activities! Well done!
ReplyDeleteI think brown suits you very well!! It's perfect with your hair!
ReplyDeleteGood to hear your hip is better. Hip pain affects everything really. Ouch but well done about your 3 holds! "Hold" exercises are so mentally challenging. I did wall sits when I had the stress fracture and I'll always hate it, haha.