Back in my Summer Stride

The return of summer, most definitely, had me back in my stride this week!

 After a brief “early fall interlude,” I was ecstatic to have my summer weather return in full form. The sunrises were spectacular, the wind was mild, and the temps were warm. Getting outside, on the daily, was pure bliss!

Before I dis on the deets form the week’s fitness fun in the sun, 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 in my little corner of the universe this week:

Sunday - some serious sweating in the sunshine

I don’t know if there’s anything better than a sunrise walk in summer-like temps. I got out for a couple miles before church (title pic, above). After some blogging duty, and a short walk with Max, I hit the trail for 15 miles on the trail. Have I mentioned how great it felt to be out in the sun? After a week of mostly indoor cycling, getting back on the hybrid bike was wonderful! Later, the weather was so nice, it called for a couple more miles of walking, post-dinner.

Never miss a Monday…

With a threat of rain, and crazy high humidity, I opted for a pre-workday walk (again, having the umbrella in hand kept the rain away, LOL). There was more lunchtime walking (two miles), and a short walk with Max after I got home. 

I’d had hopes of a 4-mile run, after work, but called it at the 3-miles mark. The temps were sitting at 93F, and the humidity was crazy, and my body was still feeling fatigued form the weekend. As much as I love the heat, I do know when to respect the extreme conditions. No regrets.

Take Charge Tuesday

After three days of somewhat intense work, it was time for some low-impact action. It was still quite dark upon wake-up (ugh, I’m so not a fan!), so I hit the basement and burned the chest, back, arms and shoulders (via Peloton). Afterwards, I finished with a quick 1-mile cool-down walk amidst the beautiful sunrise. Also happening was a routine 2-mile skywalk-walk over lunch.

Double workout Wednesday

It was just Kelly, Hannah and myself this week for the 4:45AM group run. The first mile felt kind of sluggish, but things quickly turned around thereafter. I stuck around for two bonus miles after the gals left, and was quite happy with those negative splits! There was some walking (both with Max and on my own), as well as an intense 16-mile evening bike ride, via the basement.

Thankful Thursday

My grandiose plans of an early morning long (indoor) ride were futile with a longer-than-anticipated post-alarm “doze.” OOPS. I did manage five miles on the bike, eventually, and then got out for a short cool-down walk. WOW, the sunrise was simply breathtaking. Seriously, I never regret seeing the sunrise, no matter how sleepy I may feel.

It wound up being a day of nonstop activity at work. My noontime 2-mile walk worked a little magic, but my body and mind were still feeling groggy when I got home. After taking Max for a walk, I made the command decision to just run on my own instead of meeting with the Thursday evening run group (because I knew they’d be running faster than I had the energy for). Alas, my solo 3-miler was decent. Not the usual tempo pace (as if, LOL), but surprisingly faster than it felt. Maybe it was the warm weather that sustained me? 

A low-key, low-impact Friday

After what felt like a good night’s sleep, I was still feeling slightly fatigued upon wake-up. I snoozed for a short bit, then got out for a short walk before work. We had a company outing at the local zoo (in Des Moines), so my usual skywalk lunch walk didn’t happen. I did take Max for a short walk after getting home, and then knocked-out three pre-dinner miles on my own. The mid-70F temps were wonderful, as was the sunshine (which had been MIA in the morning). Five total miles of walking for the day made for a successful easy-peasy day in prep for Saturday’s long run. 

Long Run Saturday…and then some

Don’t you just love it when all the stars, moons and planets align and things play-out favorably? The forecasted rain got pushed back (yay!), so my early morning 8-miler didn’t have any weather issues to fight. My splits were fairly consistent (except for the three mini walk breaks at the 2nd, 4th, and 6th mile marks). And, my new shoes felt better than the ones I’d exchanged them for (the other “new” ones were too big, so these “newer” ones are a 1/2-size smaller). Also, despite the gloomy skies, the Hawkeye vibes were oh-so-high following Friday evening’s win over Rutgers! 

…and a short while later, there was a little more walking. I trekked to Ames, and we knocked-out an 8-mile walk. This also was under mostly sunny skies…not sure where all the forecasted rain had gone. 

 

…and what’s on deck for Sunday?

The weather is looking warm and sunny in the afternoon, so there are plans for a semi-long bike ride on the roster. I’ll probably sneak in a short pre-church walk, because why not? 

As mentioned, this week was overflowing with beautiful weather. There was a little bit of intermittent rain, which was badly needed, but it didn’t interfere with any of my fitness endeavors. Running logged 19 miles, which has me in a good place with the upcoming  Des Moines Half Marathon (next month). Walking dominated with 33  miles this week. Biking was mediocre, with 36 miles, but there’s another 30ish miles happening Sunday afternoon. Strength training was a little light this week, but I’m alright with that. Tuesday’s upper-body work rewarded me with a hefty dose of the DOMS on Thursday and Friday.

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

Can you say Moonlighting!

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Although the outdoor temps were warm and seasonal, things were chilly inside the office (before we headed to the zoo). I’m glad I had a fun sweater on standby to keep me cozy!

Here’s a quick update on the orchid situation. This is the one I bought last year, after moving to my new place. It has recently started blooming, and is looking so beautiful! The main stem currently has five blossoms, and one of its branches has a newly-opened blossom. There are numerous blooms in the works, so it’s gonna be even brighter and more colorful this time next week.

So, that’s the latest. It was a fun week with plenty of outdoor action in the sunshine. Have I mentioned how much I’m loving the return to summer? 

How did your week play-out? Did your weather pivot back to summer, or did your summer ever cool off? Any races on the fall roster? Fitness highlights that need mention?

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