Let there be Sweat

Oh, has it been a sweaty week!

The temps haven't necessarily been outrageously warm, but the humidity has been ever so thick. You know...even with tech gear, there's only so much that the humidity will allow to evaporate. Let's just say there has been a lot of splashing going on as I discard my running clothes on the floor as I turn on the shower.

Anyways, here's a glimpse into what all went down this past week, and why there was so much sweating happening:

#nevermissaMonday

I awoke on Monday morning to not only heavy rain, but thunder and lightning. NO thank you. I can run in a light drizzle, or put up with a sudden shower if I'm already in the midst of a run when the rain appears. I usually do not willingly venture out when it's already coming down, though. You probably can guess where this is going.....after waiting for the storms to pass, I reluctantly summoned 'Milly. Poor thing, she was buried under puffer vests and various other cast-off items that had found their way into the house over the past several months (but had not yet been put away). I set her incline on 2 and we made our way through 1.5 early morning miles (approximately 21 minutes). Ugh. As much as I dread running with her, walking isn't quite so terrible.

Fortunately, the rain was over and done by the time I got to work (wouldn't you know), making way for another hot and humid day in Iowa. I finally got my run done after work...three miles with pick-ups, and all was well in my world once again.

Never miss a Monday!

Atypical Tuesday

I usually try to keep Tuesdays as a rest/recovery day (since there's usually been a long run on Saturday, a short run on Sunday and the tempo-ish run the day prior). That said, I often times sneak in a HIIT workout in the evening hours. I came very close to doing "something," but eventually granted myself a pass....so it was the first Tuesday in a long time (possibly all summer?) where there was nothing happening but walking. And I was quite alright with that.

3.5 (cumulative) miles for the Tuesday win

Wednesday's weekly workout

After getting through a few days of intense summer heat, Momma N pulled back and gave us a nearly 30-degree temperature drop. Brrrr! Many would argue that 60F is ideal for running, but when it happens suddenly overnight, it feels downright frigid. None the less, that just made it that much easier to run with a little more intensity, thus upping the sweat equity(again). Another successful five miles at 05:00.

more fog and gloomy air...thankful for my glowing arm bands and Knuckle Lights

Thirst-for-speed Thursday

I was up and out the door fairly early for my speedwork on Thursday morning. Again, Brrrr on the temps. There's a 2-block span of sidewalk on the college campus I use for speed drills. It's ideal because running sprints/repeats/intervals/fartleks back and forth five times will net me approximately two miles in total distance. It's about 3/4 of a mile from my driveway, so that's a perfect distance for a warm-up (and subsequent cool-down). After my easy-paced warm-up run to get there, I did five sets of sprints out (and recovery jogs back). My splits were encouraging (1:26:95 / 1:27:86 / 1:26:47 / 1:26:00 / 1:26:74), giving me some negative splits.  I'm totally good with that!

I love that unsuspecting sidewalk

Friday's front porch HIIT

Since I had taken a pass on all things fitness on Tuesday, I decided to do a Back to the Basics HIT workout Friday morning. Except...I kinda sorta snoozed a tad bit longer that I meant too (#oops). By the time I was dressed and ready, I only had a window of about 20 minutes until I'd need to get ready for work (again, #oops). Originally, my plan was 10 sets of the circuit, but I was able to get 5 sets done in just over 20 minutes. Sweat equity earned, and my energy got a serious jump start (literally) for the day.

Friday's fast & furious sweat sesh

A simple Saturday

With the NewBo Half Marathon on tap for Sunday, I wanted to keep Saturday on the down-low. Barb and I considered doing a short shakeout run at 6:30, but ((again)) there was torrential rain coming down. We canceled our plans, but I decided to head out for a power walk, with an umbrella at the ready. It's easier to walk (than run) in the heavy rain (with an umbrella), right?  Only...the rain gradually tapered off and was pretty much over and done by the time I finished my first mile. I wound up walking 2.5 miles, in just over 35 minutes, so I got a decent "fasted cardio" workout done and my legs definitely felt a good burn as well.

When the rain ceases to fall....

A Sweaty & Salty Sunday
After a somewhat sleepless night (extensive heavy rain, thunder and lightning that kept Max on high alert...and when he doesn't sleep, no one else does either), Barb and I were on the road at 5:30 a.m., en route to the NewBo Half Marathon. Somehow, Momma N actually played nice. All of my weather stalking kept showing 95% chance of thunderstorms. By Saturday evening, though, that had changed to 30%...and on Sunday morning it had changed to 15% chance of rain with sunny skies at the race start! The compromise, though, gave us 85% humidity. The full race recap will be posted later this week, but I'll share this tidbit....my hammies and glutes gave me 11 miles of attitude, resulting in some race day frustration and a somewhat disappointing finish time. Alas, my energy felt great despite the extra effort it took to keep moving, and this finish line felt like a major victory for the battle fought. Onward!

Another 13.1 finish line (and two blatant ponytail fails in that humidity LOL)

I meant for this week to be a scaled back week, but the miles were still pretty high (#oops). My running miles came in at 24, and my walking miles were 20 (at press time). Thursday's speedwork felt good, but I think that may have come back to bite my buttocks (quite literally) on Sunday's race course. Oh well, this race was not my goal race and served me well as a training run. The bigger picture, right?

In case you missed them, here's my posts from last week:

Tough Times

August...Pass or Fail?

Runfessions...Anyone?

In other news:

My #FridayFashionFlair featured another option for hot summer days/cold indoor temps. As I have mentioned before, my workplace is freezing cold during the summer months with the over-zealous air conditioning. How about a cold shoulder sweater to the rescue? This sweater is light weight, though warm enough to combat the cool indoor air, and the "cold shoulders"give it a summer-like look. I paired it with my camo print leggings and added a few chunky and funky jewelry pieces to dress it up a bit. Total comfort! As always, you're welcome to join the Friday party...post a pic on Instagram, grab the hashtag (#FridayFashionFlair) and give me a tag (@runningonthefly).

Did you know National Dog Day was celebrated last week? Well, I had to play along and post a pic of our Max. We rescued him from a nearby shelter in January of 2015 and it did not take him long to worm his little way into our hearts. He's now 8-1/2 years old (according to his papers) and is a Shih Tzu/Lhasa Apso mix. And, he has the energy and playfulness of a 6-month old puppy.

Maxton McArthur

And speaking of Max, I often take him for walks in the mornings before heading to work. He has the uncanny ability to sneak around and "switch sides" without telling me. Thankfully, I have not tripped over him or his leash...yet.

So, that's the latest and greatest! Lots of fitness and lots of sweat...and I wouldn't want it any other way.

What would you share about your week? Lots of sweating for you, too? How many true rest days do you allow yourself each week? Do you have a favorite speed workout?

I'm linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap. This weekly check-in is such a great place to connect with fellow fitness-minded peeps. Please join us!

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