A Humid Heat Kind of Week

It was one of those "it's not the heat, it's the humidity" kind of weeks.

Believe me, I am no stranger to these, especially once the temps start climbing. Do I love the heat? Yes! The humidity...not so much. But, it's my reality and I'll take it any day over the frigid temps of winter.

And, I'll gladly run in it without too many complaints. After all, at least it's not snowing. Glass half full, and all that jazz.

Before I share all the summer-heat-induced details, 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 1:00 (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 blogs as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)

So, here's what went down this week: 

Never miss a (sticky) Monday!

I much prefer to start the week off with some action, and this week was no exception. I got out for an early-morning 3-miler (with 1/4-mile surges, and some bonus strides...just for kicks). Let's just say my messy bun was every kind of messy in the humid and windy air. After work, I met up with Barb, and we cranked our 22 hard-fought biking miles against the wicked wind.

Easy-Peasy Tuesday.

Nothing too wild or crazy for my usual recovery day...some power walking before work (1.5 miles) and some biking after work (10 miles) on the new bike (See below)!

Double Workout, Double Whammy Wednesday.

The temps weren't too warm yet at 05:00 (68F), but the humidity was already quite high (87%) for the weekly #5at5 with Barb. After work, I met up with another friend, Amy, for my first trek out to the lake on the hilly bike trail (15-mile round trip) of the season. We had much warmer temps by then (low-90F's) and equally high humidity...but the wind was pretty much MIA. Oh my...those hills were oh-so-much easier on the new bike than on the mountain bike! 

Low-maintenance Thursday.

After the previous day's humid run and intense 15-mile late-afternoon ride, my legs had earned some downtime. I got out for a 2-mile walk in the early hours, and did another 1-mile walk during my morning break at work. And that was it for the day.

Fast Fitness Friday.

How about some speedwork to kick-start the day? It had been awhile since I played on the 2-block expanse of sidewalk on campus...so it was time. This a segment of pavement that is the length of two city blocks, but it's all part of one BIG block on the central campus, so there are no streets to cross or traffic to worry about. Basically I "sprint" the sidewalk in one direction and then jog back (as a recovery). Back and forth, five times, nets me approximately two miles in total distance. My splits were decent and consistent (1:26/1:27/1:26/1:28/1:27...not bad for a 91F morning, with 97F feels-like), hence the ninja jump LOL. With the 1/2-mile warm-up run to get there (and then back home), I ended the morning with three total miles and was back home in less than 25 minutes. There also was a little more walking (morning break at work) and upper-body strength work (evening).

"Sun-kind" of Saturday.

Full disclosure...my right hammie has been a little cranky as of late, and it was in a mood on Saturday morning. Also, my "recovered" foot (the one that hosted a stress fracture almost a year ago) has felt a little funky (maybe due to the humidity?), and it didn't want to play nice either. I had a full day on tap, so it just made sense to do a short-ish run and not overdo anything. Barb and I met up for 5 (or 6) miles at 6:00...and all went much better than anticipated. After the first mile, everything felt "normal" (I know that's a very relative term LOL), so I was comfortable doing  that extra mile.

 

Soon after, the hubs and I made our way to Des Moines, for a beautiful (though quite emotional) celebration of life service for a friend who had recently passed (#StupidCancer). Afterwards (mid-afternoon), we'd arranged to hook up with some friends to explore another part of the Raccoon River Valley Trail. Just shy of 39 miles, this ride was a great one! The temps were warm, but the humidity had lightened and the headwind became a fabulous tailwind on the return back from the turn-around.

   

Sun-sational Sunday.

Ironically, as we were driving home from Saturday's ride, another friend texted me...inviting us to go for a "short" Sunday morning ride. Well, who are we to refuse checking out (yet) another new-to-us nearby trail? So, as this post goes live, I'll either be en route to, or on, said trail. Stay tuned...I'll check back with an update afterwards.

**update: The ride went well! Just shy of 20 miles on the Linn Creek Greenbelt Rec Trail, with the hubby and another couple. We'll definitely be heading back to that trail!

What a great week! It was hot and it was, indeed, humid as Hades...but it's summer in Iowa, and it's my reality. Running wasn't anything grandiose (17 miles), but it doesn't have to be every week. Walking wasn't too grand either (9 miles), but that's alright as well. With one of my co-workers back in the office now, we're walking almost every day on our morning break, so that will up the walking mileage a bit here on out. Minimal stair work this week...40 flights (just for warm-ups before running). Some upper-body work (last Sunday evening and Friday evening). But the biking dominated...108 miles (including the 20ish miles from Sunday morning).

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

Gimme Gimme Me Some Sunshine

Feel the Heat; Run with Caution

Running "Things" that ain't my gig

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair! As mentioned, Friday was a warm one and the humidity was a bit crazy. Personally, I could do with a little less humidity, but I'll gladly deal with the droopy hair and glistening skin. Besides, that's what barrettes, headbands, pony tails and up-do's are for...right? Anyways, as for fashion, I find skirts feel a lot cooler than shorts or capri pants. And, sleeveless tops are a given (same for sparkly sandals).

Did I mention the heat? It was a scorcher on Thursday!

And, Gustavas became a big brother this week!  Say hello to Fritz! The hubs has been wanting to get me a second bike for awhile, and he spotted this "baby" in our local bike shop. He's a hybrid (kind of like a lightweight road bike, but his skinny wheels have better treads). I had no idea how much harder I was working on those hills with Gustavas (he's a mountain bike) until I took Fritz out for a spin (see what I did there LOL). The gear shifts are different that those of Gustavas' so we're still in the "getting to know each other" phase, but things are going well! 

So, that's it for now. I'm keeping an eye (and a gentle tread) on the foot, and am banking all kinds of biking at the moment. The hot temps don't feel as hot on a bike, just saying, and the cranky hammie appreciates the movement. 

How was your week? Is it feeling hot hot hot? Any races on the calendar? Got any favorite hot weather cross-training options when it's too hot to run? 

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