...and so Summer goes...

They say that all good things come to an end, right?

Such is the case with the summer season. It's almost like that final "official" day of summer got tapped with Momma N's seasonal wand, and POOF! The temps plummeted and the daylight dwindled even more.

It's not all bad, by any means. But still. Thankfully, we will have some beautiful colors in our midst as the trees undergo their seasonal change, and the humidity will be at a much more moderate level. That said, I love my summer heat and it's a buzzkill to be on the other side of the equinox.

Before I share all 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 blogs as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)

Anyways, here's what down in my little corner of the world this week:

Sunday...already a hint of the seasonal change

A perk to a slight sleep-in was enjoying a taste of the sunrise while on my 3-mile walk. The cool (but not cold) temps felt refreshing after the precious day's rain. Later, I also got in a 2-mile mid-morning walk, and a late-afternoon 27-mile bike ride...complete with a rainbow and a few sprinkles (see below).

Another Never Miss a Monday!

I love a strong start to my week, and a Monday morning 3-miler (with speed surges) did the trick. Three miles of walking (a mile at work, and two miles in the evening), and a warm and muggy 12-mile bike ride (after work) made the day complete.

Kind of a low-key Tuesday...

I've been rocking the Barre (so to speak) on Tuesday mornings, along with some arm work (via Peloton). It feels oh-so-good to be moving and grooving without over-doing it.

 

Double workout Wednesday for the win!

I met up with Barb for our weekly #5at5, and it felt like a mid-July morning, complete with warm temps and 84% humidity (no complaints!). I've been having some glute/hammy/Piriformis discomfort recently, and let's just say none of them wanted to play nice that morning. Despite the grumpy muscles, the run still went alright...but #ugh. Thankfully, the two short (1-mile) walks, at work, felt alright.

Later, I met Amy at the bike path for our weekly ride. Holy wind, Batman! The temps hadn't plummeted that much, but the viscous (cold) wind really made Hilly Bike Path Ride #20 a tough one.

Thankful Thursday, 'nuff said.

Back in black, and we were back inside. The 50F temps would have made for a very chilly setting outside, so I kept it inside...kind of fitting on the first official day of the fall season. I stacked three strength workouts (upper-body, core, and arms) and got it done. It also was a heavy day of walking with 4-1/2 total miles (two in the morning and 2-1/2 after dinner).

Kind of a frigid Friday

Wow, Momma N wasted no time in "welcoming" in the fall season. Iowa was blessed with 50F temps in the early morning (again) and it didn't get much warmer as the day wore on. We also had intermittent rain (most of the day) and wind. I'm glad I got my 2-mile walk in early (before the precip hit).

Saturday: Kickoff to Kinnick 5K

How about returning to a fun race, on a hilly course, that supports a wonderful cause? Such was the plan. The weather forecast was showing 57F temps and sunshine, but Momma N had a different idea, and dropped the actual temps to 52F and exchanged the sunny skies for fog and mist. The race went alright, but my recent hip/glute/Piriformis discomfort had me taking a few walk breaks. Not a big deal, and my finish time was still in my "average" range with 29:20. Stay tuned, there's a brief recap coming in a few days.

...and Sunday?

Things are a bit undecided. With the recent grumpy aches, it's probably in my best interest to stay out of  the running shoes. I will probably opt for some walking or bike riding (most likely both). And, there will definitely be some stretching, trigger-point massaging and plenty of TLC. 

The week seemed to be alright, for the most part, though the glute (and vicinity) stuff was frustrating. I have a half marathon in a month, so I should be maintaining my running, but I also need to keep things somewhat low-key to make it to the start line. Thankfully, I have my walking and biking to sub-in as needed. I'm not worried (yet). Anyways, this week saw only 11 miles of running (and I'm alright with that). Walking had 20 miles, and 54 miles of biking were logged as well. I loved all the upper-body strength work this week, and opted to limit the lower-body work to Barre. All is well. Onward!

 

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

A Sunny Sequel to Summer

My Fall Preview for '22

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. As mentioned, Friday was damp, windy and quite chilly. I snagged this cute green sweater earlier in the week...and how about those funky lacey sleeves! I had to go with pants (my legs would have frozen if I'd worn a skirt), but my toes didn't mind the open-toe booties.   

It had been awhile since I'd seen such a vivid rainbow. Unfortunately, this pic doesn't do it justice. Rest assured, I did feel the requisite rain that made the rainbow possible (remember, I was on my bike, LOL)...but it was very light and short-lived.

And Max! One of his favorite things is to jump on the bed, immediately after it's been made, and squirm his way under the throw pillows. Such a goof!

So that's it for this week with the first of the fall weather making an appearance.

How did your week play out? Any current aches and pains you're working through? Any races this weekend, or coming up? Did your weather take a bit of a nosedive upon Fall arriving?

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