Weathering It Out & About

Don't ya just love playing the Weather Game?

When getting outside on a daily basis is a self-imposed obligation, it's often a gamble on when (or if) the weather will play nice. Thankfully, it's much easier to grin and bear it in the summertime. 

This week had a mix of all kinds of weather...rain, heat, sunshine, and plenty of humidity. It didn't keep me indoors, though, and my #optoutside streak is still going strong. It's the little things, right?  

Before I dis on the deets, 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 went down, this week, in my little world of fitness:

Sunday: A mix of sun and fun

With rain in the morning, I kept things easy with a 2-mile umbrella walk (title pic). Later, I got in a 12-mile bike ride (late afternoon) and had another 2-mile walk in the early evening.

Never miss a Monday.

Lately, I've been doing speedwork on Mondays, and this week was no exception. Three miles of fun (with 1/4-mile tempo surges) had me glistening and glowing as if I'd been rained on, thanks to the heavy humidity. This day also was heavy with the walking mileage (five total miles).

Another typical Tuesday.

Keeping the lower-body work on the down-low, I did a couple of upper-body workouts (Peloton app). I also took a couple of 1-mile walk breaks at work and walked with Max over lunch. The evening saw a shortened  bike ride...I was hoping for 10 miles, but called it good at seven due to the diminishing daylight.

Double workout Wednesday.

As is typical, Barb and I met for our weekly #5at5 run, amidst the 94% humidity. What wasn't typical was the (almost) total lack of daylight, due to the cloud cover along the eastern horizon. Ugh...kind of a buzzkill how quickly the early mornings have gotten so dark.

 Later, after work, I met Amy for the weekly hilly bike path ride. As much as I curse the (usual) wind, this week I actually kind of missed not having that cooling breeze in the 86F temps. Those 16 miles sure felt great, though!

A very Thankful Thursday (for my strength, my grit and my discipline).

It's hard to see in the pic, but it was still dark at 5:45, so I had to start with the deck lights on, LOL. Sorry (#notsorry), I just cannot  bring myself to set up shop in my workout room just yet, not when the outdoor temps are still nice. I stacked three strength workouts, and worked a little bit of everything. I started with the glutes & legs...let's just say those single leg deadlifts and lunges are tricky first thing out of bed. Thursday also saw 3.5 total miles of walking.

Friday fun: an early morning 3-miler.

I was laced-up and out the door shortly after 5:30 for another rendezvous in the summer heat and humidity. This run was a wonderful reminder of all things summer...birds were singing, the streets were clear, and the tranquility was like none other. I also got in a 2-mile walk in the evening; a perfect ending to a long day.

 

Long run (and short ride) Saturday.

With a busy day on tap (lots of football to watch, out-of-town), my morning started with an 8-mile run. I'd hoped to leave the house by 5:30, but I didn't make it out the door until 5:45. Just for kicks, I experimented with run/walk intervals, walking for about 20-30 seconds at each mile mark. I got in a little over four miles, looped back to the house for a 15-minute pit stop, and finished all eight miles before 7:30. Then, I jumped on the bike for a fast and furious 5-mile ride to flush-out the legs. I was back home by 8:00, showered, shampooed, and on the road about 45 minutes later. Whew! I also got in a 2-mile evening walk, after returning home from my football extravaganza day.

  

...and what's happening on Sunday?

The plan is for an early walk, then heading out (mid-morning) for a long bike ride. 

So, in summary, this week kept me busy! There was plenty of sweat equity earned and a great variety of workouts to keep the muscles active. Running was on par, with 19 miles. Walking had 21 miles. It was a conservative 40-mile week for biking, but Sunday's bike route will add another 32ish miles to the weekend. The strength workouts felt great, blessing me with a small taste of the DOMS (which is never a bad thing, albeit a bit uncomfortable). 

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

Rebounding!

Fall...It's-a-Comin'

(Hopefully Not) A Last Sip of Summer

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Sometimes you just gotta go with the tried-and-true classic color combo of black and white. Given the hot mid-90F temps, I also went with some flowy linen fabric, LOL. A little bit of chunky and funky jewelry never hurt no one either.

Finally, this meme caught my eye Saturday evening. Can you say BUZZKILL! 

Well, that's the latest and greatest! With a half marathon happening mid-October, I'm hoping to keep the mileage consistent and any potential injuries out of the picture. My right hammy has been feeling a little tight in recent weeks, so I'm being diligent with stretching, rolling, and trigger-point massage.

Just a FYI, since I'll be leaving mid-morning for my ride, I may be a little late in reading/commenting on some of the blogs linked afterwards. I will get caught up before bedtime, though (#PinkyPromise). 

How did your week play out? Are you getting all kinds of weather as well? Any favorite workouts from this week? Any training highlights or upcoming races? 

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