Coffee & Chatter? Yes, Please!

 ...and just like that, summer seems to be in full throttle!

School's out, the heat is on, the daylight is long, and it's time for some coffee and chatter. Although I won't be partaking in actual coffee in my cup, rest assured, I'll still be drinking something hot and steamy. I'll also have plenty to chat about.

Shall we get started?

If we were having a coffee & chat session, I'd tell you about my May fitness stats.

While my running mileage seems a bit low (probably due to a couple different weeks of recovery and taper mixed together), the walking and biking well made up for it. In fact, I think this may be the highest number of miles I've ever walked (other than a few token months after my emergency surgery, in 2017, when I was banned from running while recovering). I expect that trend (with both walking and biking) to continue through the next few months of summer.

If we were having a coffee & chat session, I'd share a bit of a core work 'fession.

I spent the previous four weeks dutifully following Olivia's Core Challenge on Peloton.  I liked her workouts because they were short (most were 10 minutes) and she incorporated a nice variety of moves. Also, most of the moves were easy to modify if they were too challenging or not challenging enough. BUT, I had a busy 3-day weekend (a 10-mile long run on Saturday, and two 25ish-mile bike rides on Sunday and Monday). I may have skipped the core workout Monday. And Tuesday. Oops. I did the Wednesday workout and that's all she wrote. After doing four continuous weeks, I felt more than satisfied with my progress. In other words, ZERO guilt for bailing on these last few final days, LOL.

If we were having a coffee & chat session, I'd share my excitement for long rides in the summer heat.

Not only have I been back out on the hilly bike path four (count 'em, four!) times already, but I've been knocking out some long rides. I even bit the bullet and rode a 25-miler all on my own last weekend. 

If we were having a coffee & chat session, I'd show you a Garmin hack for the bike.

I already have a substantial Garmin tan line on my wrist (I blame the day-long antics of the recent Market to Market Relay). Before Sunday's 25-miler, I noticed the souvenir wrap-around koozie on my bike (from a previous biking event), and got the idea to attach my Garmin to that instead of my wrist. I already have a bike computer that measures the mileage, output, speed, etc., but I've become one of those people who seldom leaves home without the Garmin. Although it doesn't measure my heart rate while attached to the koozie, it still shows the distance, speed, and elevation. I'm completely good with that!

Finally, if we were having a coffee & chat session, I'd gush a tiny bit about my favorite race.

This will be my 15th time running DAM to DSM. Technically, it's my 16th year doing the event, but it was virtual in 2020, due to Covid (and I had to bike the miles because of my stress fracture). This is the third consecutive year the extreme weather has been an issue. Race officials are giving participants the option to run virtually (and actually encouraging it for those who may not be in prime 13.1 condition). I love this race so much, I'm just excited to be back on the iconic course. While I don't seem to be affected by the heat as much as others, I still respect Saturday will not be a day to shoot for a PR. In fact, the route will have a few brief detours anyways (due to construction), so a true PR wouldn't even be in contention. All the more reason to simply run my favorite race for the pure joy of being there (and I'm bringing along my own water bottle to keep hydrated between the aid stations). I'm looking forward to it!

 

Well, I guess I've had the floor long enough. I'll refill my virtual cup and give someone else the chance to chat, LOL. 

So, how about you? What would want to chat about, if we were having a coffee & chat session? Did your May play-out well with all your fitness endeavors? Ever ridden an especially long bike ride solo? Have you found a unique way to "wear" your Garmin (or watch, etc.). Would you consider going virtual if a race was encouraging it, due to extreme weather conditions? 

 Since it's the first weekend of the month, I'm linking this with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date.

I'm also linking this with Michelle, Renee, Darlene, Jenn and Zenaida for the Fit Five Friday Link-up.

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