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Saturday, September 9, 2023

Summer's Roller Coaster Relapse


 

Summer just can't seem to make up its mind.

We have a dreadfully hot and humid week followed a pretty cold one. Then, it relapses back to the heat that is expected this time of year, only to take a nosedive back to the cold a few days later. Granted, it's very much a first world problem, but it's also frustrating trying to figure out the appropriate layers.

This week was all over the map, in terms of temps and weather conditions. Oh, and did I mention the wind was a piece of work as well? Such was my reality...

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 blog as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)


Anyways, here's what went down in my little world of fitness this week:

Soakin' up the sun on Sunday...
After the crazy cold of the previous week, the heat wave was still in full force. I got out for a short 2-mile run (post-sunrise), and it felt oh-so-good to be back in a tank top sans arm warmers. A short while later, I hit the trails, for 22.5 miles of cycling fun with friends. The evening ended with a tranquil 2-mile walk, just after sunset.


Never miss a Monday!
The temps were still wonderfully warm (no complaints!). Being it was Labor Day, I allowed myself a slight sleep-in before lacing-up and heading out. Quite by surprise, this "easy-paced" 3-miler morphed into a triumphant negative split extravaganza! The first mile was faster than it felt (9:26), so when the second mile popped up showing 9:06, I made it a quest to top that...I guess 8:33 sufficed nicely. Truth be told, I seldom let the Garmin dictate my effort because I'm more of a run-by-feel gal, but that morning must have triggered a small taste of competition with myself. It's fun to see what your body can do on a 72F  morning (with 91% humidity). I also got in some arm strength, core work, and an evening 2-mile walk.


Typical Tuesday (that felt like a Monday)
The day started in the dark, outside on the deck (though the pic was taken after the daylight appeared). Nothing like some upper-body strength (skull crushers, nonetheless) to get your attention! Although the temps were still warm, the wind was viscous. I passed on an early morning bike ride (and walked a couple pre-work miles instead). We walked our usual two miles at the office as well. By late afternoon, the temps were flirting with the 90F's (with 19mph wind), so I passed (again) on a bike ride and (again) walked a couple more miles instead.


A weird Wednesday...
Barb and I met for our #5at5, not really noticing the the air had cooled (that sometimes happens when you're running in the dark, LOL). By mid-morning, the temps were sitting in the mid-60F's, which felt downright frigid compared to the 90F temps we'd had for the past several days. Amy and I elected to postpone our usual mid-week bike path ride because the thought of fighting those hills in the cold (with 15mph wind) was not the least bit appealing. So, again, I walked a couple miles instead before dinner.
 

Thankful Thursday...
As per usual, it was another early morning...and this was a cold one (how does 53F grab you?). I hit the road, virtually, with Deb for our weekly fitness chat session. I ran the first three miles at a somewhat challenging "conversational" pace (9:56), then walked the remaining two miles. 


The day kept me busy with strength work, including some glutes/legs (weighted squats & lunges), arms/shoulders, and core (a big #ouch on everything, LOL). We bundled-up at work (it felt really cold!) for our mid-morning and afternoon walks. It had warmed up by the time I met Amy for our previously postponed bike path ride...16 miles of hills and moderate wind (again). I slept like a rock that night, believe it or not.


Finally Friday...
When I went to bed Thursday night, I could tell my legs would be hurting by morning, and #BoyOhBoy, can you say DOMS? I blame Thursday's deep weighted squats and lunges. I would have loved to have gone for an outdoor bike ride, to flush-out the achy legs...but with temps in the mid-50F's, it was a hard pass (I didn't feel like playing the "layering game"). Instead, I kept the ride inside. But, then I had to take a walk outdoors, afterwards, to cool down (literally, LOL). The day's temps warmed up quite nicely, though, so I got in a 2-mile walk over my lunch break.


A super-charged Saturday
With a full day on deck (the Iowa game!), I got out early for some miles in the running shoes. Allison met me at 6:00, and we knocked out six miles, together, before parting ways, then I added a couple bonus miles to my count. The low-50's temps were cool, but the wind played nice this time, so the fall-like weather was comfortable. Afterwards, it was a quick shower, shampoo and shine, and then heading off to Ames, IA for all kinds of football fun (and lots of walking). BTW, the Iowa Hawks were victorious over the ISU Cyclones.


and what's happening on Sunday?
The day is wide open, and the weather forecast is looking good, so there may be a short recovery run (or maybe just a walk). I'm also entertaining the notion of a longish bike ride. We shall see...stay tuned!

So, all in all, the week played out nicely. This week saw the most miles in the running shoes in awhile; 21 miles logged! Walking also had 21 miles; and biking was a (somewhat) conservative 51 miles. Also, the strength workouts were fairly short, but sufficient (and I had the DOMS to show for it). I feel like I'm in decent half marathon shape, even without excessive weekly mileage, so I'm hoping to keep consistent (in the 20-mile range weekly) as I prepare for the IMT Half Marathon (October 15th).

In case you missed out, all that happened on the blog was last Sunday's WRD:

In other news:

This weekend was the Iowa equivalent of the Super Bowl, but on "collegiate" scale...the University of Iowa vs. Iowa State football game! Hey, we don't have any NFL teams in our little state, so college football is huge! Most know I'm an Iowa alum, so it's a given I'd be sporting my team's gear. Wouldn't you do the same?


That's it for now! I'm really trying to enjoy these last few weeks of summer weather, though the fall-like temps keep showing up in the wee hours. I can't deny they are comfortable for running, but I wish they'd hold-off for a few more weeks (you know, like when it's officially fall on the calendar). 

How did your first full week of September go? Does it feel like fall is in the air where you are? Do you have any races coming up?

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34 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great week, Kim. We still have pretty warm and muggy weather — you can send some of your cool weather our way — but I’m not sure I’m ready for the 50s!

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  2. I really enjoyed the dip in temperatures after last week's hot humid ick that we had. It looks like more cooler temps are coming our way this week. Enjoy your week!

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    1. No doubt, the cooler temps are nice for running...just a bummer when they don't warm up much as the day progresses...

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  3. I bet that the running miles will continue to increase this fall! That's the really nice thing about having the bike and running - if it's hot you can bike and if it's cool then you can run.

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    1. Absolutely!! The bike is a fabulous substitution when the running shoes need a break from the heat ;-) So far, the extra recovery runs (that I've been doing on Sundays) are adding a few bonus miles, as well as giving my body some extra training. Onward!

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  4. Looks like a nice week of activity Kim! I enjoyed the heat earlier in the week but I'm also down for the cool fall-like temps we have now. It's all good.

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    1. I don't mind the fall-like temps (much, LOL), they're just tough to enjoy when they happen practically overnight. Momma N needs to get better about allowing us some transition time ;-)

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  5. You had a great week of varied workouts and fun activities, Kim!

    Our first week of September felt nothing like fall. It was very hot and as the week wore on got humid with intense afternoon into evening storms for the last three days. Luckily the mornings were very agreeable for working out.

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    1. Thanks, Deb! And our first week of September felt more like a mix of July and October...it was crazy!

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  6. Hi there, another great week for you with various workouts! Good to get some more running done too for that half marathon. Here we had autumn-like weather in August but this week it's been nothing like it - more like full summer! Sunshine and 22-25C (a lot more in some places) is the deal right now but it's supposed to get back to normal.. we'll see.

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    1. I'm excited for my half marathon (I had to switch my registration, a year ago, to the 5K because I was having some glute/hamstring issues). I'm eager to hit the route and see what my body can do after the unplanned 2-year "sabbatical" from the 13.1 course

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  7. Sounds like a great week of fitness and fun! I am excited about football today too. We are still having very muggy and hot temps here so no long sleeves but can’t wait

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    1. As much as I hate to see summer end, I do LOVE college football!

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  8. I would take 53 degrees!!! The heat tried to kill me on my run today. Although I guess the one good thing about Florida is you don't have to decide what to wear- it's pretty much always the same (although I do have my "winter" tank tops and my "summer" tank tops.)
    Sounds like you had a good week! I did watch some of the Iowa vs. Iowa game (after I stopped sobbing over the end of the Baylor game.) I thought about you- it must have been a fun one.

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    1. I heard about Baylor ;-( I didn't actually make it into the stadium for the game itself, but we were able to watch most of it on TV at our tailgate event. Still a fun time!!

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  9. Just over a month to go until that half marathon! You'll be ready for it.
    Are you following a plan or just playing it by ear? I guess by now you're experienced enough to just simply go by your own intuition.

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    1. That's the Catch-22, Catrina...I'm experienced, but that sometimes makes me a little too over-confidant, LOL! So, yes, I am kind of playing it by ear (ahem, due to my experience), but I do need to be mindful of the 13.1 distance. It's still a long distance, no matter how many times I've run it before.

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  10. Fantastic work on that Labor Day 3 miler! What a great feeling :)

    I love how passionate Iowa fans are! It's really fun.

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    1. The Iowa-ISU game is ALWAYS a major event in the state! The fans of both teams really get into the fanfare...not a bad thing, but game day gets a little crazy ;-)

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  11. Well, it's meteorlogical Fall & you know me, I'd kill for those 50s. They are eventually coming back & that makes me happy but right now we're cooler, but still super humid.

    Nice job on your negative splits run!

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    1. The 50's do feel nice for running, but that first 1/2-mile is pretty chilly (at least for me). I still much prefer these kind of temps a little later in the season, though...

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  12. We had a very hot humid week but the rain has cooled things down..

    I do love summer, though.

    HM Sept 23 and full Nov 5!!

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  13. A great strong week, well done! We're having temps in the 70s to 90s at the moment with high humidity, not common here let alone at this time of year. I've had to have a cutback week this week as have been struggling. Hope the weather gets more stable for you! (LyzzyBee - won't let me log in)

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  14. As always, nicely done. We had a hot start to the week and then it cooled down. I love the heat, though - give me summer all year round! Though for running/races I do prefer weather in the 40s/50s. No fall races for me except maybe a 5K here and there.

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  15. Another great week of workouts for you. I can't wait until I wake up with 50 degrees every morning! With all of the Brooks shoes you get to try now, what are your favorite, go-to shoes for every day running?

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    1. Well, I'm not a Brooks ambassador (I wish I was!), but my current go-to shoe is the Launch GTS-9. The Adrenalines aren't feeling as good as they used to. The Launch is very similar (stability-wise), but is lighter. I've done one half marathon in them (back in April), as well as other races of varying distances, and they've worked well for everything.

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  16. Nice week, Kim. I love when you end up with an unintentional progression run. And great job on the 8-mile long run :)

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    1. Thank you, San! Yes, the spontaneous negative splits (well, the third one was intentional, LOL) are always a nice surprise!

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  17. It was actually a little cooler last week, but we are back to hot again this week. Boo. I got stuck in front of football on Sunday, because the pugs decided to pass out on me. Of course, I couldn't disturb them! Nice week for you! I hope you can get back on the bike soon.

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  18. A very nice week and, yes, sometimes we need a relaxing recovering run!
    Here it's always warm and I prefer to run again in early morning starting before the sunrise.
    My next race will be a 10 km on sept. 24. The last was in may.......

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