Change in the Weather

Talk about your crazy weather!

It was almost as if Momma N was refereeing (or taunting?) the outgoing Spring and incoming Summer in a battle of seasonal weather. We had extreme heat (with sky-high humidity), plenty of rain and all kinds of psychotic wind. 

Remember, this is Iowa. Anything calm just wouldn’t be our norm. 

Before I dis on all the deets of 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 blog as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)

Anyways, here’s what went down in my little corner of the universe this week:

Sunday: Recovering amidst the wind…

Fresh off the previous day’s 73-mile Baccoon Ride, my body was feeling more fatigued than expected. I blame the extra exertion in gripping the handlebars, pedaling against the wind and balancing on a narrow bike seat (also due to the wind). Suffice it to say it was a rainy & windy ride!. Come Sunday, the crazy wind was still prevailing, but I managed a 2-mile morning walk and an afternoon 5-mile bike ride (this time with Gustavas, the mountain bike). 

Monday: Never missing out on the movement!

With 90F temps in the forecast, I thought it wise to lace-up & hit the streets in the early hours. It’s a given I never miss a Monday run (no matter what happens the day prior), and I seldom miss a sunrise. A few more fitness highlights from the day included a short arms/shoulders workout, a 2-mile lunchtime walk, and a 3-mile evening walk. Whew, it was hot and humid!

Tuesday: Taking things (somewhat) easy…

Another muggy day on tap, and ample daylight in the early morning, had me saddling-up for a 7-mile sunrise ride. My left hip has been feeling a bit off, so I also found a hip/glute-focused Barre workout (via Peloton). The wind was insane (ahem, 23mph, thank you very much). We got out for a 1-mile walk mid-morning, and then another 2-miler after work.  Later, I embarked on Day-1 of Jermaine’s Intermediate Split Program (deets below). 

Wednesday: Here comes the rain!

Rain had been in the forecast, but it was MIA upon wake-up. Wouldn’t you know? It showed up as I was driving to the meet-up, LOL. It was just Hannah and myself this week. Thankfully, the intermittent rain never became a downpour, so all was well for our 3-miler. After parting ways, I did another two miles (since I was already wet) before heading back home. There was a break in the rain mid-morning, so we seized the opportunity for a quick walk, and I also got out for a 2-mile walk after dinner (before the rain returned). 

Thursday: A triple threat morning…

I woke-up to heavy rainfall, ugh!  Alas, my Summer Solstice morning started on the spin bike while chatting with Deb. I made it six miles and noticed the rain had halted, so I was able to finish our weekly hour of cardio power on foot (two miles of walking). Afterwards, I cued-up a short upper-body workout not knowing it was a heavily shoulders-focused endeavor. Again, see below (LOL).

Then, after work, I headed to the 7:00 Thursday Evening Group Run. It was another hot one, with temps in the upper-80F range, along with a hefty layer of humidity. Back home, I had some dinner, while contemplating the full moon run situation (eventually deciding Thursday night would be my best option even though it was a day early). Since the moon wouldn’t be rising for awhile, I opted to cue-up Day-2 of JJ’s program (this one featured circuits of back & biceps moves). I waited until almost 10:00 before heading out, only to see the moon was MIA due to low-lying cloud cover (another ugh). After two hot and humid “bonus” miles, I gave up and headed home. Just my luck, the moon emerged from the clouds as I was getting in the shower, LOL. So, Thursday proved to be a busy day, and my body battery (according to the Garmin) was drained.

Friday: Let’s take a recovery day…

After all of Thursday’s activity, I thought a low-key day was in order. I got out for a 2-mile morning walk, and that’s all she wrote. But, that colorful sunrise….

Saturday: Some sauna feels-like action...

After a crazy-fun, but mucho late-late evening (REO Speedwagon/Knight Ranger concert), I finally got out (almost three hours later than usual, LOL) for a run. Talk about your heat fests! I had no specific distance in mind, but wanted to explore some new streets. Four miles later, I called it good. Even the Garmin thought the weather was muggy. Afterwards, I tackled Day-3 of JJ's program (glutes/legs/core), and the anticipated DOMS were waiting for me Sunday morning.

…what's happening on Sunday?

The forecast is looking warm and sunny (and probably humid as well), so that's perfect weather for some time on the bike. I have a couple of rides in the works, an early morning ride with Jim, and a late-morning/early-afternoon ride with Barb. Bring it!

Yes, a busy week, and (yes) that's just the way I like it. Pretty even numbers with the cardio this week: running had 16 miles, walking and biking both had 18 logged miles (but there were probably a couple of undocumented miscellaneous miles walked on Friday evening at the concert venue). It felt good to get back to a program of strength work. While I'm disciplined with fitting-in strength work a few times every week, I'm not always consistent with the intensity and time allotment.

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

Spring Segues Into Summer

Recapping the Baccoon Ride

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. As mentioned, Friday was a hot one! I'm thankful to have a lot of light-colored options (even though I'm a bright and bold color snob most days). This top has been a summer staple for several years; I love the airy floral pattern and the cold shoulders.

Jermaine’s Intermediate Split Program. Yowza, I had forgotten how intense these workouts were! Taking a cue from Deborah, I decided to revisit this Peloton program with JJ. Day-1 has push-focused upper-body moves (ouch, my shoulders!). Day-2 features pull -focused moves for the back and biceps. Day-3 is all about glutes and legs and core (#OhMy).

That's a wrap on the latest and greatest! I'm glad that summer is officially here, and it certainly felt like it this week! As I've said before, the Solstice is a bit of a buzzkill for me, since it begins the (slow) journey back towards less and less daylight. Thus, instead of dwelling on the diminishing daylight, I choose to appreciate every ounce of daylight I'm blessed with. Gotta keep that glass half-full!

Enough about me, how was your week? Did you celebrate the solstice, or is it not a big deal? Anyone catch the full moon, via a run or walk? Do you struggle with the heat, and find yourself working-out less, or adjusting your routine to accommodate the weather conditions?

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