Kinda Sorta Chillin’

Well, well, well. 

Just when it was really starting to feel like summer, Momma N flipped the switch. Holy yikes, she dumped some crazy cold conditions on us this week! 

Typically, moderate temps in the 70F range are quite comfortable. Immediately following the recent tropical conditions we'd recently had, these “moderate temps” felt a bit frigid. We also had cold (as opposed to balmy) wind and more rain than necessary. 

At least it wasn’t snowing, LOL, and the grass is a beautiful bright shade of green as a result…

Before I share the nitty gritty 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 blog as well...please don't link-drop & dash ;-)

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

Long Ride Sunday

The morning started with a chilly 2-mile walk, requiring an extra layer (title pic). A couple hours later, Jim took me on a 30-mile hilly adventure along the Neil Smith Trail, to the Saylorville Lake. I’ve been on the Saylorville Dam numerous times, always sporting a DAM to DSM race bib, with my running shoes tightly laced. On a bike, though, it was crazy hilly! My cycling legs have not seen hills of this magnitude since last summer, and it was ever-so-humbling. I never needed to dismount, thankfully, but there were a few times when it felt like my bike came to a near standstill. That which doesn’t kill us…

Never Miss a Monday

It was a chilly & breezy 57F for my pre-workday 2-mile run. Seriously, it felt like football weather! Afterwards, I did a short arms/shoulders workout just to warm up.  I tried walking over lunch, but the cold wind got the better of me (as did the late afternoon walk with Max). 

Take It Easy Tuesday

Nothing ground-breaking to report. I woke-up to rain, so to the spin bike I went (for eight miles).The rain continued, intermittently, all day. It finally came to an extended halt after I got home, so I promptly got out for a quick 1-mile walk. 

Making the best of Wednesday

All of Tuesday’s rain left the air quite damp come Wednesday morning. Our 4:45AM run was mucho muggy. The good thing about all that moisture in the air is you don’t know if you’re a wet mess from actual sweat or if it’s just the humidity at fault, LOL. Three miles with the group, then I did two bonus miles before heading back home. I also took a nice 2-mile walk over my lunch break (the breeze knocked-out some of the humidity's mugginess).

Later, after getting home from work, I decided to go for a bike ride. After all, I hadn't been on my bike since Sunday, and there wouldn't be any opportunities for riding until (probably) after the upcoming weekend. Well, at about 1-1/2 miles in, I noticed the ride was feeling bumpy...and my rear tire had gone flat. UGH. I took a shortcut, and walked the bike back home, and grabbed the other bike (Gustavas to the rescue!). I'd hope to ride 15 miles, but the "walking detour" cut-into my riding time, so I settled for 10 miles total. First world probs, right? 

Gustavas to the rescue!

Thankful Thursday on the Fourth

With plans to meet a few run club peeps mid-morning for a local parade, I wanted to get out for a few miles before all the festivities began. Talk about your crazy weather...it was a light misty rain for my 5K run, then an all-out downpour for the next few hours. Ironically, the rain tapered off as we were meeting for the parade, the sky cleared as we were walking (handing out American flags and run club info), and we had full sunshine for the remainder of the day. My sister, her dog, and my parents joined Max and myself for an afternoon of food and fun. So much for the day-long rain forecast, huh!

Going Flying on Friday

I was up and moving by 4:00AM, and arrived at the DSM airport around 5:30. I did make time to get in that daily plank before leaving the house. Garmin thinks I got in several naps, due to all the sitting on the plane. Although I didn't record any of my walking (to and from the car, inside both airports, and in the evening, after arriving at my daughter's place), I'd guess I had around  two cumulative mile on foot.

Simply Saturday

With no specific fitness plans on the roster, I got out for a 4-mile run in the hot and humid Charlotte, NC air. It's a good thing the humidity doesn't bother me much, because this was a very warm endeavor. Later, the daughter took me sightseeing, via our walking shoes (approximately two miles).

don't be fooled by the Dunkin sign; no donuts were harmed or consumed for the taking of this selfie

...and what about Sunday?

I need to be to the airport around noon for my return flight to Iowa. I am hopeful we can do some walking in the morning before we head to the airport. I anticipate a lot of airport walking again, and possibly an evening walk after I get back home. Stay tuned...

So, it was an interesting week! There was temperamental weather, fun times (and some challenges) on the bike, moderate running, and an itty bit of strength-training. Running ended with 14 miles logged. Walking saw 15-ish miles. And biking tallied 48 miles of pedaling (on three different bikes, nonetheless). Strength training was pretty much upper-body focused (just a couple of short sessions). It is what it is.

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

Hello to Summer!

Shall We Chat?

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. With a day of travel on the agenda, my wardrobe was nothing exciting. Instead, I shared a glimpse of my 4th of July attire. Yes, I might be a patriotic dork, bot no apologies for sporting the red, white and blue. Psst, if you look closely, there's an American flag pattern on my scarf-tied ponytail.

As mentioned, I flew out early Friday morning for a quick trip to see my youngest daughter in Charlotte. I've never been to this charming city, and it was fun seeing all the architecture, downtown and in many of the residential neighborhoods, as well as several local sights and landmarks. We had great food, lively chatter, and a nice time in the North Carolina heat. 

So, that's another wrap-up of another week of fitness, fun, and whatnot. Although the trip to Charlotte gave me a much warmer ending to the week than anticipated, it did feel good to briefly escape the sudden coolness. It's July, so I know the true seasonal warmth will not be a stranger.

How was your week? Did July arrive in a warm burst of heat and humidity, or was it slightly chillier than usual? Any 4th of July races? Family time? Traveling?  

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