Awaiting Summer’s (official) Arrival…

It was a week of “heated” anticipation, quite in the literal sense.

After a crazy spring season, Summer finally made its official entrance this week. I, for one, welcomed it with open arms. It’s my favorite season, after all, and it seemed like it would never get here.

This week brought plenty of heat, especially towards the weekend. We also had a much-needed showing of rain, though my area is still under a water advisory. Oh, and the humidity returned as well. Two outta three ain’t bad, LOL.

Before I delve into the deets of the week’s highlights, 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 fitness workd, as I awaited Summer’s official arrival:

Sunday - A low-key day of active recovery

After a busy Saturday (74-ish miles of biking), I opted to keep things easy-peasy. The day started with a 2-mile pre-church walk, and ended with another 2-mile jaunt in the evening. 

There also was a nice lunch with my parents, in celebration of Father’s Day.

Never miss a Monday

Oof, I thought an early morning 3-mile run would be a great idea, but it was a mucho humid endeavor. Not sure how I did it, but I managed negative splits (9:44, 9:40, 9:36)…but barely.

Later, I grabbed Krystal, and we knocked out 15 miles on the trail. Despite part of one trail being closed, it still was a nice ride. The heat of summer actually feels really good on a bike!

It was a Two-4-Tuesday kind of day

After an early morning walk, I found a couple of upper-body workouts (via Peloton pap) for some low-impact fun. Have I ever mentioned upper-body strength work is my favorite?

Wednesday - What’s up with the weather?

My usual early morning Wednesday crew took a pass, so I was on my own. Even with intermittent rain showing in the forecast, there was (what appeared to be) a “dry” window when I headed out. I paused for a quick selfie (title pic) near the 2.5-mile mark, and within maybe 30 seconds, the sprinkles started falling and quickly became a downpour. It was a humid morning, and I was already a glistening and glowing mess. I was near my turn-around and had no where to go to create a shortcut back home, so I just kept running. The good news: the rain only lasted for about a mile. The bad news: not only was I a sweaty mess, but now my shoes and socks were equally saturated. But, I came upon some elaborate sidewalk chalk artwork, and it looked really cool as a result of the rain. So, five miles done (and my socks were still damp 24 hours later). 

Triple Threat Thursday

There was a little bit of everything happening on Thursday. The morning started with a 2-mile walk. That was followed by some strength work (ouch! My hip flexors were not enjoying the single leg dead lifts). The evening featured the weekly group 3-mile run. My day was made, and there was plenty of sweat to be done. End of story.

 

Easy-Fit Fitness Friday

Waking up to rain had me delaying the usual “greet-the-day walk.” When I headed out, a little later, the sky was still dark, but the rain had left the vicinity. But, near the halfway point, the sun emerged and it got really hot and humid. I went back out, for a second walk, mid-morning (this time with the weighted vest)…only to be greeted, again, by black skies and crazy wind. 

 

Then, I had a special lunch on the roster, with Deb! Her and the hubby’s road trip had them driving through Des Moines (how perfect was that!), so we met downtown at a fun restaurant by the river. We took a short walk, saw a few DSM landmarks and were sure to snag a few selfies. By then, all the dark clouds were MIA and the bright sun was prominent.

    

Saturday - A super hot and windy day on the trail

The forecast was looking steamy! I contemplated an early morning run, but decided on a 2-mile walk instead (and my grumpy hip was most appreciative). A short while later, I hit the High Trestle Trail with Amy and Mike. Wouldn’t you know? At one of our stops, we bumped into Barb and Chuck, who had just finished a local 10K race along the trail. So yeah, this ride was a challenge! The humid heat was one thing, but the insane 20mph wind was quite another. This 25-mile ride felt MUCH longer, but it was still a great day…we all agreed a hot, humid, windy ride beat sitting at home.

 

…and what’s on-deck for Sunday?

Believe it or not, the forecast is looking like more of the same (heat, humidity and wind!). I’m hoping to get out for a sunrise walk before church, then tackle another long-ish bike ride afterwards. 

Overall, this was a decent week! The weather was a little tricky, but seasonal. The running was alright, logging 11 miles. Walking had a decent showing with 20 miles. Biking was respectable with 40 miles as well. The strength training was good, but my hips are feeling a little funky and did NOT enjoy some of the lower-body moves. I know I’m due for new running shoes, so I’m guessing that’s a significant factor. Nothing aches while I’m running, but the next day is a different story. 

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

Back to our Regularly Scheduled Summer

Bacon, Bike & Bliss - 2025 Baccoon Ride

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Life is Brewtiful, wouldn’t you say? It is if you’re a fan of the Iowa Brewery Running Series. Granted, I’m not a beer fan, but I do like a hard cider now and then. Breweries are everywhere these days, and many are situated along the bike trails. How convenient! 

Check-out this amazing sunset! This was on display Thursday evening, after my group run. Max and I got to revel in the beauty of the pre-Solstice evening sky.

Finally, I gotta tell you about my orchid. I got this little baby a year ago, after I moved to my new house. The blooms died-off, back in the late fall, but the leaves have stayed active. Just this week, I noticed three new stems emerging! I’m really excited to see how many blossoms each stem has (there were only two stems originally).

Well, that’s all she wrote. We made it to the Summer Solstice, and the weather hit its highest temps of the year, thus far, this weekend. No complaints on my end, LOL.

Your turn…Were you excited for the Solstice? Did the true temps (and weather conditions) of summer make an appearance as well? How’s your fitness these days: Hardcore training? Maintaining? Recovery mode?  

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