The HEAT Is ON!

Anyone feeling #HotHotHot ?

If not, let me extend an invite to Iowa. We’ve not only got the heat, but the humidity as well. While I can usually handle the heat and humidity with moderate ease, these conditions have been bordering on extreme for this region. That said, I will gladly take what we have and not wish it away. Also, I’d choose these hot temps over the bitter chill of winter, hands down, any day.  

So yeah. There was all kinds of glistening and glowing going on this week. And, I survived without incident. All is well….

Before I get to the nitty gritty 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 this week in my little world of fitness and fun (mostly in the sun):

Sunday - a damp morning on the trail

With RAGBRAI a few days away, our “tribe” met-up for a longish ride. The plan was to ride from Slater to Woodward, a 30(ish)-mile round rip. There had been overnight rain and storms, both Friday and Saturday evenings, and there were several puddles on the trail, and a lot of standing water alongside it. Then, about 11 miles in, there was a 30-foot segment completely under about 18 inches of water. Ugh. We took that as a sign, and turned around. 

Never miss a Monday

Yes, the humidity was 100% (and the weeds were taller than the silos). These four miles were very sticky and icky, but manageable. The day also included a couple of walks with Max, a 2-mile walk on my own, and a chest-focused strength workout.

It was a take charge Tuesday…

The morning started like most mornings, with a 2-mile walk. Afterwards, I found an intense upper-body workout on the Peloton app. Ouch, there was a lot of shoulder-focused work on the schedule. Later, I got out for a very hot and humid 2-mile walk in the late afternoon.

Wednesday - Can you say “sweat fess?”

The early morning group decided to take a week off, so I was on my own (which means I didn’t need to wake-up quite as early as usual). In case you can’t tell, it was another crazy humid morning, but I got five decent miles done. Later, it was time to load-up the bike (and appropriate gear) and head to Iowa Falls. Once there, we got situated for RAGBRAI, which involved a lot of walking downtown (#RagbraiPartyCentral, LOL) and prepping for the next morning’s ride. 

Thursday - let’s ride!

After a rather sleepless night in our friends’ RV (more rain and storms = nonstop noise), we were up, dressed, breakfasted, and on the route around 7:30. I had been stalking the weather all week, and Thursday’s forecast had looked rather damp and dreary. Fortunately, all the overnight rain (and storms) had moved out, and stayed away the entire day! The air was still plenty humid, but the temps were much more comfortable than they’d been, and we had cloud cover until the final 10 miles or so. We made it to Cedar Falls by mid-afternoon, with just over 52 total miles logged (including the bonus trek to find our truck). I’ll share more details in the recap (coming on Tuesday), but this was a fantastic day for all of us!

A low-impact fitness Friday

It had been nearly a month since Deb and I had done any virtual workouts together, and we were able to reunite Friday morning. Yay! She rode her bike and I walked (three miles). Umm, we may have been on the phone for almost two hours…just saying…

Collage by Deb ;-)

After we parted ways, I headed back to the basement for more upper-body strength work. This was another tough workout, but I loved it! With a focus on shoulders and biceps, I had a major burn going on by the time I logged off. I was amazed (and quite humbled) at how heavy these “medium weight” dumbbells felt by doing high reps with no recovery in between sets.

How about a high-sweat Saturday

Guess who woke up to more rain? I decided to pull the covers back up and snooze a couple extra hours (yes, you heard it here first, LOL). I didn’t hit the street until almost 9:30, and the air was (again) quite hot and muggy. I had my sights on running a 10K (there was a Garmin badge up for grabs). I brought along some water (with electrolytes) and kept the pace easy. I even stopped back at my house, midway, and refilled my water. After a short cool-down, and some stretching, I headed back out on the bike for 10 miles (see below). I was already a sweaty mess, after all, and I knew the cycling would be a good recovery move for my legs. I didn’t see any harm in procrastinating the shower a little longer.

…and what’s on deck for  Sunday?

Well, we have a heat advisory starting at noon tomorrow, so I’m planning on some early morning walking. Maybe I’ll try an afternoon bike ride (or maybe not), because riding in the heat really isn’t that bad if you stay hydrated. Stay tuned.

So, how did this week play-out? In a word, perfect. The three runs were all major sweat fests, but they all went well, giving me 15 total miles. Walking had a decent showing with 21 miles. Biking, thanks to RAGBRAI, dominated with 84 miles for the week. Strength training was good, with several upper-body workouts. I’m still doing the Wall Pilates challenge, but my interest is waning something terrible. The daily planks and wall sits are still going strong.

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

Whacky Weather Roulette

Midnight Madness 5K - race recap

Summer ‘Fession had me a Blast

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Another hot day warrants something flowy and lightweight. I’m guessing that’s why sleeveless attire was invented (?). Anyways, I’m a fan of this Aztec-print dress. It’s more on the casual side, but it’s easy to dress-up with the proper accessories

Biking was big this week, namely on Thursday’s RAGBRAI ride. Even though I’d already logged 74 miles on wheels, I saw I only needed a few more to snag the 200K Garmin badge. Following Saturday’s sweaty run, it felt so refreshing (believe it or not) to have the wind blowing against my saturated running outfit as I pedaled along the Chichaqua Valley Trail. 

Well, that’s a wrap for now. The forecast is looking like much of what we had this past week, so there’s more heat waiting for my area. Honestly, I’m fine with that. I would prefer a little less humidity, but this is summer, and I’m in no hurry for cooler weather to get here. 

Enough about me…how was your week? Is it feeling hot and sticky in your ‘hood as well? How are you coping? Any upcoming races? Is your training affected by the heat? 

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