Holy Heavy Humidity!

 Oof, did it feel damp this week!

While the temps were equally warm, it’s the humidity that really makes the outdoor conditions ever-so-miserable. Granted, I don’t hibernate indoors during the summer. I’m fortunate to have a petty high-tolerance for the summer heat (and its requisite humidity), but it is a shock to the system when it appears practically overnight. Even I prefer a little bit of an acclimation…

Before I get into the nitty gritty deets from the humid 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 world of fitness and fun amidst the humidity:

Sunday - a true day of rest

There had been a lot of activity on Friday and Saturday (38 miles of biking, for starters). I wasn’t feeling especially tired, but I knew my body could use some downtime. I got out for a 3-mile walk, before church, and that’s all she wrote. I also had lunch plans with my parents and sister (birthday celebration), and the son (and GF) came over for dinner later.

Never miss a Monday

It was looking damp and dreary outside (but the forecast was looking much better after work). I hoisted-on the weighted vest and hit the elliptical for 3-ish miles, then did a short upper-body workout before heading to the office.

I stayed inside, for my lunch walk (the humidity is not fine-hair-friendly). Later, after work, the air was still humid and the temps were warm, but there was a gentle breeze. I had an almost forgotten (oops!) running club meeting, so I took my 3-mile run on a new route afterwards.  

Low-impact Tuesday

It’s no secret how much I love my sunrises! Tuesday morning treated me to a beautiful display of color and intrigue on my 2-mile walk. I hit the skywalk over lunch (two more miles), and Max took me around the block after work. After getting back to the house, I saddled-up with Krystal and knocked-out 12 miles on the trail. Fun times!  

Wednesday - early morning fun for the win

It was another steamy Iowa morning on Wednesday when I met with Hannah and Bill for the 4:45AM run. Bill peeled-off at the 2-mile mark, and Hannah needed to get ready for work after we finished the usual three miles. I stuck around and tacked-on a bonus mile, since I was already a soppy, sweaty mess. After returning home, I hit the weights in the cool basement. I also got in the usual lunch walk, and Max was excited to get out for two different walks (before and after work). 

Thankful Thursday

All went well for the weekly cardio hour with Deb. The temps were sitting at 68F, and the air was calm (though still quite humid) at 5:00AM in Iowa. There was rain in the forecast, due to hit around 6:00AM, so I was a little leery if I’d make it an entire hour. Fortunately, the rain held off for my 4-mile walk…but showed up just as Max and I were getting back from a trip around the block(shortly after Deb and I parted ways). 

 

Later, I retreated to the basement for some upper-body work. Don’t be fooled by the 3-pound weights. Those little babies can do some serious damage with high reps and zero recovery between sets. Remember the rain that hit just as Max and I were finishing our walk? It turned into a torrential downpour for about 10 of my 15 miles on my commute. We’re talking traffic moving at 40mph on the interstate with hardly any visibility! That evening, all the crazy rain had cleared out, so I joined the running club for the Thursday night group run. It was another humid endeavor, but the temps had cooled substantially, so it didn’t feel as sticky and icky.

Friday - finally a brief relief from the humidity

The early morning 60-degree temps actually felt cool (compared to the heat we’d had most of the week). As such, my morning 2-mile walk was rather refreshing! I even took my lunch walk outside because the air felt so nice. After work, I couldn’t resist a quick 10-mile ride since I hadn’t been on the bike much since the weekend. 

Saturday - Brewery Run at Gezellig Brewing

There’s a fun summer running gig called the Iowa Brewery Running Series. Almost every weekend, a featured brewery hosts a 3-mile group run. Your registration gets you a beer and your choice of swag (t-shirt, socks, glass pint, etc.). It’s not an actual race (no timing mats or awards), and we were asked to write the name of our first-ever beer on our bibs, LOL. It was a fun time, even though the humidity had returned with a vengeance. 

…and whats’ happening on Sunday?

I’ll probably get out for a walk before church (again, I gotta see the sunrise). Afterwards, I’m meeting a group from work for 30-ish miles of cycling, in conjunction with the Iowa Corporate Games. That’ll be my longest ride of 2026, and I’m looking forward to it!

So, it was an interesting week with the sudden extremely humid conditions. We have this weather every summer, but it’s still little annoying when there hasn’t been a gradual transition to the warmer conditions. That said, I’m ready for it! It feels like I wait 10 months for summer to arrive, and I plan to enjoy it. This weeks’s running saw 13 miles. Biking was very conservative, with only 22 miles in the saddle (but there’s 30+ miles happening on Sunday, so all is well). Walking totally dominated this week with 28 miles logged! I’m keeping consistent with the upper-body strength work, but my lower-body mojo has tanked. Stay tuned…I’m hoping to change that.

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

ALL RECOVERED!

In other news:

Friday Fashion Flair. Have you ever scored a fun fashion purchase that came with all our favorite colors? Seriously, this top practically jumped into my arms the second I spotted it. Turquoise, fuchsia, purple, kiwi green for the win!

Last week, Max and I came across this “capsized” turtle on our walk (Wednesday evening). At first, I was afraid to look too closely, fearing it was dead. As I got closer, though, I saw it poke its head out of the shell. I flipped it over, and then placed it back on the grass (I’m guessing it had fallen off the curb, which caused it to flip upside-down). You can’t really tell from the picture, but it was big…its shell was as long as the size of my foot! So, that was my good deed for the day!

Finally, there were several Garmin badges showing up this week. It’s always nice to see them, as they are motivating and inspirational.

So, there you go! Another week’s peek into my fitness endeavors. 

How did your week play-out? Any recent races, or upcoming events? Did it get oppressively hot and/or humid this week for you as well?

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