Heat, Humidity, and a Holiday 

Between dodging intense summer heat and humidity, and pivoting our holiday plans to stay in the shade, this week was all about flexibility. Despite the oppressive elements, I managed to get creative with my miles, log some great workouts, and cap it all off with a fantastic Independence Day ride closer to home.

Overview of the Week

Before getting into each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from this past week. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…

 

Sunday

Walking: 4.0 miles
• Average pace: 15.31 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 10:29 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 67° in the basement, 73° with a light rain outside
• What I wore: shorts and sports bra

Core: Peloton 5-Minute Core Strength with Adrian Williams

Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute Lower Body Stretch with Hannah Corbin

It was another drizzly, humid day, so I kept my cardio inside with a walk on my treadmill. On days like this, I am always incredibly grateful to have it available so I can get my miles in without dealing with the sticky weather.

 

Monday

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Core: Peloton 10-Minute Core Strength with Emma Lovewell

Walking: 4.05 miles
• Average pace: 15:18 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 167 feet
• Start time: 9:08 AM
• Location: neighborhood circle
• Weather: 75°, cloudy and humid, climbing to 77°
• What I wore: shorts and s/s shirt

With three out of five clients canceling (all for completely legitimate reasons), my morning suddenly opened up. I took full advantage and headed out for an earlier, longer outdoor walk than I originally had planned.

While I was out, a friend texted me a picture of herself riding her bike around a lake in Minnesota. Naturally, I had to reply with a selfie of me walking in my new, hair-saving slouch beanie—which cracked her up completely! And yes, if you’re looking closely, I was totally wearing the exact same tank and shorts I wore on the treadmill the day before. Real-life laundry efficiency at its finest!

 

Tuesday

Cycling: 41.32 miles
• Bike: Specialized Roubaix Comp
• Average speed: 14.7 MPH
• Surface: paved
• Elevation gain: 1,480 feet
• Start time: 7:33 AM
• Location: W&OD Trail Ashburn/Reston loop with some residential streets
• Weather: 72° and partly cloudy, climbing to 87°
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey, and fingerless gloves

Walking: 2.04 miles
• Average pace: 17:37 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 106 feet
• Start time: 2:37 PM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 90° and partly cloudy
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and visor

Stretching: Peloton 10-Minute Full Body Stretch with Adrian Williams

My husband planned a fun lollipop route that took us off the W&OD Trail, running in reverse of our Dawn Patrol Friday route. It’s funny how riding a familiar path in the opposite direction—especially one I don’t get onto very often—makes it feel like an entirely new place. Along the way, we rode right past another one of the iconic “LOVE” signs celebrating the state slogan: Virginia is for Lovers.

Once we got back home, I decided to walk to the store rather than drive. It was definitely hot out, but nowhere near as scorching as the forecast looked for the next several days!

 

Wednesday

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Walking: 1.0 mile
• Average pace: 16:24 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 12:44 PM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 69° in the basement, 94° and cloudy outside
• What I wore: shorts and sports bra

Core: Peloton 5-Minute Core Strength with Emma Lovewell

Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute Core Stretch with Emma Lovewell

Allowing myself to recover completely from the previous day’s longer ride, I decided to keep things light. The ever-climbing outdoor heat made it an easy decision to stay inside on the treadmill, where I walked just enough to stay on track with my weekly goal.

 

Thursday

Gardening: 4 hours

Walking: 3.02 miles
• Average pace: 15:58 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 70 feet
• Start time: 11:15 AM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 92° and sunny, climbing to 95°
• What I wore: shorts, s/s shirt, and  visor

Stretching: Peloton 10-Minute Full Body Stretch with Adrian Williams

I begged out of my weekly virtual cardio workout with Kim, opting instead to beat the impending heat by getting outside early to mow and weed-eat (our neighbors were out of town so I didn’t have to worry about bothering them). It was already 80° when I started! Luckily, I was mostly shaded by the trees, but if I had started even a little bit later, I would have been caught in the full, blazing sun. Once the yard work was done, I fueled up with breakfast and headed right back out for my walk, sticking strictly to the shaded neighborhood trails to stay cool.

Here’s a little taste of what my hair looks like when it’s out in the humid air for even the slightest amount of time. Check out the close-up inset picture in the collage below to see the frizz-fest—and now, doesn’t my new slouch beanie hipster hat make total sense?

 

Friday

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Walking: 1.05 miles
• Average pace: 15:10 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 10:20 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 69° in the basement, 91° (feels like 97°) and sunny outside
• What I wore: shorts and sports bra

Balance and stretching: 45 minutes

Stretching: Peloton 15-Minute Stretching for Longevity with Adrian Williams

Up first were my own workouts, and then—even though it was a federal holiday—enough of my students said they wanted to meet for class that I happily obliged. The rest of the day was mostly chill as I rested up and saved my legs for our big Independence Day bike ride the following morning!

 

Saturday

Cycling: 26.09 miles
• Bike: Salsa Warbird
• Average speed: 11.9 MPH
• Surface: gravel
• Elevation gain: 1,772 feet
• Start time: 7:08 AM
• Location: Historical Goose Creek Bridge, Middleburg, Virginia
• Weather: 77° (feels like 82°) and sunny, climbing to 90° (feels like 96°)
• What I wore: bike shorts, s/s jersey and fingerless gloves

Stretching: Peloton 5-Minute Post-Ride Stretch with Jenn Sherman

The forecast for high heat and oppressive humidity put a real damper on our planned ride through Maryland and onto the Gettysburg Battlefield, so we ultimately decided to cancel it. Instead, we chose to ride from a Civil War battlefield site much closer to home. With a significantly shorter drive to the start line, we were able to roll shortly after 7 AM. My husband mapped out a route that was half the original distance, keeping us on beautifully shaded gravel roads rather than out in the full sun.

One other Dawn Patrol teammate joined us for the fantastic ride. While the heat itself wasn’t too bad early on, the humidity was incredibly high, leaving us absolute sweaty messes by the time we finished! The rest of the day was wonderfully chill, spent enjoying an afternoon barbecue and capping off the holiday with neighborhood fireworks at nightfall.

 

Garmin Badges Earned

Four Garmin badges made their way to me this week…

 

Last Week’s Blog Posts

In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…

 

Questions:
  • • What was the highlight of your holiday weekend?
  • • How do you pivot your workouts when extreme heat or rain ruins your outdoor plans? ~ I’m lucky to have two stationary bikes and a treadmill in my basement to use when the weather outside is uncooperative.
  • • Which workout did you enjoy most this past week? ~ Saturday’s gravel ride

 

And that’s my rundown… Have a great week!

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I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Be sure to check out not only the hosts’ posts, but those of the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!

 

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