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 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 mileage 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 just after 6 AM! 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 starting point, 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!
*********************************************************************
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!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on the blue product link and then make a purchase, I will receive a small commission for referring you. You will pay no more or less for the product; however, Amazon will show their gratitude for my referral by paying me.
It sounds like having a stationary bike and treadmill are perfect for you with the hot weather! But you still seem to get outside a lot. It was hot and humid here, but nothing I couldn’t handle and I prefer it to winter running 100%. I love all your festive outfits!
I feel so fortunate to have indoor options for my cardio workouts when I need them. And yes, I still get outside as much as I can because I really do prefer to the great outdoors. I’m with you, especially now that I can’t run, I tolerate the heat better than the cold when I’m walking and cycling.
Ha, those outfit repeats happen to me to! I wash my workout clothes, line dry it and then, instead of folding it and putting it away, I just put it on again for the next day. So much more efficient!
Also, a good idea to change the Maryland – Gettysburg plans. That would’ve been a long, ugly grind, not a celebration ride!
I’ll let you in on a little secret – that outfit wasn’t washed between those two workouts. 😉 I’d only worn it inside on the treadmill to walk four miles (actually, I didn’t even wear the tank while walking on the treadmill, I just put it on for the picture).
Yes, I was thrilled to change the location of our ride. It wasn’t bad at all in the shade.
It was super challenging this week for sure. I’m impressed that you got out there yesterday-it was brutal. I am seriously slacking on my steps. Hope this week is better. Happy 4th! Love the cycling kits
If you remember, it’s never as bad on the bike because of the breeze created by moving faster through the air, and the shade really helped a lot. And thanks, I was super pumped to see those jerseys at the Green Lizard!
Sounds like you had a good “plan B” for your ride — a shady route is key this time of year. I hope others enjoyed seeing your kits!
When I travel I may wear the same outfit to the gym ^without^ doing laundry — but only if I didn’t get too sweaty. 😉
Nice of you to teach on the 3rd. I’m sure your clients appreciated it!
Yes, the shade helped so much and it actually wasn’t so bad. No one commented on our jerseys, but other than our friend who rode with us, we didn’t really talk to anyone else, just waved as we met or passed them on the road.
When you own your own business you pretty much get used to working most holidays. I have never worked the big ones: Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Independence Day, but since the 4th fell on a Saturday, it just made sense not to cancel my class on the 3rd. Now that working my way toward retirement, though, I usually take New Year’s, Memorial, and Labor Days off.
I decided to go with the flow (heat!) this week and just let my hair air dry. I have several hair products that I am still evaluating, but with the correct product I’ve got a head full of super curls. It’s a big leap since I usually straighten my hair, but when the temps are over 90 I just can’t deal with it. I actually got compliments from my coworkers when I showed up with my curly hair so I felt less weird about it. It’s actually more work to have it curly since I have to wash it every morning instead of a blowout which will last days. Frizzy hair is such a challenge!!
I would never have guessed your hair was naturally curly like mine because you also flat iron it. And I completely hear you on how long it takes to get curly hair looking nice and how sleeping on it frizzes it out.
Ooooh! That beanie does really help your hair! Love that!
We had a lowkey holiday. We had a block party with some neighbors and it was super nice. I didn’t get to spend the whole time because of clients, but that was fine. The 4th isn’t really my favorite holiday and the heat makes it even harder to enjoy.
Independence Day celebrations are so outdoor-focused, and when it’s miserably hot, it can be awful standing around outside. I’m just so grateful for our wonderful country and proud to be an American that the 4th is one of my favorite holidays, but I completely agree that the summer heat makes it tough! I’m glad you still got to enjoy some time at your block party with your neighbors between clients.
And yes, the slouch beanie is working even better than I imagined. 🙂
Ha, well I don’t make outdoor plans during the Florida summers! We spent a very chill 4th inside in the AC- my husband has been sick so I just happily read my book, and watched fireworks from my living room window.
Yes, thank goodness for treadmills! How did we survive without them??? We really have so many options now, with fitness classes we can do right in our own home, plus indoor cycling. There are no excuses for not getting it done!
That’s one way to beat the heat – just don’t make outdoor plans. 😉 Are you like me, though, in that you don’t mind running or walking in the heat nearly as much as just standing around at a picnic?
And yes, aren’t we lucky to have so many indoor exercise options we can do at home these days?
I’m glad you were able to pivot and still enjoy a nice ride and some history too! My favorite workout this week was waterskiing! I took the week off running to recover, so I did other things that were more ‘heat’ friendly too.
Thanks, Wendy! I’m so happy for you to finally get out on the water to ski!
Nice work on that 10K step badge! I didn’t even know that badge existed, LOL. I’m almost always well over that mark with steps, but the long bike rides often times jack that up, especially if I’m riding a non-local trail. Oh well…. Not a deal-breaker. I LOVE those 250 bike kits!
Thanks, Kim! And yes, after Saturday’s 26-mile bike ride I was still only around 2,000 steps so I had to do a lot of moving to make sure I got to 10,000 steps for the day. 😉
It sounds like you had such a lovely week even with the change of plans because of the heat! A good variety of workouts and gardening too. I’m glad you could find a nice shady gravel road for your Saturday ride. Like Catrina, I can relate to the repeat outfit – for me it’s because I struggle to find something I like and that fits my body type so when I do, I stock up on it. I have close to 10 of both my gym tanks, 2 pairs of the same gym shorts and now recently bought 2 of another type of gym shorts. I know I’m boring but what do you do when the tank tops are perfect AND cost €4 each??
The slouch beanie does make sense, and you look super cool in it too!
When you find something that fits so well (especially gym clothes) it just makes sense to buy one in every color!
I misread this as you were riding to Gettysburg and wondered how it was that close. That was an insane July trip a few years ago but knew I didn’t get that close to DC
Love the hat. My hair is beyond saving though
That would be a long ride, Cari! Although we are scheming on a multi-day ride from Pittsburgh to DC and then on home which would be about 365 miles on the GAP Trail, C&O Canal Towpath, and the W&OD Trail. A lot of people do it and camp along the way, but this girl doesn’t camp anymore so we’ll be staying in hotels along the way.
I haven’t convinced myself to get on a treadmill so I either skip the run or shorten it. It helped that my half is not until Sept and that I’m nursing my Achilles.
The highlight of my holiday was my 4 mole race… even if I was sooo slow.
Independence Day races are so fun! I always loved starting my day with the Firecracker 5K back when I could still run.
I stick to outside running even on the hot days but I try to run in the morning (around 6AM). 2 weeks ago there were a few days with heatwave red alert and even at 6AM was already hot.
Agreed – getting out early is key on those extremely hot days. Back when I was still able to run, I sometimes started at 5:30 AM to beat the heat!