Three weeks into July and I’m pretty sure the first words out of my mouth at any given time are “it’s too hot!” I’ve lived in the desert for about 40 years but there’s something about 120 degrees that gets me going like that. The heat continues and all I can do is hope that it’s making me stronger.
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Of course, it’s not that hot every day, and it’s certainly not that hot when I run. Even so, the heat has been a challenge, especially this past week when it was already in the 90s at 4:00 am. It’s hard to beat the heat that way!
Here’s how the week went down.
The Heat Continues
Monday
Morning Temperature: 95 degrees. Yes, you read that right. Fortunately, it was a running rest day, so I did an indoor at-home strength workout and called it a (hot) day. It topped off at only 117.
Tuesday
Morning Temperature: 85 degrees. Can you feel the chill in the air? No? You’re right, it was nowhere near chilly but, as I said in my Instagram post that day, 85 degrees feel pretty good after several days of 90+. Alan and I ran 6.2 miles. The heat continues but I must be getting used to it! We had a good run.
I also had an opportunity to retake my Rock Tape FMT Mobility Specialist Certification course! If you recall, the day I took the online Zoom class, the instructor had so many technical problems with his connection that we probably spent at least 90 minutes trying to get it working right. While he did a great job and I felt good about what I learned (and I passed my test) when they offered me the opportunity to take the class over I jumped on it. I feel like taking it again, with a different instructor, really helped me learn and understand even more.
Another benefit of taking the class again was the practical part. We got to practice on ourselves throughout the six-hour class. Now that’s a great perk!
Wednesday
Morning Temperature: 80 degrees. Talk about a reprieve! It was cool enough that I felt comfortable taking Australia out for a few miles. Nothing special about this run except that it felt good not to be not quite as hot. We ran four miles on a mix of road and trail.
Thursday
Morning Temperature: 82 degrees. Last week I did my first speed work in months so today I decided to do a hill workout! Why not, right? First I ran (uphill) about two miles to my favorite hill and did six repeats. Weirdly, there was a man doing walking repeats there, so I didn’t take a photo (well, I’ll leave it up to you to figure which of us was the weirdest, walker-man or selfie-woman 🙂 ). I asked him how many he was doing and he said he didn’t count. Well, he was there when I started and when I finished, so he was getting it done!
There was another hill I wanted to try, one that I’d seen when Alan and I were on a dog rescue mission a few months ago. This hill was asphalt, rather than trail, plus longer and steeper than my usual hill. And yes, it was hard, especially because it was toward the end of my workout plus after I’d done the first six intervals. One nice thing, because it is toward the eastern side of the cove I live, it is shaded by surrounding hills until a little later in the morning. Shade for the win!
So, a total of eight hill repeats and 6.25 miles.
Friday
Morning Temperature: 78 degrees. I always feel a little bad when I have a running rest day and the weather is the nicest its been in a couple of weeks. Still, I enjoyed my rest day! All I did was some rolling and stretching and it was good.
Saturday
Morning Temperature: 88 degrees. The heat continues. I knew I should have done that long run yesterday! Kidding, but I did feel that way for a moment after a 10-degree jump in the temperature. My long runs have been 10 miles, with an occasional cutback week of eight miles, so I planned to run loops around my neighborhood, giving me the chance to stop at home, refill my bottle, and cool off for a moment.
I also decided to run on the trails, even though it takes longer that way. It’s a lot easier to stay in the shade. I started around 5:00, not an easy task in my home with doggy feedings and walking (confession: we skipped the walk), so I was about an hour into the run before the sun came up. I decided at that point to just keep going without the home stop. Out of the entire 10 miles, I only had about two to run in the sun because I again headed east to enjoy that morning shade for as long as I could. I felt good through most of the run though I do find the heat still gets to me the last two miles.
Sunday
Morning Temperature: 84 degrees. Sunday is our recovery day and we usually take the dogs out on the trails. The last few weeks have been so hot that we’ve cut the run at two miles. In cool weather, Australia and Buddy are good for at least five, but I just worry that it’s too hot for them. Today though, we decided at the one-mile marker, where we’d been turning around lately, that they could do another mile. Again, we headed to the shade and managed three miles with everyone feeling good at the end. Then I headed out with Tito, who now expects his own run after we finish, and ran/walked .75 miles.
Total miles: 30.1! I was happy to get back to 30 after a few weeks of finishing in the mid-20s.
I’m Going (Virtual) Camping!
I am so excited that I will be joining the Flex and Flow team at the Virtual Camp Flex and Flow. Formerly known as the Empower Summer Camp, virtual camp will be held August 24-28 and will include all the things that make camp fun: Sweat, Sunshine, Stories, and, of course, S’mores. There will also be speakers and swag from all of our favorite partners.
I’m super excited to join Camp Flex and Flow because I wasn’t able to attend last year. Even though we will be virtual, I know I’ll find the best camp friends, plus movement classes, cooking, and other educational sessions. and, well, all-around fun. I can’t wait!
Do you want to join me? Registration opens today and it’s only open through July 31 so sign up now!
And My 40th Marathon Will Be…
I was supposed to run my 40th marathon in May. Like everyone else, all my races were canceled. It looks like my 39th marathon, the Sprouts Mesa Marathon will end up being the only race I’ll run all year. So I’m even more excited than usual to tell you that I’ve been invited back as an ambassador and will be running that 40th marathon at the Sprouts Mesa Marathon on February 13, 2021.
If you follow me, you know that this race has been a challenge for me for the last two years. Which is weird because it’s an amazing race, with a net downhill course that makes it great for qualifying for Boston. Still, I feel the need to prove myself (to myself) that I can do this without falling apart the last few miles.
Plus, I am really excited to race again. At this point, I doubt I’ll be racing in 2020 so I’m setting my sights on this gorgeous, well-run race as a way to kick off better times in 2021.
Would you like to join me? Register here and save $10 on your registration with the code DEBBIE10! Prices go up on August 3 so let’s do this! Ready to race in 2021!
Finally…
Here is my Instagram post explaining the new TheraOne CBD products.
If you want to learn more or would like a code for a 10% discount on any Theragun or TheraOne product, just let me know in the comments.
How was your week of training? How are you dealing with the heat this summer?
Weekly Linkups
My weekly linkups! Please stop by and check out all of the great recipes, workouts, and information that all these awesome bloggers share every week!
Meatless Monday with Sarah and Deborah
Inspire Me Monday with Janet
Tuesday Topics with Kim and Zenaida
The Runners’ Roundup with Rachel , Deborah, Lisa, Smitha, Jenn, and Me!
The Weekly Run Down with Deborah and Kim
I was bummed when the Flex and Flow camp was cancelled it looked like such a blast year. Still debating on the virtual but now that I see you are doing it ….Nice job upping your mileage this week.
I hope you decide to do it! The price is right and it will be fun to see all my blogging/social media friends!
The heat has really been tough here! We had that ridiculous humidity. Yesterday was cloudy, so I was able to get 7.5 miles done. I just can’t even fathom 120 degrees.
I’m so over everything virtual–I saw that F&F summer camp was going virtual, but I just can’t do it. I’m looking forward to hearing how it all goes.
Well I don’t actually run in 120!
Aside from my recent CEU classes I haven’t done all that much virtual stuff so I’m looking forward to camp. I’m sorry I missed the in person one last year, but hopefully I’ll get to “meet” new fitness friends and “see” old ones.
That heat!!!! Well done for getting all those runs done in those conditions. I’ve also written off this year for racing and I’m glad to hear new dates being announced. The first one for me so far is 4th April 2021 but hoping there will be some earlier in the year too!
I don’t even race that much but I’m missing it so much! I have one more race scheduled for this year that was postponed from April but I assume it will have to be canceled. I’m sad about all of it but excited (and hopeful) that we’ll be able to race next year. Including my 40th marathon, of course!
I think we all got sucker-punched with heat last week. Oddly, we did have a few cool mornings (still with high humidity) and then the temps returned to “normal” by noon. Oh well, it’s such a short season in Iowa, I’m not gonna complain. Congrats on going back to Mesa as an ambassador!
Thank you. I’m already pretty adapted to the heat (though it seemed to kick my butt this morning and it was “only” 83) but I’d love to have a cool day or two. I’d be happy with anything that starts with a “7!”
How fun about the virtual camp! A few weeks ago I participated in a BibRave Virtual Summit and it was so much fun. It went better than expected.
That heat! Yikes! Great job with your 30 miles.
Thank you. So far I’ve enjoyed my different Zoom classes and meetings. I’m excited about “seeing” a lot of my social media friends at camp.
Your pups make me smile.
I am so happy for you – you have so many fun things coming up. It’s got to be great to have things to look forward to. We definitely need to start planning some fun things on our end. I think it will help my mental health dramatically.
I’m so ready to do something! While I’m pretty much used to and happy about being home with my husband and dogs I’d really love to go to the beach, run a race, or do something!
40 marathons – that will be a great accomplishment! (and all of the ones you have done so far is awesome!). So that’s dry heat right? Because, phew, it sounds hot 🙂
Thanks! I hope I make it to 40. Running in the summer makes everything seem tough. 🙂