Like it or not, here it comes. It’s August, and we are just rolling with it. In case you were wondering, no. It hasn’t cooled down. Not at all. And yes, it continues to be miserable. But who has time for that?
Sunday
- Cardio: 4.09 miles, walking
There really is quite a difference between being in NY and being in Florida. Somehow, these views just aren’t it. Oh, well. We do the best we can with what we have, I guess.
Monday
- Cardio: 5.58 miles, running
The only way to beat the heat is to literally get up at the crack of dawn to try to actually beat the heat. It’s swampy and soupy and there’s just no joy in it. I know they say that fall and winter PRs are built in the summer, but this is just getting ridiculous.
I had a nail appointment as well. No pictures, but I went for a clean, pale pink. Things have felt overwhelming lately, so I needed to go for something simple.
Tuesday
- Cardio: 6.29 miles, running
A little bit of a longer effort today. I’m not going to say it felt good (it did not), but I liked having a little bit more in the bank.
Mr PugRunner and I went to see The Odyssey. And I finally finished my sardine cross stitch! The movie was really good. I liked the way it was framed, as well as the deeper emotional ramifications of war, PTSD, and grief. I think it could have been a little shorter, but I was overall impressed and I even ordered the book to read again as a refresher. One thing about me is I’m always going to do that deeper dive.
Wednesday
- Cardio: 6.17 miles, walking
It’s just not getting nicer out and I hate it. On the plus side, we are starting to get some rain. There aren’t any hurricanes stirring up quite yet, but at least the grass is getting watered and the canals are filling up a bit. And that moon? Gorgeous!
We had dinner with some friends we hadn’t seen in ages, and it was really a very nice night. I can definitely feel myself lapsing back into hermit tendencies, so I’m glad when I get the little push to be more social.
Thursday
- Cardio: 5.08 miles, running + walking
My morning got a little derailed as I woke up to one hell of a thunderstorm with very close lighting (like some houses in my neighborhood got hit kind of close). I waited it out and then packed the car to head off to one of three back to back house sits.
I did manage to squeeze in a bit of a run a little bit later in the morning, but I did regret everything. Even without the sun, it’s just so hot.
Friday
- Cardio: 4.29 miles, walking + running
I confess I walked a little more than I ran. I was tired and it was hot and so here we are.
And let’s check out the local wildlife! The biggest bun I’ve ever seen, and the duck who laid eggs in my bushes finally had her babies!
Saturday
- Cardio: 4.19 miles, walking
I didn’t have a great night’s sleep, but I had to be up and out for some more client. I decided I would just take a nap later.
Thoughts + Goals
Ok. It’s August. Let’s lock in.
Yes. I am sucking at the gym and stretching and all the things. I don’t want to do any of it and I’m having a hard time forcing myself.. So what did I do? I registered for puppy yoga is what. Because obviously, that will get me going in the right direction.
Also, what do you all think about me starting karate classes? I have the opportunity to do so with a client, and I’ve been kind of avoiding it because the first belt test requires a forward and backward roll. I cannot, nor have I ever been able to accomplish these things. My body does not go upside down without assistance, not now, not ever. The sensei told me that in order to pass the belt, you can fail two things, so I would be able to move forward, but also, I would be so embarrassed to not be able to do the rolls. Thoughts?
I also had another great social media client meeting. It’s always great to get to stretch my creative muscles a bit. I’ll keep you posted on that.
On the media front, I also watched two very heavy movies: The Good Nurse with Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne, and The Drama with Zendaya and Robert Pattison. Both were excellent but definitely hard to take in. I also finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (loved), Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (dull), and Kin by Tayari Jones (excellent). I’m currently almost finished with The God Of The Woods by Liz Moore.
In Case You Missed It
On the blog this week:
- In The Greatest City In The World
- What Running Actually Does To Your Body
- 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Running
- Hot July Runfessions
How was your week in training? Are you sensitive to the weather? Should I start my journey to black belt?
Weekly Rundown
I am linking up with the Weekly Rundown, with Confessions of A Mother Runner and Running on the Fly! Check them out!
I experienced some of that heat you speak of when I was in Alabama–and all I could think of was how do people run in this? We get lots of humidity here, but when I returned home, I quietly did what I could because I could. It’s not the same humidity here. So mad respect to you for getting out there every day. I guess a runner’s gotta do…
If those karate rolls are going to make you uncomfortable, then why do it? Although some would say getting out of your comfort zone is a good thing…
I find that getting up early you can beat the heat, but our humidity is worse earlier, so it’s still pretty gross! Good for you for getting out there regardless.
Do you want to take karate? Do you think it would be fun otherwise or do you feel pressured? If you want to do it, you could talk to the instructor about the rolls and see what he says. Otherwise, skip it!
Thanks for the book recs. I am going to start Hail Mary on my vacation. I’ve read and enjoyed the others you mentioned!
Karate could be a fun challenge! You might find you really like the discipline of it-if not, no harm done. One benefit of the gym is that it is air conditioned! It can be really challenging to train in the extreme heat and humidity-I’ve never been a fan our summers here
So what I’ve discovered is that the humidity is WORSE right around dawn. If you wait a little, it will be less humid- but then you have the blazing sun to contend with. In other words, you can’t win. But at least we only have… two more months of it??? Sob.
My daughter’s boyfriend’s house was hit by lightning! I’m not sure of all the damage, but he’s complaining that it wrecked their TV.
I definitely want to hear all about puppy yoga! And, I like Coco’s comment- you could talk to the instructor. You might be surprised to find that other people have the same concerns as you do. Good luck with it!
You did some good running (and walking) distances despite the unpleasant weather, so kudos to you for that! The karate class sounds interesting! I can totally relate about the rolls – but if you can fail on two things maybe it’s ok if those are the two things and you can challenge yourself with the other moves?
Oof on the continued heat and humidity! Good job getting it done. As for karate, if two things are allowed as a “pass”, I’d say go for it! You can excel in the other areas. I’m not sure I could do those rolls either! But it would be a fun personal challenge to try karate.
Those duck babies are adorable!! There are so many baby bunnies on my running/biking route. I wish they would all let me pick them up and cuddle 🙂
Great job getting out there despite the heat! I have been doing some walking with my runs when I’m tired too, it’s better than nothing! I’ve been wanting to see the odyssey! I definitely may reread the book too. I felt the same way about Project Hail Mary and Aaltmosphere!