Hooray! I always say we have a change in our weather by the third week of October- and this year was no different. It wasn’t cold, but we had some cooler mornings. Instead of 90s, we had highs around 80, and I’ll take that! Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting this rundown- let’s see how the week went.
Sunday
Ah, Sunday! I had such a great trail run! It was in the 70s and cloudy for most of this run, and the whole thing felt easy. I ran 8 miles and really enjoyed it.
Monday
Alright, back to the hard stuff. It was Day #10 in Caroline Girvan’s Iron Series, back and biceps. My biceps were so trashed by the end, I had to go down to 5 pound dumbbells for the finisher (how embarrassing.)
Tuesday
In the morning I did Day #11 of Caroline Girvan, which was legs. This was a Lunge-a-Palooza! Other than some squats in the beginning and some calf work at the end, it was all lunge variations. Ouch.
In the afternoon I got out for a quick 3 mile run. Luckily, I got this run in just in time before the DOMS from the morning workout set in.
Wednesday
Day #12 of Caroline Girvan, which was chest and triceps. Doing her workouts three days in a row insured that my entire body was sore. Fun!
Thursday
AH! It was our coldest day of the week- 61 degrees when I went out for my run. Brr! I ran 4 miles, and forgot to take a picture. I’m kind of mad about that because I was wearing my favorite “winter” tank top. Ha ha… yes, I have summer tank tops and winter tank tops- you can tell I live in Florida.
It actually stayed in the 60s all day and was overcast and rainy. I was able to wear my long sleeve fall shirt- wearing a long sleeve shirt in October doesn’t happen every year!
Friday
Caroline Girvan Day #14- posterior chain workout: glutes, hamstrings and back. Then in the afternoon I got out for another 3 mile run. It’s kind of ironic that I wrote a whole blog post about how much I love my morning runs, and then this week I ran twice in the afternoon… it’s just the way things worked out.
Our weather warmed up a little and it was 80 degrees for this afternoon run- but cloudy and breezy. It felt good!
Saturday
OFF! This is the second Saturday in a row where I took a day off, and I’m liking it! Again, I slept for eight hours. After work we watched Baylor win their Homecoming game, yay!!! We’ve had a couple tough games lately, so it was good to see them win again.
Sunday
On tap- a run to the beach! It’ll be 9 miles, unless I decide to add a little extra and make it 10. I haven’t done this run in a while and I’m looking forward to it.
One other thing I added this week was a tiny bit of plyometrics. In this post I talked about the things I learned from Stacy Sims’ book, Next Level, and one of them is that plyometrics are really important for keeping muscles and bones strong after menopause. I have to be really careful here because of my “difficult” foot (wait- you didn’t think my plantar fasciitis was gone, did you? No no no… I still have that.) I just did ten jump squats after my runs- baby steps! If my foot can handle it I’ll progress to a more advanced plyometric routine, eventually.
What’s your ideal running temperature? – In the winter we’ll get down to the 50s (sometimes) and I enjoy that, but I think my favorite is low 60s, like we had on Thursday.
36 Responses
that is great that you are back to running longer distances without pain! Enjoy your fall temps. My perfect run temp is about 45 which is late October/November for us. I think it’s a sign you were using the right weight if you worked to failure and had to down grade. That is where the magic hapens!
So you’re right at your perfect running weather! Now all your hard work from those hot summer runs will pay off.
I laugh when you say it cooled down to 60s.
We have already had frost.
For racing it’s 50 and sunshine and no wind.
Love to hear about easy runs. Glad that things are going well.
Enjoy the beach run. FOMO
Yes, I though of you because I ran over the drawbridge where you and I walked! I didn’t go in the ocean (because the water was cold) but I was right on the same beach we were at.
Yay for running and feeling GOOD! LOL on having a “winter” tank top. Now we need to know the difference.
Having to drop weights means you are challenging yourself, so it’s really a sign of strength not weakness.
Ha ha, well my summer tank tops are either crops, or mesh to let a lot of air in. My winter tank top is the Essential Tank from Lululemon, so it’s full length and solid.
Yes, I did get a lot of benefit from that biceps workout even though I had to go light at the end- it just felt funny to pick up those 5 lbs for biceps!
I like 50s for running-I had a great run along the beach here in California and it was about 58 degrees. I felt surprisingly strong and fresh, and I didn’t have to stop to walk. Now that’s nice…
We do plyometrics at CF–box jumps mostly– I can’t always do them because I have RA and my knees get angry. But when I can, I love them!
Oh, I’ll bet your run was amazing- I’m guessing low humidity (because it was CA) and 58 would be perfect.
Yep, I’m worried the plyos will anger my foot. But we’ll see!
The weather this week has been so delightful! I wish it stuck around a bit longer, but we’re back in the 80s here. It’s still much nicer than it was than even a month ago, but I love being able to turn off my AC and wear cozy clothes!
Yes, back to the 80s here as well. But we were so excited to turn off the AC! Winter is coming… and you guys get a little colder than we do down here.
45 degrees for running is pretty perfect for me. Really anything from 35-60 is good. Hooray for the “winter” tank! Haha! When I was running my very best I did 1-2 plyometric interval workouts per week as well as 2 yoga sessions. They really helped a ton!
Yes, I’ll bet the plyometrics helped. I’m hoping my foot will allow me to do them!
35 is way cold for me, but it doesn’t get that cold down here. A couple times we may dip into the upper 40s in the winter, brr!
Well, you probably know I’m going to lean more towards to warmer temps for “ideal” running weather, LOL. I think for races, though, anything in the 50’s and above works for me. Glad things are feeling better (overall) for you!
Yes, you probably prefer warmer temps than most! I guess if I were running a longer race, 50s would be good.
Sounds like all in all a fantastic week! I’m looking at your photo of last Sunday’s trail run, wondering where the trail actually is, LOL!
My favorite temps for running are about 40-50 — but that also depends on other factors, like wind, rain or dry, sun or clouds, how much shade there is where I’m running. That range also feels cooler in the Fall than it does during Spring (shorter vs longer days).
Hope you have a great run to the beach today! I would totally love that!
Yes, that’s true. Temperatures are one thing, but then there’s sun vs. shade, wind vs. no wind. Those things make a big difference!
That trail is west of me, actually on the edge of the Everglades. The photo in this post is actually a short little trail that leads to the main part.
I hope your trail run went well this morning!
I have summer tank tops and fall tank tops (just a little thicker so too hot for summer) so I get it! My ideal running temps are probably 45-50° and I’ll wear shorts, short sleeved top, headband ear warm, and gloves. 😉
That’s a little cold for me, but I would take it happily. In that weather I would wear a thin long sleeve top, shorts, hat and gloves. I always wear shorts down here no matter what!
Selfails are fun. At least that’s what I tell myself as i’m so good at them
I heard about your rainy Thursday from Mom who was displeased with it. Luckily weather here and there sorted itself out
That’s funny- your mom didn’t like the rainy Thursday and we were like “Ah, what great weather!” I guess it’s all subjective!
55 degrees is a wonderful temp I think! I do have a slight variety in my tank tops – ones that are good, and the other ones which are too hot (not breathable). The “hot” tank tops were my gym shirts (before my gym closed. waaa!). It’s great to hear your running is going so well!
Yes, that’s what it is- my summer tank tops are either crops or very breathable. And if it’s 55 and sunny with no wind- running heaven.
I am glad you’re feeling comfortable with longer distances and haven’t had any problems. I think my preferred running temp is 60 with low humidity ;).
Yes, humidity is a huge factor- I think I’d take 70 and low humidity over 60 and humid.
Our weather has been all over the place this past week, but I think we probably had our last “warm” day of the Fall yesterday (it was around 70).
Hooray for being able to do longer runs – that’s awesome!
Yes, I’m loving being able to run longer again. And I wold imagine you don’t have many days in the 70s left this year!
Ha – I could probably wear long sleeves 10 months of the year here in the UK. Might be a bit OTT but, you know … I like about 50 and bright with a slight drizzle near the end. I need to actually read that menopause book, now my back’s feeling better and I can actually move a bit more !
I really recommend this book! I think Wendy reviewed it a while back.
Our weather has veered from freezing to the seventies, so it’s been a weird one. I think that after this warm wave leaves, we’ll be back to fall temps for good. I love the 40s and 50s for running, although the 60s are pretty nice, too. We’re actually getting into the time of year when I’ll start running more, only for there soon to be snow and ice on the sidewalks and my runs come to a grinding halt. However, I’m happy to hear the EXCESSIVE heat of Florida might be dissipating a bit for you!
Yes, the excessive heat is dissipating- and when you mentioned snow and ice on the sidewalks it reminded me of why we live here in the first place!
I LOVE that fall sweater. It looks so cozy and decidely un-Floridian.
I own ONE tank top. That is it. (Can I just be completely honest here and admit it’s because I don’t like my upper arms; they have been big since I was a kid and I am definitely self-conscious. How petty, I know. I do own a few sleeveless dresses and somehow I don’t feel as self-conscious in them).
I have been doing no working out and I’m trying to show myself grace, but other than some daily walks (not at all strenuous) I’ve done NOTHING. I haven’t run in over two weeks. To be fair, I was recovering from COVID, but now it’s mostly me being lazy.
I like to run in long-sleeve weather but where I stay the perfect temperature the whole run. So I’m slightly chilled when I start out, but absolutely comfortable for the rest of the run. We get about 2 weeks of this weather in the fall and I LOVE it! The rest of the year is mostly too hot or cold for my liking. I’m SO picky about running weather. I absolutely LOATHE running in high humidity, though. My husband loves to run in weather where he comes home drenched in sweat and those conditions are my worst nightmare.
Ha ha… do not move to Florida! Coming home drenched in sweat is the norm. In the winter when we have our cooler weather I’ll get home from a run and it feels so odd not to be drenched.
Don’t worry about your exercise hiatus- it won’t hurt you. You obviously need it, and will get back into it when you’re ready.
Hahahaha – a winter tank! I love it! I would say my favorite running weather is cool, crisp temps in the 50s. Or even the 40s. But I will run as long as it’s above 0F. But you have to pretty tough if you are going to run outside in MN year-round. My running really tapers off in the winter but I try to get out when it’s not too cold/windy! I would actually rather run on a calm day with temps in the 0-20F range than a super hot/humid day!
It’s been a very long time since I’ve run in anything lower than 40s- but I used to when I lived up north. Cool, crisp temps in the 50s sounds pretty good right now!
I’m so happy you are feeling so much better and your runs are getting longer! That’s a huge win!
There were a few days last week where my runs started in the 40s! I loved it! It’s warmer this week, but that’s ok!
Hope the beach was awesome!
Oh, you’re so much colder than us! I wonder if you ever get any snow? My daughter is thinking about colleges up in northern Florida because she’s hoping to see some snow, eventually.