Monday, July 24, 2017

Like a Boss: Recovery Week

Last Sunday I ran the Humana Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon and have been on a high ever since. No, I didn't PR, unless you want to call it an RA PR. But it was just one of those race experiences I'll never forget. By now, you'd think I'd have both my feet firmly on the ground. After all, I had to go back to work the next day.

Here I am, one week later, still feeling like a champion. I spent the week recovering from my race but I have not been sitting on the sofa, eating chocolates and drinking wine. There has been some of that of course, but my recovery week has been nothing short of epic...



Even though it was "just" a half marathon, I did like I always do and cut back on my miles for the week. Sometimes it feels good to just run. Especially in a place like this:



Yes, I spent the weekend at my parents' place in Door County. While I got in a couple of runs up there--how could I not--there was a lot of fun on the water. My youngest son was with me and he kept me hopping!

We kayaked along the bluffs of Green Bay to explore the water caves.




There was SUP. We played with yoga poses:


Don't let this fool you--I was up and over! LOL

We took the car ferry to Washington Island. The passage was a little rough and it was cold! This crossing is called "Death's Door".  This is the point where the waters of Lake Michigan and Green Bay connect and it is never calm. There have been a lot of shipwrecks over the years in this area.




We drove around the picturesque island and had lunch. We climbed to the tower which is located on Mountain Road. 186 steps to the top! 


On the way back to the car, we made a spur of the moment decision to go to Rock Island State Park. I had never been there. There are no roads on the island and the only way to get there is by ferry. We boarded the ferry and I found out they only take cash. Who carries cash? I was short $3 dollars and one of the other passengers paid the rest of our fare. Restoring my faith in humanity once again. I thanked him and promised to pay it forward to someone else. The ferry captain rolled his eyes. He told us we might get wet. He wasn't kidding--the passage was pretty rough. 

Once we disembarked, we headed down the 1 1/2 mile trail to the Pottawatomie Lighthouse. Door County has 11 lighthouses and they are charming. The trail is rustic and rocky and it took us about 30 minutes to hike to our destination. 


There was a trail to the beach, but once we got to the staircase that would take us down the bluff to the water, we found it closed. The water levels are so high this summer that there is no beach. We did find this cave carved into the bluff:


We didn't have time to walk the entire 5 mile loop around the island, but there is a shorter 1 1/2 mile loop that cuts through the middle of the island. We decided to take that path instead of retracing our steps. In contrast to the path to the lighthouse, this path was very green. We saw all kinds of interesting plants along the path including some orange mushrooms. The mosquitoes were enjoying feasting on me. Later, my dad told me there are a lot of snakes on the island, which is something I was glad I didn't know beforehand.


When we got back to the dock, we were a little apprehensive about the wind and the waves, which had increased while we were hiking. We saw the ferry bouncing on the waves as it made the crossing from Washington Island. While we waited on the dock to board, a big wave washed over the dock, soaking all the passengers. Once the boat was away from the protection of the dock, we were like a toy ship bouncing on the 4 foot waves. At one point, a wave washed over the stern, soaking all of us sitting on the open deck. Brrrr! No one panicked--in fact, we all made jokes about the rough seas. Those waterpark rides have nothing on this crossing! The usual 10 minute crossing took about 20-25 minutes as the captain negotiated the waters. Once we docked, we thanked the captain. He told us that they usually stop crossing when the waves hit 5 feet. Our ferry was the last of the day. What would have happened if they didn't bring us back? 


Grateful to be back on dry land, we drove to the car ferry that would take us back to Door County. Since the car ferry is bigger (it holds 20 cars), that passage was much easier. We met my parents for dinner and had a lot to talk about!

As I write this, we are getting ready to drive home. We had a wonderful weekend. Once again, I am so grateful for this beautiful place. I love that my youngest son loves to come here as well and that I can enjoy all these fun activities with him. I felt great all weekend--RA didn't stop me from doing anything. We are already planning our next adventure--yep, we are going back to Rock Island next summer. 

We are exhausted but exhilarated. Hiking? SUP? Kayaking?

This is my kind of recovery week!

Do you believe in active recovery? Or do you lay low after a big race? Do you get seasick?

I'm linking up with Holly, Tricia, and their guest host Darlene for the Weekly Wrap and Marcia, Erika, and Patti for Tuesdays on the Run!





69 comments :

  1. What a great time you had with your son.
    So many adventures here. Deaths door? That is an awful name..lol
    So glad you guys got The last ferry back. Did you contemplate what you would have done if you would have been stuck there?

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    1. I don't know what we would have done! Something tells me they make the crossing no matter what. Glad we were back to terra firma.

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  2. You definitely did your recovery week the right way!

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  3. I was getting seasick just reading about that ferry ride! But what a fun way to spend a recovery weekend and have some quality time with your son!

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  4. I loved all the pics you shared on Instagram over the weekend! You definitely recovered in style!
    My recovery plan depends on how tough the race was...but after a half marathon I typically spend the whole next day on the couch!
    Have a great day!

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    1. After RnR, I did spend the afternoon on the couch! But the rest of the week was quite active.

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  5. Great week! I'm a big fan of active recovery, I think it really makes a difference.

    We've been on 3 cruises and I've only gotten seasick once - crossing the Tyrrhenian Sea to Majorca, Spain. It was bad!!

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    1. I've never gotten seasick, thankfully. I think after this crossing, if it didn't happen, it's not going to. I hope!

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  6. Oh what a cool weekend! That ferry ride was no joke though. YIKES. You look like a teenager in all these photos!

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  7. Loved reading about your adventures, and now I know to question the ferry captain as to what would happen if the sea got too rough for a return pickup...how crazy to think you guys might have been stuck out there!

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    1. I wonder what they would do? There's a beautiful boathouse--I guess they would put us up there?

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  8. Congrats on your race! I'm impressed you can do that with your RA!

    I love SUP for recovery! I did that on my vacation a few weeks ago. Also leisurely open water swimming and some Jasyoga!

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  9. I normally take a week off, completely, and then slowly get back to things. I start strength training first, and then once I'm itching for cardio, I know I'm ready.

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    1. I will cut back on running, but I still do all my cross training the week after a race.

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  10. I cannot tell you how impressed I am with the SUP inversions! I hope to learn how to do them on solid ground :)

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    1. I truly think it's easier to do them on the SUP than on the ground. I'm sure it's all mental--it hurts so much less to fall on the water than on the ground.

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  11. I loved seeing your pictures! You two looked like you were having a blast! Yes, that is my idea of recovery plus the bon bons and wine! :-)

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  12. I have never gotten sea sick. I can handle all the rough rides (on land, sea, or amusement park), but I do get really dizzy now if I'm on a spin-around ride (I don't get sick, but really lose my center of gravity LOL). Looks like you had a fab time with the baby boy ;-)

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    1. I"m not good on those spinny rides either. But I don't have problems on a boat. We had a blast!

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  13. What a fun trip with your son. It sounds like it was a blast! And kudos to him for being a sport and posing for the pictures!

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  14. That is recovery done right! I'm all about active recovery. Looks like you and your son are 2 peas in a pod!

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  15. What a beautiful trip !! It looks like you had such amazing views!

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  16. What a fun trip to take with your son! Sounds like recovery done right!

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  17. Oh my gosh, what a great week! I would love to go kayaking in those caves!

    I get horribly seasick. I didn't used to, but I noticed that as I started getting older, it grew worse. I somehow survived our Disney cruise a few years back, with the help of Dramamine. Smaller boats are usually a no go, or the water has to be really calm. I think I would have opted to swim back from that island LOL!

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    1. I'm so grateful that I don't get seasick. I was wondering what would happen when I saw those waves. But I was fine. Fingers crossed that it stays that way.

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  18. It looks like you had an amazing time with your son. <3 <3 <3 It sounds like a great place to escape the summer heat too!

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    1. It was warm up there the first couple of days, but when it cools off, it gets cold in a big way!

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  19. We had a great time together! I wish my oldest had been there. He would have loved it.

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  20. That sounds like the best week EVER! The island and ferry sounds like a really fun adventure. I hope my kids love playing with me when they're older, too! That is, if I don't scar them for life while they're still young... ;)

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    1. I don't think I scarred mine but then again, Tom doesn't go with us...he tells us he has to work..hmmmm

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  21. Like it or not, I force myself to keep moving (albeit much slower) after a long hike or run. If I go dormant, there's no telling when I'll get off the couch again! Really enjoyed this post and the pics. Nice that your son loves adventure as much as you do!

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    1. That is why I never stop--I'm afraid I won't be able to start again!

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  22. What a trip! It made me remember a ferry ride to Madeline Island in Lake Superior. It definitely felt like a water park ride. I'm glad I didn't puke!

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    1. We were just talking about Madeline Island and the Apostle Islands--I would imagine that's a rough crossing.

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  23. I know you enjoyed every exhausting second you spent with Mathew! You know, it's fun to do something different at a place you've been visiting all your life. I make sure we do that occasionally at PCB. I've never been sea sick but also have never encountered seas that were overly rough.

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    1. That was one of the roughest crossings I've ever had! But we'll go back..

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  24. I definitely believe in active recovery! It's the only way! What a great trip :)

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  25. Sounds like a nice recovery week and great way to spend time with your son!

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  26. What fun you had with your son! That's so great. 😊 I haven't run a race in awhile, but I usually take at least a few days off completely to recover.

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  27. We are such run-nerds. "Just a half marathon" lol! What an awesome week and the best way to spend it!

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  28. I have only been seasick once (and been on a lot of sailboats, ferries, cruise ships. Man, it really sucked!

    I always believe in active recovery. :) Although I used to take a week off running after a half . . . Rachel usually has me doing some easy running.

    Sounds like quite the adventure & so nice to share it with your son!

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    1. I'm sure that there will be a time that I will experience seasickness--I'm glad it wasn't on this trip!

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  29. Thankfully, I only get seasick when I have a migraine.

    And I try to take it easy right after a big race, but start moving three days after. I'm always hurting pretty bad right after a race because I push it too hard.

    You look like you had an amazing time, and your photos are AWESOME!!

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    1. I felt good the day after my race. But it was a half and I don't usually hurt much after those. Maybe I should have pushed harder...

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  30. You have this recovery thing down.

    How fun that you can share your adventures with your son.

    I love boating. I don't usually get seasick.

    Thanks for linking up.

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    1. I'm with you. I love boating. I love cross training. Best recovery ever.

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  31. I'm all about active recovery, especially when it involves spending time with loved ones and in places that I enjoy being, and you got to incorporate both of those last week. Yay!

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  32. Active recovery for the win! Though complete rest is usually necessary at some point. I love that your son was with you. That's a pretty amazing handstand on that paddleboard!

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  33. Sounds like the best way to recover after a half marathon!! Looks like a great time with your son in Door County!

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  34. Like a boss - I love it! Congrats on your race....and it totally is an RA PR. Celebrate that! I just signed up for RnR Chicago next year!

    Your pics are beautiful. Is that area close to Chicago?

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    1. Door County is in Wisconsin. It's a 5 hour drive from Chicago. And yes, it's a beautiful area!

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  35. Glad you had fun!!! Looks like a wonderful week. I do get sea sick:-(

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