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!