Sunday, June 3, 2018

Road Tripping

How was your week? Mine was spent recovering from a very busy weekend. But here we are again, recovering from yet another busy weekend! This is summer, after all. Where the seasons are short, the days are long, and we try to squeeze something in every single minute we can...

By the time you read this, my co-host Holly and blogger Teresa should be finishing up their marathon at Revel Rockies! It was all downhill. True story!! Be sure to congratulate them on their amazing finish!! I'm looking forward to hearing all about it. But first...let's wrap up the week.



The month of May wrapped up with 80 miles running and 50 miles cycling. Not bad considering that I DNS'd a half marathon and crashed my bike. The good news is that there was no serious harm done and no RA flare. Lessons learned: I need to be more mindful and to take it a little easier on myself. While I already knew that, my rheumatologist nicely reminded me of that when I saw her this past week.

I enjoyed quite a few beautiful sunrise runs!

Running
Running was a bit of a struggle for me this week. The humidity really took a toll on my pacing, even when I used my 4:1 run/walk intervals, or as reader LyzzyBee calls it, "Jeffing". Ha! I love the Brits' take on everything. I found some other non-running definitions for that term, but I know what she meant. Anyways, besides having trouble with the humidity, I had some knee stiffness and will be incorporating some new strengthening work for my VMOs.


On Saturday, my sons and I were in Madison, Wisconsin so my youngest son could take his college placement tests. While he took his tests, I went for a run on the beautiful Lakeshore Path along Lake Mendota out to Picnic Point. Most of the path is limestone which was easy on my knees. I ran 7.25 miles and I plan on exploring more of the path when I return.



Cycling
Early Monday morning, I got back on the bike! It was hot and it was humid, but the ride kept me cool. I wasn't all that nervous but I was cautious when I was on the road. Even though part of the trail was still flooded, I ended up with 30 miles on this ride. I've decided that I'm going to do my best to cycle at least once a week as long as the weather permits. In spite of all the challenges that riding on the road brings, I enjoy riding my bike.

None shall pass...It's been like this for over a month now!

Yoga
I finally got back on the mat this week with a Full Body Deep Stretch Basics class from my favorite yogi, Erin, at Five Parks Yoga. I wanted to see how well I was recovering from my bike crash and what I learned from doing this particular practice was that I'm tight in my left shoulder and hip. I worked hard to focus on opening those areas, but I need to do more work. It was great to get back to it and I'll be trying to do a full class at least once weekly.

side plank at the very tip of Picnic Point
CrossFit
This week, Sammy Jo had me focus more on upper body strengthening, which was kind of fun! I did chest presses with the bar alternating with single arm dumbbell rows. SJ kept adding weight to the chest presses and I was doing great--until I couldn't lift the bar off my chest! It's amazing how such a small increment in weight can make such a difference. After that, I did a circuit of dumbbell static presses, some resistance band situp thingies (which I loathe), and hamstring curls on the ball. Finally, she had me do a movement with the resistance band to strengthen my VMOs.



Off the Road
My sons and I had a really fun trip to Madison! After we checked into our hotel, we walked to State Street for some dinner at the Brat House and then to the Memorial Union for the sunset. The Union is located on the shore of Lake Mendota and the terrace is the place to be in the summertime. The terrace was packed when we arrived. There was live music and we enjoyed plenty of people watching. We had some amazing ice cream which is made right on campus. The sunset was epic.



While my youngest son took his placement tests, my oldest son and I explored downtown Madison on foot. I was thrilled to have him with me! His snarky sense of humor and observations kept me entertained. We checked out the Madison farmers' market which winds around the Capitol Square. There was a classic car show as well and we did some shopping in the stores that line State Street. After my youngest was done with his tests, we went to a rooftop bar for lunch and then headed back home. We were exhausted--between running and walking, I had about 24,000 steps on Saturday--but very content. For me, getting to spend this kind of time with both of my sons was the best!


If you get a chance to get to Madison this summer, you can't miss all the Bucky Badger statues around town. Bucky on Parade features 85 statues of Bucky Badger which have been painted by local artists. We saw quite a few of them--it was kind of fun. We intentionally sought out Rugby Bucky because my youngest son plays rugby. He's considering joining the team when he starts school in the fall.


I found Sunset Bucky on my way out to the Lakeshore Path!
And that's a wrap! Tell me all about your week. Has the humidity been affecting your runs? Do you have any road trips planned? Have you ever been to Madison, Wisconsin? Where is one of your favorite places to road trip?

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94 comments :

  1. Great pics! I did 78.9 miles in May which is more than my 0 miles last May when recovering from an operation, so I'll take that! And a mention, a shout-out - I'm famous! I do use the other use as in "effing and jeffing" sometimes, too, but it's sort of common parlance among those who use Jeff Galloway's method! Happy running this week. I'd been horribly upset by my runs all week but had a super time down the canals with friends this morning.

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    1. I'm so happy to have a term that sounds so official compared to "run/walk intervals". Thank you for that! Glad to hear your run today was fun!

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    2. I asked the same question. Had a feeling it was Galloway, but Jeffing isn't one I've heard. Tend to hear "I"m going to Galloway this workout/race"
      May = miles of smiles

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    3. I like the "Jeffing" term! Sounds mysterious...

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  2. Those Bucky Badgers are cool! Iowa City has Herky statues (similar to the Buckys) all over town, as does Ames (the home of the Iowa State Cyclones...whose mascot is actually CY...a bird-like creature LOL). The art geek in me totally loves seeing that kind of artwork ;-) Glad you had a great time with your guys!

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  3. The humidity has been so tough lately! I feel like we went from cold to hot and humid and haven't had a break from it. Madison sounds like a great place to visit!

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  4. What a great week you had. I love going to new places and exploring on foot. What kind of exercises are you doing specific to your knee?

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    1. I haven't done anything specific for the knees yet, but when I do, I'll share the exercises here.

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  5. Jeffing - I get it and I love it! So glad you had such a great time with your boys, and I love all of those huge badger mascots!

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    1. Madison is often compared to Austin--I think you'd find a lot of similarities! A blue city in a red state....

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  6. It sounds like you had a great trip with your sons! Just like Bucky Badger, we have Hokie Bird's all over Blacksburg, and they, too, are painted by local artists. We also have the same thing on the Outer Banks with the wild horse statues.

    Thanks for the linkup!

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    1. I love this whole art movement! The Buckys were kind of fun to look for.

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  7. I have never visited Madison. That is a great way to pass the time while waiting for your son. Looks like a nice trail.

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  8. All four of my sisters went to UW-Madison, I was the only one who went to Minnesota. But I have a lot of great memories of Madison, it is actually quite a lovely place to run too! We've done the Crazylegs 8k there a few times and a half marathon in the fall.

    Sounds like a wonderful day with your sons :)

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    1. I've run a few halfs there. Looks like I may have to do Crazylegs! I'm excited for him to go to school there. I just love Madison.

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  9. I would love to have a chance to run in Madison. I need to work on getting there. I did yoga for the first time in a few weeks today. I was rusty for sure! Glad you had a great time with your boys. I know those moments are truly priceless.

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    1. It was really special to have my oldest along. He hasn't done much with us at all for the last couple of years. I tried to be cool about it but inside I was loving it!

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  10. I found a new running trail this weekend too. It's always nice to have a change of scenery.

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  11. Summer will be here and gone before we know it. I'm glad you had such a great weekend with your boys. I'm never so happy as I am when we are all together.

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    1. I wish my husband had come too, but he's not as much fun...

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  12. We were in VA this weekend for the Wine Country Half. I could not believe how humid it was and how much rain has fallen there! The ground is completely saturated, and all of the ponds and streams are completely full. The grass is like a wet sponge. This is about an hour west of DC. We live 2 1/2 hours north in PA, and haven't had nearly the rain that they have had in VA. Loved reading about your trip to Wisconsin with your boys. Enjoy spending time with them while you can!!!

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    1. You know I did! I'm going to try to make it last as long as possible.

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  13. I LOVE Madison! I went to UW-Madison and started my running career on those trails along the lake. It's a blast!

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    1. I didn't know you went there! I told my son he's going to have to take up running. He's going to live in a lakeshore dorm, so he has access to those trails.

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  14. I've never been to Madison but I would LOVE to go! I have some family friends that don't live far and I really need to get up there and visit them. I also have family in Chicago and on the Michigan side of the Lake. I need to get up there, too. That would be a nice road trip!

    The humidity has been brutal so far. I road tripped to Massachusetts this weekend and today, it was only 60 degrees with barely any humidity. I'm in LOVE! Back to reality tomorrow. lol

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    1. The humidity was still in full force this weekend but the cooler temps made it tolerable. If you road trip my way, let me know!

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  15. It looks so beautiful and peaceful in Madison. Despite the humidity (which we "enjoyed" this week as well) you got a lot done.

    We have a short trip to see Andy Grammer in a few weeks. We've been running around trying out new pet sitters -- ugh! a good pet sitter is really hard to find & even harder to keep.

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    1. I've never used a pet sitter. My FIL has always been our pet sitter when we've traveled out of town!

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  16. Haha, I love that the Brits call it "Jeffing" too! Though I was doing run/walk/run for a long time before I learned about Mr. Galloway. Overall, looks like you had a pretty good week! Here's to more miles, no bike crashes, and no RA flares in June!

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    1. I'd never heard it called Jeffing before but I'm digging it. Sounds so much more exotic than run/walk intervals, right?

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  17. I snapped a pic of one of the Bucky's when we rolled into Madison on the way back from La Crosse! I think I got a different Bucky. Glad you had fun with your guys!

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  18. Looks like you had a fun week! Wow 80 miles. I'm not sure how many I did. I know this is an off topic question but what do you use to get that neat kinda water color look?

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    1. I use Snapseed for filtering my photos. It's a free app from Google. It's a lot of fun playing with it and I enjoy making the pictures fit the effect I'm looking for.

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  19. So fun! Madison is such a cool town. And UW is a fun campus. I've got great memories (and some I don't remember!) from visiting friends there. :)

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  20. Love the Vegas Bucky, and that side plank shot is awesome.
    Congrats on a strong May! I feel you on squeezing every last bit out of summer.

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  21. Sounds like a great trip with your sons! That Lakeshore Path looks like an awesome place to run! I've never been to Madison but looks fun.

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    1. Madison is a great city! I can't wait until we go back in July.

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  22. Wow! Such gorgeous photos. What an action-packed week and such great bonding time with your sons! Also glad to see that bike crash hasn't held you back. Shathiso from www.thegaboronerunner.com

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    1. Nope--you know me. Can't keep me down for long. I have been struggling a bit with some knee pain but I'm still moving. Just slower. :)

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  23. The humidity this week was killer for me too - made me feel like I was trudging through mud at times! I have never been to Wisconsin but it looks gorgeous there! Glad you were able to fit a run in while you were there!

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  24. Looks like you had an amazing time in Madison. Running along the Lakeshore path looks so pretty and peaceful. It's always fun to run in new places while traveling!

    The humidity was really bad here on Saturday. It was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I'm SO not looking forward to that this summer.

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    1. We've had our share of humidity already too. Be prepared--RnR Chicago is going to be steamy!

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  25. Looks like such a fun weekend in Madison! When my son toured there, he went w his dad so I've never been. May turned out to be a solid month for you training wise despite the few hiccups. Could not get it together to do the WW this week!

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    1. I was pretty surprised by my miles too--it was a pretty eventful month!

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  26. I'm glad you had a wonderful time in Madison with your sons! I love when cities do art projects like Bucky, in Buffalo they used to have tons of statues of buffaloes all over the city, they were so cool!

    Great job with your workouts and getting that mileage on the bike. I didn't run this past week and I really miss it, especially since Bret kept asking me to join him over the weekend. I'm hoping to get this foot pain under control!

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    1. I hope your PF calms down too. Pool running might be a great option for you!

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  27. It is extremely humid here but not affecting my non-existent runs. It always did affect them whenever I ran though. It looks like you had a really fun weekend in Madison and hooray for all the workouts you did in May! Even with the bike crash and recovery, you got some good mileage in.

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    1. I'm pretty happy about that! Still kind of upset that I skipped that half marathon tho!

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  28. It sounds like you had a good trip! Madison is so pretty - I visited a few years ago and wish I had run more along their trails.

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  29. That sounds like so much fun with your boys! I've heard Madison is a fun place. And I hear you on the tightness- that's my big focus these days!

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    1. I've really let my rehab go to the wayside and I'm paying for it!

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  30. Looks like a super fun week!

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  31. Sounds like a good week overall! That's a beautiful sunset photo from Madison.

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  32. Sounds like you had a great time with your boys! The humidity here is also killer. I foresee many a treadmill run this summer.

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    1. ugh to running the treadmill in the summer. I have done it tho--sometimes the humidity is just too much.

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  33. sounds like an amazing and memorable trip with your sons! these are the times to cherish, as they get older it seems to get fewer and farther in between. the lake run looks absolutely fabulous! it was hella humid here in NL last week. Luckily my cooper test was only 12 minutes in the sticky heat and my 6 am run was only half-sticky that early. I have been to Madison - AGES ago when I still lived in Chicago. My best friend and I went "road tripping" from where we lived in the city to go shopping because it was something different.

    We tend to only take the car if our journey will be less than 4 hours, so that means we do a lot of road trips out to Belgium or Germany. We have however driven to Berlin, Munich and Leipzig (8 hours) and Paris (6 hours) several times. Probably my favorite is to drive to Berlin, even though it takes forever - we just have so much fun speeding down the highway listening to music and enjoying the freedom.

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    1. I'd love to make all those drives. You do realize how lucky you are to live there, right?

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  34. Oh the days of placement testing!! I used to like taking all those test!


    That badger in all the different interpretations is so cool!! We had an artist that used to do the same here, he did cows, dinosaurs, and last year he did ducks.


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    1. I love when cities embrace their iconic mascots and do stuff like this. It's really fun!

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  35. Sounds like a great weekend! We had a competition and fundraiser at my alma mater for decorating wildcats in different various themes - so fun to see them all over the place!

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  36. I would take literally any other weather condition over humidity. It's the worst!

    Looks like you had a great weekend! I've never been to Wisconsin, or really any of the upper Midwest. (At least I think that's the Midwest? I've met east coasters who insist Texas is part of the Midwest...leaving me wondering if anyone actually knows what "counts" as Midwest.)

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  37. You still had an amazing month!

    What a great weekend you had! It looks like you were able to kind of put everything out of your mind and just focus on having a great time and enjoying. I love that for you.

    The humidity here is absolutely soul sucking. It's hard to breathe during running, and even on the bike. It's just so thick. I feel even slower this summer than in years past, and it's frustrating. I know this just goes with the territory for where I live but that doesn't make it fun.

    Wisconsin really does looks gorgeous.

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    1. We did have a great trip! It was really special having both boys with me. I don't know when that will happen again.

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  38. I do not miss the humidity of the Midwest, but I do love Madison. I'm glad you had a great month despite your bike crash. Hope you're all healed up now!

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    1. The last scab came off my knee yesterday, so I'm definitely getting close to being healed!

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  39. We're road tripping right now in the Outer Banks! And we have a few more planned (basically one per month through the end of the year). The humidity is definitely ramping up, but I'm surviving. Ha! It looks like you had a pretty good week, even with bike crash recovery.

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  40. I love all the Bucky statues! They are fabulous! I almost went to Madison...I toured the college there when I was 16. Ultimately I decided the winters weren't for me though. Huge Badger fan still. And I think the heat and humidity is affecting everyone pace wise. I've been quite disappointed in a lot of my runs and have had many talks with my coach regarding the slower times I've been posting...he's trying to tell me that pace doesn't matter, its effort, but it still bugs me.

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    1. I totally get how you feel--I'm struggling with pace right now and everyone tells me I should be happy that I'm still running. Grrrr...I'm not about just doing enough. I get it.

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  41. OK, I admit, it took me a while to get the jeffing term. It's cute though. Finding the Bucky statues sounds like fun! I know you enjoyed the time spent with your boys -- no matter what the location.

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  42. Ha I’m a little embarrassed to admit I still don’t get where “jeffing” comes from! Let me think about that some more... I love all the pics from your mom + sons adventure! How great to have them both with you for that quality time. ❤️

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  43. Sounds like a good week and what a fun trip to Madison with your sons!! Those Bucky Badger statues are neat!

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  44. Congrats to you on finishing May on a really strong note. I’ll echo what the doc said, be careful and listen to your body, but if you’re feeling good by all means keep at it!

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    1. She made me feel all fragile! But I'm feeling much stronger this week.

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  45. I've heard Madison is lovely, but I've never been! Congrats on a strong month-the humidity has slowed down my running too. Ugh it's bad up here in the MidAtlantic during the summers.

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    1. I just am glad not to be formally training for anything right now. I have RnR Chicago in July, but that's all about fun.

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  46. The humidity has been so rough! I'm glad the weather finally broke! I just stumbled upon your blog and I look forward to reading it more in the future!

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