Monday, August 6, 2018

More Than a Runner

"🎶 More than a runner...more than a runner to me...🎶 ~Apologies to the Bee Gees

This post was originally scheduled to go live Sunday from Montgomery, Alabama after a fun-filled active weekend with my co-host, Holly. As much as we tried, we just couldn't finish our posts and do them justice in time to open the Weekly Wrap on Sunday as we usually do. We debated about this all Sunday morning but on the drive to the airport, we finally made the decision to defer the Wrap to Monday morning. We hope y'all understand!

For me, it's been a busy couple of weeks. Yes, I was just in Wisconsin last week. And yes, I ran a race with Holly and a bunch of other blogger friends 2 weeks ago. It's been a busy couple of weeks. I even squeezed in a couple days of work between all this activity. Full disclosure: I also had more than a few "what was I thinking?" thoughts cross through my head. More than once.

It was all worth it.

If runners are good at anything, it's learning to roll with life. That's what I did and I've had a really fun couple of weeks--although I am pooped! I need a vacation...

Ok, let's wrap it up!



Before I left for Alabama, there was work and there was a little working out. Still tired from my Wisconsin weekend, I took Monday and Tuesday as rest days. I did go for a run on Wednesday. I set out to do 6 miles, but I felt yucky from my first step out the door. It never got better and after 3.5 miles, I called it quits. I'm not sure if it was the weather or too much weekend, but knowing I had to go to work, I decided to preserve whatever energy was left.

This was about 2 miles in and you can see it on my face.
Even running for a selfie felt bad. 
On Thursday, I went to CrossFit for my strength session with Sammy Jo followed by bootcamp. For strength training, I did back squats, 3 sets of 8 reps alternating with front and side lat lifts. That got my heart pounding! Coach SJ had me do an EMOM of barbell good mornings, thrusters, and the assault bike. After I recovered from 3 sets of that, I did some pull-up work. I don't know if it was the humidity or what, but I felt pretty nauseous. I was a little nervous about bootcamp. I had about 30 minutes to recover and I felt pretty good after that. The first EMOM was easy, I thought, no problem! But the rest of the workout was tough. At the end, I fought nausea. Was it RA? Was it humidity? Am I just in over my head? I took comfort in the struggle that the other participants were having. Is that wrong?


Also on Thursday, I traveled south for a long weekend with co-host, Holly. I arrived Thursday evening and we caught up over dinner. Even though we just saw each other 2 weeks ago, there was plenty to talk about. We also planned our weekend.

On Friday morning, we hopped into a beat-up van with 8 other people for our Coosa River Kayak Adventure. The owner gave us a lengthy safety 'briefing' with a few horror stories about people who were hurt or killed on the 7 mile journey. Were we scared? If anything, his stories made us more determined to conquer the Coosa. Heck, I've kayaked the Chicago River, which has its own set of hazards.

Holly and I set off down the river. We lost the people we started with and for the entire journey, we were alone. We listened for the sounds of Dueling Banjos, and thankfully, we didn't experience a re-enactment of Deliverance (graphic video warning). The first set of rapids was fun and easy--just some swirling water amidst the rocks. We congratulated ourselves on our master kayaking skills. We traversed a few more rapids with no problems save for me getting stuck on a rock. I couldn't get loose. Probably because we were laughing so hard.


Once I dislodged myself from the rock, we paddled further down the river. We heard the loud sound of rushing water. The real rapids! Here was the hazard that we were warned about. We had to make a decision. Do we go to the right for the class 3 rapids? Or to the left for the class 2 (novice) rapids?

I think you know what we did. Novice rapids? Oh, hell no. Sorry, Holly.

I made it down the rapids without incident, save for getting wet. When I turned around to check on Holly, I saw she was coming down sideways. Oh no. I checked my position in the swirling water. I was heading straight ahead and when I turned around again, there was Holly, floating down the rapids, her kayak upside down. We drifted down to calmer waters and I helped her get back in the kayak.


There were more rapids but the rest of our trip was uneventful, save for some unexplained large bruises on my leg. We were warned about "Coosa River tattoos" and I guess I got one. After we finished our kayaking adventure, we met Holly's husband for a quick BBQ sandwich and then it was off to the lake for waterskiing.

Because a 7 mile kayak adventure wasn't enough.

Holly graciously let me ski first. On my second attempt, I was up and on top of the water. I hadn't skied since last year and I was a little tentative at first. But it doesn't take long to get back in a groove.  As they say, it's just like riding a bike!


After Holly skied, we did our tandem thing. Oh my, that was fun!!! We skied multiple times that afternoon. I was so tired but I somehow could just keep on going.  Seriously,  I could give up running if I could ski all the time.


Saturday morning, we had planned to run, but one cup of coffee ran into 2 and instead, we put on our bathing suits and drifted in the pool. Our water therapy led to a side of beer. Later that afternoon, we were back on the lake with plans for more skiing. The lake had other ideas. The wind had kicked up and there was a pretty good chop. We drove around for quite a while, hoping it would calm down, but that never happened. Holly and I finally made the decision to suck it up and go. Getting out of the water was tough and skiing in the rough waters was really challenging. When we finally stopped both of us were breathing as hard as if we sprinted a 5k!

Our planned run finally happened Sunday morning. We are running bloggers, after all. I begged Holly to take me to some local trails and believe it or not, this was the first time she ran them too! We were greeted with this welcoming sign:

We never saw any gators, much to my disappointment!
but we decided to go for it. The trails were shaded and rustic. We made it about a mile before stopping to walk. After 2.5 miles we called it quits. We were no match for the 'feels like 97 degrees' conditions and went to breakfast. This means I ran a whopping 6 miles this week. But I what I did do made up for any lack of mileage. My runner's heart is full. It's been a great weekend. 


Do you ever substitute other activities for running or do you feel like you're missing out when you don't meet your mileage goals? Any other waterskiiers out there?  Have you ever adventure kayaked? 

Welcome to the Weekly Wrap! Holly and I co-host this fun fitness link up where fitness bloggers can share their workout and/or fitness recaps. All we ask is that you link back to us and comment on our blogs. You can use the badge below. Please comment on at least linked 3 blogs--even better is to come back and comment on the later linkers! Have a great week. 





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76 comments :

  1. You and Holly had quite an active weekend together. I've loved all of the pictures that you ladies have shared. I'm sure that you're both very thankful for the beautiful weather that you got to enjoy together.

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    1. We definitely got lucky with the weather--the forecast was ominous all weekend, but not one drop of rain fell on us.

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  2. I could not get my act together while traveling to do the WW this week. Loved seeing all of your photos all weekend looks like you 2 had a blast. I have not water skied in years and would love to try it again some time

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    1. I've always loved waterskiing and it's fun to have someone who enjoys it as much as I do. I never had skied tandem before last year but you know me, always up for something new!

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  3. Oh I love your duo pictures, so cute! What a lovely weekend, and lots of things to do.

    What's an assault bike? Sounds scary. I'd feel nauseous after doing all that stuff too and I don't even know what half of it is!

    I did what I'm going to call Gym of Officiating yesterday - I was at the Transplant Games starting to learn how to be a track and field official. Squatting to measure long jump. Tippy toes to measure discus through the machine. Lunge to measure the shot!

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    1. I saw that you were learning to officiate on your post and that is just the coolest thing!

      The assault bike is one of those Windtrainers--the front wheel blows on you like a fan. The handlebars move as well as the pedals. It's not as intimidating as it sounds but they make me pedal really fast!

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  4. What a fun weekend! I enjoyed your photos all weekend. I absolutely sub other activities on vacation sometime! I think it's healthy. I've only tried skiing once in High School... it couldn't get up... BUT that was a long time ago and I'm more athletic now. I'd like to try again! So glad you had fun.

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    1. You definitely have to try skiing again because those 2 little boys are going to want to get out on the water!

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  5. Vacation time is the best time to sub in other activities. A couple of weeks ago, I was due for a short run, but I knew we were heading to the zoo for the day so I opted to use the walk there and back plus walking around the zoo all day as my exercise for the day. When you are either pushing a stroller or chasing a two-year-old around, that's a great workout!

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    1. I agree that spending time with a toddler definitely counts as cross training!

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  6. You've certainly had a busy last few weeks! I really enjoyed seeing your photos on IG this weekend. It really looks like you both had an absolutely fabulous time :)

    I'm training for RnR Philly and I'm only running 3x week. I'm hoping that doing much cross training like spinning will be sufficient, especially since I'll still be doing my strength training too.

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    1. I'm also dropping down to running 3x/week. I'm hoping the bootcamp will fill the gap. I didn't feel that I was benefitting from 4 days/week running anymore. Let's compare notes as we go!

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  7. I love seeing friends being active together and your weekend looked like so much fun! Glad you both were not hurt during the kayaking adventure. Yes, I sub other activities for running quite often in the summer. This weekend instead of a long run I did a challenging hike.
    PS. I like the weekly wrap being on Monday. Perhaps that might be something to consider as we go into fall!

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    1. I considered running this morning, but I feel like I did enough this weekend! I do need to start putting in some miles for my September half, tho!

      I wouldn't mind the WW being on Monday either. I'll see what Holly thinks.

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  8. Aw this looks like such fun! It's a lot of fun to get out and do new activities to enjoy your fitness in different ways. I've felt like I've been missing out on mileage with my running injury but then I've enjoyed learning all about cross training that it all balances out in the end.

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    1. If I've learned nothing else in all these years of running is that endurance is endurance. Be it waterskiing, cycling, or running, time on your feet counts. This has been a really fun summer for me--running may not be going as well as I'd like, but I'm sure enjoying all these other activities!

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  9. I love that the two of you got together again! The kayak adventure sounds amazing - I've only kayaked once and I wasn't very good...I would have taken that novice track, lol! Glad you both had a blast - it's fun to do some non-running and mix things up!

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    1. It's all about finding someone who is your kind of crazy, right?

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  10. Oh wow, what a fun weekend! I've never been water skiing but I really want to try. I love that you two got to do so many fun outdoor activities together!

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    1. Me too! Running was such an afterthought to all the adventures we had!

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  11. I almost always substitute running for hiking (or whatever else we may be doing) on vacation. A body can only do so much! All your water adventures look fun - when I was a kid we canoed on the Buffalo River, but my only water skiing experience is a few failed attempts at getting up.

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    1. I love waterskiing and I am so fortunate to have found someone else who likes to do it as well! There aren't many of us old ladies still getting up on one ski!

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  12. Dear Clinks,

    Thank you for such a wonderful, adventurous weekend. Let's start planning next year's activities!

    Love,
    Cheers

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  13. What a fun weekend! That kayak trip sounds especially fun - I've been really enjoying kayaking, albeit on tame waters. I usually scale back my mileage on vacation to enjoy other things.

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    1. The rapids seemed so tame but whenever we got caught in the swirling water, we realized why they are a challenge.

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  14. This sounds like an amazingly fun weekend!

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  15. Such a fun weekend. I haven't kayaked before, and I canoed a little bit when my family lived in Wisconsin. Thankfully we didn't tip over, but we had rapids each year.

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    1. The kayak is much better on the rapids than a canoe would be!

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  16. You are one busy lady. I thought I was bad.

    Love your fitness activities. I want to SUP and kayak (never been)

    Substitute for running, of course. Hiking is my favorite. Also tennis. Is eating out an activity? That's my fave lol

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    1. That's why we do all this stuff--so we can eat all the food, right?

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  17. You have had a couple of fun-filled weeks! That is scary about the kayaking, but it still sounds like a blast! I'm not sure I would have gone anywhere near trails that warned of alligators!

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    1. Holly didn't blink twice, so I followed her lead and kept calm!

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  18. Glad you two had so much fun. The "what was I thinking?" feeling leads to so many awesome memories.
    The wrap on Monday morning means a nice start to the week

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    1. You don't make memories by being cautious, right?

      I don't think we'll change the WW to Mondays, but it was a nice change of pace!

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  19. Sounds like a really fun weekend with the skiing and kayaking! The alligator warning was a bit scary but hopefully you managed to avoid them :)

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  20. Wow what a fun weekend! It's so much fun when you can be active with a friend. I love all of the pictures. I've never seen an alligator in the wild and I think that sign Would scare me :)

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    1. I've seen alligators sunning themselves along the road while in Florida. I was in a car--that was a good thing.

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  21. You two had a well-rounded weekend of activities! I haven't water skied in years - I just don't have the opportunity anymore.

    Thanks for the linkup!

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    1. I don't get much time on the water these days either! Thankfully, Holly gives me my fill while I'm there!

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  22. Looks like you two had so much fun this weekend! That alligator warning might have stopped me in my tracks!

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    1. It was funny--I noticed the sign but didn't give it much thought other than it would be a a good photo for the blog! LOL

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  23. It's great how much fun you two packed into your visit, and hey - running in Alabama in the summer? It's not a great experience, you didn't miss much by cutting that run short.

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  24. There's more to running than chasing miles and paces. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Your weekend looks like a freaking blast!

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    1. It was more fun than I could have imagined! It was too hot to do anything but be in the water.

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  25. I don't think you could have squeezed in any more fun than you did!

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    1. We were non-stop! I knew I'd pay for it but it was worth it. What a fantastic time!

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  26. Your Alabama adventures looked fun, but I'd probably pass on the kayaking in those crazy waters. I'm not much of a water gal (even with my Pisces zodiac sign), especially if there's a chance of going under....#waterpartypooper ;-)

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    1. I have to say that this surprises me! I figured you were an up for anything kind of gal!

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  27. Such a fun trip!

    I can't believe you guys went for the 3 rapids! That's awesome! I want to go whitewater rafting but I'm so nervous about it! I guess that means it's time to give it a shot!

    I love lots of other things, but I don't know that anything quite takes the place of running. SUP would be my next favorite, tied maybe with yoga. However, none of it makes me quite as happy as running does.

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    1. I just love the water. I love all the things. Except swimming--LOL!

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  28. Ah what a great weekend. I haven't water skied in years, but would love too -- with a very patient boat driver! Glad the heat didn't do you in -- or the alligators!! I think it is OK to feel better that others were suffering during that workout, because at least you know i wasn't just you.

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    1. Holly's husband is a very patient boat driver--that's definitely what you need. When I learned to slalom, my husband and his dad dragged me around the lake until I finally got it.

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  29. Looks like y’all had a blast, and I loved reading your account of everything!

    If I’m not training for anything in particular, I do like substituting other activities for running. I don’t know if I could water ski though!

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    1. I wish I could ski more than a couple times per year. Although I realize I am lucky I get to go even that much, once I get a taste of it I always want more!

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  30. Looks like a very fun weekend. Glad there were no alligator encounters though :)

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    1. So funny--Holly and I laughed about the sign but didn't give it a second thought!

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  31. I have never kayaked at all . . . someday. And I know I'd go with the novice rapids if I did -- because a) novice and b) I'm just a cautious person over all. But glad you guys had a ball with it! Floating in the pool is more my style. :)

    When we were in UT last year I ditched almost all my runs for hiking. This year I stuck with my runs since I had my other race coming up.

    I'd have no trouble ditching running if I weren't training for anything, but otherwise I'm a stickler for doing the work. Just ask my running friends. :)

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    1. I get that. I'm sort of in training for Zooma in September but I truly believe that my weekend counts. I'm exhausted!

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  32. What an amazing weekend!!! I've never waterskied but I have kayaked - on very calm waters. LOL. My water adventures are generally pretty tame.

    I definitely wasn't missing running those miles when I was hiking with my husband! Sometimes, the alternative is exactly what you need. :)

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    1. You hit the nail on the head! I so needed the last 2 weekends. It's been a lot of fun. Now I need to get back on track.

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  33. Looks like you had so much fun! I have not water skiied or adventure kayaked, but I do love to SUP

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    1. Oh I love SUP! There was some of that the previous weekend when I was up in northern Wisconsin with my son.

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  34. Ahh I'm a little envious of your and Holly's runner/blogger/friends relationship! You two are the coolest and I LOVE your adventure pictures. Especially the kayaking - minus some of the wild going, it sounds so fun! Not sure I could handle too crazy of a ride :)

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    1. Aww, thank you! We might be aging but we're not going down without a fight. It really is all about finding someone who is your own kind of crazy.

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  35. Sounds like a great weekend with Holly! Kayaking and waterskiing would be fun. I've never adventure kayaked but would love to. Cool you guys explored a new trail together.

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    1. We didn't get too far--it was simply too hot--but it was just another fun thing to do!

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  36. Looks like such a fun weekend! I don't even remember what else I said in my original comment, but I'm glad it's working again! (I switched to Chrome and now my google account is showing up!)

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  37. Sounds like a fabulous week! I had fun watching your adventures on IG. And I didn't need to see that Deliverance video. That part remains clear in my mind 40 years or so after I first saw it.

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    1. Don't you think that was the scariest movie you've ever seen? Even to this date. I think because I can imagine that really happening.

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  38. I love all the pics of you two and the look of 'trouble' on your faces all the time! Lol
    I'm sure you do need a vacation from all of your vacationing, no doubt it was all worth it though.

    Holly needs to take to those trails more so she can join me on my 25k adventure! Hmmm.... I may need to plant that seed. :)

    Love that you took a little souvenir back to Chicago with you ... i.e. Coosa River Tatoo!

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    1. That tattoo is finally faded but the memories are lingering! What a blast. You southern ladies know how to have a good time! When are we going to meet? Y'all can laugh at my Chicago accent...

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