Sunday, September 16, 2018

Hanging On To Summer

It's hard to believe that we are in the middle of September--it feels more like late August! But the leaves are starting to turn and the days are growing shorter, signs that fall is right around the corner. These warm late summer days are a gift. I tried to squeeze as many outdoor activities in as I could this week. I'm not ready to let go!

no filter for this sunset!

Running
I set out Monday morning to run 8 miles. This was in place of last Sunday's planned 10 mile that went bust. I knew that I didn't need the long run for this weekend's half marathon but I wanted it for insurance. Since I had to work Monday afternoon, I didn't want to push the distance to 10 but I felt so good that I could have. On Wednesday, I ran 4 miles around my neighborhood, just to keep the legs fresh. Unfortunately, my left foot started hurting. I taped my foot and hoped that the extra support would keep the injury from getting worse. Come on man, right before a race?


Saturday was the ZOOMA Great Lakes Half Marathon. While I'll recap the race in a separate post--hopefully by Tuesday--I had a tough race. I started out strong but didn't count on how hilly the course would be. The other factor was the heat. Although we started with temps in the 60s, it warmed up pretty quickly. I finished in 2:17:24, which believe it or not was good enough for 2d place in my age group. I guess that speaks for the tough conditions!

I earned that beer!

CrossFit
Coach Sammy Jo and the rest of the coaches had a meeting Thursday morning, so I made plans to do bootcamp before strength training. Huge mistake. HUGE. Bootcamp was hard! There was a 4 minute Tabata workout with farmer's carries, goblet squats, and hollow hangs; this was followed by lots of running (800m, 400m, 250m, 100m) alternating with lunges, plank stepups, plate overheads, and dumbbell burpees. She had us do this for time and you know I'm competitive, right? I pushed myself hard and I held my own. 

Sammy Jo let me cool down before we started strength and she also adjusted some of what she had planned to accommodate my fatigue. But I still pushed myself. Back squats were 105# with 3 sets of 6 reps. After all the lunges and squats we did in bootcamp, my glutes just didn't want to drop low. But I tried my best. After that, I did GHD situps alternating with 30 second supermans. We finished up with what Sammy Jo called a "fun" workout which consisted of 50# over the shoulder ball throws, pushing the 50# ball across the floor while lunging, and picking up and carrying an 80# sandbag. 

I didn't vomit. But boy was I sore the next day!


Yoga
I did yoga 3 times this week, all from Five Parks Yoga. On Monday, I did Deep Stretch, De-Stress; Wednesday I did Deep Stretch for Athletes; and on Friday, I did a much needed Full Body Deep Stretch Basics. I felt pretty good after all of the classes and hoped that I did enough to loosen up for Saturday's race.


Waterskiing
I didn't expect to get in one more weekend on the water, but when I saw the forecast, I made plans to drive up to Madison from Lake Delavan after the race, have lunch with my Badger, and then head up to Lake Wisconsin to join my husband and oldest son for some fun on the lake. I was completely wiped out after the race and I wasn't sure how I'd do behind the boat. The water was actually kind of cold and that seemed to rejuvenate my muscles. We skied Saturday and Sunday until we couldn't ski anymore. This was the best way to wrap up a wonderful summer. 




```````Welcome to the Weekly Wrap!````````
As always, if you are new to the wrap, please check the rules in the tab at the top of the post! Holly and I sure do appreciate everyone's support, not only of the linkup, but also the support our linkers give to each other! Thanks again for participating in the Weekly Wrap!



73 comments :

  1. Holy cow, 2nd place in your age group, you rock Wendy! Cant wait to read your recap!

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    1. Don't be too excited. That finish time is not at all what I had planned! Working on the recap as we speak.

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  2. Glad you had another water weekend. Congrats on 2nd in your age group!
    Your CrossFit posts and osmeone who posts on November Project (Rabit Food Runner maybe?) remind me why I cannot do these even though I occasionally contemplate them. I do love me some Supermans though

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    1. Start out small! But do it. I seriously don't think I'd still be running if it weren't for my strength training!

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  3. Your weekend sounds exhausting, but oh so fun! Glad you got to see your Badger.

    Thanks for the linkup!

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    1. It was so fun! I don't expect to still be so busy but with weather like this, you can't let it go to waste!

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  4. I do some very rudimentary strength training and basic body weight, but I don't think I could do CrossFit. So glad it's been great for you

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    1. I don't do full on CF, but I strength train with a CF coach and I do the boot camp.

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  5. Congrats on the age group! It's tough out there, no matter where you are with this summer.

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  6. Congrats on your AG! Holy Smokes that Cross Fit/Boot Camp combo sounds so tough - you rock for holding your own. So glad you got to see your Badger and get some water skiing in!

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    1. Yeah, I was pretty happy with the bootcamp too--so what the heck with the race?

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  7. I'll bet that water skiing worked like an ice bath. :) Congrats on the AG award -- that's awesome! Running conditions were truly awful this weekend here. Hoping it calms down in a couple of weeks cause my race starts even later than I thought it did. Oh well!

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    1. I'm pretty sure the weather is going to change in a hurry. This happened last year too. We had a spectacular fall. Then it got brutal...

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  8. Water skiing with your boys sounds like so much fun! We had the humidity of summer but temps were a bit cooler. With how crazy our weather is, it's hard to know what season we're in.

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    1. It was hot this weekend! I think it was close to 90 yesterday and today. Seriously!

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  9. This weekend was tough on everyone I think! But, you definitely finished it well. I bet that water was fantastic! And, even though I know you're meh about the race time, congrats on the AG award! That's pretty badass given the conditions!

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    1. That cold water really felt good. When I came back from skiing, my father-in-law said I was moving much better than before I went! LOL

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  10. I am also not ready for summer to be over! Im jealous of all your fun activities- woo waterskiing - but it makes me tired reading about them lol.

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    1. I'm tired--I kid you not! But there's plenty of time to recover coming up.

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  11. Wow - what a strong week, people were commenting they were inspired by / tired by reading my week and I was like, "Wait, everyone else does xxyyzz". I do think your strength workout looks fun, though. My friend Lesley shared a vid of her pushing a massive tyre over in her workout this week and I was wondering how I could get to do that! Well done on the race, too - nothing like sudden heat to force a race into the hard zone but 2nd in agegroup and look at that massive medal!

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    1. I was so disappointed in my finish time but once I got over myself and saw that everyone around me suffered too, I realized that some of it wasn't under my control!

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  12. You're trying to hold on to summer; I'm ready to give it up haha! I actually can't wait until it starts getting darker sooner...it helps me get to sleep earlier. Something about the sun being up late makes it tough for me to wind down in the evenings. And I desperately need more sleep!

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    1. It is getting darker much earlier now! And even tho it's warm, there's just something fall-like in the air.

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  13. Congrats on 2nd place in your AG! Sounds like a tough race. I have mixed feelings about summer lingering because its still just been so humid and rainy in MD. I loved the extended summer in Colorado where it was sunny and hot. Great job with all those workouts this week, and your race!

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    1. I didn't even realize it, but the heat snuck up on me. That was a tough course.

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  14. It's crazy that we are still hitting the beach and doing summer things right now. Yesterday was the first day that I felt like doing something fallish even though we were sweltering in upper 80s and high humidity. Can't wait to hear about your race! Congrats!

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    1. This was the latest I've ever waterskied here. Pretty amazing and fun!

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  15. So glad you were able to head up to the lake with the family and enjoy the last weekend of summer on the water. Cold water = perfect recovery from all the heat and hills.

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    1. I was surprised at how good I felt on the ski! The water was so cold but it had to help.

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  16. Wow, congrats for the 2nd place finish and way to tough out those temps! Your yoga workouts remind me that I need to get some more yoga/stretching in. Goblet squats and hollow hangs? LOL, they sound like something from a Harry Potter book. ;) Great wrap up!
    ~Laura

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  17. As always, you rocked your week! Super proud of you for snagging that AG award despite a hard course and high temps!

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  18. Wow that strength workout looks super intense. I really missed my weights workouts while I was traveling. Can't wait to hear all about the race weekend. Look forward to getting back to the WW next week.

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  19. Congrats on your race and 2nd place win! It sure does show how tough that course was! Nice job?

    I think it’s cool that your son is just a drive away and that you can get up there pretty easily for a visit.

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    1. He didn't want to stay with us Saturday night, so I drove to get him on Sunday morning. I love it!

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  20. 2nd place in your age group is amazing!!! Congrats!!! Also so jelly of your lake time-- glad you got it in before it turns cooler. Have a great Monday Wendy!

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    1. It's crazy that we were out there skiing this late in the year! So grateful.

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  21. I'm so jealous of your outside time this week! I'll be so glad to get back outside after the remnants of this storm finally leave NC behind. Fortunately, we are on high ground and only lost a couple of small branches off of our trees. Many others even this far inland haven't been as lucky.

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  22. What a weekend! We are really struggling with the temperatures here, too. Saturday was the hottest day of summer, to date. What is that even? It's September!

    Congratulations on your finish, if it wasn't what you hoped for. It's still a huge accomplishment.

    Love those water skiing pictures. I as supposed to SUP this weekend but insert that phrase about best-laid plans. I desperately need some time on the peaceful water.

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    1. I've so enjoyed my time on the water, altho I would have loved to SUP in Madison. Probably my only left over regret from summer.

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  23. Congrats on 2nd in your age group! We transitioned straight into rainy fall in Seattle, but in Indiana it was still so summery and warm - which felt really nice and somehow cooler with less humidity!

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    1. Looking forward to hearing more about your move back to the midwest!

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  24. Whew, I'm tired just reading that- what a packed week! And congrats on your race, despite really tough conditions!

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  25. Congrats on your 2nd place! Quite an accomplishment!

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    1. I'm not so sure that it was an accomplishment! But what a surprise!

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  26. Sorry to hear about the tough race but it sounds like you made the best of it! And that's great that you were able to get in three yoga classes and some more time on the water. What a great way to keep Summer going for a little longer :)

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  27. Way to go in the tough half! I love Zooma races! How awesome that you were able to get in some great waterskiing to end the summer!

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    1. It was incredible--this was the latest I've ever gotten to ski here. So happy!

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  28. Well you certainly packed a lot of active movement into the week! So nice that you got to finish it off with waterskiing and your boys. :)

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  29. Huge congrats on that age placement on a tough course! The water looks pretty and smooth in your waterskiing pics! That's the best way to end a summer. But...maybe just maybe you can squeeze another trip in?

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  30. Gosh, your glutes had to be burning after that bootcamp workout! I'm laying off (well, actually "going lightly" is a better term) on squats and lunges until after my marathon. I just cannot afford to lose any training time due to DOMS. I love doing squats, and have a tough time holding back, so (near) avoidance is my best strategy LOL I'm loving the resurgence of summer...it got too cold too quickly earlier this month.

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    1. My glutes weren't hurting too badly but my abs were crying for mercy after all that time on the GHD. I'm enjoying making gains in the box--I'm sure not doing it on the road, so I'm ok with pushing myself! Plus it was great to be able to ski all weekend. It seems that running is taking a backseat to everything else these days. Who am I?

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  31. 2nd in your age group! That's fantastic! Sounds like a tough course though...Love that pic with the New Glarus, ha!

    That sunset photo is incredible. Thanks for hosting the link-up!

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    1. I was as surprised as anyone about that AG award. I think everyone struggled that day and the finish times reflected that!

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  32. I have never water skied before but between you and Holly, I feel like I need to try next summer! Great work at ZOOMA, tough races aren't always fun, but we can make the most of the situation!

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    1. It's fun to still be able to get out on the water and do my thing!

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  33. You and Holly are such hardcore water skiers! I'm more into kneeboarding. Not sure I could even get up while trying to water ski! Me and water just aren't BFFs ;) hehe. I'm feeling a little bummed that Fall is here because it's such a short but beautiful season. My oldest son saw the geese heading south yesterday and it's sad to think the FREEZING COLD may come soon. No! Not ready!!!

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    1. We've done some kneeboarding--I have had my worst wipeouts on that thing! LOL! My boys love it, tho.

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  34. I guess I have to admit that summer is officially over - it's actually starting to look like fall now! You had some awesome workouts and I'm glad you had a fun time on the water!

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    1. I'm really sad to see it all end! But I can't complain about this last hurrah!

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  35. What a fun weekend! Are you super sore from the hilly race + waterski combo? I'm sure it was worth it!

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    1. I'm actually really hurting still. Clearly my body is angry at me!

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  36. Sounds like a great week! Super job in Crossfit, sounds so hard! Also, awesome job on your half and congrats on 2nd in AG!!

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