100 Miles!

This month, I hit the 100 mile mark for the first time since January 2018, totaling 107 miles for the month.  In spite of all that is happening now, what with COVID19, races being canceled and social distancing, as far as running goes, 2020 is turning out to be pretty good so far. I'm ok with not running a ton of races, as long as I get the chance to tackle that 50k trail race in September!

I runfess...that I chased that 100 mile benchmark for socks. Smartwool had a Strava challenge where if you logged 100 miles running, you were awarded a $25 gift card. I'll do anything for good running socks. My sock obsession was once again satisfied. So was my ego!

Monday's recovery run where I hit 100 miles for the month.

Weekly Rundown
Monday: run 4.5 miles
Tuesday: strength and CrossFit
Wednesday: treadmill run 6.2 miles for the Uncanceled Project
Thursday: strength
Friday: yoga
Saturday: trail run 8.25 miles
Sunday: run 6.2 miles

Running
Monday's run was a recovery run after last Saturday's virtual half and boy, did I feel those miles. It was a pretty morning and I took it slow. I hit 100 miles with this run. Got my gift card via email from Smartwool immediately after I logged my miles in Strava. I ordered the cutest socks and they came the next day. I saved them for Saturday's trail run.

You all know how much I loathe the treadmill. Loathe. Did I mention that I loathe running on the treadmill? On Wednesday, I woke up to flooding rain, wind, and temps in the 40s. I'm a tough mother runner, but nope, I wasn't going to attempt to run a 10k in that. I found a channel on YouTube that has some virtual treadmill runs through all kinds of beautiful places. They also had the Bolder Boulder 10k. Well, how perfect was that? Even better, the guy recording it was running a little faster than my pace, which pushed me. I might be just a little competitive and I tried my hardest to keep up with him. I hoped to finish in under an hour. I made it to mile 4 with a little time in the bank and then the wheels came off the bus. Ok, let's just say my tummy was unhappy. Even in spite of that, I finished my 10k in 1:01:21.

Now where's my beer?

Running the race with the video felt very much like I was there. The course itself wasn't anything special. There were a lot of bands and entertainment lining the course, although I couldn't see them on the video. Still it was fun, since I ran it without music. As in every race I've run, there were the annoying people who stop to walk in the middle of the course and "we" had to weave around them. As we approached the finish line in Folsom Field at the University of Colorado, I felt that excitement that you feel at a real race. Obviously it wasn't the same, but it was the closest I've felt to actually racing during any of my virtual races. I highly recommend it!

On Saturday, I woke up to blue skies and warmer temperatures. I was really feeling the pull to run the trails and I hoped that by then, they would be dry enough. For the most part, they were. But when I ventured deep into the woods, parts of the trail had turned into a creek. The path was under water and navigating around it had me sinking into the mud. I reflected on how nice it was not to worry about pace, just forward progress. I had a few close calls, but I stayed upright. The best part of this run was that I saw very few people. I just really enjoyed this run, in spite of the mud!

As I prepare to return to work this week (more on that below), I had to adjust my running days, which meant I'm back to running on Sunday. Since I'll need to do back-to-back long runs when I start training for Ice Age, I would have had to do this anyways. I headed out early to the bike path on this beautiful morning, hoping to avoid the inevitable throngs of people. I was rewarded. Almost everyone out there was a runner, probably with the same mindset as me!

CrossFit/Strength
My strength workouts have gotten much more challenging. Sammy Jo has incorporated some skill work along with the heavy lifting. On Tuesday, she had me do a deadlift/squat clean combo followed by push presses and body rows. I was really excited to PR those push presses! After that, I did the WOD, which had some weighted skater lunges, spiderman pushups, and flutter kick presses. I took the MetCon outdoors and as soon as I got started, one of my neighbors walked by. We started talking and well, I never finished the MetCon!

PR! 5 reps at 55#

Occasionally on the day after I take my Humira, I wake up feeling 'hungover'. That happened on Thursday. I still did my strength workout, which would have been a tough one even in the best of circumstances. I did 3 sets of front rack lunges alternating with sumo deadlift high pulls. My heart was pounding with these. She also had me do some resistance band work, followed by perfect pushups, v-ups, and sprints. I did not feel well after this workout, so I skipped the WOD.

Hey, it happens. This was a recovery week anyways, so if I had to feel crappy, this was the week to do it. Plus, I still got it done.

Off the Road
If you read my coffee talk post on Friday, you already know that I saw my rheumatologist on Thursday and got a great report! I am heading back to work this week. Since we are still really limiting who we see in the office, I will only be working 2 days in person and will still be doing 1 day at home. Many of my colleagues will still be working exclusively from home, but I am fortunate that we are seeing patients 24 months and under. I won't be busy, but it will be nice to see my babies!

I made Marcia's GF Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe this week. Even though I have that 50# bag of regular flour, I had to try these. I credit a lot of my RA improvement not only to my medication but also to the changes in my diet. I have really reduced my wheat/gluten products and refined sugar intake to help manage the inflammatory process. These cookies were right up my alley! They turned out perfectly and even Mr Picky aka my husband thought they were delicious. I will definitely make them again.

In an effort to amp up my excitement for running trails, I bought a ticket to view the Trail Running Film Festival. Normally held in theaters, this year's fest was held virtually. As you might expect for anything virtual these days, it was glitchy. The organizers had trouble getting it started, and once it was rolling, there were streaming issues. I watched the first half of the fest on Friday night and it was worth the trouble. I have the rest of the week to catch up on the films I missed. You can still buy tickets through May 4 if you're interested. The Trail Running Virtual Film Festival runs through May 7.

Finally, I was sad to miss our runblogger Zoom chat on Saturday. Instead, my oldest son made a spontaneous trip out to see us! The last time we saw him was Easter. It was a great afternoon with him. This is definitely the hardest part of the quarantine--not getting together with family. 

How was your week? Any wins? What are your goals for May? Are things loosening up by you?

I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown.