Ice Age Trail 21k Training Week 7

Maybe you noticed or maybe you didn't, but I didn't post at all this week since my last Weekly Rundown. It wasn't for lack of trying. I just couldn't come up with anything to write. To tell you the truth, I've been feeling pretty uninspired. I'm just so disheartened about current affairs and the overall bad behavior of people in general that motivation was hard to find. I'm tired of the pandemic. I'm tired of the politics. I'm tired of the lies. I'm just tired.

There, I've said it.

There have been some bright spots, though. My job, of all things, has been bringing me much joy. The kids are happy to see me and the parents express so much gratitude. There was, however, that dad on Friday who kept putting his mask below his nose, even after I told him to pull it up. It reminded me of that comic I shared a few months ago that compared putting your mask below your nose to letting your penis hang out above your underwear. Being the immature person that I am, I couldn't stop thinking about that during the entire visit. I'm glad I had my mask to hide my smile, but I had to hold back from rolling my eyes. 

My training also continues to bring me joy, which is no surprise. For many reasons, I'm really glad I dropped down to the half, but especially because we are having such a relentlessly hot summer. With no pressure to complete long runs in the heat, I'm enjoying my training so much more. And isn't having fun what it's all about? Yeah, I get it, running is hard, but in the end, it's all about that sense of accomplishment, of joy, of empowerment!

Weekly Rundown

Monday: CrossFit-like workout, bike 2.25 miles

Tuesday: Run 5.33 miles

Wednesday: Trail run 5.33 miles

Thursday: Strength trail, bike 2.25 miles

Friday: off

Saturday: Bike 18 miles

Sunday: trail run 7.5 miles

Running

I woke up early Tuesday to run 5 miles before work. It was a coolish 66 degrees and there was a beautiful sunrise. My legs felt light and I fairly zipped around my neighborhood. This run reminded me that there are better days ahead.

Wednesday's trail run, on the other hand, was just steamy! I took some of those miles to the single track and enjoyed my meandering slog in the woods. I'm always amazed at how much slower those trail miles are than my road miles!

I woke up Sunday to a 'feels like' 88 degrees and a text from Marcia telling me that it would be ok to skip the run and go for a bike ride. With heavy cloud cover and a breeze, I decided to proceed with my trail run. I'm so glad I did! In spite of the oppressive conditions, I managed to eake out an average pace of 11:25 per mile, which is pretty decent for the trails. Don't get me wrong, when I finished, the tank was empty, but I felt really good about this run. Plus I got to see one of my deer friends.

Strength/CrossSomething

I just don't know what to call my workouts formerly known as CrossFit. For Monday's WOD, we worked on snatches (hey now!) and I was excited to build to 40# for my lift. Those overhead squats are tough! The MetCon was 3 rounds for time of 15 Squat Cleans (40#) alternating with 15 bar hop burpees. The goal was to be done in under 15 minutes and mission accomplished. 

For Thursday's strength workout, SJ had me warm up and stretch out my hip flexors. The straddle leg lift exercise was tough! After that we worked on power cleans, followed by split jerks. The cleans went so well that I got a PR of 85#! That wasn't the goal for the day, but we went with it. It took a couple of attempts--I struggled to get under the bar--but I did it!

Cycling

With the never ending heat that we're having, I'm so grateful to Marcia for putting cycling in my plan as an alternative to running. I've been riding my bike to the gym, which serves as a warm up for the workout. On Saturday, I got in an 18 mile bike ride. It didn't happen easily. I worked Saturday morning. I considered getting up early to ride, but my bed was oh so comfy. When I got home from work, I had lunch and decided that even though it was 'feels like' 98F, I'd go for a ride. When I let Cocoa back in the house from a trip outside, she was limping. She wouldn't step on her front right leg. We went to the vet--the orthopedic vet was there that day. They did xrays. There wasn't any fracture or other evident injury. The vet prescribed an NSAID and gabapentin and I brought her home. She was still acting like herself, which was a good sign, and my husband was home, so I felt comfortable going for my bike ride. 

It was steamy but there was a breeze, and I rode over to the forest preserve where I run. I rode on the paved paths. Probably because it was so steamy, there were very few people on the path. I completely enjoyed this ride. 

In Other News...

My poor little pup. The medications made her tired, which is probably a good thing, but it's hard to see her like this. I'm hoping that the downtime she's having by sleeping more will allow her to heal. She's still sassy...and that makes me happy. She's still hopping around on 3 legs, but we're really trying to keep her from moving around too much. 

Without breaking HIPAA, I'm going to share that I saw a child this week that I believe had a COVID rash. I tried to get this child tested but believe it or not, due to federal testing allocations and our relatively low disease burden, rapid testing is not available in Illinois except in an emergency situation. We provided the family with testing information, but they were unable to get the child tested based on the 'lack of symptoms'. To say that I was disappointed would be a huge understatement. Angry? Yes. I don't know for sure if this child had COVID, but if he did, I was exposed as well as everyone in my clinic. This is the reality we have to live with right now. It's just so disheartening. 

How was your week? What's bringing you joy? Are you still training in the heat? Have you been tested for COVID?

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