Sunday, January 31, 2021

More Snow + Mini Book Review of Bravey

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This is the snowiest January I remember in a long time! As you read this, we are digging ourselves out from another 8 inches and it's still snowing. I love snow and all, but this is just too much of a good thing. 

Winter, combined with the pandemic, has given me a lot of downtime. I should could be cleaning my house, purging all the stuff we've been accumulating over the years. I have a list of home projects that need to be done. Instead, besides running and working out, I'm reading all the books. I have a large backlog of running and fitness books in my e-reader! There are so many new releases coming out and I've got them all, or so it feels. Over the next couple of months, I'm going to share a few mini-reviews on my weekly rundown posts instead of doing full-on reviews for all of them. 

Today for my first mini-review, I'm sharing Bravey by Alexi Pappas, which is more of a memoir than a running book. You can find it at the end of this post.



Weekly Rundown
Monday: Strength training, walk 3 miles with Lisa
Tuesday: Yoga with Adriene
Wednesday: trail run 5 miles
Thursday: Strength training
Friday: run 6 miles
Saturday: run 5 miles
Sunday: Cross Country Skiing 6 miles

Running

Silly me. I thought that after the big snow we got on Tuesday, there would be packed down snow on the trails for my Wednesday trail run. WRONG! With the exception of about a half mile of packed down snow from the forest preserve workers' trucks, I slogged through about 6 inches of snow. It was slow going and when I finished, I wanted to lay down and take a nap, instead of going to work. Knowing that my sister was getting her final chemo treatment while I ran was my inspiration for pushing through this one. 

It was so beautiful!

I woke up to a full 'wolf' moon on Friday and couldn't wait to lace up my running shoes! The bike path was covered with packed snow and that helped me moderate my pace. No wind and temperatures in the low 20s made for perfect running conditions. I see the same man running on the path every Friday and this week, he stopped to introduce himself. Runners are all friends we haven't met, right?


My options for places to run have really become limited. With all the snow, the trails are snow-covered and icy. On Saturday,  I planned to run to the retention pond, but when I headed out, the wind was raw and blew right through my layers. Instead, I ran my old neighborhood route, with modifications again due to snow-covered sidewalks along the busy streets. This is a strictly utilitarian route--so boring! The trails have certainly spoiled me!

But I would have missed this snowman in my neighbor's yard!

Strength Training

Monday's home strength workout surprised me--the workout started with 5 sets of 10 deadlifts at 60% (I did 95#). Looking at that, I was intimidated, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good these felt. This was followed by:
-alternating good mornings 3 x10 (35#) and box jumps 3 x 8 (20")
-alternating superman 3 x 10 and V-ups 3 x 10
-800m run

On Thursday, I talked with SJ about how conflicted I am feeling about this heavy strength cycle. I'm loving the results but I am sore and tired almost all the time these days. She told me that we are almost done. Next week we wrap up the lifts and then I will go for my 1 rep max on my deadlift, back squat, bench press, and strict press. Stick a fork in me. This week, I alternated back squats 4 sets of 3 lifts at 130# with strict presses 4 sets of 3 at 60#. 

Cross Country Skiing

I woke up Sunday morning to 8 inches of fresh snow! My new ski boots arrived last week and I was excited to try them out. The trails were unblemished, which meant I was the trailblazer for most of my 6 mile loop around. I eventually ran into my trail friend, Aimee and another skier; I let him be the trailblazer and I skied in his tracks for a good portion of the loop. The snow was sticky and it was slow going. Still, it was beautiful.  The deer were having a good time too!



Sister time

On Monday, I visited with my sister. She was scheduled to get chemo-her last! on Wednesday, so we wanted to get together before she felt crummy again. She lives in a pretty town that borders Lake Michigan, so we walked to the beach. It was a cold, blustery day, but just look at that beautiful water! It's a gift, having access to the lake and she walks there often. This will be a tough week for her as she recovers from chemo, but after this, she moves onto the next phase of treatment, which includes surgery and Herceptin infusions through September. She didn't ring the end of chemo bell, choosing to wait until she is completely done. I'll keep sporting the pink streaks in my hair until then as well. It serves as a reminder of what she is going through and reminds me to be strong. 




Bravey by Alexi Pappas


Imagine being 4 years old and finding your mother trying to saw off her arm in the bathroom. Olympian Alexi Pappas shares this and other disturbing stories of growing up with a mother who suffered from mental illness. Her mother eventually takes her own life and Pappas is raised by her father; she finds surrogate mothers through her friends. Bravey is Pappas' memoir of her life so far. It's an engaging read of a young woman overcoming her own battle with anxiety and depression to become an Olympian, writer, and filmmaker. I was impressed with her determination and resilience--she overcame so much emotional baggage! Pappas doesn't hold back on details as she finds her way. There's a bit of TMI which might make it a little mature for young readers. But overall, I found her story to be inspirational and empowering! 

"That's what being a Bravey is--you are making a conscious choice to tell yourself what you'd like to be until it becomes part of you. You choose to replace can't with maybe by acknowledging your feedings but focusing on your actions. Your actions encompass everything from what you do with your time, to who you surround yourself with, to the words you feed your mind. To know you can do this for yourself is the most powerful thing in the world." ~Alexi Pappas, Bravey.

How was your week? Are you buried in the snow? Read any good running books lately?
Wrapping up my week with a mini-review of Bravey /via @oldrunningmom @AlexiPappas @randomhouse #running #runchat #WeeklyRundown

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






38 comments :

  1. Sold - I will add Bravery to my TBR list. Yes, there is a lot of stuff that we all *could* be doing, but right now I just want to slog around the house and watch TV so I'm not fighting it. We'll have other options besides staying home 24/7 soon enough, so might as well make the most of the final months of the pandemic.

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    1. I love your attitude, so I will sit on the couch guilt free for now!

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  2. Hugs to both you & your sister! So happy for her that chemo is almost over, though.

    We are not buried in snow . . . yet. We just had a little one day this week (forgot to put shoveling on my WRD but there was some!) but it's coming. February is starting out by doing what February does best -- unfortunately.

    Sounds like a pretty good week all around, Wendy, despite the snow.

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    1. Sure was! And we don't have the cold temperatures like we normally do this time of year, so that is definitely a win.

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  3. So glad that your sister's treatment is going well. Nice that you are able to spend time together. i have not heard of that book yet. Sounds intense! I was so good at reading while in Aruba but have slacked off a bit need to get back on it. Have a great week

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    1. I have quite a few books to share on my coffee talk post! It's almost embarrassing...

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  4. Thanks for sharing a little bit about that book- I'm planning to read it soon! So glad you got to spend some time with your sister. Hopefully this will be the last of the snow for awhile!

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    1. I swear, it's either feast or famine with snow here. I am grateful to not have the bitter cold we usually get in January.

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  5. We had a load of snow last week and a big snowstorm yesterday that didn't settle - so of course I ran in it. Best wishes to your sister for these next stages in her treatment.

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  6. I just ordered Bravey and am excited to start it!!

    I can't believe how much snow you have! We actually were spared and the trails were decent this weekend.

    I'm wishing all the best for your sister and how wonderful you could spend some quality time with her.

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  7. OMG that snowman in your neighbors yard made me laugh out loud. Guess he had a hard night, lol.

    You got so much snow this week but you definitely made the best of it!

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    1. I wonder what he looks like now that he has 8 inches of snow on top of him, lol!

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  8. Cheers to the final chemo. Fingers and toes crossed the rest of Lisa's journey will be a triumphant one. How nice to get to the lakeshore and walk with her. I met Alexi Pappas at one of those pre-Chi Marathon publicity events. She was so fun. How sad she had such a dark childhood. I'm kind of enjoying the snow. Bring it!

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  9. Hooray for your sister! What a relief. My sister also just finished her last round of chemo, and she rang the bell while they played the Rocky theme song. Such a hard journey, and best wishes to your sister moving forward.
    Your strength training is always an inspiration! And thanks for the book review- it goes on my TBR list.

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    1. So happy about your sister! These journeys are so hard and it's great to celebrate their victories.

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  10. That sounds like a book I'd like to read! Love that quote!

    Good luck to your sister with her treatments and surgery. It definitely takes a toll on you and I'm glad you got the opportunity to see her and spend some time with her.

    Snow running sounds like sugar sand running in Florida! Can't stand that stuff it's so difficult and my legs always feel beat up after it.

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  11. Obviously no snow here, but it sounds like you have gotten enough for all of us!

    I am so excited for your sister! What a warrior she has been through this time. She is so lucky to have you at her side.

    Bravey actually sounds really good. I don't typically go for the memoir genre, but it sounds interesting.

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    1. I thought Bravey was so well written and a quick read at that!

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  12. The two snowfalls we got were like night and day...10ish inches of dry "light weight" stuff on Monday/Tuesday then 8ish inches of the wet & heavy stuff yesterday and overnight. I'm done with it, too. My walk felt like I was trudging through a swamp of snow this afternoon...at least my legs got a good workout!

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  13. I'm so glad you got to spend some time with your sister - and yay for finishing her chemo! I continue to send good thoughts her way.

    We're bracing for a big snow storm headed this way which will definitely make running outside tricky. That photo of the snowman had me laughing :)

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  14. Oh, I heard an interview with Pappas on NPR. Her story sounds so horrible and inspiring. I guess we really can overcome anything, but her comment about having to overcome feeling like your Mom didn’t love you enough to keep living was hard to hear.

    I’m so glad your sister is doing OK — and that you got to see her. Hopefully she will be ringing that bell soon.

    Did SJ have a reason why you should stick it out one (or two?) more weeks? Is it just the sense of accomplishment? Her response that it’s almost over doesn’t seem very satisfying.

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    1. Your perspective is interesting! Similar to marathon training, I’m building strength up to the big event. Quitting now would be like a DNS for the race! After all this work, that wouldn’t make sense!

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  15. I'm so happy to hear that your sister has completed this phase of her treatment and pray that the remainder goes well.

    It's been a few years since I've had enough snow to slog through. I've had some fun runs and some extremely difficult ones, but have fond memories of them all (well maybe not of the Cloud Snapple Half when it started snowing just after we started and snowed two inches by the time we finished just over two hours later...)

    We were expecting at least six inches of snow today, but ended with only three and tomorrow's big snow storm appears to be moving north of us. :-(

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    1. I d be fine with 3 inches. It’s just enough to play in without all the mess!

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  16. For all the reading I did last month only one was a running book. I thought I might get DeanK's from NetGalley, but no such luck. That's OK because I'm happy with what I did read
    When we had snow in December I ran in the ski tracks and was quite appreciative of the skiiers who made them. NO such fun snow man though.
    Will keep your sister in my thoughts

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    1. I have run in XC tracks but after trailblazing today, I won’t do that again! It’s a lot of work!

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  17. So happy about your sister!

    I had seen people mention her book on social media. Looks interesting and will request it at the library. Thanks!

    I was in denial and was hoping we wouldn't get more snow? Are we done for this Winter?

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    1. I don't think so! And next week, there's supposed to be a deep freeze. Waaaahhh!

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  18. The snow amount is insane!!

    Was your sister also able to get the vaccine? I know she's still having treatment but I'm curious if they can get the shot while still being treated. My dad still hasn't gotten his shot but his treatments are done (for now and hopefully a long time *fingers crossed*). We can't figure out why he's still not able to make an appt. I'm really glad you got to visit with your sister though!

    Sounds like a great book actually. I wish I had/ could make the time to read.

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    1. Great question! They don't usually recommend people receiving chemo get vaccines; with their immunosuppression from the chemo they can't mount a strong response to the vaccine. In fact, a lot of my patients have to be revaccinated.

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  19. What A Wonderful Post - Well Done There Wendy - Playing In The Fresh Pow Pow Under The Wolf Moon, Brilliant - Happy Deer, Love It - So Proud Of You For Keeping Your Body Strong And For Making The Best Of Every Situation - Reading A Delightful Non Running Booking And Hope To Finish It While House Sitting - Sending Positive Vibes Your Way

    Cheers

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