Sunday, April 18, 2021

Sure, Why Not?

In spite of rising COVID cases everywhere, life continues its slow return to normal. This week's highlights include a return to a favorite race and a hike in a beautiful state area in Wisconsin. I had an RA flare midweek, which slowed me down for a day or so but didn't stop me from lining up at the start line on Saturday. 

So yeah, pretty much life as usual. I mean, why not?

Making my way through the gorge at Parfrey's Glen

Weekly Rundown
Monday: CrossFit
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: trails 1.5 miles
Thursday: run 4.25 miles
Friday: rest
Saturday: CARA Lakefront 10 miler
Sunday: Parfrey's Glen/Sauk Point IAT 5 miles

Running

I'm not sure what happened, but on Wednesday, I woke up in a world of hurt, RA style. I thought I'd try to do some trail miles, but that just wasn't happening. Yuck. I called off work and spent the day on the couch. On Thursday, I felt better but still had some joint pain. Worried about my race on Saturday, I wanted to at least try a slow and easy couple of miles to see how I felt. The knees were mildly protesting but after a slathering of ChilWellness CBD salve, they were happy. So was I.


I made sure to rest the legs on Friday as insurance for my race on Saturday. I woke up well-rested on Saturday, still achy, so I once again slathered my knees with that magical salve and drove to the Chicago lakefron where my race was to take place. I'll share a full recap on Tuesday, but a few highlights here: I went out at a comfortable pace but still too fast. I had a brutal side stitch at mile 4 and battled it for a couple of miles until it finally went away about mile 6. I finally settled into my pace after that, only stopping to walk twice after that. Ok, 3 times, because that damn hill at the end took my breath away. It was great to run a live race in my favorite city!


On Sunday, I woke up early to check out Parfrey's Glen, an IAT side trip that I'd been wanting to do for a while. Parfrey's Glen is really popular, so I wanted to get there early before the crowds. The trail runs along a rocky stream until it enters the gorge, which is lined with limestone bluffs and rock formations. The trail comes to an end, but I knew I wanted to continue to the waterfall, so I traversed the rocks in the stream. The waterfall was almost anticlimatic after hiking through the gorge! This hike was breathtaking and I will be back to check it out again. The Sauk Point segment of the IAT starts at the entrance to the glen, and I did some hiking there as well. It was a steep incline for about a mile. I turned around and jogged down the trail back to the car. I will come back and do this entire segment in the future, as it leads into Devil's Lake State Park. 


Breaking news: I know I said I didn't really want to run a lot of races this year, but a race I've wanted to do for a couple of years announced this week that it is on! The Lake Monona 20k is a loop race around Lake Monona in Madison. Last summer I ran part of this loop and I vowed to come back and do the whole thing. See what happens when you put it out there in the universe? The race is set to take place in 2 weeks and because I just ran that 10 miler, I feel pretty prepared for the distance. Sure, why not? 

CrossFit/Strength

As I mentioned above, I skipped my strength workout with Sammy Jo on Thursday. Not only were my knees angry, but also my wrists. I just wanted to give everything a rest. Monday's WOD was a challenge for me, from an RA perspective because the strength portion was all about handstand push-up accessory work. I ended up doing forearm stands. We alternated those with v-ups. The strength portion was more my jam with deadlifts! We did a 16 minute EMOM, alternating between sets of 5 deadlifts (115#) and 8 pullups (banded). There were double unders in between. I don't have double unders, so I did single jumps. 

Update on Cocoa

My husband and his father headed back home on Sunday, but I stayed up at the lake. Cocoa has an appointment at the UW vet school on Monday to have her sutures removed. It is definitely time. She is still in the cone and she's constantly scratching it. I'm sure the stitches really bother her. We found out this week that the fluid cultured from the diseased ear was MRSA+ and was resistant to all but 2 medications, one of which is only given IV. The antibiotic she's taking is strong and I am worried about giving it to her, but what can I do? I don't want the surgical ear to become infected and/or abcessed. I swear this pup is a handful. Meanwhile, she's chasing her ball like she did prior to the surgery. I'm sure she'll be happy to have the cone off!

She was my navigator on the ride up to the lake!


How was your week? Did you get to run any live races? Do you have any on the calendar? 

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






40 comments :

  1. well, still no real live races here. Sounds like you had a blast at yours. Looking forward to reading the recap. Hey, why not do the 10 miler if it is open and you feel ready. Hope you are feeling good this week!

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    1. Me too! I'm going to cut back on my miles a bit to have fresh legs for my Madison race in 2 weeks.

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  2. I've said it before: travel won't be a priority as long as the kids are at home, but the one place that I'd love to run a race is CHI! And I think that semi-normal life will return enough to make visits to my SIL a reality again, which is the "excuse" that I need to go to CHI. I'm dying to hear about every step of your race, and hugs for Cocoa.

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    1. This 10 miler is always a good time, even with restrictions!

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  3. Poor old Cocoa - hugs all round. And sorry about the flare, too. But hooray race and what a wonderful trail, too!

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  4. A race? You know me. Sure why not? lol

    I am happy that I ran my race. It was astruggle and I think I walked most of the 2nd half the race. But who cares? I enjoyed being out there.

    And today I hit the trails.

    Perfect weekend for me (maybe a PR would be the ultimate but I'm good.)

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    1. I'll get a PR at my next race! :p I've never run a 20k before, lol

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  5. OH, poor Cocoa...MRSA! I hope she heals up fully soon.

    Great job on your 10 miler! The race around Lake Minona sounds lovely. Probably windy though, right?

    Good luck!

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    1. I hope it's not windy, but you never know this time of year! I love the distance of the loop around the lake.

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  6. You really have some beautiful places to run and hike. Sorry about the RA flare, but it looks like you ended the week strong!
    Poor Cocoa! Yes, they really hate the cone, don't they? So does she have to have a new medication for the MRSA? Crazy... but it will all work itself out. Sounds like she's getting the best care.

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    1. She's taking the one drug that will hopefully take care of the MRSA. This pup...

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  7. Love the photo of you in front of the Lakefront! And the trails, too.

    I hate side stitches -- seriously, there often just doesn't seem to be a reason for them.

    Poor Cocoa. But she seems happy, that's the main thing. I remember when we had a soft neck thing for Bandit when he had a hot spot. It was a pain, but better than the cone of shame anyway. She will be glad to have that off!

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    1. Since I've been going to PT, she's been addressing that right sided tightness that has lead to my SI joint issues; she also has concerns about my diaphragm. So it all kind of fits.

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  8. Sorry about the RA flare. Did your recent course of steroids already wear off? Those views on the IAT are gorgeous and hooray for the Lake Monona race! Poor Cocoa. I hope the suture removal goes well.

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    1. Oh yes, the steroids are gone from my system. I do have less inflammation than previously but it's still there...

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  9. Yikes on the MRSA. I’m glad Cocoa is on the mend. Wow, that trail looks amazing. I bet the Monona 20K will be fantastic. I’ve only been to Madison once, and it was a quick trip in winter so I had to run on the hotel tread, but the office I visited had great lake views.

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    1. Exactly why I want to run it! I hear the homes on the lake are incredible!

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  10. I'm so glad your flare didn't keep you from running your race! And yes, why not run the Monona 20K!

    Poor Cocoa - I hope she continues to heal quickly!

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    1. I'm not sure what is going on with my RA, but I'm grateful that I get to keep moving.

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  11. Sorry that you had an RA flare but I'm glad you were still able to have a good race! Aww poor Cocoa. I hope she is feeling back to herself soon!

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    1. I think my body is trying to tell me something! I'm never good at listening to it, lol

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  12. Amazing Photo There In Front Of The Lake - Always Feel Inspired When I Stop By - Thanx For Being You

    Cheers

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  13. Lake Monona sounds fun! I love a 20K...after all, DAM to DSM (formerly Dam to Dam) is a 20K. I prefer that to the 13.1 since it's just an itty bit shorter LOL

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  14. Oh, I'm looking forward to your recap, Wendy!
    Well done for not giving in to the RA flare and getting to the starting line. Victory!

    Parfrey's Glen looks magnificient! I love that first photo of you standing in front of the rock. The colours of your clothes and the rock look so good together.

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    1. You are not the first person who commented on my wardrobe coordinating with the rocks, lol. This was a magnificent place--I'm still in awe. I'm sure enjoying my adventures!

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  15. Glad the RA flare was minor and you were able to have a successful return to racing. Hope the suture removal was uneventful. Cocoa seems to be in excellent spirits

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    1. She's doing wonderfully post suture removal. We even treated her to lunch at a restaurant, lol!

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  16. Oh my gosh! I didn't realize it was MRSA!!! Poor cocoa! What a sweet baby :( I know what you mean about being nervous about giving the strong meds - it's hard but sometimes there's no choice.

    I hope your RA flare is doing better. I can only imagine how frustrating that is.

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  17. Congrats on your race and am excited to read your recap. That darn Cricket Hill! Poor Cocoa. I hope she heals quickly!

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  18. Awww, poor Cocoa! I can't imagine what it would be like for a dog to wear a cone. What a frustrating (but necessary) device! Congrats on your race! What beautiful places you are able to hike. I'm looking forward to a lot of hiking this summer!

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    1. She adapted to it pretty well, surprisingly! But now that she's out of it, I think she's pretty happy.

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  19. So happy you got to run a live race but what a bummer about the RA flare last week! So the salve you use, does it contain anything special? cbd or so? both my knees are bugging now as well as both feet and I'm annoyed. I remember the RA specialist told me I needed to come back to be checked again if I was starting to have pain on both sides and not just one :( Maybe it's nothing but knowing someone with RA doesn't help me to stop thinking about it...

    hope Cocoa is going to be all right!

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    1. Yes, the salve has CBD and it is truly magical for joint pain. I'm a big fan of CBD. i hope your knee pain isn't anything worrisome but you should definitely get it rechecked.

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  20. I'm so happy you got to run in your race, and yes, I ran in a live race on Saturday, too. It was so nice to be back out seeing my running friends again!

    I hope Cocoa is feeling better!

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    1. I didn't get to see any running friends except Erica and it was across corrals...lol

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