Sunday, June 6, 2021

Are You Ready for Summer? and I Tried it! Odlo Summer Running Gear

Disclaimer: I received gear from Odlo in exchange for my unbiased review. This post also contains an affiliate link.

After an underwhelming Memorial Day weekend--cool and breezy--as the week went on, Mother Nature turned up the thermostat! The heat is on--is it ever! and it looks like it's here to stay.  Time to adapt and adjust the training plan, I guess!

Sunday's trail run was steamy!

Weekly Rundown
Monday: Murph
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: Global Running Day trail run 6 miles
Thursday: strength training
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: waterski!
Sunday: Ice Age Trail 6 miles, waterski

Running

Wednesday was Global Running Day and I took my shoes to the trails. As always, I had no route planned and started off meandering through the woods. I didn't lose the trail this time and as I was running around the lake, I spotted 2 runners doing hill work on the sledding hill. About 10 minutes later, we crossed paths. I'm in a FB group of trail runners for this particular preserve, so I 'knew' them. We chatted for quite a while before resuming our runs. There were a few people on the trails this time. I was reminded that I need to go earlier if I want the trails to myself! And yes, I found the flamingo again; I wonder where he'll be next time...


I got up and out the door early Friday morning to beat the impending heat. The wind was blowing in from the west and along with it, the humidity. I was still sore from Monday's Murph and Thursday's strength sesh. Seriously, I should have skipped this run. I wanted to turn around so many times. I had to stop to walk more than once to let my heart rate come down. I knew that I'd have that tailwind on the way back, so I pushed myself to the turnaround at 3 miles. I never regret a run, ever. But I won't lie when I tell you that this was one of the toughest runs I've had in a while.


Tired and sore from all the waterskiing I did on Saturday, I forced myself out the door early to get my 6 miles in at the Lodi segment of the IAT. I wanted to beat the heat and hopefully the FLIES--remember my Attack of the Killer Flies episode from last summer? I was a little bit anxious about a repeat, but thanks to my insect spray, the few that swarmed me didn't bite me this time. The temperature warmed up in a hurry but I surprised myself with some nice pacing and some uphill running. I spotted a few painted rocks, which were well hidden after a troll posted in our IAT FB group that he picked a bunch of them up and threw them in the trash. I didn't know this, but some people don't feel that anything should be left behind, even well-meaning artistic artifacts. I like the rocks. They put a smile on my face. I also liked all the wildflowers I saw! I have been struggling to identify them, but did you know there's an app for that? It's called SEEK and you can get it on the app store. It's amazing. 

The Seek app identified these as Western Spiderworts. They were abundant in the meadow where I ran.

CrossFit/Strength

Monday was Memorial Day and I did the full Murph: 1 mile run, 100 (banded) pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, and 1 mile run. I finished in 52 minutes, which I was pretty happy about! I felt fine afterward, but as the week went on, the DOMS got worse. Way to make a person feel old.  By the way, the last mile was HARD and this meme is so much truth:


Still feeling sore from Murph, on Thursday I met with SJ for my weekly strength sesh. She started me off with a 10 minute EMOM of alternating front and back squats. Fortunately, they were only 'moderately heavy'--her words-- but by the final round, my glutes were crying for mercy. After that, I worked on kip swings as prep for my next goal: Toes to Bar! I alternated those with agility work, which was both humorous and humbling!




Waterskiing

It's always a sure sign of summer when I get to add a waterskiing section to my weekly wrap! With the temperature hitting 90 degrees on both Saturday and Sunday, we headed back up to the lake, this time with my oldest son tagging along. I couldn't wait to try out my new waterski! It was windy and the water was choppy, but we gave it our best. After dinner, we went out in the boat for a ride down the river. By the time we returned to the bay, the wind had calmed down and I enjoyed a nice long ski sesh behind the boat. We also took a quick spin around the bay after my run! My new ski did not disappoint and I look forward to a fun summer on the lake!

My pretty pink ski made its Wisconsin debut this weekend!

I Tried it! Odlo Summer Running Gear


A few weeks ago, I received some gear from Odlo to try out. Odlo is a performance clothing brand, based in Europe. In the US, REI and Nordstrom carries the brand. I was sent the AXALP Trail 2-in-1 6 inch shorts and the ZEROWEIGHT CHILL-TEC t-shirt. As soon as I opened the package, I was in love. The shorts have a liner that prevents chafing and provides support. Both layers are thin and light. I thought the shorts would be hot but they are moisture-wicking and very comfortable! There are 3 low profile pockets along the back waistband; one is zippered. I love, love, love these shorts! The top is so light, it feels like tissue paper. The only seams are along the shoulders, so chafing is not an issue with this shirt. I found it to be so comfortable and it will be a great top to wear during the heat of summer! 



How was your week? Are you ready for summer? Do you like seeing painted rocks around or do you think they are trash? Have you heard of Odlo gear? 

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






29 comments :

  1. Those cross fit workouts do look super challenging! Glad you are able to get some more water skiing in. I am not familiar with Odlo clothing will check it out!

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  2. I love those painted rocks. Some of the ones around here are works of art. Amazing.

    Congrats on the Murph. Me? NEVER!!

    Glad you love the ski. I hope we see more pics of you on it.

    That flamingo is adorable.

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  3. I rarely see painted rocks, but I'd like to! Who would think they're trash?

    Some runs are a struggle. The next one will be better!

    Anyone who can do Murph is damn strong, Wendy!

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  4. 1 am 100% not ready for the summer heat, but then again I never am, lol.

    Awesome job on completing the Murph workout - that is no joke! I remember doing it about 2 years ago and I was SO sore for the rest of the week.

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    1. I was just amazed at the soreness! Who knew air squats could hurt for so long, lol!

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  5. I'm all about the painted rocks! I actually manage a FB painted rock page for our town. I had every intention of doing a modified Murph this year, but after our long ride on Sunday and all the garden squats (and Monday morning hilly run), my body said no. And I was alright with that LOL

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  6. Great job with the Murph workout! It sounds so hard! I've never heard of that brand. Its always great to find workout clothes that are comfortable!

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    1. I just love the fabrics! So light and great for hot weather.

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  7. I am not ready for summer, but it seems like it is here. :-P I love the flamingo — it would totally motivate me to run there and keep any eye out for it. I have not heard of that brand, but the super-light fabric sounds great.

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    1. I hope whoever is moving the flamingo around keeps it going!

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  8. That's sad someone would take the time to pickup the rocks and trash them. Grinch! I think they're fun! Cute outfit. I've never heard of that brand.

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    1. Seems like there are a lot of less known brands that we need to hear about!

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  9. I love seeing the painted rocks laying around our trails, but I'm not seeing nearly as many this year as last. I've not heard of Odlo gear, but it sounds nice based on your review!

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  10. You know that I'm loving the roaming flamingo - wouldn't you love to know who's moving him around?!

    Awesome job with your strength work - especially getting the Murph done!

    I've never heard of that brand, but it's always a nice win to find shorts that you love - I struggle with that.

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    1. I agree with you on the shorts--it's tough to find a pair that you can just pull on and forget about!

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  11. I've not heard of Odlo, that kit sounds really good! And I don't mind painted rocks but I don't like those balancing piles of rocks people make. We got some hot summer last week then a cooler day with drizzle for my longer run, hooray!

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    1. I'm not a fan of the cairns either. They originally started as a trail marker but now people build them everywhere.

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  12. I've never hear of Odlo, but those shorts sound great. Even the lightest t-shirt is too hot for me in the summer, but I'll see if they have tank tops.
    That Murph sounds brutal!!! Love the meme about the miles, ha ha.
    I guess if you're waterskiing you don't mind the heat! It's the perfect summer activity.

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  13. That Murph sound tough! It hasn't gotten that hot yet but were just beginning up here. I'm looking forward to the heat as we have so many months of winter cold.

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    1. I would love a little moderation--we went from cold to hot within a couple of days!

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  14. Super cute outfit!

    I love the flamingo and painted rocks. These are just little moments of joy that pop up and I am here for it.

    Youo look so happy waterskiing. That's so great!

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  15. Someone threw away the rock? Why would they do that? I don't know if you follow Kim's Instagram account but she paints some cute ones (mostly cats) and leaves them on the trail. That outfit is perfect for Summer running. Hello Summer!

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