I Can't Have One Without the Other

Running and lifting, running and lifting, go together like birthdays and gifting, this I tell you sister, you can't have one without the other... ~apologies to Frank Sinatra.

After getting my final diagnosis this week of a tear of my flexor carpi radialis tendon--that's at the base of my right thumb--my first thought was, well, at least I can still run. But then it hit me: over the past couple of years, I've become so much more than a runner. As long-time readers of the blog know, I've been strength training and doing CrossFit as a means to supplement running and to prevent injury. Running was always my favorite way to move my body. I identify as a runner, not a CrossFitter. 

Then I hurt my wrist and with that came the realization that while running is still number one, strength training and CrossFit have become essential activities in my fitness regimen. Much like I do with running, with my strength training, I set goals and I train to achieve them. With this injury, I've had to cut back on my training and I miss it. After I got the news this week that confirmed the tendon injury, I felt really sad. That surprised me, because like I said, I can still run. But you know what? Running isn't enough anymore. 

There, I've said it. Now, I know. I promise to behave and let my wrist heal so I can get back to ALL the THINGS. 

The lake is calling...

Weekly Rundown

Monday: run 7 miles

Tuesday: rest

Wednesday: trail run 6 miles

Thursday: strength training 

Friday: run 6 miles

Saturday: rest

Sunday: Ice Age Trail run 4 miles (2 segments)

Running

While I let my wrist heal, I've added an extra day of running to my schedule, to replace the CrossFit class I usually do on Mondays. After Sunday's craptastic trail run, on Monday I laced up my road shoes and took myself to the retention pond. This was a nicely paced 7 mile run-probably the farthest I've run since my 20k back in May. I need to get my miles back up again to prepare for my fall half marathons. I'm not a fan of summer running and I reminded myself that I need to get out the door much earlier than I have been. This is a popular park and it was fairly crowded that morning. I also had to run through a large gaggle (more like a gang) of geese and their goslings. The geese were not very welcoming. Neither were the red-winged blackbirds who kept hissing and dive bombing me. Ahh, nature...

On Wednesday, I woke up to 58 degrees and bright sunshine, so I laced up my shoes and went back to the trails early. I had an earlier start for work that morning, so I promised myself I'd stick to the main trail and not wander into the woods on the single track. I did just that, plodding around the preserve. I enjoyed this run immensely.

No flamingo, but I did spy this snowman tucked into a tree along the path!

I woke up to thunder and pouring rain on Friday and prayed that it would stop before it was time to head out for my run. It did and I had the bike path to myself, at least for the first 3 miles. The headwind was strong and I felt the effort. I ran through the tunnel before I turned around to head home and was thrilled to see that the graffiti was gone, replaced with the beginnings of a rainbow mural. I knew this was coming because one of my families from my clinic was excited to tell me during an office visit a few weeks ago that they were doing this. I felt so proud and excited and I can't wait to see the finished project!

The scary tunnel is no longer scary

On Sunday, I got up early to beat the deer flies and drove to a new-to-me segment of the Ice Age Trail. On Saturday, my hubs and I went strawberry picking and on the way back to the cabin, we passed the trailhead for the Fern Glen Segment. Aha! I had heard of it but never knew where it was. While it is a short segment- 2.75 miles round trip, it is definitely worth it. Lush and green with lots of ups and downs (almost 600ft of climbing), I had it to myself. I wanted to run a little more, so I drove to the City of Lodi segment, which was mostly meadow, lined with wildflowers. The flies were starting to bite me, so after about 1 1/3 miles, I called it and headed back to my car. 

I posted some wildflower photos and an interesting tree photo on my IG!

Strength/No CrossFit

In her usual creative way, Sammy Jo had a fun session planned for me. I started off with sissy squats (on the plate) but instead of holding a dumbbell, I held a 30# slam ball. She had me do 2 sets of 15, with a 3 second descent. After that, I pulled the sled 50m, forward and backward 4 times, with increasing weight each time. In between, I did some plyometrics. We wrapped it all up with core, which needs a LOT of work. I felt so much better, mentally, after this session. My biggest worry is losing strength while I'm healing. I'm so grateful to Sammy Jo for her creativity and her sense of humor! 

How was your week? As you read this, I'm celebrating Father's Day with my dad, my father-in-law, and my husband. It's the first time we are all together since the pandemic started. I'm so grateful for the vaccine, which allows this to happen. Have a wonderful day!

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