Turkey Trotting

It was another fantastic weather week--sunshine every day! This is so unusual this time of year for us that I can't help but comment on it. I am loving it. The realist in me knows it's going to come to an end and in fact, as you read this, we are receiving snow. 'Tis the season, after all!

I had a very productive and busy fitness week, including a Turkey Trot under the Thanksgiving sun with my son! But by Saturday, I was feeling tired, achy, and just off. As much as I wanted to go to the gym for that 3rd day of strength this week, I did not. Sometimes you just have to listen to what your body tells you, am I right? I am hoping a day of rest will prevent this from turning into something. I've been seeing a lot of sick kiddos in my clinic.

Weekly Rundown

Sunday: Trail Sisters run 6.2 miles

Monday: CrossFit

Tuesday: Fluid Running

Wednesday: CrossFit

Thursday: Turkey Trot Chicago 5k 30:40

Friday: run 6 miles

Saturday: yoga/rest

On Sunday, the plan was to meet up for a joint run/ruck with the Trail Sisters Chicago Northwest and the Mother Ruckers at a preserve that has wide limestone paths. I put the preserve name in Google Maps but ended up at the wrong entrance. I called our leader, and she redirected me. Unfortunately, she gave me the wrong directions, so I called her again. It seemed like I was heading in the right direction, so to be certain, I put the name of the preserve in again. BUT NO! I ended up at the entrance with the canoe launch. Who knew there were so many entrances to this preserve? When I parked my car, I was also at the trailhead for the Des Plaines River Trail. I knew it would take me towards where I needed to be. I started to run and yes, eventually, I did meet up with my Trail Sisters--actually, 3 separate groups of them, but they were running in the opposite direction. What an adventure! I finished up with 6+ solo miles on this beautiful day, followed by coffee with a couple of the ladies. 

Monday's WOD had bench presses, 5 sets of 3 at 85%. Before we started, the coach led us through a workout that opened up the muscles we needed for this heavy lift. For the lift, I worked with 3 other women. This allowed us plenty of time to rest between sets while we each got a turn. My goal was to hit 85# for those sets of 3 and with the encouragement and tips from the other women, I was able to do it! All of us hit our goals and it was a lot of fun to do it in a group. The MetCon was a 10 minute AMRAP: 5 KB box step overs, 10 KB single arm clean and jerks, and 12 V-ups (I subbed atomic sit-ups). For the KB movements, I used a 20# KB--those clean and jerks were definitely challenging! I finished 6 rounds of this when time was called.

With the Turkey Trot planned for Thursday, on Wednesday, I decided to do CrossFit instead of my usual trail run. The class was full--in fact, I was initially on a waiting list but luckily got in-- and we were split up into groups of 3, taking turns like we did on Monday. I was excited for this workout because it had deadlifts in it, 5 sets of 3 at 85#, which was 175#. I hit them all and was just thrilled. The MetCon was called 'earn your second helping' and it was a 10 minute AMRAP of 15 wall balls, 10 cal row, 15 abmat situps, 10 cal bike, 15 pull-ups (I did ring rows), 10 cal row, and 15 box jumps. I made it through almost 2 rounds, except for the last row and the box jumps. 

My youngest and I ran a 5k Turkey Trot on Thursday. He would only agree to a race in Chicago/Lincoln Park. I was fine with that--an early morning trek into the city is no big deal. I picked him up on the way to the venue. We picked up our bibs and stopped at the portapotties before lining up in the 9 min/mile corral, where we ran into Cynthia Wheeler. 

Then it was go time. The starts were staggered by corrals and we crossed the start line at 9:11. The runners were funneled onto the Lakefront Path and with the large number of runners, it was slow going for the first mile. We did a lot of passing on the side of the path. This kept our pace down. The pack didn't really thin out until after mile 2, which is when we really picked up the pace. In fact, we ran so fast that I wasn't sure I'd make it to the finish line! I kept telling M to run ahead of me, but he stayed with me the whole time. When we crossed the finish line, the announcer called my name, but instead of calling my son's name, he was 'some guy wearing a Packers shirt'. LOL--if you are from Chicago, you will understand this. 

The turkey was not a fan of my son's Packers sweatshirt!

There was water and lots of fruit at the finish line. We also received a medal and picked up a stocking cap for our race swag. We redeemed our coupon for beer--Lagunitas Hazy Wonder IPA, which was delicious! We also received some donut bites from Clyde's donuts, which actually went well with the beer. Who knew? After we finished our treats, we made our was out of the post-race party area and walked back to the car. We had such a great time and I would definitely do this one again. I had hoped for a better finish time but with the crowded course, I am happy with what I did. The race was a great way to start the day before heading to my sister's house for a delicious Thanksgiving feast. We joined my sister's family, my parents, my boys, and their girlfriends. It was such a fun afternoon and believe it or not, I forgot to take any photos.

For my run on Friday, I headed out into the dark and eagerly awaited the sunrise. I did not expect it to be so cold. With the wind, it felt like needles poking at my arms, even through my clothing. I'm not sure how I feel about running through another winter! Anyhoo, I felt good and had a nice evenly paced 6 miler, finishing with an average 9:24m/m pace. The post-run shower felt good although it took me a while to thaw! 

On Saturday, we drove up to the lake. It was cold but the little town was bustling with small business Saturday. Thanks to the Ice Age Trail, the main street is lined with little shops. This makes my heart happy! We had lunch and did some shopping. Here's to hoping that this little funk I'm feeling doesn't turn into anything.

How was your week? Did you Turkey Trot? Are you experiencing unusually sunny days? Did you get any good Black Friday deals?

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