I'm Glad I Went

I won't sugarcoat it--the weather was just miserable this week. Except for Sunday, the wind, rain, cold, and yes, snow, was relentless. I managed to get all 3 of my runs outside. It was hard to motivate myself, but that old saying is true: you never regret going for a run. I reminded myself about that trail race in 2 weeks. I didn't want to run on my treadmill. Who knows what the conditions will be on race day?

While I was glad to be done, I finished all of my runs with a smile on my face! Running in bad weather really tests my mental toughness and reminds me of what I am capable of! I am so glad I got outside for all my runs!

Weekly Rundown

Sunday: Trail run 9.6 miles

Monday: Iron Strength/Yoga

Tuesday: run 6.27 miles

Wednesday: CrossFit

Thursday: run 6.5 miles

Friday: Pool running

Saturday: rest/work

March miles: 105 

It's been a while, but I met up with the Trail Sisters for a run at my local preserve. We ran the main trail, dodging the puddles and mud while catching up on life. After I said my goodbyes, I headed back onto the trail and into the woods on the single track for a few more miles. Lots of mud made it slow going, but I stayed upright, didn't fall into the creek on my many crossings, and even saw a beaver! 

After checking the WOD for Monday and seeing that it was entirely on the assault bike, I decided to do a strength workout at home. With my upcoming trail race, I didn't think the WOD would serve me well, especially after my almost 10 mile run on Sunday. I did Carolyn Girvan's Iron Strength 30 minute full body workout, skipping the final iron finisher 'maker', instead opting for Yoga with Adriene's Yoga for Abdominal Strength. Both of these classes served my needs, made me sweat, and also helped me work on hip and glute strength.  Cocoa was wiped out after a busy Easter Sunday with my sons!

It rained all Monday night. The wind was blowing too. I was up at 4:30 and was contemplating a treadmill run. But Accuweather showed some rain free radar, so I laced up and put on my headlamp, heading out into my neighborhood. It was misting but not bad enough to make me want to go back inside. This turned out to be a decent run--no regrets--and set me up for a good day at work.

When I woke up on Wednesday, it was snowing, so after looking at the WOD for the day, I switched my planned run to CrossFit. The strength portion was 16 minutes on the clock of 10 dumbbell bench presses (25# in each hand), 10 bent over barbell rows (55#), and 10 GHD sit ups. I completed 4 rounds of this. The MetCon started with 500m on the rower, followed by a 21-15-9 rep scheme of devil's presses* (12# dumbbells), atomic situps, and double under (I did singles x 3). We cashed out with another 500m on the rower. I don't know what got into me, but I finished this in 13:56!  I think I needed to work out!

*Devil's press: a burpee combined with a 2 handed dumbbell snatch

Well, the weather on Thursday wasn't any better, so after a lot of mental gymnastics, I convinced myself to go to the trails and run the 'yellow' aka the main trail. How bad could it be? Truthfully--it was pretty muddy and wet. Wet snowflakes were falling from the sky. I planned accordingly, running some single track that I knew would probably be better and avoiding one section of the main trail that is always a mudfest. Thanks to my Brooks Cascadia GTX ( I've been singing their praises a lot this spring), my feet stayed dry. My Canopy jacket kept me dry as well. I should have worn my waterproof pants but forgot about them. Overall, this wasn't a bad run--I stayed upright-- and when I finished I had a big smile on my face. 

My friend and fellow Trail Sister Margaret was coaching a pop-up advanced pool running class on Friday morning. To accommodate this class, I switched my week around. Despite the early hour, I was joined by 9 other participants. This was a challenging class with sprints and endurance runs, It always amazes me that even though it doesn't feel hard in the moment, I am always tired and sore after a pool running sesh!

Off the road...

This week, I was the featured advanced practice provider (NPs and PAs) on my employer' IG account! I'm not sure why I'm feeling all the love lately--maybe someone got wind that I was considering retirement, lol--but it is nice to be recognized!

How was your week? Have you been experiencing exceptionally bad weather as well? Did you go outside for your runs? What challenged you this week?

The hubs and I are heading into the city today, to the Adler Planetarium, for a full dome show that plays along to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album.  I didn't plan it this way, but it's perfect timing--maybe you've heard about the total solar eclipse that will occur on Monday? According to NASA, in my neck of the woods, we'll be 93% in the path of totality at 2:07 pm. I still have my eclipse glasses from the last one in 2017!

Last but definitely not least, Cocoa is going back to the University of Wisconsin vet clinic for ear canal ablation on her remaining ear. Sadly, that ear has now become scarred by resistant bacteria that can no longer be managed by medication. This was a tough decision, as the surgery will leave her unable to hear.  All I want is for my pup to live a long, healthy life. I'll update you in next week's post.

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