Saturday, April 27, 2024

Ups and Downs

This was a tumultuous week! Weather aside, I had a lot of ups and downs. I've been feeling unsettled since Cocoa had her surgery, and life threw some curve balls my way this week. Did you see the full moon this week? It was HUGE and I'm blaming everything on that. Oh, and Mercury has been in retrograde if you believe that stuff. Normally, I don't, but I needed some explanation for all the chaos of the past couple of weeks! Thankfully that's all behind us and the week did end on a high note. 

My trail friend whose race recap let me know that I missed my race, reached out with an opportunity to redeem myself after my unintentional DNS.  She told me about an upcoming trail race on May 18 on the Blue Springs Segment of the IAT. The distance is listed as 'about 12 miles', which is perfect for me. It sounds really laid back and there's locally brewed beer at the finish line! After triple-checking the date,  I put the race on my calendar. I'm looking forward to it!

Weekly Rundown
Sunday: Ice Age Trail 8.5 miles/1430 ft
Monday: CrossFit
Tuesday: Fluid Running
Wednesday: trail run 7.5 miles
Thursday: CrossFit 400m x5
Friday: run 6 miles
Saturday: yoga/stretch

After a very windy week, it was nice to wake up on Sunday to a wind-free morning! The bluebird sky and bright sunshine were a bonus. We were up at the lake, so I laced up my trail shoes and drove to the Gibraltar segment for some vert. I got a signal right away on my GPS, which I thought was a good sign, but then I realized I left my phone at home! It's too pretty to run there without taking photos, so back to the cabin I went. Once I got moving, everything was fine. I mostly had the trails to myself and basked in the birds singing in the trees. Yes, I stopped to take photos, but how could I not?



Just in time for some big climbs coming up--a WOD with heavy squats! On Monday, the strength portion had a 5-4-3-2-1 rep scheme for back squats. The weights were based on our 1 rep max (for me 150#), starting at ~65% (95#) and finishing at ~90% (130#). That last rep felt heavy! Any heavier and I would have needed a spotter. It's been a long time since we did anything like this and I was happy to see that I still could squat heavy. We finished with a 7 min chipper 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 plate (15#) to overhead, overhead plate lunges, and pushups. I finished just as time was being called!


Wednesday morning was chilly and windy, so naturally I overdressed. It's so hard to decide what to wear this time of year! I started on the trails, running into some of my deer buddies in the first mile. By the time I was deep in the wooded section, I was pretty warm, so I stopped to remove my fleece layer. I figured no one was there to see me. I didn't see any more deer until after I crossed the road into the west section of the preserve. I was amazed to see the deer on the main trail! 

I did have a couple of mishaps on this run--in the woods, I got poked in my right calf by a sharp stick and yes, it left a mark. I also took a tumble on the single track--those damn tree roots like to trip me up! Usually, I can catch myself before I fall, but I was moving pretty fast and my momentum wouldn't let me right myself. I was able to turn my body, landing on my left hip. Nothing hurt but my ego and I gingerly started running again, slowly at first until I was able to regain my confidence. What an adventure!



After a rough day overall on Wednesday--there was a lot of off the trail drama too--I woke up on Thursday feeling pretty low. I was sore from my fall the day before. I also had some DOMS from Monday's upper body work. I did a Yoga with Adriene morning workout during which she asked us to set an intention. That was easy--'shake it off' was the first thing that came to mind. 

At CrossFit, we started with an extensive warmup before the WOD. It was just a MetCon, a 17 minute AMRAP of 400m running, 20 DB snatches, and 10 box overs holding the dumbbell used for the snatches. I used a 15# DB. I finished 4 full rounds of this and another 400m run in the time allotted for the workout. I finished second in the class which made me so happy! Those 400s were hard but I pushed myself because as one of my classmates said, running is my thing! 

My Friday morning runs on the bike path are usually my only runs on pavement. They are also the only runs where I listen to music. I tend not to have any goals for these runs, except to be consistent. I like to let my legs dictate the pace. I really enjoy these runs, where I can just let go and run. I didn't expect this run to be speedy, especially the day after a hard CF class, but my legs wanted to go and I let them. I finished this 6 miler with a 9:23 m/m mile average pace. 

Off the Road

On Monday, the hubs and I took a ride into the city for a friends and family event at my youngest son's newest place of employment. After a few delays, the new 80's themed bar Common Decency was ready to open. We were the guinea pigs and sampled 2 cocktails and 3 main dishes. Everything was delicious! My son was happy to be behind the bar, crafting fun drinks. Hopefully, the place will be a success! 


Cocoa continues to heal and on Wednesday, I took her to the vet to have her sutures removed. She also got her monthly allergy injection, which really helped her with itching and scratching. On Thursday, the cone was off! She's so much less anxious now and wants us to throw the ball non-stop. We're still navigating the challenges of having a dog that can't hear, but so far, things are going really well! 


How was your week? Did you experience any chaos this week? Do you have any races coming up?

I'm wrapping up my monthly book reviews and will have a new post coming up on Tuesday! 

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



24 comments :

  1. So glad that Cocoa is doing better! I am so glad that you found another trail race to do. I know you were really bummed about missing the other one. Hope this week is more ups than downs for you

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  2. I love the picture of you running in the dark pink top on Wednesday! That's a great shot!

    I hope you have a better upcoming week. That's great news about Cocoa getting her stitches out and cone off. It's good to hear that she wants to play fetch.

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    1. That's all she wants to do--she's definitely back to her old self!

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  3. Great minds think alike (ha, look at the titles of our posts today.) And I also wrote about doing "heavy" squats, although I'm glad I didn't post a picture of me with my puny weights on the bar now.
    I'm excited for your upcoming race! And I'm so glad Coco got her cone off. Oh and I had to laugh because my daughter keeps talking about "mercury in retrograde." What is that supposed to mean, exactly??? Whatever it is, I think it's supposed to end soon. So all will be well!

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    1. I hyperlinked it in my post, but anyway, it's over. I hope all the chaos subsides!

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  4. That's great news on finding another race! Glad to hear Cocoa is doing well with her recovery. I overdressed for yesterday's run...trying to pull-out the sweaty/sticky arm warmers (from under my 1/4-zip) was tough, but necessary.

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    1. It's so challenging to dress this time of year--even this morning's run started out warm and it cooled off!

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  5. Well done to Cocoa! And sorry about the fall, well done for falling well and not getting hurt. I had a trip that really jarred of course my bad leg last week so saw my physio on Monday and have been back running. I have my half-marathon on Sunday 5 May and I've missed my last long run but I'll take it easy and hope I can get round and enjoy it. Love your photos of the sun through the trees!

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    1. Excited for you to get back to the starting line! You're going to do great!

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  6. Glad to hear that Cocoa is healing! She is still adorable. Yikes to the fall - I take a good spill running at least once a year. Glad you're not too hurt!

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  7. Congrats on your 2nd in the class! And your back squat is impressive. I have a love/hate relationship with heavy squats. They are challenging to the point of being scary, but they give such a feeling of achievement.
    As usual I'm in awe over your trail! Your photos are so beautiful! I wouldn't go out there without a camera either. How nice about your upcoming trail race!

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    1. i'm always in awe of my trails! And yes, I echo your feelings on the heavy squats. Scary, yet rewarding.

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  8. Yay for a new race!! And it sounds perfect too! The stars have aligned (despite Mercury doing its retro-thing) and maybe that unintentional DNS happened for a reason.
    That new 80's bar looks lovely. I'm sure it's going to be successful.
    Your 1-rep back squat max weight is impressive! I think I would tumble over backwards if I tried that! This week, I'll be back to CrossFit in Cape Town. I'm looking forward to it!!

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    1. I'm kind of stuck at this weight, lol--I just get so nervous with heavy weight on my back!

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  9. That's great that you found another race.

    Good news about Cocoa!!

    I am always so impressed by your workouts.

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  10. The last few weeks seemed to be nothing but chaos. I ahte that for me, but what can you do? I hope all your off-trail drama settles down and you are ok. And be careful out there on those trails, too!
    Your son's new bar looks so cool! I bet it does well!
    Cocoa does look like she's feeling better. She has the cutest little lip in that picture! I know it's a challenge that she can't hear, but I promise you will all fall into a successful routine soon.

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    1. She's already doing so much better! She's still really clingy, but is definitely more like herself now.

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  11. Awww, hugs to Cocoa. I'm glad she is feeling better, but I'm sure that will be a big adjustment for all of you.
    Very cool you found another race, and craft beer at the end is a big bonus!

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    1. She's doing amazingly well!, thank you! i'm always surprised at the resiliency of dogs.

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  12. oh sweet Cocoa. I'm so glad she's doing well. Matilda's hearing is quite bad (and her vision) which is challenging for sure. But they sitll have so much joy in life!

    Solid week, love all your trail photos!

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    1. She's pretty much back to her old self! Chasing the ball as much as she can, lol

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