The Make-up Race

It was race week and I was ready! I had some great runs leading up to Saturday but I didn't push myself too hard. I wanted to keep my legs fresh. I did notice an area of concern--my left glute is not firing. I noticed it on Sunday. My right glute was really sore after my run and while I was running, I felt like it was doing all the work. At my race on Saturday, I stumbled way more than I should have--catching my left toe and nearly falling multiple times. I didn't fall, thankfully--that would have been tragic on this trail, as it's really rocky and rooty. But it reinforced that I need to get back to basics with some posterior chain work, focusing on that side.

This week I learned that I received a complimentary entry to the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon from Brooks! The race is November 9. I've always wanted to run this one and November is a good time of year for a long distance race. A couple other teammates will be joining me.  I keep saying I'm done with long distance road racing, but here I go again.  People who've done it say it's a 'fast course'. We'll see about that!

Weekly Rundown:

Sunday: trail run 9.5 miles

Monday: CrossFit

Tuesday: Fluid Running

Wednesday: Trail run 7 miles

Thursday: CrossFit

Friday: yoga with Adriene

Saturday: Blue Springs Trail Race 13.9 miles/1990 feet ascent

I could not have had a more perfect Mother's Day! First up, a long run on the trails in the preserve. I was happy to see the deer out and about. There's a doe who I've spotted resting in the woods a few times--I suspect she's pregnant. The twins were out with their mom and I also spotted the triplets. It just never gets told to get up and close with them. 

I ran into my friend Aimee, who was walking with her vizla, Greta. She told me to keep my eye out for the wild hyacinth and as soon as I started running again, I spotted the meadow in full bloom. From a distance, it looked like snow! I meandered around the rest of the preserve, sticking mostly to the single track. By the time I got back to my car, it had warmed up substantially! What an absolutely gorgeous morning to be out in the woods!

I woke up on Monday not feeling very good at all. I was really achy and queasy. I've been worried about an RA flare. After all my stress of the past couple of weeks, I'm not entirely surprised. I considered skipping CrossFit, but with the Wellness Challenge, I need 2 WODs per week. I don't want to let my team down, so off I went. I figured I could modify to accommodate my cranky knees. For the strength portion, we had a 15 minute EMOM of 1 minute each: 2 laps of Farmer's carries (I used 35# KBs), 30 second plank hold, and 30 second hollow hold on the bar. The MetCon was for time but with a15 minute cap--rep scheme: 20-15-10-5 calories on the rower, burpee box overs, and shoulder-to-overhead (I did push presses with a 35# barbell). I finished in 13:43, which was a big middle finger to RA and a great reminder to always TRY. 

Brooks sent us some new gear, which I was excited to try out for my Wednesday trail run. The purpose of this run was to shake out the legs and build some confidence for my upcoming trail race. Mission accomplished. I felt great on this run--no joint pain at all and my effort was good. The beautiful weather helped too! I made my way around the preserve, starting at a different point than I usually do. I didn't expect to see any deer on this route, but I did, a family grazing in one of the meadows. The yearling was curious about me, but his parents hovered nearby. The buck was sprouting his antlers. This was such a treat! I also got up close and personal with a sandhill crane. Lots of mud and pretty wildflowers rounded out what was a really great run!

There was a mile time trial for the WOD on Thursday! TBH, I was a little nervous going into this. I have done little to no speed work and I've been spending most of my time cruising on the trails. I figured that the way I've been running lately, I'd finish at 8:30. Four of us lined up to run the out and back. I started out last, going about 75% effort. By the time I hit the half mile point, my Garmin showed 4:00. That made me happy and I knew I was going to finish strong. My effort was higher on the way back because I was fatigued, but I passed the woman in front of me (the men were long gone) and didn't look back. I finished at 8:06! Damn, negative splits. I was happy with this and am excited to see what I can do in September when we do another one. I'm setting a goal of sub-8 and plan to work on this over the summer!

There was a MetCon after this, believe it or not! It was an 8 minute EMOM of 10 toes to bar ( I did 5 knees to nose) alternating with 50 double unders (I did singles). 

We drove up to the lake Friday evening with the plan to have me drive to my race from there. The race was on the Ice Age Trail--the Blue Springs Segment, which was a little closer to the lake house than home. This was a tough, hilly course that almost broke me--literally and figuratively. Besides the hills, the temperature rose quickly and it was very humid. I had to dig deep to finish and remind myself how truly lucky I am that my body lets me do these crazy things. My finish time was disappointing--3:31. I had to walk way more than I planned. But instead of feeling down about my performance, I felt oddly empowered! I didn't quit even though I wanted to. Yes, I can do hard things! I'll share a full recap once the photos and results are posted online. 

Off the Path

To top off my fabulous Mother's Day, my 2 sons came over with one of their girlfriends. My father-in-law came over as well. The hubs did everything--he smoked a pork shoulder and made pulled pork with homemade BBQ sauce, elote salad, and cole slaw. He also made a strawberry cake with the frozen strawberries we had picked last year. It was just great to see both of the boys and my oldest son's girlfriend. My youngest son's girlfriend was visiting her mom for the weekend.

I felt like I won the mom lottery!

On Saturday after my race, we had lunch and then we went out in the boat. The water is still a little too cool for water skiing, but we enjoyed a ride around the lake. Cocoa especially enjoyed it! She's all healed and feeling great! We can tell how much better she feels now--she's so playful and that tail never stops wagging. We're so glad we did the surgery.

How was your week? Did anyone else race this week? Have you ever run the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon or Half? Do you have any exercises you'd recommend for my lazy glute? 

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