Sunday, May 19, 2024

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. 






26 comments :

  1. I always wanted to do the Indy race when my kids were at IU but the timing never seemed to work out for me. Supposed to be a fun one. RA flare or not-there is no stopping you! Way to go on that time trial.Finishing a tough race feeling empowered is the best feeling ever. Congrats on a tough race

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    1. Thank you!!! That trail has tried twice to break me and both times, it came close. That is one tough challenge!

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  2. Congratulations!!!!!! That sounds like a tough, but fun, race and I can't wait to hear the recap. Sounds like you had a pretty great week overall. Your trail runs look so, so beautiful, and great job on the mile! Also, I would definitely say you won the mom lottery, and last but not least- Cocoa! She looks SO HAPPY in that photo! She's obviously recovered and feeling great. Yay!

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    1. I don't think I've ever seen Cocoa so happy in all the years we've had her!

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  3. I ran the Indy Full Marathon and yes, it's flat and fast, meaning no hills. Other than a shortage of potties at the start, I have all good things to say. Have fun! Glad Cocoa is back to her happy self! Way to push through a tough race. It was definitely toasty yesterday.

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  4. Yay for Cocoa!!! Like with our human kids, we don't like seeing our sweet fur kids in any kind of discomfort, and it's always so nice to see them happy and playful ;-) As for the tough trail race, you gritted it out and finished. I have learned (as you eluded) to appreciate & celebrate that feeling of empowerment instead of dwelling on any struggles of getting to the finish line. Our bodies CAN do hard things!

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  5. What a fabulous week! You look so happy on that photo with your sons!
    We've never done a mile time trial, but it sounds like a great idea. I love how motivated you are to get a sub-8 minute next time - you can definitely do it with a bit of speed training.
    And congrats on the race! Sounds like a really tough race, but you can do hard things! It seems that the distance was longer than a half, though - did that bother anyone?

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    1. No--it seems that with trail races, the distance is a little 'fluid'. Last year when I ran the 15 miler in Leadville, it turned out to actually be 15.9 miles. The only thing i don't like about that is the race calculated my splits based on the 15 mile distance. Didn't make sense to me and I went by my Garmin time.

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  6. Congrats!!! What a great week - love all the photos. How fun with your sons!! Isn't it great to have a goal for next time? Sub-8 would be amazing (and out of my reach) - but I know you can do it!

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    1. I'm sure sub 8 is in your wheelhouse--you run a lot more than I do!

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  7. I'm so glad you felt empowered after the race, despite your finish time wasn’t what you hoped - because you should! Finishing a hard hilly trail race is a great achievement. That’s lovely news about the Indianapolis half marathon too.
    That’s such a beautiful photo of you and your sons! And just wow about wild hyacinths! The scent must have been amazing.
    I just found your comment from last week in my spam folder! I’m so sorry I didn’t see it until now.

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    1. I'm so glad you found me! Word Press likes to send me to spam, so if you don't see a comment from me, please look there!

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  8. Your Mother's Day morning run on the trails at the preserve sounds delightful. The field of wild hyacinths is beautiful and I bet it smelled so good. Congratulations on finishing your very tough trail race yesterday. I hope you're enjoying a nice and relaxing day today.

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    1. I took a nice walk on one of the trails this morning. I'm feeling pretty good, just very tired!

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  9. Oh, Cocoa looks so happy! So great to see!
    Congrats on your tough race — and you did win the Mother’s Day jackpot!

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    1. Even though these boys have given me all my gray hairs, yes, I feel pretty lucky!

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  10. Awww, adorable pic of Cocoa! I'm so glad everything turned out well. That sounds like a wonderful Mother's Day. So cool you are heading to the Indy race! The weather should be good for that. Congrats on your trail race. Way to be strong!

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  11. Lovely work this week and well done on your trail race. I'm sure the disappointment will settle, it looks like you did an excellent job on a technical and hard course! (LyzzyBee)

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    1. Thank you so much! Yes, I'm feeling better about it today, lol

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  12. You are tough... trail races still scare me. So congrats for finishing!!

    I ran a half on Saturday... each one feels harder and I get slower. But I did it so I'm focusing on that.

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  13. Congratulations all around Wendy! On the 1 mile time trial, the trail run, all the things! I ran the Monumental full in 2019- it was my fastest marathon post-broken leg. It's a really flat fast course with good weather and easy logistics. Not sure if my old recap would be helpful to you but its on the blog!

    Aww, sweet pup. I'm so glad she's doing well! She is a well loved dog.

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    1. I've had multiple friends PR and BQ on that course! I'll be running the half. I'm looking forward to it!

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