Saturday, June 1, 2024

What A Week!

I was home this week to work on continuing education. In the past, I would travel to attend an in-person conference, but my CME allowance has been cut substantially. My pediatric nurse practitioner professional organization allows members to attend their annual conference virtually, so I did that, which was a much more affordable option. The conference content didn't disappoint and I was able to obtain over 20 CME hours. I even spent one of the days sitting outside on my deck while watching lectures--it sure beats sitting in a conference hall! I also liked scheduling my sessions around my workouts. 

My week wasn't without some bumps in the road, though. On Sunday, I was scratching an itch behind my ear and felt a sharp pain. I asked my hubs to look at it and he told me it was a pimple. I had him snap a photo and sure enough, I had a tick bite behind my ear. I didn't see a tick in the lesion--hopefully, I dislodged it when I scratched it. Just to be safe, on Monday, I contacted one of my partners at work and asked her to call in an antibiotic for Lyme disease prophylaxis. The area behind my ear hurt for several days and it was a good reminder that I need to apply repellant not only to my arms and legs but also to my neck and behind my ears. And to wear a hat!

On Friday, I drove my parents downtown to Northwestern University Medical Center so my dad could see a neuro-ophthalmologist. A few weeks ago, he woke up in the middle of the night with a sharp pain on the left side of his head. The next morning, he had double vision. I sent him to the ER, where they did a CT scan and an MRI, which showed no pathology. Since he's still been having issues, his local neurologist recommended he see the specialist. The good news is that he said my dad didn't have a stroke and that the double vision should resolve soon. I'm so glad for the positive diagnosis. We were stuck in heavy traffic both in and out of the city, which gave us a lot of time to catch up. It was nice to spend the day with them.

Weekly Rundown
Sunday: yoga with Adriene
Monday: run 7.5 miles
Tuesday: CrossFit
Wednesday: trail run 6 miles
Thursday: CrossFit with 400m sprints!
Friday: run 6 miles
Saturday:

May miles: 100!

Sunday was a washout. Literally. It rained all day. So when I headed to the trails on Monday, I knew it was going to be muddy and wore my gore-tex Cascadias. My legs were still very sore from Saturday's Murph workout, so this was a slow go around the preserve. No fawn sightings, but the deer were out! I kept seeing the same pair all over the preserve. If I didn't know better, I would have thought they were following me. I also enjoyed lots of wildflowers, some interesting mushrooms, the sandhill crane couple, and a snapping turtle sitting on her eggs on the trail. Poor thing--all that work and I don't think her eggs will survive where she put them. 



I just love when they throw random lifts into the WOD! On Tuesday, we did power cleans. The strength portion of the WOD had us doing 20 power cleans every 30 seconds for 10 minutes at 65-75%. I built to 75# but I probably could have gone heavier. The MetCon was a 12 minute AMRAP of 12 medball GHD situps (I did regular situps), 100m medball carry, and 12 wallballs. i chose a 10# wall ball, which enabled me to run with the ball on my shoulder. I finished 5 full rounds plus an additional set of situps. I arrived early for class and worked on my toes to bar movements. 


More mud and water was the theme for Wednesday's trail run. Ugh. This was a slog because I didn't want to get my feet completely soaked. Going slow allowed me to soak up (pun intended) all the beauty around me. I saw a doe and her fawn! I couldn't get close though--mama was very watchful as they ran into the woods. I also saw the same pair of deer that I saw on Sunday. The male was pretty chuffed up as he stomped his front foot furiously and snorted at me. Geez and I wasn't even close! I also noticed little holes in the trails and realized it was from the cicadas who coated every piece of foliage along the trail. I could hear them singing loudly in spots, too. 



On Thursday at CrossFit, there was running in the WOD! The strength portion had us doing a 12 minute on the clock of 3-5 Dragon Flags, 15 seconds of plank flutter kicks (elbows on a box, legs kicking on a band stretched across the rig), and 100m run. I completed 3 rounds of this. The MetCon was Helen, 3 rounds for time of 400m run, 21 kettlebell swings (30#), and 12 pull-ups (I did them on the bands from the strength portion). I finished in 13:14. 


I'm not sure why but Friday's run on the bike path felt hard. Maybe it was the lack of sleep from the night before? The extra glass of wine I had? The anxiety I had about accompanying my parents to my upcoming dad's appointment downtown later in the day? Whatever it was, my legs felt heavy and my heart rate was high. I pushed through it because I wanted to hit 100 miles for the month and I needed the stress relief. 

Off the Road

We wrapped up the week at the lake on a very rainy Saturday. After lunch at one of the local brewpubs, we took it easy. It's my rest day, after all! We were treated to a sighting of a doe and her two fawns who took up residence in the backyard next door. Sorry for the not-so-great picture quality, but I couldn't get any closer without scaring her off.  Last year, we had a mama and her fawn--I'm not sure why they pick this backyard for their child rearing!


How was your week? Have you been experiencing a lot of rain? Have you ever been bit by a tick? Do you have any races coming up?

Coming up on Tuesday are my Mini Bood Reviews for May! Not only did I have a lot of miles, this month, I also read a lot of books!

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




32 comments :

  1. I’m so glad you got that tick and that your dad is ok. Did they have any idea of what caused his headache and double vision? That sounds scary.

    I love that you saw the time together in traffic as a positive. It’s hard to keep that perspective!

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    1. It was amazing how quickly the time passed with their company!

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  2. So glad that your dad is ok. My dad is having some issues as well and he is so stubborn! It’s hard to watch them age. That tic bite is scary! Glad you caught it. I’ve noticed that drinking even one glass of wine messes w my sleep and makes me feel yucky the next day.

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    1. I'm ok with a glass or two--but I may have refilled it a little too much, lol

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  3. Wow, so glad your dad is alright.
    I hardly drink anything anymore -- it does mess with my sleep and I just don't feel great the next day at all. It has to be a real occasion for me to imbibe these days.
    Great wildlife photos !! That turtle-- wow!

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  4. Yes, it does sound like quite a week! Glad your dad is okay- things like that are scary. I love the wildlife you see on your runs! Every once in a while I see a deer on my trail, but I've never seen babies. And yes- my sister has been telling me all about the cicadas! To answer your question, we have not had rain for a couple months now, and this is supposed to be our rainy season. Our grass is all brown. We keep waiting for it to start- I have a feeling that when it does, we're going to get dumped on for the rest of the summer. We'll see.

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    1. I'd be happy to share all the rain we've gotten here--and there's more predicted this week!

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  5. Hope the coming week is better for you and your Dad. Hats are very helpful with ticks falling from trees from my understanding.

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    1. At least wearing a hat will keep them off my scalp, but there's the whole rest of my body...

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  6. Yay for a positive diagnosis for your dad! Such a relief.
    In Europe they are dealing with heavy floods right now from all the rain. Cape Town will get its share of rain next week... so I can't dodge it!
    Nice job on working on those toes to bars! I should do that too. A little bit of work every week should pay off sometime in the future. Did you see any of the CF semi-finals this weekend!

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    1. I didn't see them--did you? Are you spending the summer (or should I say winter?) In SA?

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    2. I did see a bit of the semis - it was amazing!
      We'll be going home on 25 June. The weather has turned and it's rainy, dark and cold here. Time to go to Switzerland! :-)

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  7. That's good news on your dad's situation. We haven't had any major scares with my parents yet, but I fear that day is coming and it will definitely be an eye-opener. Knock wood, I've never had a tic bite, and I'm quite alright with that.

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  8. Glad you got the tick! I have a friend who got bitten on holiday in Mexico and, thanks to me seeing a film by Kathleen Hanna about her neurological Lyme disease, I suggested her subsequent weird symptoms were that and they were! We've had a bit of summer today, thankfully I took off down the shady canals. (LyzzyBee)

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    1. I've diagnosed a patient with Lyme disease when he came in with knee pain. It's nothing to mess with!

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  9. Did you have a beer at the Saturday lunch? I enjoyed a midday beer after our mountain biking last week and I was unproductive for about 3 hours afterwards. LOL!!! I told my family that is why I don't day drink. I didn't know there was a treatment you could get after a tick bite. Very good to know! I'm glad your Dad's diagnosis was good. I know that's a scary situation.

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    1. I did, lol! It was so tasty. And since it was a rainy day, I didn't need to be productive! LOL

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  10. Way to go on all those hours! That's nice that you had a virtual option. I'm so glad your Dad had a positive diagnosis. I'm sure you were sick with worry. I've never had a tick bite, although I'm pretty militant about tick checks if we are out in the woods. We have pulled a few off A after camping, but he's been ok. Love all the deer pictures. They are such sweet animals.

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    1. It was definitely a relief to get an answer for my Dad's symptoms!

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  11. Oh, how scary about your dad. I am glad to hear you'll be ok and that he didn't have a stroke!

    You see a lot of interesting wildlife on your runs, but I am sure you could have done without the tick. Eek!

    Congrats on 100 miles, that's great mileage!

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    1. Thanks! I've had 2 months over 100 miles this year so far! At this point in my life, I feel so much gratitude for what my body lets me do.

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  12. oh gosh, how scary about the tick Wendy! Glad you have access to the antibiotics. I assume if you take them right away, you can prevent any disease? The risk of all your outdoor time- good reminder on the bug spray! Knock on wood, ticks and mosquites aren't as prevalent in London, as we have our windows open 24/7 with no A/C...I couldn't do that in Mpls with the mosquitoes!

    Anyways, love all the wildlife pics! The fawn...so so cute!

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    1. I'm sure when you were in MN, ticks were a pretty big issue! They are really bad this year because we've had such warm winters--the freeze that usually kills them off hasn't happened. I am relieved to have found the bite!

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  13. Glad your dad is relatively OK.
    What a scare with the tick bite, glad there was no tick present. Friend found one yesterday and you're both a good reason to be mindful.
    Boo on budget cut. We've had some of that too and apparently we're expected to be magicians. Glad you could od virtually

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    1. I'm glad I got to spend the day with my parents. It was hard, but it was good.

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  14. Hope your Dad continues to improve.

    No on the tick bite (knock on wood.) Well, not that I know of.

    Not rainy lately but we may get some this week. Your weather usually heads this way.

    I may do a few 5k s this summer but nothing big until Aug 31.

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    1. It was really steamy today, but i was inside at work. Now we're waiting for storms.

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  15. It's good to hear that your dad is feeling better and has a relatively good diagnosis.

    We had a lot of rain for several weeks leading up to last week, but got a reprieve with beautiful weather.

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