Don't Count Me Out!

This week was remarkable for our wild weather! We had terrible thunderstorms on Monday and Tuesday night--the sirens were blowing and while we didn't have a lot of damage, others around the area were not so lucky. By mid-week, the weather calmed down and we had some really pleasant conditions. I had to move my runs around to accommodate the conditions as well as some lingering soreness from a tough mid-week workout. I got it all done, though, and wrapped up the week with a really good run. At this point in my life, anytime I can finish a 10k in under an hour is a win.

What a way to make me feel like I'm still a runner!

Weekly Rundown:

Sunday: run 6.75 miles

Monday: Strength Training

Tuesday: Fluid Running

Wednesday: The Longest Mile

Thursday: trail run 6.75 miles

Friday: Yoga with Adriene

Saturday: run 6.2 miles

Oh dear. I woke up on Sunday morning very early--before 5 am--to the sound of thunder rumbling. We were up at the lake and the bedroom windows were open since there's no AC. I tried to go back to sleep but gave up once the wind started blowing. When it was over, we received close to 2 inches of rain. I had planned a trail run for that morning, but I'm pretty sure they were a mess. I laced up my road shoes and ran my route along the lake. I took it slow and used walk breaks for the hills. With the cooler temperatures, this run felt pretty good! I had no issues with my heart rate and felt like I could have gone farther! I even saw a few deer out feeding on the foliage. Initially, when I saw the one in the photo below, I thought it was a lawn ornament, lol!

On Monday, I was up and out the door early for CrossFit. I decided to do strength work in the back of the gym instead of the WOD. I repeated that posterior chain hypertrophy workout I've done a couple times this summer: 4 sets of 6-8 DB deadlifts alt with sumo squats. I used 25# DB in each hand for both lifts. I did 8 reps for the first set, increasing by 5 reps with each set as prescribed. Ouch. The second set consisted of 4 sets of 10 leg curls on a ball alternating with goblet squats (25#) with heels on a plate. The third set  was walking lunge steps 3 sets x 20m holding 2 DBs (15#) alternating with banded side steps 3 x 20m. Ouch again. 

This week's summer challenge workout from CrossFit was the longest mile. The workout consisted of 400m each of broad jump burpees, walking lunges, bear crawls, and running. I decided to take it to the track today, figuring it would make it easier for me to keep it honest. Ok, keeping it honest, let me tell you this was way harder than I expected. I allowed myself a few steps between the burpees and the bear crawls--otherwise, I would have been there all day. Plus my hands would have been raw from the pavement. I finished in 46:07, which felt respectable. 

As you might imagine, I woke up Thursday in a world of hurt after Wednesday's workout. My quads, ankles, and calves were really angry with me. My hands were sore as well. Since the weather was perfect, I thought an easy run on the trails would be ok. And it was. I took it slow, with a lot of walk breaks--there was a lot of mud and downed trees, so I actually didn't have a choice. I saw a few deer, including mama and her twins. I also spotted a total of 4 of those pink flamingos that have popped up in various locations over the past couple of years. 

I was still feeling some pretty significant soreness on Friday so I pushed my run to Saturday, doing a 45 minute yoga for flexibility class with Adriene. I felt like a new woman! My legs felt loose and happy when I headed out to run on Saturday. I haven't had a run that felt this good for a long time. I was passed by a couple running slightly faster than me and on the way back, they caught me taking a selfie! Or should I say I caught them? 

This photo made me laugh when I saw it! Not only did it catch the couple running through, but the proportions are off. Check out my freakishly tiny feet, lol

Good News!

On Monday, I had my annual mammogram and breast ultrasound, as well as my biannual DEXA scan. I received good news all around--my mammogram and ultrasounds were normal. While the DEXA scan shows that I have osteopenia, my scores were unchanged from 2 years ago. That's great news--it means that what I'm doing is helping keep my bones from demineralizing. 

I've had quite a few mammograms and while having my breasts squished between two plates is not my favorite thing, I've never had one that hurt until this one. I had a biopsy a few years ago and the radiologist left a clip in my left breast to easily identify the area of concern. The tech was so determined to get it on the x-ray that she literally left bruises on my chest wall while manipulating my breast between the plates. Oh mylanta. I didn't cry, but I was close. 

After the mammogram. I was so happy to be done.

How was your week? Did you have wild weather? Were you forced to change your workouts around? What's your favorite way to recover? When was your last mammogram?

I'm off work all week--yay! and I've got some fun things planned. Be sure to check my IG to see what's happening!

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