Digging in and Getting it Done

Our week started out hot and ended up cool. But no matter what the weather, I was getting it done, really leaning into my runs and workouts for stress relief. In addition to the hubs' health issues that I shared last week, it was a really challenging week at work. Or maybe it just felt that way because I was pretty worn down from life. I'm really grateful that I have my fitness to lean into--nothing feels better than a good sweat!

Speaking of the hubs, he saw the spine specialist and will be having more testing done. It feels good to cross those appointments off the list. He's also going to physical therapy, which also seems to be helping. He hasn't fallen this week, which is good news. Hopefully, we're moving in the right direction.

Weekly Rundown:

Sunday: waterskiing

Monday: run 6 miles

Tuesday: Fluid Running

Wednesday: Trail run 6 miles

Thursday: CrossFit

Friday: run 6 miles

Saturday: rest/work

We were up at the lake on Sunday and I awoke feeling really out of sorts. Sad. I'm not sure why. Last week was A LOT--I think that was the reason. I didn't feel like going for a run and dealing with the heat, humidity, and insects. The lake was calm. I asked the hubs to take me skiing. It was 7 am and we pretty much had the bay to ourselves. When the water is calm, it takes much less effort to cut in and out of the wake. After I took a couple of loops around the bay, we drove around the lake. It was simply beautiful and peaceful. He drove to my favorite little bay and I skied again. The water was like glass. I didn't want to stop! He even took photos of me without me asking. I am smiling in every single one of them. What a great way to turn my frown upside down. 

Since I didn't run on Sunday, I planned to get out early Monday morning to beat the heat, but some storms rolled through, forcing me to wait. When I finally laced up, the humidity was oppressive. I was determined to get my 6 miles done, so I used 4:1 run/walk intervals, something I've used in the past when I was struggling with running. It was a good plan and while I didn't need extra walk intervals, my pace slowed down on the last couple of miles. I also stopped a few times for water. I ran around my neighborhood, which I hadn't done in a while. I was really proud of myself for getting this run done without bailing.

Wednesday was cooler and less humid. I couldn't wait to hit the trails. Trail running always makes me feel like a kid and I had a lot of fun on this run! I did a lot of leapfrogging over fallen tree trunks. I also tried to emulate the Olympic gymnastic athletes on some of those fallen trees. I struggled to walk on the trees, much less jump, lol. The mushroom game was strong. I saw a few deer too. Even though it was only 6 miles, I felt pretty tired when I finally wrapped up this run.

After a busy evening at work on Wednesday, I woke up Thursday feeling exhausted and unmotivated. I checked the WOD and saw running in the MetCon, so I pushed myself to go. The strength portion was a barbell complex, which I like. This one was interesting: back squat, back squat into a thruster, and an overhead squat. My challenge was going from a normal grip for the back squat into a wide grip for the overhead squat. I did this after the thruster and while the barbell was overhead. Eeeek! I kept the weight relatively light--55#--and I was really pleased that I could do this. The MetCon was Helen, 5 rounds of 400m run and 15 overhead squats. I did those overhead squats with an empty barbell. I finished in 14:36, second in the class!

It's hard! Coach was happy with it. 

It was 62F when I headed out for my run on the bike path on Friday morning. I wanted to catch the sunrise but just couldn't get myself out the door in time. No worries, my body loved the cooler weather and I got to the lake with time to catch the sun as it rose. This run was fun! My heart rate was slightly higher than I expected for such cool conditions, but I felt good and pushed it. The back half of the run was a little slower. Overall, though, I averaged 9:30 m/m, which made me very happy!

Off the road...

The hubs and I drove to the city on Monday night to take my youngest son out for a belated birthday dinner. He was in Saranac, NY for a rugby tournament on his birthday. We were joined by my oldest son and the birthday boy's girlfriend. My son's finance was working, sadly. We went to a restaurant called Chef's Special Cocktail Bar which has an Asian themed menu. The food was amazing and he was a happy boy! 

On Saturday, we went to a graduation party for my future daughter-in-law's sister, who graduated from college and will pursue a nursing career! This family is fun and yes, they brought back the mechanical bull. If you recall, they had it at her birthday party last year. The party was a lot of fun and we stayed later than we expected. 

I think this counts as a workout!

How was your week? Did you experience a dramatic weather change? Do you lean into your workouts to help you manage stress? What challenged you this week?

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