I wanted to title this post 'Getting Lost in the Midst of Chaos', but that seemed kind of dramatic. Life has been overwhelming lately and things have escalated since last week's post. Regarding my parents, it feels as if my sister opened Pandora's box, although I suppose it had to happen. My parents are resistant to the Care Manager my sister brought in and we are struggling with that. Clearly, they need constant help, but they don't see it. I don't even know if the care manager will be enough. In addition, we've been sorting out our roles in light of having the care manager and trying to determine if she's the right person for our family. It's involved a lot of back-and-forth via emails and texts. It's been a lot.
The other issue is my husband's health. We saw the spine surgeon on Thursday and surgery is scheduled for December 4. It will be an outpatient procedure at Rush Medical Center in Chicago. He will have a 'clean-out' of 3 lumbar vertebrae to release pressure on the spinal cord. It amazes me that this can be done outpatient! But before then, he has to see a knee specialist to determine if that needs to be fixed first.
With all that is going on, I leaned on running to help keep me sane. It's been my go-to for years. The heavy strength training we're doing at CrossFit was also a great outlet for me.
Weekly Rundown:
Sunday: volunteered at the Chicago Marathon
Monday: CrossFit
Tuesday: Fluid Running
Wednesday: Deer Grove Trails 8 miles
Thursday: CrossFit
Friday: run 6 miles
Saturday: rest
Early Sunday morning, I drove downtown with my Trail Sisters to work the first aid station at the Chicago Marathon. We arrived before 5 am to check in and set up the water we would be handing out on the course. Shortly before 7:30, the wheelchair athletes whizzed by, followed by the elite athletes. I spotted one woman in the men's pack, but...spoiler alert... she wasn't the winner. The rest of the pack followed the athletes. Reflections on handing water to marathoners: the lead runners were focused and didn't care if they completely knocked the cup out of our hands or splashed us (which is why you want to avoid volunteering at the Gatorade table!). As the pace slowed, the runners became more polite, many pointing to the volunteer they planned to accept water from and thanking us. The back of the pack is definitely the party--many were walking and just having fun.
I really enjoyed seeing the marathon from this perspective. It was dizzying trying to scan the crowd for familiar faces. With 52,00+ runners on the course, it was no surprise that I didn't see anyone I knew. Within 2 hours or so, it was done, the last runner gone through. The cleanup was as well organized as the race and we were on the road home about a half hour after that. We wanted to stay, but having gotten up so early, everyone was tired. And FYI, we were told that there were over 10,000 volunteers on the course!
We received a really nice jacket and hat to wear on the course, which we got to keep. What a great experience! BTW, did you hear the woman's runner, Ruth Chepngetich broke the woman's world marathon record at 2:09:56? It was a perfect day for a marathon, for PRs, and for record-breaking finishes!
At CrossFit, the strength cycle continues! On Monday we had 3RM back squats for the strength portion. As you know I have squatphobia, especially when doing heavy back squats. I worked with a partner on these--she is new to squatting heavy, so it was fun to help her get comfortable with it. I built to 125#, but on the last round, I decided to increase to 130#. I asked for spotting and the coach and my partner stood by my side, ready to catch the barbell if I needed. Well, I didn't--and it felt so good that I probably could have gone higher! Considering that my most recent 1 RM was 140#, this is very encouraging! I'm looking forward to challenging that number as we progress! The MetCon was for time with a 10 minute cap: 4-8-12-16-20 push-ups and single arm dumbbell cleans, with a 100m run after each round. There were no more 20# dumbbells left, so I used 15#. I am proud to share that I completed this entire workout at exactly 10 minutes!!!
On Wednesday I decided to keep it local and take my shoes to my home trails. Besides everything else that's going on, my car is in the shop and I'm driving my youngest son's car. He reassures me that the car is working well but it's so loud that it attracts attention! I couldn't imagine driving the 90 minutes up to the trails in Wisconsin, so I postponed my Ice Age Trail Run to the weekend.
Anyhoo, it was 38 degrees when I started my run. I was wearing long pants and long sleeves and was able to dive deeper into the woods without fear of being attacked by the buckthorn. We're still not at peak fall colors, but I found lots to take in. I saw lots of deer, including one leaping through the woods. I love seeing that! I finished up feeling much calmer than when I started, which was the goal I hoped to achieve with this run.
Thursday's CrossFit was a lot of shoulder work. The strength portion had us working on bar muscle ups and snatches, building for the MetCon. I don't have bar muscle-ups, so I worked on jumping from a box, doing chest-to-bar movements. We did an extensive shoulder warm-up for the full snatches and I built to 35# for the MetCon. The MetCon was 5 rounds for time of 9 calories on the bike, 6 BMU/progression, and 3 full snatches at 70%. Full snatches are from the floor to overhead and into a full overhead squat. They weren't pretty, but I did ok!
On Friday morning, I was out the door in the dark to catch the hunter's moon and the sunrise. I thought I had timed it perfectly, but actually, I was too early for both. Who knew? The full moon was bright but high in the sky and photographing it was a challenge. After the turnaround at the library, I sprinted back to the lake and waited for the sunrise. And waited. I finally had to head home to get ready for work. And wouldn't you know it, when I got closer to home, the elusive big orange ball peeked at me between the tree branches. I can't complain though. I had perfect conditions for a nicely paced run!
Off the road...
You may or may not have seen Brooks' announcement about their partnership with RunDisney. You may or may not have seen the application for the 2025 Brooks Running Collective Team, which opened this week. Brooks is changing the team structure and while I don't know all the details, I do know that those of us who have been team members for 3+ years are no longer eligible to apply. In addition, we were told that the team will be much smaller, team members need to have over 2000 followers on IG or TikTok, and that in 2025, Brooks will focus more on TikTok than IG.
This news came as a shock to all of us--it felt abrupt and sudden and was clearly timed to be announced with the RunDisney partnership. I am grateful for my time as a BRC member and all that came with it. Brooks certainly treated us well and this was an ambassadorship like no other. I made many new friends and had experiences I wouldn't have had otherwise. Thanks to Brooks' generosity, I have so many pairs of road shoes that it's likely I won't have ever buy another pair. Too bad I'm spending most of my time on the trails now!
On Saturday, we attended my great-nephew's baptism in the city. My parents met us at my house and we drove them to the church. It was a beautiful day to be in the city. After the ceremony, we walked to a local Irish pub for lunch and a pint. What a fun day!
How was your week? What's your favorite way to work off stress? Have you ever volunteered at a big race? Are you enjoying fall? I'm hoping to find some fall colors today--check out my IG later today to see if I did!
Sorry to read that you are having so much stress with your parents. So many of us are going through issues with aging parents right now. It’s interesting how our chats on our group runs have really moved from talking about our kids to talking about our parents. Sounds like it’s a good thing that your husband will be having his surgery soon and will hopefully be feeling better by the end of the year. Our time at Brooks was really special and I will miss it too!
ReplyDeleteI feel more settled today--last week was a lot. We're meeting with the care manager via zoom today, so hopefully we can settle on a plan.
DeleteI watched the marathon on TV so got to see Ruth break the world record. Amazing! Years ago, I volunteered at the NYC marathon, and that was fun.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the stress with your parents. Yes, it's so hard. And your poor husband. I hope the surgery goes ahead as scheduled and he can get some relief. In the meantime... trail running is the best stress relief that I know of! Oh, and I have squat-phobia as well. You're inspiring me!
Having spotters helped a LOT!
DeleteI’m so sorry about the struggles with your parents. It’s so hard!
ReplyDeleteI’m glad your husband has his surgery scheduled but that sounds stressful too. Is there time to “fix” his knee between now and then?
It looks like you had a great time volunteering. I’ve never been an official water station volunteer, but my MRTT groups hands out cups of Coke and candy at MCM. I think official volunteers are advised to wear rain gear for reasons you noted!
It depends on what's wrong with the knee. I truly think it's the back that will be the priority.
DeleteOh, volunteering at the Chicago Marathon sounds so exciting!! At what kilometre/mile was that first aid station?
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday at my marathon, I found that calling out what I wanted to drink before I got to the table was very helpful. The volunteers immediately pointed me to the right person who sprang into action. They were amazing! It makes such a difference if someone hands you the cup firmly in your hands.
That's a lot on your plate, Wendy. But you've got this - running and Crossfit will see you through all the turmoil.
The aid station was at 1.6 miles/2.6 km. I was surprised at how many runners were taking water!
DeleteI've volunteered at marathons but not the big ones. If I lived in nYC, I would love to volunteer. Quite an experience.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to your hubby, hope his medical issues can be solved without a lot of pain.
Running is my stress reliever and I get stressed when I cannot fit in runs.
My hubs is very stoic so I have no doubt he will do well.
DeleteOh, that really sounds like a lot to deal with right now. Good for you that you have running and the gym - they're both such good stress relievers. When I'm stressed it works wonders going for a long walk or lift some heavy weights.
ReplyDeleteI hope all goes well for your husband and that the surgery is a success. And I wish you the best with your parents situation.
Great work with those squats!!!
I have been leaning into CrossFit more than I used to and it is a great stress reliever, along with running.
DeleteYour great nephew is so cute!! Hoping you can get some runs in-- they always help me deal with my stress. Whether it's from the endorphins or the time alone with my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteMy trail run this morning pretty much wiped the stress away!
DeleteI can only imagine how fun the Chicago Marathon was from a volunteer’s perspective. I’ve noticed similar things near the finish line (in Des Moines, that is)…the fast runners are so focused on the finish line, they’re oblivious to any (and all) cheers. But the mid-pack runners (and slower) are grateful for every word or high-5 :-)
ReplyDeleteSince we were at the first aid station, people were zipping by--there was no time for even a word of encouragement!
DeleteI'm so sorry about your parents. If it helps, my MIL has already run one carer off and is not keen on having the new one (who has been great) back after she took some sick days to have an operation. She constantly says she can manage. It's so distressing and it's so easy to fall out over it. I wish you all strength and wisdom. And good luck to hubby of course. I did feel awful when I had health issues last year while Matthew was dealing with parent stuff. And Brooks, that's a bit rude, though I suppose they need to get their value for money. You have done a great job as their ambassador.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a lot to deal with! And the saga continues...
DeleteOh, what a cutie pie your great nephew is!! Those eyes! Sorry to hear about all of the health and family stuff going on (and your car too!). It's a heavy mental load for sure. Glad the workouts are helping you manage. Your volunteer gig at Chicago looks like a lot of fun. I do help at a lot of races but nothing as big as Chicago!
ReplyDeleteIt was a very chllenging week--I'm grateful for all my distractions to keep things balanced.
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