Getting it Done

I wrapped up October with the completion of the Mammoth Trail Challenge on the Ice Age Trail. I also finished this month with over 100 miles running! While I might be slowing down, I'm still putting in the work and getting it done. I love nothing more than to run and the trails have reignited my desire to go the distance, on my own terms. 

I'm trying to decide what's next. 

Weekly Rundown:

Sunday: Ice Age Trail Run 8.75 miles

Monday: CrossFit

Tuesday: Fluid Running

Wednesday: Trail run 7.35 miles

Thursday: CrossFit 

Friday: run 6 miles

Saturday: rest

October miles: 102

We were up at the lake last weekend and I was excited to wrap up the Mammoth Trail Challenge on my favorite segment, the Lodi Marsh Segment. I was up and out the door as the sun was rising; the temperature was 27F. It didn't feel that cold! The sky had such a pretty glow and the reflection on the Lodi hills reminded me of those California desert sunrises on the mountains. I had the trail to myself except for some hunters in the fields. I didn't think I'd see a lot worth photographing, but I found myself stopping multiple times to capture things I spotted.

I felt surprisingly strong--the cool weather helped me push my pace. I finished up in the actual marsh--no marigolds this time of year, but there was lots of color! As I was finishing my run, a hiker stopped me and we chatted for a few minutes. Her goal, at 72 years old, is to complete the entire 1200 miles of the trail. Inspiration is everywhere, isn't it?

Monday was deadlift day at CrossFit! We worked on 2RMs, and I built to 195#/88kg, a PR for me. This surprised me, as I haven't been doing much heavy lifting since last spring. I credit the trails in Wisconsin for keeping my glutes fired up! The MetCon was a 12 minute E3mom of 20 wall balls, 50 double unders (I did singles), and 20 abmat situps. It took me about 2 minutes for each round, giving me a 1 minute rest between rounds. 

On Wednesday morning, I was about a mile in, happily running the trails and crunching through all the leaves, enjoying the warm weather. Life was good! And then I found myself catching my toe on a hidden object beneath the leaves, unable to stop myself, and landing on the dirt, hard. Ooof. It took me a moment to gather myself before I pushed up off the ground and surveyed the damage. My left forearm was pretty torn up and my thumb hurt, but other than that, I was ok. I dusted myself off, shook off the incident, and cautiously resumed my run. 

The trees were shedding their leaves and the colors I saw last week were faded. I did see a mama doe and her twin fawns running through the woods. Other than these fun mushrooms--I had never seen them before--it looks like we're heading into the brown season. 

I woke up on Thursday feeling pretty sore and my left thumb was swollen, but after looking at the WOD, I was excited to go. It was a Halloween MetCon for time: 800m run, then 5 rounds of 12 pull-ups (I subbed ring rows), 16 alternating arm dumbbell snatches (my left thumb wouldn't tolerate anything heavy, so I used a 12# dumbbell), and 12 box step ups holding the dumbbell. After 5 rounds, there was another 800m run. As you might expect, this got harder as it went and by the last 2 rounds, I was grateful for the lighter dumbbell! Running saved me in this one--coach said it should take 20-30 minutes, and I finished in 23:53, 2d in the class. I'm so glad I went!

I headed out into the dark early Friday morning for my weekly bike path run. Compared to what we've been experiencing, it was pretty cool, but cool mornings bring fast runs! This 6 miler surprised me again, but I credit those Glycerin Maxes for bringing me another speedy 6 miles, with my fastest 2 miles at the end. Not bad for an old runner, right? I do love that feeling of flying!

Off the Road

To successfully complete the Mammoth Challenge, participants had to hike (I ran) 44 miles on the trails and visit 3 trail towns. We go to Lodi all the time and we visited Verona last Saturday. On Sunday we went to Baraboo and had lunch at Driftless Glen Distillery. I normally drink wine and beer but decided to try a Pumpkin Spice cocktail made with rye whiskey. It was good! The hubs had a rye old-fashioned. The food was really good too! We also stopped at an apple orchard (Sky Hi) to get some apples to take home. Driving around the area was a treat. Midwesterners never take this time of year for granted. This fall has been exceptional.

We originally had plans to go back up to the lake this weekend, but with impending rain up in Wisconsin, we opted to stay home. I didn't mind at all, actually. I tackled my to-do list. I got my Covid vaccine--this was number 7--with no plans, I was free to react to the vaccine like I always do, lol. That didn't happen until the middle of the night--ugh. 

The kids are coming over for dinner on Sunday and I'm excited about that!

How was your week? What challenges do you have planned for November? Are you ready for the time change?

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