Looking for Color

It's finally real fall here--the kind of fall we are accustomed to. Not that our recent conditions were fake fall, but all that color, bright sunshine, and warm temperatures aren't what we Midwesterners expect for November. Heck, there are still leaves on some of the trees! I loved our unusually long stretch of gorgeous weather, which mades the arrival of 'normal' a little jarring. I made the most of it this week by wearing brightly colored gear or as I like to say, bringing my own sunshine. 

This week also brought me to my knees, literally, with a full-blown RA flare. A few weeks ago, I received the Covid vaccine and had a very strong response to it, lasting for a couple of days. The body aches subsided, but my joints continued to ache. This week, I struggled with my runs, feeling fatigued and needing to stop frequently to walk. I finally gave in and called my rheumatologist for steroids. It's been a while since I've needed those, but I am feeling better. Friday's run wasn't quite so painful and I could breathe, which let me fly freely. 

Here's to hoping for better days ahead!

Weekly Rundown

Sunday: Ice Age Trail run 7 miles/1100 fr

Monday: CrossFit

Tuesday: Fluid Running

Wednesday: trail run 5 miles

Thursday: unscheduled rest day

Friday: run 6 miles

Saturday: yoga/work

On Sunday, we were still up at the lake and I decided to run at the Gibraltar Segment of the Ice Age Trail. Rain was in the forecast, but it looked like there was a window between rain events, so I laced up early and drove to the trailhead. I was the only person on the rock, which was really nice! The sky was hazy and overcast. I was surprised to see so much color on the trail. I also saw a lot of fun mushrooms, several species I hadn't seen before. I used the Seek app to identify and add them to my database. I'm full-on nerd now, lol. 

Overall, the trail was quiet this morning, except for a few squirrels. No wind and some fog added to the ambiance. I'm so grateful for these trails. 

After a deload week, on Monday, it was back to heavy lifting at CrossFit! For the strength portion, we had to do 5 sets of 3 RM. The last time I did back squats, I hit 130# for my final 3RM, so that is what I did for my 5 sets. They got heavy in a hurry. I didn't need a spotter this time, which was great for my confidence, but when we do them again and I challenge myself, I will not hesitate to ask. The MetCon was 100 slam balls for time. I broke mine up into sets of 25 using a 20# ball and finished in 4:47 minutes.

On Wednesday, it was back to my local preserve for some single track. I decided not to look for the bucks in the east portion this week, but I hoped to find some deer on the west side. As soon as I parked my car, I saw 2 little guys frolicking in the field adjacent to the woods. But when they saw me, they ran into the woods and that was that! My knees were bothering me--thanks, RA-- so I took this one slow. There wasn't a lot of color, with the exception of my shirt, but it was peaceful, which was exactly what I needed!

I spent an unscheduled rest day on the couch on Thursday, waiting for this RA flare to calm down. I woke up Friday morning still achy but not nearly as bad. I headed out into the dark towards the bike path wearing my Noxgear vest and a bright yellow top. It was cloudy and I had to bring my own sunshine. I was amazed at how easy my breathing felt compared to early in the week. My legs felt light and I flew down the path. I always joke that steroids give me wings; that is exactly what happened on Friday. 

Something different...

Have you tried the Chat GPT app? It's free and can be used to help with writing or to create images, with uneven results. This past week, one of my Brooks teammates posted a muppet version of herself, running a marathon. She invited all of us to try and the results were entertaining! 

Here's mine:

How was your week? Is anyone else stuck in the gray of fall? How do you perk yourself up in the dark days of winter? Have you tried Chat GPT? 

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