1000 miles!

This week I hit the 1000 mile mark for the year! I don't really set firm mileage goals, but in my mind, I like to have 20 miles per week of running, with the ultimate goal of 1000 for the year. I only have data back to 2014, but in the 11 years I've been tracking my runs on my Garmin, I've hit the 1000 mile mark 7 times. 2021 was the year I broke my ankle and foot, and I took almost 3 months off running. 2019 was another off year. I had to scroll back to my year-end recap to remind myself of the prolonged RA flare I had after receiving the shingles vaccine. 2016 was oh-so-close with 973 miles despite dealing with plantar fasciitis and receiving my diagnosis of RA. 

Will I hit 1000 miles in 2025? How much longer will this body let me push myself? I'll just keep lacing up and let it play out...

Weekly Rundown

Sunday: run 6.25 miles with Coco

Monday: CrossFit

Tuesday: Fluid Running

Wednesday: trail run 8.6 miles

Thursday: CrossFit

Friday: treadmill run 6 miles

Saturday: yoga

No excuses! After all these years of being blogger friends, Coco and I finally met IRL and ran together along the Chicago Riverwalk and lakefront. The cold weather was gone and we enjoyed sunshine and mild temperatures. It's like the weather gods knew we needed a perfect day. We chatted the whole time and Coco indulged me by stopping for lots of photos. Because when you run in a scenic city with an old friend, that is what you do! And guess where we went for coffee afterward?

This was a deload week at CrossFit, meaning our lifts are 45-60% of our 2 RMs to prepare us for maxing out next week. Monday was deadlift day and I loaded up the bar with 115# and did 4 sets of four. It was a great opportunity to focus on form! The MetCon was a 15 minute AMRAP of 15 cal on the bike, 2 laps of heavy ball carry ( I used a not so heavy 30#), and 10 ball over shoulders. I finished with 5 full rounds and started round 6 with 12 cal on the bike when time was called.

The weather forecast for Wednesday predicted increasing winds and falling temperatures so I decided to get an early start on my run. I was out the door by 7:30 and on the trails shortly after that. It was 28F but it felt much colder, probably because there was no sun. I dressed accordingly, but when I got to the trailhead, I realized I forgot my gloves. DOH! Always prepared, I had a pair of dollar store gloves in my car. I made my way around to the woods where the deer hang out and sure enough, there was a mama and 3 young ones. They were gracious enough to let me take photos. I headed across the street to the other section of the preserve, but not before seeing more deer running in the distance. I love watching them bound through the woods. 

It was really quiet in the preserve--I only saw a few other hardy folks on the trails. I did see a lot of mushrooms, which I found unusual for this time of year. I chalked it up to the warm weather we had over the previous couple of days. I spent most of this portion of my run on the trails that line the creek. There are a lot of downed trees across these trails and it was a good agility workout as I did my best to leap over them all while I ran. I only fell once and that wasn't even when I was running. I swear that tree limb purposely threw itself in front of me as I was walking. No harm done! What a fun, beautiful morning on the trails.

Our deload week continued at CrossFit with bench presses, 4 sets of 4 at 45-60%. My partner and I pushed it to 60# and worked on our form. The MetCon was 4 rounds x 3 minutes of 150m rowing, 10 box jumps, and 12 v-ups (I subbed atomic situps). I finished the first round in 1:50 and the final 3 rounds in 1:39. I love that consistency! 

When I woke up Friday morning, it was bitterly cold, with a temperature of 4F and a wind chill of -7F. Because I didn't relish running in the dark in these temperatures, I made the difficult decision to run on my treadmill. I struggled with the first 3 miles--my stomach was not cooperating and I was grateful for having a warm bathroom!. I wondered if this would have happened on my outdoor run? Anyhoo, by mile 4 I was fine and I finished the last 3 miles without stopping. To entertain and motivate myself, I listened and sang to my favorite guilty pleasures playlist. Nickelback, anyone?

Off the Road

Believe it or not, my hubs returned to work on Friday! He really turned the corner mid-week and was feeling much better. He's still a little stiff and sore but off the pain meds. Mr Grumpy Pants is gone and my hubs is back. I'm truly amazed by his recovery after a major back surgery. Minimally invasive procedures are the way to go!

Speaking of the hubs, he drove up to the lake on Saturday to check on the house. I stayed home because the weather looked dicey and I had a lot of holiday prep to do. I did take time out to meet my sons and my soon-to-be daughter-in-law in the city for lunch! Always a treat!

I received my Mammoth Challenge finisher's patch from the Ice Age Trail Alliance! This was my 4th year completing the challenge and I'm already looking forward to next year. I'm so grateful for these trails. 

I received some exciting work-related news this week-I was accepted to join the ICAAP (Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics) Mental Health Advisory Group. For a nurse practitioner, this is a huge honor from this physician group. My role will be to assist other primary care providers across the state in providing mental health care to children in their practices. I'm excited and nervous about the opportunity. And to think that last year I was considering retirement! It's not time yet...

How was your week? Have you been experiencing bitterly cold weather? How low is too low for you to run outside? Treadmill--love it or loathe it? How do you entertain yourself on the treadmill?

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