All Over the Place

This week, the weather and my emotions were all over the place. We went from the deep freeze to false spring and back again. The wind was blowing with a vengeance. The conditions made for some interesting runs. I leaned into my runs for emotional support this week as well. I'm always grateful for movement that makes me feel better, physically and emotionally.

Weekly Rundown:

Sunday: Ice Age Trail run 6 miles/900 ft climbing

Monday: CrossFit/Strength Training

Tuesday: Fluid Running

Wednesday: Trail run 7.25 miles

Thursday: CrossFit/Strength Training

Friday: run 6 miles

Saturday: Yoga with Adriene

If a run feels extra hard, shouldn't it count for extra miles? That was the question I had as I reflected on Sunday's run on the Lodi Marsh segment of the Ice Age Trail. I was so excited to run there. I expected the trails to be snow-packed and anticipated a pleasant out and back of about 8-ish miles through both portions. I parked my car at the trailhead and made my way up the first hill before I picked up my shoes and began to run. I should have let that climb be my first clue--while the snow was somewhat packed down, there were a lot of deep footprints, which made for uneven footing. The rest of the trail was no different and it made for a slow, frustrating trek. It reminded me of running on the beach. I wished I had brought my trekking poles to give me a little stability on some of the more treacherous sections. I returned to my car at 6 miles and called it a day. That was one of the hardest runs I've done in a while. My Oura ring gave me credit for 14.7 miles of walking, equivalent to 17,700 steps for the day. I'll take it! 

Week 4/4 of the second set of strength workouts was a repeat of the last 2 Mondays. The goal was again to build from last week. We had the same movements to do in 3 sets in 40 seconds or less:

Set 1: pick a weight in which we'd hit failure in 8-12 reps 

Set 2: drop the weight and complete 8-12 reps to failure 

Set 3: drop the weight and complete 8-12 reps to failure. 

This week, I attempted to go heavier on the lunges. I failed on the first set--SJ had to lift the bar off my back because I couldn't stand back up lol. The rest of the sets went well. Amazing what a difference 5# can make! I also increased the weight on the barbell rows--these felt so good, I probably could have gone heavier.

 

Movement 1: Dumbbell deadlifts 60#, 55#, 50# 

Movement 2: Barbell backward lunges  75#, 70#, 65#

Movement 3: Dumbbell strict press: 25#, 20#, 15# (all strict press; I had to give myself a little assist with the 25# on the left last couple of reps)

Movement 4: Bent over barbell rows: 75#, 70#, 65# 

We finished with 5 :20 sprints on the assault bike.

What a difference in the weather for Wednesday's trail run as compared to Sunday! It was 38F when I headed to the trail and I was worried about being overdressed, lol! I actually made good wardrobe choices for this run. It had rained overnight and I knew the trails would be sloppy, so I made a plan to do most of my run on the main trail. No sooner did I set foot on the trail did I see deer! And as I ran, I kept seeing them, even catching up to a group of about 8. None of them were thrilled to see me, but I got lots of photos. My first mile was slow due to all the stops I had to make to let the deer pass. Not that I minded!

The rest of my run was mostly uneventful, save for a few more deer sightings. The birds were singing too, which was music to my ears. I took a few detours into the woods on the single tracks, just to get more miles in. It was muddy, as expected, but I didn't mind that at all. Staying upright was a win, though!

This was the last workout of strength session #2! Again, we were expected to push to failure on the first set of each movement and do drop sets for reps with the last 2 sets. 

Set 1: Bulgarian Split Squats: 30# each hand-again x 8 reps 25# x 8, 20# x 8

Set 2: dumbbell bench press: 25# x8,  20# x8, 20# x 10

Set 3: Hip thrusts: pushed it to 135# x 8, 125# x10, 95# x12

Set 4: Pull-ups: 5 assisted with SJ, 6 using blue band, last one assisted; 7 using green band

The sprint work was an E2MOM x 12 minutes:

-12 mountain climbers

-8 hang dumbbell snatch (20#)

-6 switch lunges

Next week, we are starting the last 4 week session of the auxiliary strength work. We've been told it's going to be heavier. 

I woke up very early on Friday after a restless night. I received some bad news on Thursday--I'll share more below--that made me toss and turn. Thank goodness the sun is coming up earlier. I was out the door by 6 for my Friday bike path run. The wind was whipping, and I ran out into the wind, which did its best to push me back! I had to stop to walk a few times because my heart rate was high. When I turned around to head home, my legs were tired, and that tailwind helped ease my effort. 

Off the road...

So, about that bad news... when I got to the gym on Thursday, I learned that the son of one of my friends died overnight after a short illness. On Monday, she told us he called from college to tell her he had a terrible headache. He went to the hospital and was given a diagnosis of sinusitis and a prescription for antibiotics. She received that call Wednesday evening that he had died. We don't know much more than that, but this news hit all of us hard. I can't imagine the pain she and her family are feeling. He was a great kid and was very well-liked by everyone. Parenting is hard, and there can be nothing worse than the loss of a child. 

After hearing the news of my friend's son, I was reminded of how lucky I am to have my boys. I never take them for granted, and they always know how much I love them. On Thursday, I reached out to tell both of them how much I love them and wished I was with them so I could hug them! 

On Friday, my youngest son provided me with the news I needed. He received his MCAT scores and scored 521 out of 528 questions. He sent me the results when I was at work, and I started to cry. This is truly amazing, and he should be able to go to any medical school he wants with these results. His response was that he was glad he doesn't have to take the test again. So now we embark on a new, exciting journey! June 1 is application day, and he has to decide where he wants to go. Of course, I want him close to home, lol. Stay tuned...

How was your week? Are you having weather whiplash? Life whiplash? Do you lean into your runs to help you manage your emotions? 

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