I've Been Everywhere

For the past couple of weeks, it has felt that way! This is a long post, but it's mostly photos. It's been a busy but very fun couple of weeks out of the office. 

Weekly Rundown

Sunday: Trail run 6 miles

Monday: CrossFit/Strength Training, Walking 5 miles

Tuesday: Walking 4.5 miles

Wednesday: Walking 5 miles

Thursday: rest/recovery

Friday: Travel to California

Saturday: trail run 5 miles/ 920 ft

Sunday: hike 5.6 miles/ 1000 ft

Monday: Strength training

Tuesday: Trail run 9.3 miles/2025ft

Wednesday: Walk with Lisa 3 miles

Thursday: Strength training

Friday: Trail run 7.5 miles/1350 ft

Saturday: rest/unpack

Sunday's run with the Trail Sisters was at 'my' preserve. Since it was just 4 of us, someone suggested I take them through the woods on the singletrack. You know I was all over that! We had so much fun! The mud on the trails was frozen, so it wasn't too sloppy. We had a few creek crossings--no one fell in, thank goodness. I love these ladies, and I really enjoyed showing them my favorite places to get lost!

On Monday, I was up early and off to the gym. Because I was heading to downtown Chicago for a conference, I had to do this week's strength workout on my own. The format was similar to last week: 

3 movements: a Pyramid set of dumbbell strict press 8-6-4-2 but as I write this, I realize I did it with a barbell. DOH! 55#, 60#, 65#, 75#. The Accessory Set was barbell good mornings--6 sets of 8. I did empty BB for all 6 sets, but I wondered if I should be adding weight. No matter--I felt them the next day anyway. I finished with the Explosive Power set of box jumps-- 3 sets of 6 at 20", 24', and 30". They weren't pretty but I landed them all!

I had 3 full days in the city for my conference, but between commuting time on the train and the conference, there was no time for working out. Fortunately, I had a 1.5 mile walk between the train station and the conference venue and a lot of time on my feet. I enjoyed the morning solitude along the Chicago Riverwalk; on the way back to the train station, I walked along Wacker Drive with all the other commuters. There was a step challenge for conference attendees, and I finished 5th with 53,486 steps for the 3 days. 

By Thursday, I felt unusually exhausted and decided to skip the last day--there were only 3 sessions anyway- to rest, stretch, and prepare for my trip to California. Also, after switching from the brand name Humira to the generic version, I've been experiencing some significant fatigue the day after, even though it's supposed to be biosimilar. 

Friday was a long travel day to Palm Desert, and it was surprisingly cool and windy. Still, it felt great to see my sister and her husband! They took me out for a delicious dinner at their favorite Mexican restaurant.

After a restless night (and a little too much wine), I was still feeling off. My Oura ring reflected that, giving me some of my lowest scores since I started wearing it. But I wanted to run on the mountain trails to catch the sunrise. After a cup of coffee, I was out the door. As I ran/hiked up the steep trail, I not only watched the sky change, but I also saw the moon set! The sun came up over the mountains as I approached the cross at the top of the trail. 

That small circle is just a weird reflection

The full moon

My sister was planning to hike on Sunday morning and instead of going for a run, I decided to join her. I'm glad I did! We covered a lot of ground, both literally and figuratively. Sometimes it's nice to slow down and spend time with someone you love. Plus, this was no easy walk! Those mountain trails are tough, with a lot of up-and-down movement. The bright sunshine was nice, too. 

On Monday, I went with my sister to her strength class! She's been raving about this small group training she found in Palm Desert, and after attending, I can see why. For such a small gym, it was surprisingly well-equipped with 2 rigs, lots of dumbbells and KBs, and pretty much everything else you'd need. I really enjoyed this class and it was a worthy substitute for missing my strength class at my home gym!

The focus was upper body and we did 3 sets of exercises: 

A. Hanging shrugs x 10;  Bent over triceps kickbacks (15#) x 10, Pike shoulder taps x 8

B: (6 rounds of each)  Pullup negatives using a band x 5; shoulder presses (15#) x8; Pike pushups x5 

C: Single arm chainsaw row x 12 each arm x 6 rounds total, alternating between kneeling Arnold presses (15#)x 12; overhead triceps extension (15#, 20#, 25# x 12)

After a good night's sleep, I woke up Tuesday morning, had a cup of coffee, and yep, was out the door to catch the sunrise. I had no plan for this run except to go as long as my body would let me. I started on my favorite trail, Hopalong Cassidy, and stopped to catch the beautiful sunrise. It was kind of hazy due to all the dust in the air from the high winds we had the day before. As I continued my run, I spotted a coyote heading towards me down the trail. He wasn't interested, though, continuing through the canyon.

I decided to continue my run to an adjacent trail, the Bump and Grind, which has some pretty steep climbs that made my hamstrings cry! This was the first time I ran to the top of the trail--I was hoping to see some bighorn sheep, but no luck this morning. I did make friends with this little white-tailed Antelope squirrel! After finishing this section, I retraced my steps back to my sister's house, where I enjoyed a well-earned breakfast and a soak in the hot tub. I could do this every day!

Snow on the mountaintops!

On Thursday, I went with my sister to her gym again. Once again, we did 3 sets of exercises:

A: 3 sets: single leg squats x8 per side, side plank leg raises 8 per side, banded pass throughs x 12

B: 4 sets: KB (20#, 25#, 30#) deadlifts to clean x 8; TRX pushups x8

C: 4 sets: DB (20# per hand) single leg squats, 2 sets per side, x 8; floor bench press (20# per hand); front raises (10#) x 15

We finished with a stretch sesh. This was another great class.

I was flying home on Friday, but not before I took one last run on the mountain trails. I caught the beautiful sunrise at the cross on top and then flew up and down the trails. Strava informed me that this was my fastest time to the cross and 2d best time overall. I'll take it. Not that I want to run these trails fast, but I think I needed it. I didn't want to stop!

Off the road

I've attended this same conference remotely for many years and was looking forward to being there in person. It's always been a great experience for me, and I walk away energized and excited to bring what I've learned back to my practice. This time was different. I didn't learn as much as I felt validated for how I practice medicine. Most of the sessions provided information that I already knew. What really stood out to me was how young most of the participants were. When did that happen? That left me feeling more than a little unsettled. When did I get so old?

Fast forward to the weekend and a fun adventure with my sister and her husband. We drove out past Joshua Tree National Park to a little spot in the desert called the Integratron for a sound bath. The Integratron is a round, domed structure built in 1957 by a scientist who claimed that aliens from Venus instructed him to do so. He claimed that the building is capable was capable of rejuvenation, time travel, and anti-gravity. After he died, his sisters took over and began providing sound baths in the acoustically perfect structure. There is no metal in the building (no nails!). 

In the center of the room, directly under the dome, is what the hosts describe as a magic square. We were encouraged to stand there and express gratitude for something. No one in the room could hear what we were saying, but our words came booming back to us. It was very cool! For the 40 minute sound bath, we lay on mats while a practitioner played from 22 quartz crystal bowls. The sounds vibrated and undulated. It was very relaxing and meditative. I would definitely do this again!

On Thursday, we road tripped to Julian, a cute historic mountain town about 2 hours away. The ride from Palm Desert took us on a rollercoaster ride through the mountains. Julian reminded me a lot of Idylwild, which we visited last year.  Julian is an old gold mining town and many of the original buildings line the main street. We had lunch at the Julian Brewery (of course!) and enjoyed some tasty beers. Julian is a popular stop for thru-hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail, which passes nearby. 

How was your week? Did you take a spring break vacation or staycation recently? Do you like to run when you are on vacation or do you take a break?

If you made it this far, thank you for reading! It's going to be hard to return to the real world this week. 

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