Can't Stop, Won't Stop

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Yep, the weather has been kind of sucky, but that hasn't stopped me from getting outside and getting it done. I have to admit that even though the temperature has been more like April than late May, it's given me some really decent runs. What would be ideal? Cool mornings and warm afternoons. Wouldn't you agree? 

We're up at the lake for this Memorial Day weekend. Sadly, it's going to be too cool for any waterskiing, even in a wetsuit. I can only hope that it starts to warm up! At least the rain is gone. I'm looking forward to hitting the trails on Sunday and Monday. Check out my IG for the details!

Weekly Rundown:

Sunday: trail run 6 miles

Monday: Strength training

Tuesday: Fluid Running

Wednesday: Trail run 5.5 miles

Thursday: Strength Training

Friday: run 6 miles

Saturday: rest

On Sunday morning, I met my Trail Sisters for a run on the trail along the Des Plaines River. This trail runs for miles--from south of O'Hare airport north to the Wisconsin border, approximately 50 miles. There are multiple access points. For this run we met at the Potawatomi Woods trailhead, which is about 10 minutes from my house. There was also a canoe 'marathon' and 'minithon' taking place, which looked like fun! Maybe next year?

We had a nicely paced run, and this one felt way better than last Friday's run. Cooler temps, lower humidity, no wind, and overcast skies-- this was ideal running weather!

This was the final week of the first 4 week auxiliary strength cycle, version 2.0"

Set 1: 4 rounds: :40 landmine squats (80#)/:10 transition/:40 marching glute bridge/:30 rest

Set 2: 4 rounds: :40 landmine single leg deadlift (95#)/:10 transition/:40 plyo step ups/:30 rest

Set 3: 4 rounds: :40 depth jump (from a box) to high jump/:10 transition/:40 oblique crunch/:30 rest

Set 4: 4 rounds: :40 bulgarian split squat (15->25#)/:10 transition/:40 swiss ball leg curl/:30 rest

I'm not sure why, but when we did this back in January, I did not record my weights for the LM squats and deadlifts. I can honestly say that this go-around was much heavier than what I did back then, simply because I was much more comfortable with the movements. Also, before we started the workout, someone commented that the landmine lifts should be 50% of our barbell PRs. Made sense to me, and after this class, my glutes were talking to me!

Wednesday morning was drizzly and cold, but I woke up feeling energetic after a good night's sleep. I looked at the radar, and it was mostly clear, so I headed to the trails early. When I parked my car, a group of deer were frolicking nearby, so I started off in that direction. They weren't exactly happy to see me, but let me take a few photos before running off. I followed their path into the woods and continued in and out on the single tracks. 

Even better than seeing the deer, although that never gets old, was hearing all the varieties of migratory birds overhead. There is one section of the preserve where they seem to congregate. It was quite loud, and my Merlin app was busy identifying close to 40 varieties of birds. Most of them I had never heard of, so I assume they were just stopping by on their way north. So very cool, right? 

I also saw the Barred owl. I've seen him a few times this spring, but on this run, I got close enough to get a decent picture. He kept his eyes on me, swiveling his head around, lol. By the time I finished up, it was pouring rain. It didn't stop me from having fun, though!

A busy schedule on Thursday had me doing my strength workout at home. Fortunately, I had most of what I needed, and when I didn't, I was able to modify the movements. 

Set 1: 4 rounds :40 palm facing in dumbbell bench press (15->25##)/:10 transition/40 single double arm banded pulldown/:30 rest

Set 2: 4 rounds :40 tall kneeling dumbbell press (15#)/:10 transition/:40 chest supported row (facing down on an incline bench, using kettlebells box (30#) subbed: bent over rows 25# each hand/:30 rest

Set 3: 4 rounds :40 standing banded bicep curls/:10 transition/:40 GHD reverse hypers--done on a 24" box/:30 rest

Set 4: 4 rounds :40 rear delt raises (10#)/:10 transition/:40 half kneeling band chop/:30 rest

I woke up to cloudy skies and 45°F. But it was dry and I was excited to run. I wore my magic shoes (Brooks Max Hyperion 2), put on my sketchy playlist, and let it flow. What a great run! Clearly, these conditions were my sweet spot because I finished this 6 miler in 56 minutes. On the dot. My last mile was 8:54. I was pretty excited about that. In fact, I was determined not to let anything stop me, so on the way home when a landscaping truck tried to turn in front of me, I put my hands up and he actually stopped. I kept going, and a woman in an SUV gave me the thumbs up. It's the little things, right?

Off the Road...

I received some fun mail this week- an ultrasound device named Sam, with the promise of reducing pain and healing soft tissue injuries. As a runner with rheumatoid arthritis, you know I was excited to try this out. I used the device on both knees this week, and the next day, I had that amazing run. I know one use isn't enough to determine its effectiveness, but I've been struggling for the past couple of weeks with knee pain. I felt so much better after one use that I'm excited to add it to my recovery regimen. I'll share a full review soon after I've given it a few more uses. 

It's still chilly and so is the water--in the 60s--but it is sunny! No waterskiing this weekend, but we did go out in the boat. Cocoa was so happy! So was I. 

How was your week? Are you looking for summer? Did you see anything fun on your runs? What are you doing this Memorial Day weekend? 

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