Looking for the Good Stuff

Throughout my adult life, I've used running to help me through the tough times. When the pandemic hit, and there was nowhere to run, I discovered the trails, both near my house and up in Wisconsin. The trails have become a refuge for me, a place to escape from the heaviness of life and to soak up nature, appreciating the simplicity of listening to birds, watching the deer, and looking for mushrooms. I like to go early in the morning, while it's still peaceful. Instead of feeling fearful about being alone, I savor the solitude. 

Every time I run the trails, I see something new. Nature is always changing, and that keeps things interesting for me. On Wednesday this week, I didn't see any deer and very few mushrooms. But as fall approaches, the sun is a little lower in the sky, and this year we have smoke from the Canadian wildfires, which has kept things interesting, at least from a photographic perspective. Imagine my surprise when I came upon this spot on the main trail! I thought it might make a pretty selfie, so I set up my tripod and used the 10 second timer. I jogged down the trail, waited for the fast flash, and ran towards the camera. One take was all I needed. 

One of my Trail Sisters once commented that I am very observant. When I run on these trails, my head is on a swivel. I'm looking for tree roots on the trail. I'm looking for deer, of course. But while I'm looking around, I spot a lot of good stuff. This year, it was the mushrooms. And sometimes, the good stuff is the angle of the sun on the trail. I always leave these trails feeling content and calm.

What will I see next week? 

Weekly Rundown:

Sunday: unscheduled rest

Monday: Auxiliary strength with 700m running

Tuesday: Fluid running Run 4.25 miles

Wednesday: Trail run 6.5 miles

Thursday: Auxiliary strength

Friday: Fluid running

Saturday: run 6 miles

After a rainy Sunday when I took the day off, I slept 9 hours! I guess I needed it. I was still feeling off, but on Monday, I pushed myself out the door to go to CrossFit. I knew I'd be glad I went, and I was, even though the gym was hot and the humidity was unbearable. The auxiliary strength workout had 3 rotations followed by a sprint set:

Rotation 1: 4 x8-12 dumbbell (50# each hand) deadlifts with :90 rest between sets. I did 3 sets of 8 reps;  my last set was 10 reps!

Rotation 2: 4 x AMAP 1-1-3- tempo pull-ups (banded) I did 4 sets of 4; 10 plank rocks between sets

Rotation 3: AMRAP : 20 dot drill with 20 SL V-Ups between sets. I did 10. 

After we finished, we did an E3MOM x 15 min of 100m run sprints. YAY!! There was a giant gaggle of geese blocking our route, but leading the pack, I ran right through them--that's how you do it-- and they ran away. 

It looked like it might storm on Tuesday morning, but I took my chances and drove to the pool at 5:30 to do some pool running. The attendant let us in, but then told us we would have to wait at least 15 minutes because he saw lightning. I checked the radar, and it looked like the storms were going north, but with my tight schedule, I decided not to stick around. Instead, I laced up and went for a run around my neighborhood. I figured that in the time frame I had, I'd get about 4 miles. It was so humid, and my pace was slow. The wind picked up, which felt great, and it never stormed, just sprinkled a bit towards the end of my run. No regrets!

I don't like to run 2 days in a row, and I had DOMS from Monday's workout, so I knew Wednesday's trail run would be slow. I ended up doing more walking than I wanted, but I didn't mind. The woods were quiet--I didn't see any deer, and the mushrooms are all gone. But the early morning sun cast a beautiful glow on the trail. I felt pretty lucky to catch it at just the right moment, as you can see in the cover photo above!

I was still feeling the DOMS on Thursday morning, but I headed to the gym, hoping some movement would help me shake it off. We had a 4 rotation workout on the board:

Rotation 1: Dumbbell bench press (30#) 4 x8 reps

Rotation 2: 5 x 1 length Farmer's Carry Lunges (25#KB each hand) These are HARD

Rotation 3: AMRAP tire flips; I used the big 307# tire and did 4 sets of 5 flips. The big tire is awkward to try to flip, which makes it more challenging. So fun though and that loud thud it makes when it hits the ground is so satisfying!

Rotation 4: Seated box jumps 5 x4 I sat on a 20" box and jumped to 18"

Friday's fluid running workout took me to a new pool, as the one I was using is now closed for construction. The indoor pool is also closed due to construction, and the park district promises to accommodate swimmers through September--weather permitting. 

I was up and out the door early on Saturday in an attempt to beat the heat and humidity. Dare I say that at 7 am, it wasn't too bad? There was even a nice breeze. My first 2 miles were speedy, and I was feeling good until I felt a groin tug at about 2 1/2 miles. Ugh. I had to stop running, and on this out and back, I was as far from my house as possible. I started walking. After about 2 miles of walking, the pain subsided, so I attempted to run again. It was pain free, and I ran gingerly the rest of the way home. Sadly, my left knee swelled up after the run — this is the knee that has been bothering me, so I spent the rest of my Saturday with an ice pack on it. Cocoa kept me company, so that helped. 

Off the road....

On Monday, I had my annual skin check. I always worry that they're going to find something, but I had a clear check-up. Two years in a row!

How was your week? Have you been dealing with heat and humidity like us? What was your favorite run this week? Do you get your skin checked annually?

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