Is This the Real Fall?

What I want to know is: where is fall? 

When I step onto the trails, it looks like fall, but it still feels like summer. Usually, this time of year brings crisp temperatures to go along with the crispy foliage (see what I did there?). Not so much this year. I'm all for a warm fall, but it has been downright HOT. Like middle of July HOT. On Friday and Saturday, we hit 90°F/32C. I was planning on kicking off the Mammoth Challenge with a long run/hike today, but I'm postponing it for a few days.

Next weekend is the Chicago Marathon, and it looks to be a warm one. Hopefully, everyone who has been training in this warm weather will be prepared for it.

Weekly Rundown:

Sunday: Gibraltar Rock 2 mile hike/waterskiing

Monday: Strength training

Tuesday: Fluid Running

Wednesday: trail run 5.3 miles

Thursday: Strength training

Friday: run 6 miles

Saturday: Yoga with Adriene

We were up at the lake, and I had plans to run the Gibraltar Segment on Sunday. When I shared these plans with my hubs, he said he'd like to go with me. What the what? Well, my hubs doesn't run, so I settled for the short but challenging hike with the hubs. The last time he did this with me, he told me I was going too fast, so this time I consciously kept my roll slow. It was a beautiful morning, seasonably chilly, and we were able to see the sunrise peeking through the trees. 

When we got to the top, I asked him to take my picture. He wouldn't stand close to where I was, cautioning me not to get too close to the edge. Ok, mom. 

He was much more at ease when we made our way around the back of the rock and walked down to the bottom. We saw some early signs of fall, but things were still pretty green. I think he was pleased with the hike. I was happy to give up my run for this--I hope he wants to go more often!

When we got back to the lake house, we waited for it to warm up so I could go waterskiing. I got impatient, and when it hit 65°F/18C, we got in the boat. The water was about the same temperature, ie, COLD!, but once you're on top of the water, you don't even notice. The conditions were perfect--I had smooth water--skiers call it butter--and I went twice. This will probably be the last time I ski this season, so I made the most of it! And yes, my feet were numb when I stopped, lol!

Monday is deadlift day--at least for this current strength cycle-- and I was excited to challenge last week's PR of 180# for 3 lifts! In preparation for this, I did some PT exercises to wake up my lazy left glute: banded side steps, clamshells, and bicycles. And, I PR'd my lift again, this time hitting 185# for 3 deadlifts! I was so excited! And yes, it was really heavy. I had a really great partner who gave me a lot of positive encouragement, which always helps. We finished up with 50 burpees--the goal was to finish within 10 minutes. I did mine in 4:23. 

It was back to the pool on Tuesday for some Fluid Running. The indoor pool reopened this week. I appreciated the break from the routine, but it felt good to be back at it!

I had to get my blood drawn on Wednesday morning (surveillance for RA), and I didn't get on the trails as early as I would have liked. Normally, in October, that wouldn't have been a big deal, but this is no normal October! It was warm and humid when I started. I also felt achy and stiff again. I started off in a section that is clogged with brush, which forced me to walk. That helped a lot, and my knees loosened up quite a bit. I made my way around the smaller section of the preserve, spying a few deer, including a big buck! Even if the weather is still acting like summer, it's really starting to look like fall on the trails!

For strength training on Thursday, we had 2 lifts to do. We started with sets of 3 power cleans, which is one of my favorite movements. I built to a heavy set of 3 at 90#, which was a PR for me. The first 2 lifts were perfect, the 3rd was hard, but I turned the bar over and SJ said it counts! The second lift was sets of 3 shoulder presses. I built to 3 shoulder presses at 70#--also a PR for me--but failed at 75#. That's ok. I am just thrilled with my progress!

I was out the door by 6:15 on Friday morning. I couldn't get a signal, so I just started out running in the dark. But by the time I got to the retention pond--about 1 1/2 miles in--there was a pretty glow in the sky. I ran further than I wanted on my way out because my GPS was all confused. I wanted to hit 3 miles before I turned around. On the way back, I finally got a notification that I had a signal. Took long enough!

At the 4 mile mark, I saw one of my fellow path runners wave to me, and he and I ran a mile and a half together until we reached the point where I turn off to head home. A few other runners also arrived, and they indulged me for a photo! I was so happy to catch up with everyone. Over the years of running on this trail, I've met so many nice people. What a great way to start my day!

Off the road...

Good news out of Chicago--the Chicago Cubs won a very exciting game on Thursday night to advance in the National League playoffs! They played their rival, the Milwaukee Brewers, in game one of the series on Saturday. Unfortunately, it was not a win. The next game will be better!

This has been an unsettling week for those of us who live in the Chicago area. I'm sure most of you have heard about the unprovoked ICE raids in the city. Many of them have been happening in the very neighborhood where both my sons live. Yesterday, ICE agents deployed tear gas outside of a school in their neighborhood as well as a hospital. It's very upsetting to see this senseless and cruel behavior hit so close to home. That, on top of the news that the president has demanded the release of the National Guard to Chicago, has my head spinning. I don't understand any of this. Chicago is not at war. I hope none of this disrupts the marathon next weekend.

The hubs and I went to the city on Saturday night for a concert at the Old Town School of Folk Music. We saw Bob Mould for a solo electric concert. He's a prolific rock guitarist and songwriter. We saw him once before, probably about 30 years ago. He didn't disappoint, playing with a furious energy that belies his age. Before we went to the show, we stopped for a drink at the bar where my son works. It was fun to see him in action!

 

How was your week? Is it still unseasonably hot where you are? Are you seeing signs of fall? What do you do when your watch doesn't link up to GPS? It happened to me on Wednesday as well. Very odd.

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