An Unintentional Cutback Week

With the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, things were a little mixed up! Different work hours on Wednesday and a turkey trot on Thursday had me flipping my workout schedule around. The gym has special holiday workouts that fill up fast, and there was no space for me to work on my squats and bench presses. I consider myself to be a flexible person, but I was kind of bummed about missing my heavy strength because the strength cycle is ending in 2 weeks. I did what I could with my home equipment, but you know...it's not the same.

Anyhoo, there was movement every day. Let's just call this a cutback week, shall we?

Weekly Rundown:

Sunday: Trail Sisters run 5 miles

Monday: strength training

Tuesday: Fluid Running

Wednesday: strength training

Thursday: Lifetime Turkey Trot 5k

Friday: run 5.33 miles

Saturday: Yoga with Adriene

Compared to our usual regulars, at this week's Trail Sisters run, we had a huge turnout! Ilisa said it was because of my post on the group FB page and nominated me as the group's social media person, lol. We split up into unofficial smaller groups based on pace and enjoyed the bright sunshine and seasonally cool weather. The miles flew by as always. We all finished up around the same time.

After our run, a group of us went out for coffee in Long Grove, the cute little town near this trail. I love when we do that--it's nice to extend the morning a bit. We also planned our runs for the month of December, including the 25th and the 31st as bonus runs. I just love this group of women!

Monday is deadlift day! Once again, I built to 185#, but on this day, they felt heavy. I mean, they are heavy, but heavier than I expected. I'm going to blame this flare and the steroids because I was feeling off. I did get in 3 sets of 2 at that weight, which was what we were supposed to do. I was frustrated because just 2 weeks ago, I did 190# for all 3 sets. SJ reminded me that weight lifting isn't linear, and that was what I needed to hear. No upper body work for me--I had to head to the hospital for a work meeting. 

Is it just me, or do my legs look very short in this photo?

As the gym was closed on Thursday for Thanksgiving, the plan for Wednesday was to go to the gym to do my squats and bench presses. I planned to attend one of the early morning classes and just hang out in the back. However, both classes filled up, and I knew that finding a spot to do my workout could be a problem, so I cancelled. What to do? With 30 mph winds and a Turkey Trot on Thursday, running wasn't an option. I decided to do what I could with the equipment I have in my basement. I ended up doing back squats with my sketchy barbell set--however, without a rack, I could only get 55# up and over my head to my back, so I did 3 sets of 8, making sure to drop very low. I also did chest presses, lying on my treadmill and using 25# dumbbells, 3 sets of 8. 

On Thursday, I drove to the city, picked up my sons and daughter-in-law, and lined up to run a turkey trot. This is the same trot my youngest and I have run the past couple of years. It was cold and very windy, and we did our best to stay warm while we waited for the race to start. The gun went off, and about 15 minutes later, it was our corral's time to go.

The race was rerouted this year to accommodate the large number--5000--- of race participants. My feet were numb from the cold, and I couldn't feel the ground while we ran. I followed my son for the first mile (9:21) as we weaved in and out of the crowd. I was actually surprised at how well we were able to run the first mile; by mile 2 (8:58), we were on the lakefront trail, running along Lake Michigan, and we had a little more room to run. My son took off, and I pushed myself as fast as my legs would let me go. 

Mile 3 (8:49) took us through the park. I was still passing other runners. My heart rate was close to redlining, and my body was telling me to stop. But I could hear the race announcer and soon enough, saw the finish line! I crossed the finish line at 28:22, average pace of 9:00. I was thrilled! I later found out that I finished 4/132 in my 10 year age group. Yep, I still got it, lol. 

My son, who had finished in 26:20, was waiting for me. We collected our medals and waited for my oldest and his wife to finish. It was her first ever race, and as she's not a runner, I was excited that she braved the cold and came out for the event. They finished in 45:01, which meant they were doing a little running. I was so proud of her, and she was very excited about it. 

I had to work on Friday, and my alarm woke me up at 5. It took a cup of coffee and a lot of self-talk, but yep, I headed out into the bitter cold for a run around my neighborhood. I hoped to catch the sunrise and chased it at an easy pace until I caught it peeking over the horizon...as I finished my run, lol. I got what I needed, and the day proceeded without any problems. I came home to watch the rest of the Chicago Bears v Philadelphia Eagles game--what an exciting game for us Chicago fans as they beat the Eagles, 24-15!

We were hit with a big snowstorm on Saturday! It was a 'rest' day and I did a yoga with Adriene workout, which my body appreciated. Then it was off to work. I only saw 4 patients as everyone else canceled. The rest of the day was spent on the couch in front of the fire, watching the Wisconsin Badgers battle the Minnesota Golden Gophers for Paul Bunyan's axe. It's one of the oldest traditions in college football. Sadly, the Badgers lost the axe. The series was tied, but is now in favor of Minnesota: 63-62-8. Next year will be better!

How was your week? Did the Thanksgiving holiday throw off your schedule? Did you Turkey Trot? Did you get any Black Friday deals? I did not--I worked all day. Maybe I'll do some Cyber Monday shopping!

By the way, I did not get my monthly Mini Book reviews on Friday. Instead, I'll be posting them on Monday. 

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