All I Want For Christmas

This year, I had no idea what to put on my Christmas list. I never do, because when I want something, I just go out and buy it. But this week, I was gifted some really nice runs after recovering from that respiratory illness, a new Fluid Running workout, a PR at the gym, a fun photo on IG, and a new Garmin. 

It was a fruitful week! The weather took us on a windy rollercoaster ride, tho....

Weekly Rundown

Sunday: trail run 6 miles

Monday: strength training

Tuesday: Fluid Running

Wednesday: run 6.5-ish miles

Thursday: strength training

Friday: treadmill run 5 miles

Saturday: rest/holiday prep

On Sunday, I woke up to subzero temperatures, but I was antsy to get outside for my run. The sun was shining! I had no idea what condition the trails were in, but I bundled up to run in the -1F (-17C) temperature. I drove to the trailhead, stopped for a deer crossing the road, and pulled into a spot in the unsurprisingly empty parking lot. The cold was jarring at first, but as I moved, I warmed up quickly. 

It was quiet in the woods, save for a few squirrels and birds. There was one other runner on the trail. The trail itself was packed with snow, but there were a lot of deep footprints, making this an agility workout for me. I was pleasantly surprised by how strong I felt, as well as by how sweaty I was when I got back to my car. I'm so happy I got outside!

Monday was deadlift day at the gym; the goal was a 1 rep max. Prior to this workout, I had a feeling that I hit my 1 RM, 195#, 2 weeks ago, before I became sick. I was right--I was unable to lift the bar more than a couple of inches off the floor. I tried twice! I wasn't upset--instead, I felt grateful for completing that heavy lift 2 weeks ago. I finished with strict presses, 3 sets of 60#, also lighter than I had done 2 weeks ago.

I was up and out the door early on Tuesday for my Fluid Running workout. I was excited to try the newest workout, Unleashed, that Fluid Running sent to me! It is a little shorter than their other classes, 45 minutes, but it was spicy! There's nothing like breaking a sweat in the pool before heading into work, which, by the way, was also spicy....

Let's call it warm-up Wednesday. Because after Sunday's sub-zero run, 32F sounds pretty sweet, doesn't it? I knew the trails would be a mess, so instead, I went to the retention pond with its 1.8-ish mile loop. The park district plows this loop, so I hoped it would be clear. I even attempted a detour on the little side trail, but that was not plowed, and the conditions there confirmed that I made the right decision to skip the trails for now. I enjoyed the decent running temperatures and mostly had the path to myself. 

The only issue with this run? My Garmin went berserk. It's been circling the drain for a while now, but since I've been able to get it to work, I figured, why spend $$$ on a new one? Here's the screen that I saw when I turned it on before my run. The pattern on the watch face continued to rotate through the color scheme, and a weak alarm sound emanated from the watch. It sounded like it was dying. Which it eventually did, leaving me with a black screen. Someone called the color pattern the square of doom. It couldn't just die...it had to be dramatic, right? When I sent the photo to my hubs, he replied, "Merry Christmas".  I had to run this 'naked'--even Strava let me down, so I only have a guestimate of how far I ran. 

It was back to the gym on Thursday to wrap up this year's powerlifting cycle with back squats and/or bench presses. I wanted to do both, but as my focus has been working on my depth and fear of back squats, I chose to squat for my class time. I started out slowly and made my way to 130#, which was my previous weight 2 weeks ago. Dare I say it felt easy? I was encouraged and continued to add weight. When I got to 145#, I asked SJ to spot me. She did and told me I had more in the tank, so yes, I increased the weight to 150#. With SJ spotting me, my first attempt was successful, but maybe not as low as I should have done, so after substantial rest time, I did it again! This time, I was successful in getting just below parallel.  The entire class cheered, lol, and I got to ring the PR bell!!! Who knew? I can't say I'm completely over my fear of back squatting--it was darn heavy at the bottom of that last squat--but having SJ standing behind me gave me the courage to try. 

I took my run to the treadmill on Friday. After weighing my options, it was the best choice. I mean, 14F with 30 mph winds in the dark sounded like a torture treatment to me. And you know what? The treadmill wasn't so bad. The hardest part is the monotony, but once I got rolling, it went ok. I felt good, I stayed warm, and I got in a decent run. Sometimes that's all you need, am I right? No photos because...treadmill.

Off the road...

Do you remember the Turkey Trot I ran last month with my sons and daughter-in-law? There were no official race photos, but my DIL sent me a photo she found of the 2 of us on the race's IG this week. How fun is this? And if you don't know what Ope means, it's a Midwestern version of 'oops', mostly spoken in Wisconsin and Minnesota. I bought the hat a few years ago for the blaze orange color--I wear it on the trails during hunting season.

Have you seen the AI holiday glamor shot trend on IG this week? I didn't want to share one of me, but Cocoa was game! She was freshly groomed and feeling herself, so here you go...

How was your week? Have you ever seen the square of doom on your Garmin? Did you get any fun Christmas or Hanukkah gifts? Do you request gifts or let people surprise you? What are you doing for the holidays? We're hosting Christmas Day, and I have some time off after. No matter what you celebrate, I wish you blessed celebrations with those you love. 

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