Better days

After a week of absolutely spectacular weather, Mother Nature pulled the rug out from under us and sent us back to winter. I really can't complain, because after the bitter cold of the past month, this taste of spring helped lift my mood. 

Weekly Rundown

Sunday: Ice Age Trail run 5.6 miles/36 pushups

Monday: auxiliary strength/36 pushups

Tuesday: Yoga with Adriene/36 pushups

Wednesday: trail run 9.63 miles/36 pushups

Thursday: auxiliary strength/36 pushups

Friday: treadmill speed work 4.5 miles/36 pushups

Saturday: Yoga with Adriene/35 pushups

We were still up at the lake on Sunday...it was sunny...there was no wind...and it was going to warm up! I was excited to run at the Lodi Marsh for the first time since October 19! It was long overdue. Of course, since it had warmed up, I expected the trail conditions to be dicey. There was snow, mud, and ice, but there was also a set of large frozen footprints on a large portion of the trail. Clearly, this person had no regard for the integrity of the trail. There is an unwritten rule of the trail, which is 'leave no trace'. 

I usually do an out-and-back on this segment, but it was slow going, trying to stay upright on the icy patches and walking the uneven sections with the frozen footprints. After attempting to walk down a very steep, icy hill and trying to stay upright, I took a detour off the trail, onto a spur segment that would take me out to the road. It actually felt good to run on the road after that slog on the trail. My legs felt light, and I made up a lot of the time I lost on the trail. The road travels along the marsh, and it was a pretty place to run. After about 1 1/2 miles, I was back to where I started. 

I decided to try the marsh section of the trail, which, thankfully, wasn't as bad. The climb down into the actual marsh was dry. I was excited to hear the sound of the spring water flowing into the marsh. The marsh itself was as beautiful as always. I wanted to run farther, but my legs were exhausted after my adventure on the other section. I finished my run by looping around on the boardwalk and taking the trail back to the parking lot. Disappointed in the conditions, I reminded myself that I still had a beautiful morning and that the next time I return, the conditions will be better!

Monday's strength workout was a repeat of the previous week's. We were encouraged to increase our weights and/or our reps:

Set 1 (E2MOM x 6 minutes)

-Dumbbell Deadlifts: no change in weight or reps this week

--round 1 choose a weight at which you'll hit failure between 8-12 reps: 55# each hand 10 reps

--round 2 drop weight, rep until failure: 50# each hand 10 reps

--round 3 drop weight, rep until failure: 45# each hand 10 reps

Set 2 (E2MOM x  6 minutes)--same scheme as above

-Barbell lunges

--65 #8 reps

--45->55>60# 8 reps

--40->50>55# 12 reps

Set 3 (E2MOM x 6 minutes)

-Dumbbell Strict Press

--20# 10 reps

--15>20# 10 reps

--12->15>20# 10 reps

Set 4 (E2MOM x 6 minutes)

-Bent over barbell rows 

--65>75# 8 reps

--60>70# 10 reps

--55>65# 12 reps

We finished up with a tabata of jumping rope.

I woke up Tuesday morning feeling achy and decided to sleep a little longer instead of going to the pool. A Yoga with Adriene sesh was just what I needed before heading into work. 

After a really rough day at work on Tuesday, when I woke up on Wednesday, I had zero motivation to get out of bed. But a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal set things right, and I headed out to the trails in the bright sunshine. It was already 55 degrees, with a predicted high in the 60s. Shorts weather! I started out on the main trail, which was wet, but not sloppy. After about 2-3 miles, I finally shook off my funk and became one with the trails. It's amazing how time in nature can be so healing. I soaked it all in. 

I tucked into the piney woods, where I hoped to find some deer--of course--and I came upon a group of about 6 does and fawns. They wanted nothing to do with me and scattered. As I made my way under the canopy of trees, I saw a few and stopped to watch them. I continued to make my way around the preserve, running farther than I had planned because I didn't want to stop. Isn't that the best feeling? Oh, did I need this run!

Thursday's auxiliary strength followed the same format as Monday's:

For each movement listed: E2MOM x 6:00

Each set should take 40 seconds or less, rest for the remainder of the time.

Set 1: Choose a weight at which you'll hit failure at 8-12 reps

Set 2: Drop weight, reps until failure

Set 3: Drop weight, reps until failure

Movements: 

Bulgarian split squats: 1 KB in each hand, 20# x 8 reps total, 20# x 8 reps/leg, 15->20# x 8 reps/leg

Dumbbell (one in each hand) bench press: 25-->30# x 8 reps, 20->25# x 10 reps, 20# x 12 reps

Barbell hip thrusts: 165# x 10 reps, 155# x 10 reps, 145# x 10 reps

Pullups: banded sets of 5 x 3

Sprints:

E2MOM x 12 minutes

O- :20 bike sprints

E- :20 banded high knee sprints

Alas, our beautiful false spring came to a dramatic end. I woke up Friday morning to 50 mph wind gusts, temperatures in the low 30Fs, and light snow. Back to the treadmill it was! I was feeling the doms from Thursday's strength workout, but I loosened up fairly quickly. I did 6 rounds of that speedwork ladder from a few weeks ago, starting at 3.0 and increasing by .5 every minute until I reached 7.0. I wanted to hit 7.5 this week, but I honored my body's message of fatigue. I finished feeling satisfied and wrapped it up with those 36 pushups. 

Off the road...

We received some really good news on Friday afternoon--my youngest son was accepted to the University of Illinois School of Medicine! While he's still waiting to hear from Northwestern University, this was welcome news. He worked at UIC for 2 years, scribing for 2 oncologists, which convinced him that this was the path he wanted to take. There are lots of details to come, but right now, I am SO excited for him!!

My sister flew into town from California this week to take care of some things. We took her out to dinner on Thursday, and it was great to see her! I'll be heading out there in March, and I can't wait to spend some quality time with her and her hubs. And yes, run those mountain trails!!

Finally, have you all been watching the Olympics? I have to admit that I do like the winter Olympics better than the summer Olympics--having grown up playing in the snow my whole life, winter sports are my jam. For this Olympics, I have 2 moments that top my list of favorites — one is the guy sprinting up a hill during an XC ski race at a blazing 6m/m pace — and the other is Alysa Liu's free skate. Oh, that was amazing to watch! She was one with the ice and just made it look so enjoyable! It actually reminded me of that feeling of a run when everything goes right and feels almost effortless. That ponytail flip at the end of her routine? I just loved her joy and enthusiasm, right down to the jump on the podium. 

How was your week? Did you enjoy some unseasonably warm days? Any good news to share? Do you have a favorite Olympic moment?

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