A Strong Week

I started the week feeling strong, and since we were at the lake over the weekend, I was excited to run on my local Ice Age Trail segments. With my 20 mile hike coming up in a few weeks, I had been feeling less than confident in my ability to complete the distance. However, the two back-to-back strong runs on Sunday and Monday gave me a much needed boost and set me up for a really great week of fitness. 

Weekly Rundown

Sunday: Ice Age Trail Run Gibraltar/Slack Road Segment 8 miles/1200ft

Monday: Ice Age Trail Lodi Marsh Segment 8.5 miles/1200 ft

Tuesday: Yoga with Adriene

Wednesday: trail run 6.5 miles

Thursday: Yoga with Adriene, strength training

Friday: run 4 miles

Saturday: Ice Age Trail City of Lodi Segment hike/run 4.4 miles

I was up and out the door before 6:30am on Sunday morning, hoping to have the Gibraltar Segment all to myself. On my way there, a deer ran out in front of my car--I don't know how I didn't hit her! Whew. As I continued my drive, I saw a turkey in full plumage in a cornfield, with a female looking on. I've never seen that before! No photos, though, as I was driving. 

I parked at the Slack Road segment, ran the 1 mile to Gibraltar, and whomp, whomp, there were 2 cars in the parking lot. I made my way to the top and heard voices--it was a group of young guys, but they left shortly after I arrived. I was alone after that. It was a perfect morning --temps in the 60s and a mild breeze, and I took my time to enjoy the views. 

After running back on the connecting road to the Slack Road trailhead, I ran down the fragrant, flower lined trail and began the long climb to the top. Having decided to complete the entire Lodi IAT section to earn a patch, I ran this segment all the way to the ferry and then back to the trailhead. It was an absolutely beautiful morning, and dare I say--I'm starting to feel like myself again? 

These were everywhere, but it was so hard to get a good photo of them!

I had already planned to run the Lodi Marsh Segment on Monday morning. If you recall, I did these 2 segments back to back last fall for the Mammoth Trail Challenge. I needed some big miles under my belt for my upcoming 20 mile hike. It was cloudy and cool when I got to the trailhead and for the most part, I had the trail to myself. Towards the end, there were some pesky flies, but other than that, the morning was uneventful. There were lots of wildflowers on this segment. It felt so good to be out there again!

On Wednesday, I was on the trails early, as the temperature was predicted to rise quickly. I had a plan to do 6 easy miles. I surprised myself by again feeling very strong on this run. It was quiet on the trails, which I like. I did see a snapping turtle on her nest--on a uprooted tree that had sand in the roots. How she found that spot is beyond me, but it's sure better than on the trails where I usually see her!

I also saw a few deer out and about. This deer was out with her twin sister--they were born last spring. Their mother was farther back in the woods. When she stomped her front leg, the 2 siblings ran back into the woods, but not before I could get a few photos. It was a must!

Thursday's strength work was building to a heavy clean. Yay! I started with 55# on the bar and built gradually to 90#. My 1RM is 95#, so I decided to go for it. I was so close! But I couldn't get under the bar. Stay tuned...

90# and yep, I stood it back up!

We finished with 15 minutes on the clock, rounding through 5 strict presses (I built to 60#), 12 plank KB (20#) pull-throughs, and 8 per leg bulgarian split squats (12#). I did 5 rounds total!

After my very active week, by Friday, I was feeling pretty fatigued. But I didn't want to take a pass on my Friday run--I just decided to cut back on the mileage. I ran close to home and finished with 4 miles, average pace 9:34. So much for taking it easy, lol. Sometimes you just have to let your feet take you where they will.

Saturday is usually a rest day, but we were up at the lake, and I decided to knock out another segment of the IAT in Lodi as I work towards my quest of finishing all of the Lodi segments. While the hubs and my son painted the house, I drove to Lodi to do an out and back on the 2.2 mile segment that meanders through the little town. I started out on Main Street, stopping at the meat market to get some bratwurst--they are the only brats I'll eat. From there, I walked to the Lodi Marsh trailhead, walked back to Main Street, and followed the yellow blazes through the town to the 'Rainbow Bridge' at the end of the trail. 

I thought the trail would be all on city streets, but the last 3/4 mile took me on a pretty, wooded trail. It was so peaceful. On the way back, I retraced my steps. It was all downhill, so I ran the whole way back!

Off the road...

We're up at the lake, accompanied by my youngest son, who came up to help my hubs paint the cabin. I'm sure our neighbors appreciate it! When I returned from my run/hike, we got out on the lake. While it was a beautiful day, it was too rough for any waterskiing. We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine. My son and I will be up early tomorrow (he's not happy about it) for a hike at Devil's Lake State Park.

Starting on Monday, my mom's caregiver hours will be reduced to 12 hours during the day. My dad, who agreed to this plan, continues to push back, trying to get the hours reduced even further. I have looked into my rights as POA and learned that I can resign if I feel that I can no longer perform these duties. I shared this information with my father, and he assured me that he doesn't want that. Then why all the pushback? 

How was your week? What was your favorite workout of the week? Are you still enjoying late spring, or are you into full-on summer?

By the way, I have gotten several requests for my favorite Yoga with Adriene workouts, so I've hyperlinked the ones I did in my weekly summary. 

It's the end of the month, and I'll be sharing my monthly mini book reviews on Tuesday!

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