Rain, Rain Go Away!

It's been a rainy, stormy week--again! But like the good runner that I am, I stalked my many weather apps to find dry moments to get my outdoor activities in. I didn't always dodge the raindrops or even the lightning, but I got it all done. We had plans to go back to the lake this weekend, but with rain once again in the forecast, we decided to stay home.

I'm heading into a week off work, at home this time, and am looking forward to some much needed downtime. I do have some appointments, and I'm planning to do some decluttering around the house. Not my favorite thing to do, but it's long overdue!

Weekly Rundown

Sunday: Ice Age Trail Gibraltar Rock to Fern Glen connecting road 7 miles

Monday: Waterskiing!

Tuesday: Fluid Running

Wednesday: trail run 7.2 miles

Thursday: Strength training

Friday: rest day

Saturday: run 5k

I woke up Sunday to cloudy, cool, and windy conditions. Not ideal for waterskiing, so instead I decided to tackle that final stretch of connecting road to complete the Lodi Valley Ice Age Trail segments and earn myself that Glacial Drifter Patch. Hey, a goal's a goal, and the former Girl Scout in me can't pass up a patch. I still have my sash with all my badges, lol!

I drove to Gibraltar Rock and started my journey with a hike to the top. The sky was ominous, and I could hear thunder in the distance, but I was on a mission. I continued my hike, stopping to take occasional photos, and made my way out to the road, where I picked up my pace to a run. 

It started to rain lightly, and I did see a few lightning strikes, but the thunder followed more than a few seconds after, so I just kept moving. When nature called, I happened upon a house under construction and stopped to use the portapotty--how convenient! I reached the Fern Glen Segment, and I was oh so tempted to hike this segment too, but the weather convinced me to turn back. 

Gibraltar Rock from the road

As I retraced my steps, my phone alarmed with a severe thunderstorm warning, so I picked up the pace. I heard a lone sandhill crane trumpeting. I wanted to take a photo, but a rumble of thunder reminded me to keep moving. When I rounded the final corner to the Gibraltar Rock trailhead, I was relieved to be off the road. I still had to take the spur trail back to the other parking lot, but the tree cover gave me a sense of security. And I kid you not, no sooner did I get inside my car than the skies opened up with a torrential downpour! The drive back to the cabin was wild, with tree limbs blowing across the road like tumbleweeds. I cannot describe the feeling of gratitude I had not only for avoiding the brunt of the storm, but also for completing this little challenge, and for how well I felt during the road portion of the run. 

We were still up at the lake on Monday--the hubs took the day off--YAY! Before we left for home, he took me out to the lake to ski. Guys, the conditions were perfect. No wind and calm waters made for an epic ski session. I work harder behind my hubs' fishing boat than I do behind Holly's MasterCraft, but the ride is no less rewarding. I hate that our season is so short!

For most of the summer, I've been taking my Fluid Running weekly workouts to the outdoor pool! This week, I was lucky to be able to get it done between severe storms. The sun even made a brief appearance before round 2 hit us. It's been a brutal summer here in the Midwest. 

Wednesday morning was another moist one, with bad storms knocking on the door. Hoping to avoid them, I was at the trailhead early. Throughout my run, I saw a lot of downed trees, some blocking not only the single tracks, but also the main trail. It was quiet in the woods, and I spotted a large buck in the woods. After observing him staring off into the distance, I saw another buck staring back! Oooh, a standoff!! Unfortunately, they spotted me, and after a few minutes, lost interest, wandering off to eat some foliage. 

Isn't he handsome? And yes, the foliage is that high.

After that excitement, I resumed my run and stopped to view some mushrooms. The single track was muddy in spots, and in one spot, I slipped and fell into the mud. UGH. Nothing hurt, but I sure earned my shower that morning!

Thursday's strength training was a repeat of last week's, with increases in weights when I could.

-Bulgarian Split Squats: 30# x8, 25# x10, 20# x12

-Dumbbell Bench Press: 30# x8, 25# x10, 20# x10 --I attempted 35# for the first set, but NOPE! lol

-Hip Thrusts: 155# x8, 145# x8, 135# x 8

-Pull-ups: banded x5, banded x4, banded x4

Sprints:

E2MOM x12:00

0) :20 banded high knee sprints

E) :20 bike sprints

With impending storms and rain on Saturday, we decided to stay home from the lake. It was just as well, because I was feeling really achy from the humidity and the lake house doesn't have AC. I didn't run on Friday, so I decided to try a short run around my neighborhood, just to shake out my legs. With 90% humidity and no wind, I took it slow and was pleased that I only had to stop twice to let my heart rate go back down. I was glad to be done at the 5k mark.

Off the road:

On Thursday, I drove out to my parents' to take my mom to her new doctor, a geriatric specialist. It was a long appointment. He made some changes to her medication regimen that I'm not entirely comfortable with. So we'll see how that goes. We also found out when we signed in for the appointment that her Medicare card had been cancelled--most likely due to fraud.  Neither she nor my dad had received any kind of notification. Once I returned home, I made the call to Medicare to try to reinstate her coverage. I was pleasantly surprised to have a very kind, highly helpful representative on the phone. I had to 3-way call my parents, something I had never done before, and after about 45 minutes, I had a new Medicare number for my mom. Once again, I realized how vulnerable the elderly are and reflected on how 'elderly-unfriendly' our systems are. My parents can't navigate their patient portals--I have to do it. I'm happy that I can help them with all of this. And by the way, my mom's dementia continues to be stable, with no big changes in her memory loss. For that, I am grateful. 

We drove into the city on Friday to attend my youngest son's White Coat ceremony at the University of Illinois Chicago campus. The white coat ceremony is a tradition for students attending medical school, where they receive their white coat to kick off their medical journey. After the ceremony, the hubs, my son, and his girlfriend went out to lunch at a restaurant near their new apartment in Ukrainian Village, the neighborhood where they are living in Chicago. What a great day!

How was your week? Has it been really rainy where you are? Do you ever take a staycation, or is your time off always dedicated to travel? Were you a Girl Scout?

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