Nearing The Finish Line

Malaise and fatigue set in this week. I assume it's a combination of another very active weekend out of town and the stress of life. I pushed through my workouts and by Friday, I started to feel more like myself again. The heat and humidity returned with a vengeance and the hubs and I opted to stay home this weekend. Did I ever mention that we don't have AC at the lake house? Why would you?

I'm heading out early Sunday morning to beat the heat and meet the Trail Sisters for a run. I also have a job interview this week. I think the interview will be a good experience but I'm not sure it's a job that I want to take. The hubs reminded me that with a milestone birthday for both of us this year 'we are nearing the finish line'. That gave me pause, but I thought it was kind of a funny metaphor for where we are at in our lives!

Running for Fun

I am wrapping up a much needed week off from work! With the hot humid weather and my knee issue, the timing was perfect to cut back on my running miles and do a few fun things. While my knee is feeling much better this week, t was really nice to chase adventure instead of miles! This week reminded me of how wonderful running really can be.

While I'm posting this in the link-up today, I finished this post earlier in the week. As you read this, I'm wrapping up my fun week with a trip to Alabama to visit Holly. I won't be updating this post while I'm there. I don't want to jinx myself, but I'm pretty sure our activities will include lots of waterskiing, maybe some running or hiking, and maybe some kayaking. You can check my IG for photos or wait until next week when I share some in my weekly rundown!

But Can I Run?

This knee injury is so not my fault. 

I blame the tree root that tripped me up a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the pain is getting worse. On Wednesday (see below), my run was rudely interrupted by searing pain in the base of my left knee, right below the knee cap. As the week went on, the pain lessened but any attempt to run (even to cross a street) made my knee angry again.  

On Friday, I saw a PT, who happens to be a friend of mine and she concurred with what Dr. Skiba told me last week. She noted that my kneecap was out of alignment and taped it for me, using McConnell taping. This is a rigid tape as opposed to the stretchier Kinesio tape we runners like to use. I felt immediately better. She also said I could try to run. I'll probably need to keep taping it for a while until the bruise resolves, but she thinks I'll be able to go back to using my Rock Tape.

Friday's run

Good News, Bad News and a PSA about Lyme Disease Prevention

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So the good news is that I didn't break my pinky after last week's tumble on the trails. It's still a little sore, but thank goodness nothing serious. However, I have had some worsening knee pain since then. I must have bruised it when I hit the ground, but it has been randomly protesting all week. Interestingly, it doesn't hurt when I run. Things all came to a head on Friday, when I woke up with pain in all my joints. Yep, RA decided to flare, I guess, forcing me to dial it back. With a 5k planned for Sunday, I could only hope that things would settle down.  

Thursday's Strength Session

Oops! I Did it Again

Almost one year ago, I fell from the rope at CrossFit and broke my ankle and my foot. While I'm happy to have recovered completely from that injury--it could have been so much worse--I'm always nervous about falling again. Well, read on, my friends, because to quote Britney Spears, "Oops, I did it again". I'm grateful that this mishap was nothing serious and that I was able to finish my run and go to work. I woke up pretty sore on Thursday, so I decided not to tempt fate and canceled my strength session with SJ. I also figured that my body deserved a break.

And now that song is going through your head. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...

I'm looking into finding a padded running suit for myself. Do you think Brooks makes one?

I was doing such a good job of avoiding all the tree roots, too!

Slow Burn

"I'm alright with a slow burn,

Taking my time, let the world turn,

I'm gonna do it my way, it will be alright."... Kacey Musgraves

The heat was on this week! We broke long-standing records for high temperatures. We also had a crazy bad thunderstorm on Monday. The tornado warning sirens went off 4 times. Thankfully not much damage happened and we didn't lose power. It's been a wild weather ride this year, hasn't it?

Wednesday's steamy run

Out of Sorts

I really felt out of sorts this week for all kinds of reasons. The weather was pretty blah--lots of rain and cool, cloudy conditions. I've had to switch up my workout schedule for the summer, which isn't a big deal but made me feel like a rigid old person who can't roll with the changes. And oh, my job...it was a tough week on top of a string of tough weeks. Let's just say that I'm underpaid and overworked and leave it at that. I'm so close to retirement but I'm not ready to leave just yet...we shall see how things go. At this point in my life, I'm not sure I want to start something new. Trying to focus on the good and leave the day behind me when I walk out the door.

Speaking of good, the hubs and I saw Top Gun Maverick on the IMAX this week and it left me breathless! When have you ever seen a sequel that is better than the original? And 36 years later? I know technology has improved but Tom Cruise was as good as he's ever been. He also looked like he was having a great time throughout the movie. Oh and he looked good, too! I want to see it again. And if you haven't, you need to!

Summer is Here!

The Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kick-off to summer and the weekend did not disappoint! The hubs and I went up to the lake. We had hoped for the boys to join us, but my oldest was at the Indy 500--he rented an RV with his friends--and my youngest had to work. 

On the drive up, we stopped in Madison to bring some things to my youngest and to check out the farmers' market on the capitol square. Once there, we learned they don't allow dogs, so Mike made a few quick purchases while I hung out with Cocoa. 

Saturday was sunny, cool, and breezy, so we just hung out at the cabin. On Sunday, we had a little bit of rain in the afternoon, but once that cleared, the sun came out, it warmed up, and we took the boat out. The water was a little choppy, but I wanted to ski, so he indulged me. In contrast to 2 weeks ago, the water was COLD! Still, I enjoyed my ride around the bay--it's always a good day when I get to ski. 

Another Week of Effing Crazy Weather

Excuse me if I've offended anyone with the title of this post. But the weather this spring has been ridiculous. It's been colder than average and we've had a lot of rain and snow. I've already whined about the mud. This week, I ran in fairly normal conditions on Sunday, warm and rainy on Wednesday, and really cold and sunny for my race on Saturday. Fortunately, I dodged the 60 mph wind gusts we had on Thursday. Although that could have been darned good resistance training, am I right?

I guess the silver lining of this weather whiplash is that it does keep me ready for anything that Mother Nature throws our way! I wouldn't mind some normal weather but does anyone even know what that is anymore?

I wore shorts and a tank on Wednesday!

Finding Confidence in the Mud

"In Just-spring when the world is mud-luscious...and the world is puddle-wonderful."~ee cummings

Trying to find something positive to say about this spring. It's been muddy and puddly for sure.

This is the wettest spring I can remember in a long time. I guess I just have to embrace it, considering that my trail race next Saturday is going to be muddy. I am certainly well-prepared. Of all the places to find the confidence to tackle a 15 mile hilly trail race, who knew it was going to be in the mud?

Can't you just hear the squishing sound under my shoes?

Enjoying the Ride

For this old runner who is training for back-to-back races without a formal training plan, things are progressing nicely! I added up my miles for March and I hit 100 miles this week. The last time I ran 100 miles in a month was 1 year ago! I'm only running 3 days per week, so I'm really happy about this. In addition, I'm feeling stronger on my runs. The extra day of CrossFit has definitely made me stronger and has helped me improve my speed on the road and the trails. While my goal isn't to run faster, I do want to run more consistently and pace myself better, and that is happening. 

My main goal is always to have fun when I'm running. I also have to protect myself from injury. Personally, I'm just happy to be running again and running well. I'm enjoying this 'freeform' training and it will get me to the finish lines of my races. 

Now, if only the mud would dry up! Rain rain go away!

Ice Age Trail Lodi Marsh Segment

A Week of Challenges

This week, I continued to up my mileage in preparation for my back to back long distance races next month. I have mentioned the Earth Day 15 mile trail race that I am running on April 16. In Friday's runfessions post, I shared that I signed up for the Teardrop half marathon in Georgia without realizing that it was the weekend after Earth Day! Oops! All I was worried about was that the weekend was free for me to travel, lol. I think it will be fine, as I was planning on using the trail race as a training race for the Ice Age half marathon in May. I am not using a formal training plan, but am making sure to mix up my runs on dirt and pavement. I'm actually really enjoying training like this! We'll see how it pays off in a few weeks. 

My main running challenges this week were the increased mileage and distances and MUD. Oh my goodness are the trails mucky. This is my third spring running trails and it is definitely my most difficult because of the conditions. Strength and agility are all being put into play as I work to stay upright and move forward. Running on pavement feels relatively easy! And when have I ever said that?

Saw this crayfish on my trail run this week. He was pretty fierce, lol

Math is Hard

If you've been following my Instagram this week, you already know what the title of this post means. Twice this week, I miscalculated my workouts. This has happened to me before and while I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person, when I'm in the middle of an activity, I cannot do the math. During Tuesday's CrossFit WOD, I incorrectly counted my reps and ended up doing more reps of the activities than I needed to. During my trail run on Wednesday, I didn't plan my route ahead of time, figuring I'd get about 7-8 miles. Well, I ended up with 9.5 miles when I was done. It's fine, but seriously, why is calculating miles or reps so hard during a workout? 

Of course, I turned to everyone's source of expertise, Google, and was surprised at how little I found on the subject. Basically, what I learned is that your ability to perform the workout math declines because the blood flow and your focus are going to the task at hand. The good news is that this is temporary and soon after the activity, your ability to focus is actually better than had you not worked out. 

And really, isn't that what really matters?

Muddy Shoes

Like so much of the country, we are on a roller coaster ride of weather. There's a saying about the weather here in Chicago: if you don't like it, wait because it will change. We've finally had some warmer weather, a little teaser of spring, that has melted most of the snow and ice. I ran in the mud and it was a blast!

I know it's too soon to get excited about spring, but this so-called 'false spring' was just what I needed to put a smile on my face this week!

Sometimes You Get Just What You Need

What a challenging time of year to be an outdoor runner! 

We've had that freeze/thaw thing going on for a couple of weeks, where we get a warm sunny day with snow and ice melt followed by a blast of polar temperatures, which freezes it all back up again. In spite of there being ice everywhere, with adjustments to my normal running routes, I have been able to navigate safely and get my miles done outdoors. I've got a 15 mile trail run in April and then the Ice Age Trail Half Marathon in May and I've got to start building my miles again. 

In spite of the ice and snow or because of it, I've had to slow my roll a bit. It's actually been ok because I've seen some really cool things on my runs this week!

Friday's sunrise snow run

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

This week, Sammy Jo and I sat down and had a candid discussion. A few weeks ago, she pushed me a little harder on a lift than I felt comfortable with. While I did say something at the time and she reduced the reps, she still had me lift the weight. I was upset that she wanted me to continue, but I didn't want to let her down. I left that session feeling sore and unsettled. Those feelings simmered. When I saw her the following week, I said something about it to her, but it didn't go well at all. After taking some time to think about it, I walked into this week's strength session, prepared to discuss it but also ready to call it quits if she wanted. 

I explained how I felt about lifting something so heavy. I felt scared that I was going to hurt myself. I didn't want to disappoint her. I didn't want to disappoint myself. I felt like she thought I was a wimp for saying it was too heavy. And I apologized for not saying something at the time. Then it was her turn. She didn't hold back. Bottom line: she said she knew I could do the lift. She said she would be ok if I couldn't. She wants me to tell her how I'm feeling at the time. Most importantly, she said it's ok to fail on a lift. In fact, she told me she expected it on the one that scared me because she knew how heavy it was. She'd rather have me try and fail than not try at all. This, she said, is how to get stronger. 

And isn't that the goal?

Dear February,

Dear February,

As you know, I really don't mind winter, as long as there's snow on the ground and a few sunny days. I also don't mind a snow-free path, even if it is cold out. But every year, you mess things up. You throw in a warm day and melt the snow, only to freeze it and turn everything to ice. It would be great if you could make up your mind. 

Anything but ice. 

Sincerely,

Wendy

A Quick Recovery

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My recovery from eye surgery continued this week, with rapid healing. Every day I was pleased to wake up to less bruising and swelling. I returned to work on Friday. Fortunately, my schedule was fairly light, thanks to the drop in Covid cases. It was a nice way to ease back in after my time at home.

Friday's pre-sunrise run

A Little Downtime

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The week started off strong. I had a minor surgical procedure scheduled for Tuesday. I knew that I'd have to lay low the rest of the week, so I started the week in high gear, making sure I got some good sweat in before I was banished to the couch. 

Things That Make You Go Hmmm...

There's a saying that runners are friends you haven't met yet. I've met some of my best friends through running. Of course, with any group of people, there's bound to be a few who aren't your type. But have you ever met someone who left you scratching your head? 

Random horseshoe tree on Sunday's trail run