My Flow....My 5 Plank Flow

June has come to an end and so has Marcia's plank challenge. We started off in May with planks. There weren't any rules save for a daily plank and a post to Instagram. Some folks planked for time and others (ahem, me) got all creative with their planks.

Because does it really matter what you do as long as you plank? Planks are the single best exercise you can do for your core. Oh sure, planks are great for the upper body, but if done properly, there is no better activity to strengthen your core.

There was some good-natured banter between Kim from Running on the Fly and me, and a few other blogger friends joined in. There were planks with dogs, planks in dresses, and we even upped the ante with planking in different settings. It was really fun!

In June, Marcia proposed a push-up challenge. The goal was to get to 100 push-ups by the end of the month. And really, since a push-up is really a plank, a lot of us continued to post plank pictures. I hit my goal of 100 push-ups last weekend while I was on vacation. I won't lie--it was hard. But I'm glad I did it.

For my final day of planking this month,  I did a 5 plank yoga flow. I wish I could take credit for the series, but that goes to my yoga instructor. He had no inkling that I was in need of a fresh idea for the end of the challenge! We did this flow in class Wednesday and I headed to the park to recreate it. It was the perfect ending to a really fun challenge.

Rewind, Reset, Recharge

Greetings from the North Woods of Wisconsin! This post comes to you from one of my favorite places in the whole world, the beautiful Door Peninsula. My parents have had this lovely vacation spot since I was a little girl. I love to take time away from the craziness of life and just unwind here. It always feels like coming home.

Can I stay here forever?

Did I ever need this little getaway! All the stress of the last couple of months--my son Matthew's leg fracture, the new puppy, and other assorted annoyances--has really started to take a toll on me. You know I'm feeling overwhelmed when the mere idea of getting in the car and driving 5 hours to my favorite place exhausts me. But here I am and my arrival felt like a balm to my soul.

My oldest son and husband had to stay home to work, but Matthew, Cocoa, and I have been enjoying our time away in with my parents. Prior to our trip, I took Matthew to the orthopedic surgeon and pleased with the healing she saw on the x-ray, she took his cast off and put him in a boot. She told him he could walk on his leg and that he should swim. Walking has been painful for him. He's still using his crutches. On Friday he and I took the kayaks out and since it is so stony at the beach in from of my parents' house, we paddled across the bay to the sandy beach. Actually, we did it twice. Both times, Matthew walked in the sand and swam. It was the happiest I've seen him since he broke his leg.

Cocoa wasn't so fond of the kayak. We left her home with my parents.

Saturday morning, Cocoa woke me up at 5:30 to go out. I was tired but I got to see this:

After a few cups of coffee, I felt more awake and readied myself for a run. It was a gorgeous morning with a light breeze and a temperature of about 75. Instead of heading into the little town where my parents spend their summers, I headed up the hill to the bluff park. This hill rivals the hills of Big Sur. Even though I was tired, I vowed to run to the top and I did. The view was my reward.

The waters of Green Bay are just beyond where I'm standing.

I continued on my way to the bluff. Another beautiful view. And a clean latrine. I headed back home, savoring that downhill.

Tree pose on the bluff overlooking Green Bay.

Sunday morning I woke up to rain. Cocoa woke me up at 4:30 to go out but I brought her in the bed with me after our trip to the grassy patch. We both promptly fell asleep until 7. By then the rain had stopped. I hemmed and hawed about going for a run, but I wanted to visit my other favorite path that takes me deep into the woods.

A feast for the senses.

I stopped by the rocky shoreline to do some yoga.

I finished off Marcia's push up challenge with 100. They weren't easy today. My arms were tired--probably from the kayaking-- and I had to break the push ups up into small sets. My furry coach made sure that I got them done.

Since it was another gorgeous day, Matthew and I went kayaking on the bay again. The water was unusually calm and we paddled over to the bluffs to explore the caves. I've never done this, and Matthew really enjoyed himself. Even though he fell in the water trying to get back into his kayak. It wasn't that cold...

Tomorrow we drive home and it's back to reality. I'm grateful for these little getaways to rewind, reset, and recharge. 

Do you take time off to get away from everyday life? What kind of activities help you renew?

I'm linking up with Tricia and Holly for their Weekly Wrap! And with Angela and Ilka for the Sunday Fitness and Food Link Up!

How was your week?

Running Down the Week

After a tumultuous couple of weeks where we dealt with injury and other assorted drama, this week things seemed to get back on track. I went back to work and Matthew made it back to school. His pain is improving dramatically even though the follow-up x-ray still doesn't show much healing. The orthopedic surgeon said the fact that he's clinically improving is a good sign and he's optimistic that we are heading in the right direction.

The pup? Well, it's a good thing she's so cute...

Here's my wrap up of my week.

I don't know about you, but after I meet a big goal, I feel really motivated to get some projects done that I've put on the back burner. For some reason, last year my husband and I kind of lost our mojo to do anything around the house. I didn't even buy flowers for my planters. This spring, we have been working to take back our yard from the weeds. We have a really nice deck where we've spent many a summer evening relaxing and we've been sprucing it up for spring. Saturday, after I ran my 5-er, I went to Home Depot and bought a ton of annuals. Apparently everyone else in the NW suburbs had the same idea because it was so crowded. I spent the morning planting flowers and pulling weeds. I'm not so sure about people who say they "love gardening" because let me just say that gardening is hard work! I was sweating more than I did on my run. But I'm really pleased with how everything turned out, and as I write this, I'm sitting on my deck enjoying the birds singing and the warm breeze.

Flowers!

Weeds! This was one of 3 piles I made while pulling weeds.

The only mishap that occurred was when Cocoa, who is always under my feet, found herself under a large planter that I was setting on the deck. There was lots of howling and crying as I wrestled her out. She's fine. After that, she spent the rest of the morning inside with Matthew while I finished pulling weeds. Seriously, this is an exercise in futility. I mostly pulled sticker plants, because they are threatening to take over our backyard. We seem to be much better at cultivating weeds than anything worthwhile.

It's safe under the bench.

I managed to get 4 quality runs in again this week and my legs continue to enjoy some speed. Saturday's run was fun because so many of my neighbors were out. The weather has been gorgeous, and I actually walked for about a half mile with my next door neighbor, just catching up on things. Sometimes you just have to!

Since Big Sur, I've noticed that I need to do a better job of stretching and foam rolling, as I'm starting to feel some niggles in other areas besides my plantar fascia. I didn't make it to the yoga studio this week, but I'm hoping to get there next week. I did do yoga at home, and the plank challenge continues. I've run out of plank variations but I'm still getting them done.

Does doing yoga in the sun count as hot yoga? My mat got so hot I had to move to the shade.

Dolphin plank walks

Side plank

I posted my video from CrossFit on Friday. Becky says she's really enjoying programming my sessions with her now that we are working on new strength goals. It's fun for me too. Besides the swinging on the rings, she had me alternate those with a variation of v-ups that I struggled with. It's funny how you can find activity so easy and another so difficult! She said it has something to do with my pelvis--weakness? I did a circuit of slam balls alternating with kettle bell swings. And then I hung from the high bar, doing scapular pull ups. It was all hard and I loved it. I love the feeling of being strong. When I was at Home Depot, I kept getting asked if I needed help lifting my cart over the hoses and carrying my bag of potting soil. You know I said no...

Swinging like a monkey

How was your week? Is the weather improving by you? Training for any upcoming races?

I'm linking up with Tricia and Holly for their Weekly Wrap! It feels weird to be wrapping up with them when I'm not training for anything. Unless you count life!

Recovering From the Distance

"My world is empty without you, babe..." the Supremes

Have you ever felt that way after a big event? A big race? Fortunately, I had a lot of things on the back burner that needed to be attended to after my marathon. Plus I'm still feeling that post-marathon high. Can you believe it? I do believe this is the first time I haven't had the post marathon blues. Yet another thing to be grateful for. All I can say is planks a lot...

Here's how my week went....

Yes, there was running. My foot continues to be quiet--although from time to time it reminds me that it's not always happy--and I got some runs in. I only ran 4-5 miles each time, but there was some speed involved. There may even have been a sub 8 minute mile in there. You all know I love me some fast running, and it sure felt good to know that my fast legs were still there!

I felt the need for speed and my legs responded!
Isn't it great when that happens?

And there was lots of yoga. I went to the studio twice this week. Megan did a "detox" class with lots of twisting and pranayama and Kathy's class had us holding the poses for extended periods of time. It's like they knew what I needed!

Plank pose. Which we held for a REALLY long time in class.

I'm participating in Marcia's plank challenge. While everyone else is holding those planks and going for time, I've been having fun mixing it up with a variety of planks. I do so many planks in yoga, what with sun salutations and all.

Dolphin plank after work.
Because "someone" put the pressure on to get my plank done for the day...

I finally started working on my post-marathon fitness goals. Becky keeps asking. I'll be posting more on that later this week. It's been kind of tough pinpointing goals after Big Sur. After all, that was my dream race. What do you do after that?

Stay tuned. I'm working on that post for Wednesday Word. The word of the week is dilemma, if that give you any clue...

I got my head back in the work game. Not to worry, even before the marathon I never neglected my patient care duties! But I have some projects I was assigned to work on and I dug in deep to get them completed. Almost.

Look who came to see me at work this week?
And her hair is growing back! 

For Mother's Day, we got our new puppy! It has been 5 months since we lost our beloved Cleo, and even though I still miss her, I finally felt ready to get another dog. I'm not so sure about a puppy, but my husband wanted one, and I'm game. She's as cute as can be and just a little sweetie. Plus as the mom of teenagers, it's kind of nice to have someone in the house who gives unconditional love...

Speaking of that, I spent some very quality time with my youngest. Yesterday at his rugby game he was tackled and fractured his tibia. I got to ride in the front seat of the ambulance that transported him to the hospital. I spent the night with him while we waited to get his pain under control. Talk about feeling helpless! I'm happy to report that he's much more comfortable. I'll be home most of the week helping him recover.

And housebreaking that cute new pup, Cocoa!

Matthew and Cocoa
Love at first sight!

What's new in your world? Do you feel empty after finishing a goal race? Do you have trouble making goals after accomplishing yours? Are you planking? Did you celebrate Mothers Day? Did you enter my giveaway? And don't forget about the bookclub on Friday! 

I'm linking up with Tricia and Holly for their Weekly Wrap!

Big Sur Marathon Training Week 9

I finally settled down into my "new" training plan for the Big Sur Marathon, which involved very little running and a whole lot of cross training. I was pleasantly surprised by the week, and I feel a whole lot more confident heading into the final stretch of my marathon prep.

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: I had 8 miles on my marathon training plan. I put on my big girl bathing suit and went to the pool for some pool running. Armed with my new waterproof iPod, I "ran" around the diving well for 70 minutes. I had some company this time. There were 3 "pool noodlers" drifting back and forth across the diving well. There was also a guy hanging out in the middle of the diving well. He wasn't moving, and he was there for the longest time. Not sure what he was up to, I kept close to the perimeter of the pool. Eventually, he got out of the pool and went to the sauna. At exactly 8 am, the lifeguards blew the whistle and I had to get out of the pool. Since it would have taken me about 70 minutes to run those 8 miles, I felt like I had an equivalent workout. Minus the pounding on my feet.

Happy with my "run"! And my tunes.

Wednesday: I had hill training on my marathon plan, so I decided to do intervals on the bike trainer. I found the perfect workout on the GCN channel on YouTube. The Power and Endurance workout consisted of multiple long intervals with varying cadences. The goal was to maintain your same effort throughout each interval. Holy quads! And hamstrings. This was tough and it was good! I was so glad I had my Wahoo Blue SC cadence sensor to help me monitor my cadence as well as my miles per hour. The monitor kept me on track for the entire workout. 15.39 miles/1:04

Power and Endurance right there...

After I finished, I should have gone to yoga class but instead stayed home and did Rodney Yee's Power Yoga DVD. I've been doing this one for years, and it's a great total body workout. It was a nice substitute for my studio class.

Half Moon on the bench. A balancing act. With wind.

Thursday: It was back to the pool for more pool running. I only planned on an hour today. For the most part, I had the diving well to myself. The chatty lifeguard was there today, and he kept me company for about 20 minutes. The rest of the time I listened to my music. I felt like I finally got the hang of pool running--I felt like I was actually running, not just flailing around the pool. At the end of the hour, I wanted to keep going, but I forced myself to stop. That's a good sign, right?

Trying to take the selfie without anyone noticing...

Then I went to see Becky for some CrossFit. She hooked me up to the sled and put resistance bands on my ankles, having me monster walk across the gym. I also did sumo deadlifts, leg lifts on the GHD machine, and V-ups with a ball that I passed back and forth from my ankles to my hands. Let's just say my core needs a little a lot of work. It was kind of embarrassing, really. I finished up rowing all out for 3 minutes. Both Becky and I were thrilled to see that my pacing improved dramatically from the past 2 weeks.

Friday: Rest Day. But I couldn't pass up the amazing morning sky, and stopped to grab a high lunge on my way to work.

High Lunge

Saturday: I had 4 miles on the plan, but decided to run 5. I must have been half asleep when I looked at the thermometer because I sure didn't dress for the actual temperature. It was cold, it was windy, and yes, those are giant snowflakes in my selfie! My foot felt pretty good during the run. Even more remarkable was how great my legs felt. And yes, I've still got some speed in me. 5.23m/8:31m/m

Yes, it's snowing! It's spring in Chicago.

Sunday: I had 18 miles on the plan. Yep, it was supposed to be my long run. Although after discussing this with Marcia, I had an idea of what I wanted to do, I also discussed this workout with Becky. Interestingly, her idea was the same as what Marcia suggested. Split the run with the bike. So I planned on doing 10 miles on the run, which would take me about 90 minutes, and 20 miles on the bike which would also take about 90 minutes. I checked the weather, and it was supposed to be crazy windy--again. With the wind blowing hard out of the south, I decided to run the bike path, which is about 10.5 miles, and is a straight shot east to west. I settled into a nice easy pace, carrying my Tailwind for fuel. I felt so good that I actually considered just going for it. I knew that would be a bad idea but it wasn't without some internal struggle that I turned around at the halfway point to go home. The foot felt pretty good until about mile 8 when it started to hurt. I was starting to feel tired, and I adjusted my stride to keep from landing so hard on that foot. That seemed to help, and I got home without too much pain. I was really tired though, and not happy that I had to go back out on the bike. I knew that with those windy conditions, it was going to be a tough ride. 10.46 miles/9:04 min/mi

10 miles on the bike path

I changed out of my sweaty clothes, drank a protein shake, refilled my Tailwind, and headed back out to the bike path, this time on my bike. Between the wind and the 45 degree temps, I initially needed to do a lot of self-talk to keep moving forward. There were a few points along the ride where I thought the wind was going to blow me over. I've never ridden in those conditions before, and it was a little unnerving. The sun started to come out and it warmed up nicely. I rode to the Forest Preserve and promptly was yelled at by an elderly man who I passed on the path. Apparently he didn't hear me coming and wasn't happy about it. Why are people so angry and confrontational? Everyone else that I passed was friendly. When I got home, I was surprised to see my time: 1:25:58/20.24 miles. If nothing else comes out of this crazy training plan, I am getting faster and stronger on the bike!

This is actually the same spot on the bike path as my picture above. The sun came out and it warmed up during my ride. Super windy, though!

After this week's training, I'm feeling fairly confident about my marathon. Even though my running hasn't been optimal, I think I had plenty in the tank before I pulled back on the running. I wasn't surprised when I saw my running mileage for March was 57.68. The cycling (there was a lot in March: 166 miles) and the pool running have kept me on track. The long run today was tough, but I got it done. And Kristina promises me that we will run slow (she's going to have to reel me in) and that should help my foot a lot.

If you've gotten this far, thanks for sticking with me. It's been an interesting journey, if nothing else.

Finally THANK YOU to everyone who suggested the pool running and the waterproof iPod shuffle. There will be pool running for a while after the marathon, and I'll be using that thing for a while. I need the music to move me around the pool. Listening to my running playlist summons up those endorphins I get when I'm on the road. The pool running has been a great backup plan.

How was your week? Anyone else training through injuries? Tell me your injury success stories! Snow, anyone?

I'm linking up with Tricia and Holly for their Weekly Wrap! I love seeing what everyone else is doing. Have a great week!

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Big Sur Marathon Training Week 6

I'm halfway through my training for the Big Sur Marathon! Unfortunately, this week was not quite as epic as the last two. Marred by injuries, I was forced to take a couple of days off to recover and rest. Since I spent the latter part of the week in Florida, it wasn't hard to convince myself to put my feet up!

Monday: yoga with Megan. She started off the class talking about digestion and had us do some deep abdominal breathing. Throughout the class, she incorporated twists. It was a challenging class but I really enjoyed it. I also finally mastered side crow! I actually found it easier to balance than with regular crow. Go figure.

Side crow

Tuesday: I had 6 miles on the plan. It was 62 degrees, and I couldn't wait to get outside. I felt great. Until mile 6, when my foot started hurting. Badly. I got home and iced it. By the time I got to work, I was in so much pain I could barely walk. I texted our sports medicine doctor (I work in pediatrics) and he got me in to see his "adult" colleague over lunch. She was happy with all the work I had been doing at home, and said she would be willing to try a steroid injection if I was.

6 miles at sunrise

You all know how I feel about this. There is the risk of tendon rupture and fat pad necrosis with steroid injection into the plantar fascia. However, I was in so much pain that I made the decision to go ahead with the shot and take the rest of the week off of running. She was good with that, and prepped my foot for the injection. It hurt, but no worse than the pain I was in. Afterwards, she gave me a referral for PT to work on my kinetic chain, since I always seem to be injured on my left side. And she told me she would get me to the start line of Big Sur. She wasn't happy about my plans to run a half marathon on Sunday though.

Wednesday: In lieu of my scheduled hill training, I went for a bike ride. It was a little drizzly to start but still warm, in the 60s, and it felt good to be on the bike. About 4 miles into my ride, I passed a runner, went around a curve, slipped on the wet pavement and crashed to the ground. The runner came up to me and asked if I was ok. I was able to move everything, so no broken bones. I felt like crying but I let him help me up and I thanked him. I gathered myself and got back on my bike. I decided to finish my ride. Slowly and a little bit shakily. As it turns out, it wasn't the best day to be out on the path. There were workers cutting trees down, and they had their truck parked in the path. More mud for me to slog through. But once I passed them up, I was rewarded with singing birds and chirping frogs in the ponds. I do love spring! 17 miles/75 mins

After the crash. In shock, I think.

When I got home, I assessed my wounds, which were mostly road rash on the arm and leg where I fell. I was covered with mud, which must have been what made the path so slippery. I had some pain in my adductors and hips too, and as the day went on, the soreness took hold. I guess this was some kind of sign that I needed to take it easy the rest of the week. The good news? My foot didn't hurt much at all.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday: I headed to Florida with a wish and a hope that I'd be able to line up at the start line of the Sarasota Half Marathon on Sunday. I rehabbed my sore body by doing yoga in the sun, splashing in the pool, and walking on the beach. Therapy. It was rough.

Tree pose 

King dancer

Crow pose

Camel pose

Sunday morning I woke up feeling good and ready to run. I'll post a full race recap on Wednesday, but since this was a training run (ha!) I wanted to include it in my summary. We started in the dark humid morning and I have to say how great it felt to be running. But I struggled with the heat and humidity and ended up really slowing down. My foot felt pretty good but I every time I started running again after a walk break, I felt a twinge in my right hip. When I finished, I was really uncomfortable. My foot started to throb and the hip pain became a little more intense. I'm pretty sure the hip pain is from the bike crash. I was pretty upset about it, but as the day went on, the pain subsided, and I felt a little more optimistic.

At the finish

I know when I get home on Tuesday I'll need to make another appointment with the sports medicine doctor as well as look into alternative training for Big Sur. One of my friends and fellow bloggers, Holly, trained for WDW doing pool running, and I think I'll need to explore that. I'm not happy about this at all. 

Stay tuned.

How was your week? Any mishaps? Have you ever trained for a marathon using alternatives to running?

I'm linking up with Holly and Tricia for their Weekly Wrap!