This week, we went from below normal temperatures and rain to above normal in one day. With my upcoming Ice Age Trail Race on Saturday, I watched the forecast like a hawk. As happy as I am to see it warm up, I do not like to run in the heat. As the week went on, I reduced my mileage so as not to tax myself too much before Saturday's half.
Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.
Let's catch up over coffee! What will you be having? I'm drinking a cup of Key West Sunrise from Cuban Coffee Queen, thanks to my oldest, who just returned from a weekend in Key West. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I was touched that he thought of me! Actually, he sent me pictures throughout his trip, which was really nice.
The coffee is great. Of course, I'm having mine with a scoop of GLG collagen and a splash of half and half. Old habits die hard!
What would you tell me over coffee?
For the past 2 years, I've put the Tear Drop Half Marathon on my must-run list. But the pandemic interfered with those plans. This year with everything opening back up, I was finally able to make it a date! I still had Delta credits from canceling a flight for last year's race. This is my friend Holly's favorite race and she was all in, so I signed up. It worked out well since I was already training for a hilly trail race, the Earth Day 15 miler. Ok, so that was happening the weekend before Tear Drop. But Tear Drop is a net downhill! What could go wrong?
Spoiler alert: nothing went wrong, but running that trail race the week before probably didn't do me any favors. No matter. I had a fun time!
Disclaimer: I received a PRC of An Island from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my review. As a member of Brooks Run Happy Team, I received a copy of Running with Purpose from Brooks Running. This post contains affiliate links.
I was fortunate this month to have a variety of different books! My hands-down favorite--which will probably be my favorite book of the year--was Lessons in Chemistry. Quirky, clever, and creative, I loved that the main character was a strong woman trying to make it in the very male-dominated science world. It was hard to start the next book--I just wanted to savor it and stay in her world. Has that ever happened to you with a book?
Another week of post-race recovery and...another week of training. In 2 weeks, I will finally line up for the Ice Age Trail half marathon, a race that for a variety of reasons has had to be postponed 3 times. I don't think I've ever trained so intensely for a half marathon before! I also don't think I've ever formally tapered for one either. But with back-to-back challenging races in the past 2 weeks, I need to give these legs a break while keeping them moving. As hard as I've been working, I won't deny that there is a certain satisfaction in watching my body respond to it!
This week, I was lucky to be scheduled for a week of continuing education and attended a virtual conference for pediatric nurse practitioners. If anything good has come out of the pandemic, it is some of these remote options. I really like learning this way instead of going to a live event. I'm so grateful to have had this downtime to recover from my race while I learn for my job. It worked out well!
 |
| Friday's run |
It's been a cloudy, cold month--I heard that this is the cloudiest April on record for the Chicago area. I figured as much. It certainly has been tough to motivate myself to get out from under the blankets and head outside for a run. But the running doesn't stop just because the sun isn't shining, am I right? Plus, what would I have to runfess? Yep, once again, it's the last Friday of the month and Marcia has opened the runfessional so we can cleanse our soles.
Maybe, just maybe, May will bring us some sunshine and warm weather?
.png "April Shower Runfessions cover")
Disclaimer: As a Brooks Run Happy Team member, I received a free copy of Running with Purpose in exchange for my review and social sharing. All opinions are mine. This post contains an affiliate link.
I have been running in Brooks shoes for about 5 years. A long-time fan of ASICS Gel Nimbus, I was frustrated with a design change that wasn’t comfortable on the run. At the urging of a friend, I started running in Mizunos, trying several different models. They were ok, but I didn’t love the ride. Impulsively, I bought a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS and on my first run in them had that WOW! moment. The Adrenalines gave me the comfy ride I was looking for. My feet were happy. And if my feet are happy, then I'm running happy. I continue to favor the Adrenalines to this day.
Earlier this year, I was selected to join the Brooks Run Happy team. I’m thrilled to represent a brand that is runner-focused and philosophically aligned with my worldview. After reading CEO Jim Weber's new release, Running with Purpose, I feel even better about my commitment to Brooks shoes.
As you read this, I'm hopefully flying down a mountain in Georgia, running the Teardrop Half Marathon with my friend Holly. Teardrop is a race she and I have had on the calendar 3 times, the previous 2 being postponed due to the pandemic. I'm hoping the 3rd time is the charm!! I felt strong going into this race and as it is a net downhill course, the hope is for a speedy finish time. But of course, Mother Nature has to have a say and she is throwing heat and humidity at us. So stay tuned. You can check my IG for updates and of course, I'll have a recap coming up.
This week was a combination of recovery and training. I was really hurting from last Saturday's 15 mile trail race. I was using that race as a training tool, and boy, was I schooled! Specifically, I need to do a better job of fueling. I took several complete rest days this week and skipped CrossFit and strength training. I wanted to focus on keeping my legs moving but not pushing them to the point of soreness or exhaustion. I did do some stretching as well. An actual taper for a half marathon? Who am I?
Oh, and I read a really good book that I'll be sharing on the blog next week!
For the past couple of years, I've had my eye on the Earth Day Trail races, held at the same trails where I ran the Frozen Gnome 10k in January. The pandemic put those plans on hold, but this year, the race was a go. Several of the women from my Trail Sisters group were planning on running, so it made it easy for me to commit. There are 3 distances: 50k, 15 miles, and 5 miles. I optimistically signed up for the 15 mile (25k) distance--thinking it would be a good training run for Ice Age in May. I've been building my miles over the past couple of months, spending most of my time on trails. Having run these trails before, I knew to expect a lot of hills. I felt both mentally and physically strong and ready for this race.
.png "race recap: earth day 15 mile trail race cover")
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! |
 |
| Can't you just hear the squishing sound under my shoes? |
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 |
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.
Let's catch up over coffee! I was so happy to find that Starbucks Spring Day Blend again this year at Target. I've got that brewing and as always, I'm adding a scoop of GLG collagen and a splash of half and half. What are you having?
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.
So little time, but so many books this month! I'm not sure how it happened, but I have 8 reviews to share. Maybe it's because they were all page-turners that I couldn't put down. My reads this month span the genres--I've got fantasy, an epic novel, literary fiction, a couple of thrillers, a biography, and a women's fiction novel.
If I had to pick a favorite, I don't know that I could!
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 |
It's raining, it's pouring, it's time for runfessions!
If anyone should 'fess, it should be Mother Nature! Once again, she fooled us winter weary Midwesterners by throwing some beautiful warm days at us. The robins are out in full force. The grass is starting to turn green and the trees have buds on them. Oh, but hold up! Snow is in the forecast. Because yeah, false spring.
But no matter what the weather, the running goes on. What better distraction from the weather than to runfess? Thank goodness Marcia has opened the runfessional. You know I always have a few things to share.
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!
Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.
Let's catch up over coffee! What are you having? I'm enjoying a cup of Colectivo Brazil with a scoop of GLG collagen and a splash of half and half. My hubs gave me a couple bags of Colectivo for Valentine's Day. You know it's my favorite and I'm certainly enjoying it!
What would you tell me over coffee?
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I received an ARC of Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my review.
I read some really good books this month, but there was one book that disappointed me. The School for Good Mothers (review below) was a Read With Jenna book club selection with a lot of buzz. Jenna's books are usually a sure thing, and I waited a while for my turn to borrow it from the library, but this it just left me cold. I had one DNF as well, The Paris Bookseller, even though it was really well written, was not my kind of book. If you like classical literature and historical fiction, then you might enjoy it.
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 |
It's been a tough couple of years, hasn't it? Come with me and take a break from the bad news, at least briefly. Tell me what you have to runfess!
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?
