Out of Sorts
I’ve been out of sorts all week.
There, I said it! I’m usually full of pep and energy with a glass half full attitude, but not this past week. Perhaps it was post-vacation reentry, or the fact that our usual five-and-a-half-hour drive home from visiting my mom took three hours longer than usual last Sunday leaving us exhausted for work on Monday, or that our FIOS cable got cut on Monday and we had no internet or TV and had to deal with that, or that my head cold continued to bother me; but whatever the case, my wheels spun all week and I had trouble transitioning back into the real world.
On a positive note, with traffic so backed up on I-81, we took the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway for part of our way home. It’s out of the way and normally much slower, but these beautiful views certainly beats looking at the back end of idling tractor trailers.
Back at My Dermatologist’s Office
It also didn’t help that I had an appointment with my dermatologist to have another basal cell carcinoma removed on Tuesday. I’m diligent about seeing my doctor twice a year for full body skin checks now that skin cancer has become a regular part of my life and all too often, he finds something that needs to be removed.
Puppysitting
Something that certainly helped make transitioning back into the real world better was having Pablo stay with us for the past several days. Daniel and Jess are in Florida and we’ve been watching Pablo since Wednesday. They come home later today and will pick him up tomorrow.
Pablo loves exploring the creeks and trails in our neighborhood and makes the cutest little whining sounds when he sees another dog. He went nuts when we walked past the Newfoundland who lives up the street, but the lack of a smile or even a nod from the dog’s owner kept me from asking if Pablo could say hello.
Pablo’s zoomies have become a thing after his evening walk and crack us up every time!
Seen on My Run
During Monday morning’s run, a deer standing right next to the street startled the heck out of me. A lap or two later I saw it (I assume it was the same one) standing right next to one of the windows at this house. Luckily for the homeowners, it ran away from the house and didn’t jump through the window as I ran by.
On Wednesday’s run, I saw this little skunk in our neighbor’s yard as I ran back toward our house. I’ve seen it several times during the past few years, but never on our side of the neighborhood. I recognize it because it has a much wider white stripe than most other skunks I see.
And Now on to a RunDown of this Past Week’s Workouts…
Running
As I mentioned above, both Monday’s and Wednesday’s early morning runs in the dark were highlighted with seeing wild animals, yet last week when I ran in the country I didn’t see anything other than cows.
Saturday morning’s run was a little later than I’d planned, but I couldn’t go until after I’d fed and walked Pablo. While running, I saw a bunny which made me three for three on the week for spotting wild animals.
Walking
Since we were watching Pablo, I took several walks with him. It was pretty hot and humid so I wasn’t inspired to go for longer walks.
Biking
I’d hoped to fit in a bike ride before Tuesday’s surgery, but I couldn’t fit it in on Monday after I realized our FIOS cable had been cut and I needed to contact Verizon to repair it.
Strength Training
It felt great to get a good strength training workout under my belt on Monday after being away from home and my gym the previous week. Wednesday’s and Friday’s workouts were limited to my lower body so I wouldn’t pull on my stitches.
Yoga
I also restricted my yoga poses to those that wouldn’t put any stress on my left arm. Pablo tried to teach me how to do a proper downward facing dog, but I still can’t master his perfect form.
It’s on the Blog
In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…
- Sunday – Bear Sightings, a Cold Snap, and Time on the Farm
- Thursday – Coming Full Circle Thirty-eight Years Later
In addition to the workouts I mentioned above, here’s a complete rundown of my workouts from this past week (completed mostly in our home gym)…
- Questions:
- Do you see wild animals while on your runs, walks, or bike rides?
- Have you had your skin checked recently?
- Did you race this weekend?
And that’s my rundown… Have a great week!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links which means if you click on the blue product link and then make a purchase, I will receive a small commission for referring you. You will pay no more or less for the product; however, Amazon will show their gratitude for my referral by paying me.
*********************************************************************
I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Be sure to check out not only the hosts’ posts, but the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!
There is a nature reserve a few minutes out of the city and we see quite a bit while running in there – various antelope, warthogs, ostriches etc.! But when running usually there will just be a few stray cattle and goats! Sorry to read your week wasn’t the best, but hopefully this week is a good one!
Shathiso recently posted…Run the Berg Training – June/July
Are warthogs dangerous? How about ostriches? I’ve heard they can be mean!
I have seen more deer than ever out on runs and while driving around. They don’t seem to be as scared of people as they used to be. Sorry you had to have another mole removed. I am trying to be much better about sunscreen but still get awfully tan in the summer time. Thanks for linking up!
Deborah Brooks recently posted…Strawberry Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Meatless Monday
We have deer sleeping in our back yard every night and they’re becoming more and more used to being around us.
Oh man, what a week. I’ve definitely had weeks where I felt like nothing was quite going as planned. You made it though! Not many wild animals in our neighborhood. I have seen possums by our gym and they are not cute at all.
Virjinia @ With Purpose and Kindness recently posted…Staying Safe with Road iD!
Oh my goodness, possums have to be one of the ugliest and creepiest looking animals around!
On last Friday’s ride, there was no wild life spottings. The previous two Fridays, though, We saw a momma deer and at least one baby (possible two). Hope you’re healing up well after the mole removal.
Kimberly Hatting recently posted…By the Dawn’s Early Light
Thanks, Kim!
Baby deer are so cute, but deer are really taking over our area. Be careful that one doesn’t run across the street/path in front of you and cause an accident.
I never see wild animals on my run. A few years ago when running on a different trail, I did see a deer. Cannot remember but I do remember stopping to admire it.
I hope this week is better for you. I saw a dermatologist a year ago and he removed a mole or some skin (not sure if I am saying it correctly) to analyze it. It wasn’t cancerous. Now that reminds me that I need to go again.
Thanks, this week has been a whole lot better! 🙂
Yes, please get your skin checked again!
oh I’m so sorry you had a rough week transitioning back to reality after vacation. I had exactly the same to be honest, though not with losing cable and internet and having things removed from my body. but definitely returning back to work was like a hard slap in the face!
speaking of my face I do actually have two spots that I think I need to have checked. Ron had a spot removed last year so now I’m actually checking my own body more for spots. I am not excited that the spots are on my face though!
I see animals all the time and I love it so much. I really had to smile about all your animal sightings! I love that Pablo was with you for a bit as well!
No racing for me – in two weeks though I’ll be in Helsinki for a half marathon!
It’s funny because I was fine heading back to work after our busy week of hiking in Utah and Arizona in June. Perhaps I was happy to be home from vacation so I could rest. 😉
Please get those spots on your face looked at soon! Catching something early makes all the difference and if they’re nothing, you’ll have peace of mind.
That is a whole lot of stress so I’m not at all surprised you were feeling out of sorts! I hope that you’re feeling better now.
Bunnies are very abundant here, and you can pretty much count on seeing a few. Deer — not in my neighborhood, but sometimes on the paths I run on. There is a skunk in the neighborhood, but I haven’t seen him in a long time & hopefully he will continue to leave us alone because I know Bandit would chase and no doubt get skunked.
Glad you had Pablo to cheer you up. 🙂
Thanks, Judy, I’m feeling so much better this week! And yes, Pablo certainly helped get me out of my funk. 😀
I was a little nervous about seeing the skunk during Pablo’s early morning walks.
Sorry to read that you were out of sorts last week. You do seem to be such a positive person, but we all have our moments. Sitting in traffic is the worst! Ugh!
My dog Benji likes to show me how to do downward dog too. I bet you had a lot of fun with your granddog, doing yoga. Keep Pablo away from that skunk!
Laurie recently posted…This Is My Problem
Awww, good boy, Benji! And yes, I was very aware that Pablo would probably want to play with the skunk! LOL