Muskrat Love: 12/7 – 13 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy

I spent two of my runs this week at a local preserve. Each time I went I saw different wildlife. Once I saw what I thought were baby beavers, but Mr. Judy thinks they were muskrats — I didn’t share the photo because all you see are two little lumps in the water. Whatever they were, they were cute!

bwrd

But first I’m joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and coasting towards the New Year.

Workouts update

  • Monday: Yoga (30 min),  3 miles, 2 mile nature walk, Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min)
  • Tuesday: Yoga (40 min), Dogwalk, PB ST (30 min), Yoga (20 min)
  • Wednesday: Yoga (40 min), Snowy rest day/dr. appt./ tetanus shot, PB ST (20 min)
  • Thursday: Yoga (30 min), 3+ TM (Peloton Shakira + Alicia Keys), Yoga (20 min)
  • Friday: Yoga (30 min), 4 mile hike, Yoga (20 min)
  • Saturday:  Yoga (30 min), complete post tetanus-booster rest day
  • Sunday: Yoga (30 min), 5 miles easy, Yoga (20 min)

Running Mileage: 11 (-1.5)

JY = Jasyoga
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
YFR = Yoga for Runners*
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
YFPR = Yoga for Pain Relief
YTU = Yoga Tune Up Lower Body*

*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links

Running Update

A very chilly yet pretty day

Monday intention: take on the trails
I was going to run/hike where I’ve been going, but then I thought about the park I visited a few months back with the dogs. They’re nice, flat, unpaved trails. I was a little sad, thinking about how much Lola enjoyed going there, but despite the cold and wind, I enjoyed my run and nature walk. I also got to see two muskrats? Beavers? The photos I took are just specs, but it was cool watching them swim around.

Thursday intention: a little speed
I really wanted to stack 2 Peloton artist series runs today, but I couldn’t find two 20 minute runs I wanted to do. So I did the Shakira run (30 min) and then the Alicia Keys (20 min). As I was running the second run, which was going to give me more miles than I wanted — or felt this particular day — it dawned on me I could just walk the last 10 minutes for a cool down. Which worked perfectly.

All those times I’ve run under that bridge. Who knew all I had to do was ha ha right I to this preserve?

Sunday intention: take it easy
This run almost didn’t happen. I got a tetanus booster on Wednesday, and while the injection site was quite sore the next few days, it wasn’t too bad. Then Saturday night my armpit started to hurt — WTF? — and I had body aches and slept really poorly. I determined that the armpit was probably the booster getting into the lymph nodes there (which aren’t swollen), and that none of this was out of the ordinary, but it was weird it happened two days after the shot. To me, anyway.

I was very tired on Saturday and the armpit was bothering me; I’d never intended to run Saturady anyway, not after a run Thursday and a hike/visit to my mom Friday. Thankfully today I woke up feeling much better (although the armpit is still somewhat sore, but less so) so I headed out back to the same preserve as Monday. I got tired easier than normal, so I decided to cut the run just a little short, but all in all glad I got out there (even if I got rained on for about a mile).

So glad I took the scarf! The day warmed up but it was in the 30s while I was hiking.

Favorites of the week
Got in a nice hike at Olana before visiting my mom Friday. Which worked out well, as they were having a Hannukah celebration, and I got to be there for most of that.

I wish I’d started running at this preserve (which I ran at twice this week) a while back — we’re expecting a decent snowstorm this week so its days as a running venue are probably numbered.

I am way behind on comments since I was gone all day Friday and needed that rest day yesterday. Hope to catch up in the coming week.

Anything you wish you’d done sooner this year?

Like my froggy friend? I was surprised he didn’t move as I crept closer & closer!

How are you celebrating with your family for the holidays? 

GWY 1 Minute Energizer

ICYMI: Beginner friendly and quick, today is the first video in a series of six short videos you can do anytime you feel you need a burst of energy ; you’ll find it here. A new video will be released every day through Friday next week!

Coming up on Tuesday: What to try on Peloton. It’s just my personal opinion — you know several bloggers have tried way more than me! Friday I’m sharing the things I’m loving/not loving recently. Haven’t done that sort of post in a while!

35 thoughts on “Muskrat Love: 12/7 – 13 WRD”

  2. Love that you saw beavers, muskrats, whatever – how cute! Also like the frog. That is a weird reaction to your injection. I had to have the MMR as an adult a few years ago (Oh, 7 years ago) and I got a horrible reaction (fever, swollen joints) which we had to hastily google! But that was right away as far as I recall.

    I wish I’d kept running in the bit of April where I lost my nerve.

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    1. I thought it was really weird for that particular part of the reaction to take a couple of days too, but glad to be feeling a lot better today. Just a bit tired.

      I’m lucky that I have a treadmill so I never had to stop running.

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  3. I know there are beavers in one of the creeks where I run because I see their handiwork on the trees. But I’ve never actually seen them. It’s probably a good thing because unexpected rodents scare me, lol!

    Your lymphadenitis isn’t from the vaccine getting into the lymph node, it’s your lymph node responding to the vaccine. Sounds like you had a ‘robust’ reaction, which is actually a good thing, you are boosting your immunity. Sorry that it was so painful!

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    1. These were pretty small, but apparently there isn’t a lot of size differential between muskrats & beavers. They were playing in the (very cold) water & really cute.

      The pain wasn’t really that bad, but that Friday night the body aches were & kept me from sleeping well & I was just fatigued all day yesterday. I’m guessing you can relate to that!

      Doesn’t bode well for COVID but it’ll be quite a few months for me so nothing much to worry about right now.

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    1. Yesterday I really didn’t think today’s run would happen, and I was ok with that, but pleased to feel a lot better this morning.

      I wish I’d started running at that preserve months ago, but you can bet I’ll be running there going forward. Maybe not in winter, though. Once the snow really takes hold the paths can be too icy.

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  6. The muskrats sound cute! I always try to lookout for different animals on my runs but 9 times out of 10 I just see a bunch of squirrels. I have seen white and black squirrels before which was pretty cool!

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    1. I’ve never seen a white squirrel! Our squirrels are gray. And fat. 🙂

      I actually think I may have seen a beaver run across the path ahead of me there today, but it was far enough away that I couldn’t really tell what sort of animal it was. I have seen beavers occasionally on the run here.

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  7. Oh cute little frog! We have some muskrats in the lakes here and when the lakes start to freeze, you see them running on top of the water and its kinda cool 🙂

    Sorry about the reaction to the injection, hope you’re back to normal now.

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  8. Your pics remind my of the lake in town…it has a trail around it, but I have not been there many times this year. I’m hoping to get over there for a couple laps for one of my streak runs. There are usually a couple of random evergreen trees decorated for the holidays, and it’s always fun finding them. I love your scarf in the last pic!!!

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    1. There’s a local park here where there’s usually a few decorated trees, too; usually I spend lots of time there because it’s close, but I haven’t been back pretty much since the Pandemic started.

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  9. Ooh I hope that frog does not freeze! I suppose amphibians know what to do to stay warm enough. I was surprised to see turtles out sunning the other day, so late in the year! Similar to Thanksgiving, there will be no in-person gatherings for the holidays this year. The numbers here are just too crazy still. It’s not worth the risk.

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    1. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a muskrat. On one hike with our daughter we were surrounded by prairie dogs, but they don’t photograph well either — they really do blend right in to the prairie! Glad you got to see you Mom for Hanukkah.

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    2. It was actually quite warm yesterday — mid 40s — but it won’t be staying that way long. I did think it was odd it didn’t move at all while I crept up on it.

      My mom is supposed to be vaccinated in 2 weeks, according to where she lives, so hopefully I’ll be able to continue to visit in the apartment — and I won’t have to worry so much about spending a longer time there, either. Although of course still need to be cautious until she gets the second vaccine.

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  10. Did you like the Shakira run? I am not a big far of her so I have not done that run at all. Not sure if I ever will! I have no idea what we will do for Christmas. My mother keeps asking and I keep telling her that I don’t know.

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    1. I actually like Shakira a lot, although I haven’t followed in recent years, but I liked her when she first started to get big. I think the run was good — nothing extraordinary though.

      That’s so hard about your mom. 😦 I hope you guys are able to celebrate safely together. Do you think she’ll be getting vaccinated soon?

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  12. I’m so glad you were able to have some of a Hanukkah celebration with your mom. That must have been so nice.

    I’m all frogged out. We have so many frogs and toads that hang out here (although they are hiding out right now because it’s too cold). I would love to see a muskrat. They are adorable.

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  14. So cool that you are running in the nature preserve, Judy. I love to find critters when I run.

    I had a terrible reaction to my last tetanus shot. My arm hurt for a month and I couldn’t sleep for a week because it was just throbbing. My doctor told me I shouldn’t get any more boosters. If I need a tetanus shot, there are some available with killed virus that shouldn’t provoke such an intense reaction.

    So glad you got to celebrate Hannukah with your mom.

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  15. At least 25 years ago my mom saw three baby raccoons playing in the stream along side the road when she was taking a walk. She still talks about how cute they were and how much fun they were having.

    I’m happy you’re able to see your mom again. We’re visiting my mom this weekend.

    You are so generous to share your yoga videos. I need to make time to do with them. Thanks!

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