Tuesday, September 12, 2017

The Cure for the Post-Summertime Blues

I can honestly say that this was probably one of the best summers of my life. After my recovery from my prolonged flare of rheumatoid arthritis this past spring, I was bound and determined to make the most of my summer. I was feeling good, dammit! When management told me I would have to give up all my vacation time (because I had used it all up taking time off to heal), I negotiated strongly to keep my long weekends. I have Thursdays off and taking Fridays off would be no big deal, right?

I am so glad I did that. Guys, if I learned anything from this whole RA experience it is this: Fight for your right to party!

I did and I've got the pictures to prove it. Give a runner a diagnosis and watch her go. This was a summer of activities and fun.

No matter what happens to me now, I'll always have this summer. Those memories are my cure for the post-summer funk.



Where to start? How about my multiple trips to Door County Wisconsin? My son and I took 2 trips up to my northern happy place and we made the most of our time there. Kayaking the caves and paddleboarding were the highlights of those weekends.



 Speaking of kayaking, I had my annual "Kayak Krawl" with my high school friends down the mighty Fox.


My former roommate made a trip back to Chi-Town. We were thwarted by the wind off Lake Michigan so SUP was a no-go. Instead, we toured the Chicago River in kayaks, an experience I highly recommend.



Staying true to my love for all water sports, I visited Holly in Alabama for some fun on one ski! I was happy to find my skills intact. It was my first time tandem skiing, but we found our rhythm. Holly is a lefty, so picking out which side we needed to be on worked out really well. We're already planning for next year.



When I was in Alabama, Holly found me a race to run, a 5k, and I took first place in my age group. The peach cobbler we had on the way home was truly the best post-race reward I've ever had. And that's saying a lot. I've recreated this delicious dessert twice since then--fresh peaches and all.



My Humana Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon was the running highlight of my summer. I got to meet Kathrine Switzer. Oh, and she was at the finish line with my medal to put around my neck. Did you see the video they made of my experience? The whole thing was surreal.


All the fun had to come to an end, though. It always does. My 10k that I ran over Labor Day weekend was a DNF. I haven't felt well since. Prior to the race, I was forced to take 3 weeks off my RA meds and I'm pretty sure that messed me up.

That was the only low point of a blissfully wonderful summer. Reminiscing like this for this post made me smile and reminded me that even though I'm feeling low now, I've always got last summer. I'm optimistic that good times are just around the corner again! I've got plans for this fall. RA be damned.

What were the highlights of your summer? The lowlights? Do you have any big plans for fall?

I'm linking up with Marcia, Erika, and Patti for Tuesdays on the Run as well as Wild Workout Wednesday with Nicole, Annemarie, and Jen!




50 comments :

  1. May your fall and winter be blissfully wonderful as well. Those are all great memories!

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  2. I sincerely hope that the good times continue to roll! You deserve it!

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    Replies
    1. Looking back, I can't quite believe the whole summer. It was amazing.

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  3. You had a great summer and I hope that you will have a good Fall as well!

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    1. Me too. I've hit a little bump in the road here, with my RA. Hoping it calms the hell back down.

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  4. Wow you had an amazing summer! I'm trying not to dwell on summer being over, because I'm making plans and looking forward to fall/winter!
    Hope you have a great week :)

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    1. I've got plans for fall and winter too. Hoping things continue on this positive path!

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  5. I am so glad you enjoyed every bit of your summer! You deserve it.

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  6. Wow. You had some good times. Hopefully fall will be even better - Go Vegas!!

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  7. It's great looking back and seeing all the adventures you had over the Summer! You definitely managed to squeeze in a lot of fun :) I hope that Fall is just as good.

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    1. Putting it all in one spot, here on the blog, made me really realize how awesome it was.

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  8. I still think it's amazing you met Kathrine Switzer. That would sustain me for quite a few months.

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    1. I think it was amazing that she gave me my medal. It seems like a dream!

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  9. I'm still really bummed I had to DNS R'n'R Chicago...that would have been a fun weekend. My fall has all kinds of potential...hopefully starting this weekend ;-)

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  10. I had a truly amazing summer too and you're so right about fighting for your right to party and enjoy life!! THESE are the things that will be remembered - not work, not laundry, not any of those things. You do life right woman! Thanks for the recap...now let's make it a great fall :-)

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    1. I don't know about doing life right, but I'm going to do the best I can! No one takes my vacation away from me! Hey, we've got Vegas, right?

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  11. Ahhh...it was a great summer. We are mirror images with the lefty/righty thing. The bar has been set really high for #holottafun. Here's to a wonderful Fall and feeling GREAT!

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  12. Girl, you have packed a lot of fun in this summer! You were the kayaking queen and Katherine Switzer??? That'll be hard to top! Congratulations on some wonderful memories made!

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  13. Its great that you had such an awesome summer and it just proves how much you can do despite your diagnosis! Hopefully you will be feeling better soon.

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    1. I can't stop and I won't stop! If anything, I've got more incentive to push on.

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  14. You really did pack a ton into your summer this year. The best is the huge smile on your face in every picture. There is no stopping you!

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    1. There's nothing like a diagnosis like RA to push you to do ALL THE THINGS, right?

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  15. I agree with you fighting for your right to party! If the activities outside work are the ones that help us become sane, then why stop?
    These are memories worth posting!

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  16. THIS MAKES ME SMILE SO SO SO SO BIG.
    especially mostly and sooo much for that very first sentence.

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  17. I've been following along on your summer adventures! It's been quite a ride! Glad you had a great one!

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  18. What a great summer of running. Summer is always my favorite time of year!

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  19. Looks like such an incredible summer, Wendy! Kayaking on the Chicago River is now on my bucket list :)

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    Replies
    1. I can't believe that I had never done it. I will definitely do it again next year!

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  20. Minus the RA bumps in your road, what a fun and fantastic summer you had! Mine was good with the pinnacle being the wedding this weekend. Three more days!!!

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  21. I just love your attitude. So inspiring! What an awesome summer! My highlight was our Europe trip... low light was 6 weeks off running, but learning to pool run was a nice side effect.

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    1. I just think pool running is a great backup plan! But it's nice to be back on the road, right?

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  22. I think one of the best things about our move to Co is that I'm loving the different things to do in every season!

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    1. I would love to live there. Even with the change of seasons, you get a lot of sun!

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  23. AHHHHHH holy crap you had such a good summer! My all-time favourite pic/part is that photo of you and your friend water skiing. THE BEST.

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    1. That picture is sitting on my desk at work. It makes me smile every time I look at it!

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  24. What a fun summer you had! Highlights for me were friends visiting, tubing, relaxing at the pool and my bridal shower last weekend :).

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  25. I'm sorry to hear you still aren't feeling well. You'll be back to yourself in no time. And what a summer!!!!!

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    1. Today I felt like myself again. I'm pretty sure it was being off the meds. Ugh. I hope I don't have to do that again!

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  26. Sorry you are not feeling well, sounds like a pretty great summer and I know you will do everything to get back to feeling good.

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    1. Today was more like normal. Of course, because I wrote about it...right?

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