Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone! This is my final weekly wrap and final blog post of 2017. Since I've already shared my year of bling, my blog stats, and my RA anniversary, what's left to talk about?

There is always the weather. If there is nothing else to talk about, there's always the weather.

We in the Chicago area are closing out the year with a blast--of really cold weather! It's been a tough, sole sucking week to be an outdoor runner and motivation is running low. Hibernating inside under a blanket is not the best way to kick off a new year of running, is it?

I did take myself for a run outside in the bitter cold on Saturday morning. After a torturous run on Wednesday on my geriatric treadmill, I couldn't bear the thought of another. Work on Friday was non-stop with really sick kids. Cabin fever was taking a toll. I was starting to feel anxious. So I bundled up and stepped out into the cold. The fresh air did help but it was a tough, cold four-mile run. How cold was it? It was so cold that my Garmin died 1 mile into my run. That was a first. How could I go on without my watch? Could I run "naked"? I considered going back home. Then I thought about Amanda "Too Tall Fritz" who was running a 50k that morning not far from my house and felt like a wimp. Where's my badassery? Where's my mental toughness?

As I thought about that, it occurred to me: It's a slippery slope, quitting on a short training run. I've got to get it together! I've got a half marathon in February to train for! Weather be damned! I'm going to have to suck it up and get outside. If I can run in these conditions, I can do anything. Right? I can do hard things! Mind over matter, can't stop won't stop, I can and I will. Quitting isn't an option. Right?

Right.

2017 was a tough year for me. Adjusting to life with a chronic illness required me to dig deep on many days when all I wanted to do was just stay in bed. You guys don't know me as that kind of person and that's not who I am, but for the first time in my life, I understood that "chronic illness personality". I can see now that for a lot of people, it's so much easier to just give in rather than push through pain and/or fatigue. Fortunately, I've always been the kind of person to push through tough times, to never give up, and to never take no as an answer. Maybe I might complain or cry, but I push on. Some might call me tenacious, some might call me stubborn, but it's a personality trait that has served me well throughout my life.

Saturday's sub-zero run during which my Garmin froze. It was colder in Chicago than in Antarctica.

I have to admit that I'm feeling a little burned out right now. I was determined to prove that RA wasn't going to change me and I pushed myself really hard last year. My total mileage for 2017 was about 1075 miles, which is one of my highest mileage years ever. It's crazy because there were no marathons last year, yet I ran more miles than I did in any of my marathon training years except for 2015. I ran a lot slower in 2017 because I used the run/walk method, and that may have contributed to my ability to stay relatively injury free.

While my 2017 ended on a high note, for 2018, I'm going to dial back the intensity a bit. I'm not getting soft, but I'm going be a little kinder to myself. In 2017, I proved to myself that I'm still me and that I can still go the distance. For 2018, there will still be running and races, but I'm not setting any goals. Instead, I'm just going to let the year unfold and sign up for races as I feel like it. I'm going to continue to work on strength and conditioning at CrossFit. There will be yoga. And there will be fun in the sun if it ever warms up again.

Give this up? Never!

After a rough transition to my new clinic site, the dust is starting to settle. Instead of working every other Saturday, which is what I have been doing for the past 6 years, I negotiated to work every 4th Saturday. My new schedule is going to make it easier for me to pick races spontaneously as well as taking short weekend trips out of town.

So what races are on the calendar so far? First up, I'm going to Birmingham in February to run the Mercedes Half Marathon! It will be a short trip with one overnight, but I found a flight that worked and it all fell into place. In March, I'm going to run the Chicago Shamrock Shuffle. There was a one day $39 special, which is unheard of for a race in Chicago. I haven't run the Shuffle in probably 25 years. I'm sure it's changed a bit since then, although I hear they still have green beer.

I also signed up for a Strava challenge for January, which fits in nicely with training for February's race. Last year Strava teamed up with Lululemon for a 40/80km running challenge. The rules were simple: run either 40 or 80 km during the 2 week challenge period in January. This proved to be more of a challenge than I expected since we had multiple ice storms during that time and all the runs had to be done outside and tracked on a GPS. I ran 80km (50 miles). For my efforts, Lululemon rewarded me with a shirt and a pair of running shorts. They aren't saying what the reward will be this year, but I'm in! The challenge starts January 2 and runs through January 15.

After that, we'll see. The year of no plans and goals is filling up already.

Funny how that happens!

What are you planning for 2018? Or are you more spontaneous?

I'm linking up with Holly and Tricia for the final Weekly Wrap of 2017! I can't wait to see what's in store for 2018...