Don't Count Me Out!

This week was remarkable for our wild weather! We had terrible thunderstorms on Monday and Tuesday night--the sirens were blowing and while we didn't have a lot of damage, others around the area were not so lucky. By mid-week, the weather calmed down and we had some really pleasant conditions. I had to move my runs around to accommodate the conditions as well as some lingering soreness from a tough mid-week workout. I got it all done, though, and wrapped up the week with a really good run. At this point in my life, anytime I can finish a 10k in under an hour is a win.

What a way to make me feel like I'm still a runner!

Running is Leaving Me Breathless

The heat and humidity continue! I've been committed to getting up and out the door early, but despite my best efforts, I've been struggling on my runs. After a couple of miles, my heart rate spikes and I have to slow to a walk. The heat has never been my friend, but this is the first summer I can remember consistently having issues with high heart rate and breathing. I'm blaming the weather, but I'm considering programming run/walk intervals back into my runs. I'm going to see how this week goes. Stay tuned. 

More Rain! More Mud! More Humidity!

The title of this post is not a wish list. It's a lament. I only wish we could get a break from this relentless moisture.

While we aren't getting rains that Wisconsin is--more on that in a minute--we've certainly had more than our share. When it isn't raining, it is oppressively humid. I try to find the good in everything and yes, the flowers and foliage are lush and beautiful. But it's hard to breathe when I run and the mud on my trails is making me slip, slide, and fall. The biting flies are loving the conditions and my repellant isn't as much of a deterrent as I hoped. I broke down and ordered a head net to keep the flies out of my eyes. 

The other bad news is that my upcoming trail race, Dances with Dirt, scheduled for next weekend in Devil's Lake State Park in Wisconsin, has been canceled. This is due to all the rain, which has led to poor trail conditions and flooding in the park. I've been wanting to run this race for years! I signed up for the 10k to see what it's like. I was hoping to run a half there next year. I have to decide if I will defer or run it virtually. 

Wisconsin has had so much rain that last week our lake was a 'no wake zone'. Boats and piers were freely floating in the water. The water has receded some, but more rain is on the way. The storms just keep tracking across that same area. You know how bummed I am about not being able to ski much this summer! I sure hope things improve.

Mini Book Reviews: June 2024

Disclaimer: I received copies of Margo's Got Money Troubles, The Midnight Feast, Sandwich, Husbands and Lovers, and Bear from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest reviews.

June just flew by, didn't it? And of course, I read plenty of books this month. My NetGalley prereleases were getting cumbersome, so almost the entire month working through the list, knocking out 5 of them. I loved four of them--surprisingly, the one I didn't care for was written by Lucy Foley, who is a very popular thriller author. It would be hard to choose a favorite out of the other 4--I enjoyed them all very much! 

But it was A Walk in the Park that had my heart and took a while for me to read. It was long, yes, but it was just so good. It is a must read for anyone who loves to hike or run trails, or who wants to learn more about the Grand Canyon. I fully expect to see this on year-end lists of best of non-fiction books!

A Very Wet Week

What a strange summer we're having! We've had a lot of sizzling record-breaking heat and a lot of rain. The humidity has been off the charts. This summer has been kind of a bust so far--I hope things shift to something more outdoors-friendly! Fortunately this week, I was able to get all my runs done outside. 

Time on the lake? We're home this weekend. After last weekend's flooding rains in Wisconsin, piers are underwater, boats have become unmoored, and as of this writing, the lake is still a no-wake zone. I'm starting to wonder if there's going to be any waterskiing this summer!

Running Out of My Comfort Zone

I'm not being dramatic when I tell you it has been fire outside. We are still in June and if this is what summer will be like, take me back to winter. Sure the sun is shining, but it burns if you are out there too long. While I do love summer, I do not like the extreme heat. We've been in the 90s all week--we even broke a few records. We had some storms Saturday night, which brought a lot of rain and cooler temperatures. 

Meanwhile, I did get all my runs done outside! I just started a lot earlier than I normally do. A runner's gotta run, am I right? Running teaches us to push outside of our comfort zone and this week reminded me of that!

The Heat is On!

This week gave me the opportunity to cut back on my miles and give my legs some much needed rest. I'm still trying to acclimate to the heat! Every summer I go through this and I don't know if I ever do get used to it!

I'm Smoked

Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.

It's a silly title for this post and I'll probably get all kinds of spam from smoking websites. But let me explain. When he's tired, which is pretty much all of the time, my dad likes to tell everyone how he's 'smoked'. So much so, that it's become an ongoing joke in my family. When someone is tired, we say we are 'smoked'. 

Yep, I'm smoked. 

Not stoked. 

I haven't bounced back from the Blue Springs Trail Race I ran a few weeks ago. I took it easy the week after the race and I don't think I've been pushing myself excessively. My body is telling me something different. If I want running to feel good again, I need to listen to my body and give it a little more rest. You can imagine this isn't making me happy. Let's hope it's not long before I'm feeling light on my feet again.

Mini Book Reviews: May 2024

Disclaimer: I received copies of Wait and Housemates from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

What a great month of reading!!! I didn't expect to read this many books, but May has 31 days and some of these books were unputdownable! 

I often get asked how I pick the books I review here. TBH, I don't always plan what I'm going to read. I have a goal of reading my NetGalley books prior to their publication date, so those are always on my list. If a book I have on hold at the library comes in, that gets added to the pile. But there are also books that land on my radar...maybe it's a fellow book blogger who makes a recommendation, like Leaving or Nuclear War. Fellow running blogger Darlene recommended To the Gorge, and that was a must read. 

As I always say, so many books, so little time! I hope you find something here that you might want to read.

 

What A Week!

I was home this week to work on continuing education. In the past, I would travel to attend an in-person conference, but my CME allowance has been cut substantially. My pediatric nurse practitioner professional organization allows members to attend their annual conference virtually, so I did that, which was a much more affordable option. The conference content didn't disappoint and I was able to obtain over 20 CME hours. I even spent one of the days sitting outside on my deck while watching lectures--it sure beats sitting in a conference hall! I also liked scheduling my sessions around my workouts. 

My week wasn't without some bumps in the road, though. On Sunday, I was scratching an itch behind my ear and felt a sharp pain. I asked my hubs to look at it and he told me it was a pimple. I had him snap a photo and sure enough, I had a tick bite behind my ear. I didn't see a tick in the lesion--hopefully, I dislodged it when I scratched it. Just to be safe, on Monday, I contacted one of my partners at work and asked her to call in an antibiotic for Lyme disease prophylaxis. The area behind my ear hurt for several days and it was a good reminder that I need to apply repellant not only to my arms and legs but also to my neck and behind my ears. And to wear a hat!

On Friday, I drove my parents downtown to Northwestern University Medical Center so my dad could see a neuro-ophthalmologist. A few weeks ago, he woke up in the middle of the night with a sharp pain on the left side of his head. The next morning, he had double vision. I sent him to the ER, where they did a CT scan and an MRI, which showed no pathology. Since he's still been having issues, his local neurologist recommended he see the specialist. The good news is that he said my dad didn't have a stroke and that the double vision should resolve soon. I'm so glad for the positive diagnosis. We were stuck in heavy traffic both in and out of the city, which gave us a lot of time to catch up. It was nice to spend the day with them.

I Can Do Hard Things

I think this is my new mantra. Last weekend's trail race (did you read my recap?) really forced me to dig deep and keep going when I wanted to give up. That strategy came in handy this week when I did the full Murph workout at CrossFit. 

I'm so grateful for what my body lets me do and what my mind pushes me through.

Race Recap: Blue Springs Trail Race

Earlier this spring, I had plans to run 'Run From the Taxman', a trail race on the Lapham Peak segment of the Ice Age Trail. I put the race on my calendar. After seeing a friend's Facebook post about completing the race, I realized that I put the race on the wrong date. Having trained for it, but having to miss it because of my mistake made me so upset. That same friend reached out to me with information on the upcoming Blue Springs Trail Race. Part of the Golden Kettle Race Series, this race offered 3 distances: a short course of 4-ish miles, a mid-course of 6.3-ish miles, and a long course of 13.5-ish miles. 

I immediately signed up for the long course and triple checked the date on my calendar. I hoped that nothing would prevent me from lining up to run this one!

The Make-up Race

It was race week and I was ready! I had some great runs leading up to Saturday but I didn't push myself too hard. I wanted to keep my legs fresh. I did notice an area of concern--my left glute is not firing. I noticed it on Sunday. My right glute was really sore after my run and while I was running, I felt like it was doing all the work. At my race on Saturday, I stumbled way more than I should have--catching my left toe and nearly falling multiple times. I didn't fall, thankfully--that would have been tragic on this trail, as it's really rocky and rooty. But it reinforced that I need to get back to basics with some posterior chain work, focusing on that side.

This week I learned that I received a complimentary entry to the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon from Brooks! The race is November 9. I've always wanted to run this one and November is a good time of year for a long distance race. A couple other teammates will be joining me.  I keep saying I'm done with long distance road racing, but here I go again.  People who've done it say it's a 'fast course'. We'll see about that!

Don't Worry, Run Happy!

The family drama I wrote about last week spilled into this week. I keep wishing it would go away, but I don't think that is going to happen. Thank goodness for running and my workouts. I was able to sweat out a lot of my stress again. We had beautiful weather for most of the week, and I fully enjoyed my trail runs. There's just something about being in nature that makes me so happy!

Sweating it Out

Once again, running and my workouts were there to help me get through a stressful week. This week, my parents were the main source. My dad has been having some minor health issues but made them into everyone's problem. I won't go into details, but I did get a glimpse of what the future looks like for my sisters and me. It's not going to be pretty. 

On the plus side, Cocoa has completely recovered from her surgery! I bought her some new tennis balls this week and we've been busy chasing them around the backyard. She also chased a big opossum out of our yard. Yeeeesh....

Running was my salvation. So was CrossFit. There's nothing better to relieve stress than to sweat it out. As always, I am grateful that my body still lets me push it.

Mini Book Reviews: April 2023

Disclaimer: I received ARCs of The Limits, Backyard Bird Chronicles, Lucky, and Love is a Burning Thing from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my reviews.

Continuing with my unofficial theme this month of ups and downs, some of the books I read this month were great and some were not-so-great. My favorite book of the month, hands down, was Wolf At the Table. I also enjoyed Piglet, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, and Love is a Burning Thing. While some readers enjoyed Worry, Lucky, and The Limits, my advice is to take a pass.

Ups and Downs

This was a tumultuous week! Weather aside, I had a lot of ups and downs. I've been feeling unsettled since Cocoa had her surgery, and life threw some curve balls my way this week. Did you see the full moon this week? It was HUGE and I'm blaming everything on that. Oh, and Mercury has been in retrograde if you believe that stuff. Normally, I don't, but I needed some explanation for all the chaos of the past couple of weeks! Thankfully that's all behind us and the week did end on a high note. 

My trail friend whose race recap let me know that I missed my race, reached out with an opportunity to redeem myself after my unintentional DNS.  She told me about an upcoming trail race on May 18 on the Blue Springs Segment of the IAT. The distance is listed as 'about 12 miles', which is perfect for me. It sounds really laid back and there's locally brewed beer at the finish line! After triple-checking the date,  I put the race on my calendar. I'm looking forward to it!

An Unintentional DNS

Remember that trail race I recently signed up for? Run From the Taxman? Apparently, I put the race on the calendar for the wrong Saturday. I thought the race was taking place on the 20th, but it was last Saturday the 13th. When I saw one of my trail friends sharing her results on Facebook last Saturday, I had the strangest feeling of disbelief come over me. How could this have happened? That I mixed up the date on such an important event really bothered me and the unease was hard to shake.

This whole week was unsettling and it wasn't just the DNS that threw me off. I was home all week to care for Cocoa. She wouldn't leave my side the whole time. She also wouldn't eat or drink for the first couple of days. She was on quite a few medications when I brought her home and I wondered if they were causing her nausea. They also gave her a nausea medication but it didn't seem to make a difference. On Tuesday, I removed the fentanyl patch, thinking maybe that was causing some side effects. That helped a lot--she started behaving more like herself, wanting to chase her ball, and eventually eating more food.

Meanwhile, I tackled a lot of little household projects that needed to be done. Like washing the baseboards and the china cabinet. Organizing the closets. Gathering items for Goodwill. The interesting thing, at least to me, is that when you don't clean your own house (I have a cleaning lady every month), you don't notice what isn't being cleaned--until it becomes really gross. It felt good to get that stuff done! I also pulled weeds and old plants in my perennial garden and am trying to decide what I want to plant there.

It Was A Good Week

Truly, it was a good week. Most importantly, I got all my workouts in. It was a good thing because I needed it! Cocoa had her ear ablation surgery on Friday. If you know me at all, you know that I was really nervous for her. The funny thing is that when we got in the car to go to Madison on Thursday, she acted as if it was no big deal and slept most of the way. But when we got to the UW Veterinary Clinic, she started to shake. I felt bad leaving her there, but fortunately, the surgery went well. As you read this on Sunday, we are bringing her home.

It's amazing how much these little furballs mean to us, isn't it? When my hubs balked at the idea of another surgery, I reminded him that she was part of the family. We couldn't not do this. Thank goodness for the availability of good veterinary care. I am thrilled with the care she received. 

I'm Glad I Went

I won't sugarcoat it--the weather was just miserable this week. Except for Sunday, the wind, rain, cold, and yes, snow, was relentless. I managed to get all 3 of my runs outside. It was hard to motivate myself, but that old saying is true: you never regret going for a run. I reminded myself about that trail race in 2 weeks. I didn't want to run on my treadmill. Who knows what the conditions will be on race day?

While I was glad to be done, I finished all of my runs with a smile on my face! Running in bad weather really tests my mental toughness and reminds me of what I am capable of! I am so glad I got outside for all my runs!

Mini Book Reviews: March 2024

Disclaimer: I received ARCs of Real Americans and A Fatal Inheritance from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest reviews.

Overall, this was a very satisfying month of reading! I didn't expect to read this many books--A Fatal Inheritance, a NetGalley prerelease, was very interesting. I just couldn't rush through it, wanting to savor all the details. I found some unexpected good reads this month with Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame, Yellowface, and What Happened to Nina? My other NetGalley pre-release, Real Americans, was amazing as well. The only disappointment was The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers. I love a nostalgic look back at the music of the 1970s, but this was not the story I was expecting.

What's Your Idea of Fun?

My idea of fun is certainly different from most people's!  I love running and I love trail running the most. Getting muddy doesn't bother me. I also love lifting heavy weights and challenging my body at CrossFit. It's hard in the moment, but the reward at the end is a feeling of accomplishment. Of doing something difficult, wanting to quit, but not giving up. 

I have been struggling with finding goals for myself this year. What's a runner to do but to pick a challenging race? I signed up for a trail half marathon, Run From the Taxman, in 3 weeks on a segment of the Ice Age Trail. I ran there last fall during the Mammoth Challenge, so I know what to expect. It's really hilly, so I know it won't be easy. I'm already feeling anxious, lol.

Oh, but that finish line feeling is everything. And that to me is fun!

Just Keeping On

Our early spring was put on hold this week with the return of cold, windy, and snowy weather. By the end of the week, I was feeling a bit fatigued. I don't know if it was due to the cold weather, an impending illness, or just the toll of some very active weeks. I'm finally adjusted to the time difference and am sleeping better. Hopefully, when things warm back up, I'll find my mojo again!

Back to Work

From California to Wisconsin, I did some traveling this week! I won't deny it--between all the activity of last week and the time change, I was exhausted most of the week. I did my best to stick to my schedule and to my surprise, my runs and CrossFit felt good. Work was really busy and I dove right back in as if I had never left. 

It's funny how that happens, isn't it?

California Love

Long post alert!! I've been out of town all week, visiting my sister and brother-in-law in Palm Desert, California. You know how it is when you visit a beautiful place--you want to do all the things and that is what we did! By the end of the week, my feet were sore and I was tired. I'm heading home today, with one day to recover before I return to work and life on Tuesday. It should be interesting, considering the 2 hour time difference between California and Chicago plus the 1 hour time change this weekend. 

In the meantime, I've recapped this very full week here on the blog. Thanks in advance for reading!

The Real Deal

It sure seems that the groundhog was right this year! This false spring we've been experiencing may be the real deal.  We had some really strong storms this week with multiple tornados--a real rarity in February for us--a sure sign that the weather is shifting. I've been enjoying some nice runs and even got to run in shorts this week. We were above 70F this week and we're supposed to hit that again. If this warm weather pattern is wrong, I don't want to be right. 

Mini Book Reviews: February 2024

Disclaimer: I received copies of The Road from Belhaven, My Side of the River, and Wandering Stars from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my review. This post contains affiliate links.

February was a great month of reading for me. While I work on getting through all my NetGalley prereleases, I also was able to fit in a couple of books that I wanted to read. I'm happy to say that all 3 NetGalley books were great and my personal selections were too. If I were to recommend a book that everyone will like, I would pick Kristin Hannah's book, The Women. I believe this may be her best book yet. Ann Patchett's Tom Lake was my favorite, though. 

There's nothing better than a month of good books!

Trail Time!

With no races planned right now--save for the Shamrock Shuffle 8k in March--I refocused on trail running again. Training for my half marathon was fun and all, but I sure missed my trails. Not only do I love running in nature, but I also enjoy just running for fun, with no paces to hit and no set distance to complete. With the weather improving, the timing is just perfect. I'm looking forward to watching spring arrive. My spidey senses are tingling for an early spring, as the birds have been singing and the deer are frolicking. We've been hitting record temperatures this week, with more predicted for next week. Stay tuned!

It's All Good

On Saturday, I always sit down to finish up my weekly rundown. I write up my workouts in all week long and at the end of the week, I try to find a common theme to come up with a title for my post. This has been a pretty uneventful week and I have to admit that I was at a loss for a title! In fact, it's been all good this week. So there it is...

Moving Forward

I runfess... I am happy to have that half marathon behind me. 

Every race teaches us something new. What will I take away from this race?

I won't play the age card or blame my struggles on RA, but long distances are definitely becoming more difficult for me. This week, it felt good to dial it back a bit--to just run and let my body recover. I'm trying to sort out what happened on the race course and why I struggled with my breathing. Did I run too fast at the start? Was I affected by the poor air quality? Was I anxious? 

For sure, I wasn't properly fueled, having forgotten my smoothie at home. My on-course fueling plan was a bust. But the other factors? 

As I put this race in the rearview mirror, I'll continue to reflect on what works and what doesn't. I'm not ready to give up on the half marathon distance!

F3 Lake Half Marathon Race Recap

The F3 Lake Half Marathon is Chicago's unofficial start to race season. Although it's been around for 15 years, I've never done it. The weather in January in Chicago is unpredictable and usually awful. This year, except for one week in January, we've had really mild, sunny conditions. My friend and fellow Brooks ambassador Frankie put pressure on me to sign up. I took a leap of faith and hoped for the best as I filled out the application. My youngest son wanted to join me, so I signed him up too!

Life and a Race

My anxiety level was high this week and it wasn't just due to my impending half marathon. 

There was last week's sad news that my young patient had passed. This week, my parents asked me to fix their computer again. Like many of us, they are struggling with many passwords, however, their solution is to keep creating new user names and passwords, which eventually gets them locked out of their accounts. I arrived with new solutions and was greeted by my mom, sporting a black eye. My sister had warned me that on the day before, my mom was on her treadmill when the phone rang. She forgot to stop the treadmill and fell on her face. It looked pretty bad, but she seemed ok when I got to their house. 

It was also her birthday and when I set her up for a Zoom call with her high school friends, she asked me what happened to her face. I calmly told her, and my dad and I exchanged worried looks. The next day, I called him to check on her--he thought she was fine, but I urged him to take her to be checked out. I was worried about a brain bleed, and she had a head CT which was clear. Whew. 

My sisters and I have been worried about my mom for a while now. She always took care of everyone, including my dad. Trying to get him to step up after all these years has been challenging. I'm the only one who is local, which is also another challenge. We'd like to see them downsize and move somewhere that would provide more support, but my dad isn't ready to give up his garage and his old cars. I get that.

Mini Book Reviews: January 2024

Disclaimer: I received ARCs of Come and Get It and Martyr! from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review. This post contains affiliate links.

I kicked off 2024 with the resolution to read my NetGalley ARCs before they are published! I have so many that I have fallen behind. I love that they send me so many books to review but now I am below 80% and need to fix that. Moving forward, I'll be sharing a mix of upcoming new releases from NetGalley as well as library holds and backlist books. 

This month had 5 very different books. My favorite one was Martyr!. You can't judge a book by its cover and when I first received Martyr! from NetGalley, I thought I wouldn't like it at all. The first sentence grabbed me and the book didn't let go. It won't be the book for everyone but it gave me a lot to think about. 

It's been a little frustrating trying to find good books to read lately. Every time I pick up a book that everyone is raving about, I'm disappointed. I've got 3 NetGalley books coming up for this month. Let's see what I find.

Better Days Ahead

It's the end of January, it's gray, and I'm glad to see this month come to an end. The days are getting longer and my early morning runs aren't as dark as they have been. The bitter cold we were experiencing has gone away and we're back into the 30s and 40s. The snowpack is dwindling quickly.

It's also race week! Earlier this month, I optimistically signed up for a half marathon--one that I've avoided in the past because who wants to run 13.1 miles in the dark of winter? Thankfully, we've had mostly mild temperatures, and looking ahead to next weekend, the forecast calls for more of the same. So fingers crossed it doesn't rain. 

I'm as ready as I can be for this race--I'm not going to race it, but plan to attempt to maintain a steady 10m/m pace. Let's just hope my tummy behaves and then everything else should fall into place. Sometimes that's enough.

A "Real" Winter

In spite of, or maybe because of that nice warm fall we had, we are now experiencing a full-on old-fashioned winter. It's the kind of winter that people reminisce about--"remember all the snow we used to get when we were kids?"--and I'm thinking that some memories are enhanced by time. 

Throughout the fall, I kept saying that we were going to pay for all that nice weather we were having. It seems like the universe always has a way of evening things out. It's been bitterly cold--schools have been closed most of the week-- and it's snowy. I'm not complaining except when it comes to running. I think I've run on my treadmill more this month than I did in all of 2023. As you read this, we are up at the lake and I am attempting my long run on the road. It's still very cold, but it's pretty, so fingers crossed I'll get all my miles in. You can check out my IG for the final verdict.

The forecast this week is for a thaw and while that sounds good in theory, it's likely not. Seasoned midwesterners know that usually means icy surfaces. I may finally have to cave and buy those Kahtoola spikes I've been eyeing. I wonder what kind of conditions we'll have for my upcoming half marathon?

Be Careful What You Wish For

I haven't been minding our mild winter at all. But I was hoping for a little snow- just to make things pretty and wintery. I should have known better because as extreme as the weather has been the past couple of years, at the end of this week, we got hit with a really wild snowstorm. Friday morning began with about 6 inches of heavy, wet snow and wind that chased me back inside before I could even start my run. As the morning went on, it changed to rain, turning the snow into slush, changing back to snow again, dropping about 4 more inches on top of the slush overnight. The wind continued, and during the day on Saturday, the temperatures began to drop.  It's going to be cold and windy for the next few days, which means most likely I'll be spending quality time with my TM.

Starting the New Year on the Right Foot

I've been reading a lot of posts about goals, 'word of the year', 'ins and outs', and resolutions. I think most of you know that I kind of just roll with what the year hands me. Already, I've signed up for a Chicago half marathon that takes place next month. My youngest son is going to join me and I know several other local runners who are doing it as well. I hoped that our mild winter would continue, but it is Chicago, and it looks like we are going to get some winter weather in the coming weeks. To prepare for this race, I'm going to do more running on the roads and focus on consistency. I'm a little less focused on my time. I want to feel good when I cross that finish line!