}

Sunday, October 4, 2026

Life is a Wild Ride

Life has sure been interesting lately with lots of ups and downs! Read on...

Weekly Rundown:
Sunday: Ice Age Trail Lodi Marsh Segment 7 miles/1100ft
Monday: unscheduled rest
Tuesday: Fluid Running
Wednesday: Trail run/walk 4 miles
Thursday: 10-3.5-30 treadmill workout plus 10 mins warmup/cooldown
Friday: run/walk 5k
Saturday: rest/work

The fog and cooler morning temperatures were so inviting! I had just been to the Lodi Marsh the night before for the Full Moon Hike, so I didn't repeat that part of the segment, instead focusing on the rest of the trail. I loved seeing the full moon still up high in the sky. The fog made everything feel moody and soft, and I took a ton of photos. Still recovering from this virus, I felt pretty good, but I had to stop and walk a few times. No complaints--it was a beautiful morning to be on the trail!





For the past couple of days, I've been battling whatever upper respiratory virus is going around, and on Monday, it seemed to settle in my chest, causing me to cough and feel short of breath. Maybe I pushed myself too hard on Sunday? Who me? I figured I should listen to my body, and I skipped the gym.

Wednesday's trail run/walk was in the rain. I wanted to get outside; I wanted to run, and so I did. Easy, slow, and uneventful. No deer sightings--just a few squirrels. 


It was still raining on Thursday, and with my knee injury, I played it safe (sort of) and took to the TM for the 12-3-30 workout, modified. My TM only elevates to 10%, so I increased the pace to 3.5. I also did a 5-minute warm-up and cool down. 

Off the trail...

As you know, I have been struggling with pain in my right knee for some time now. A few weeks ago, I had a steroid injections in both knees. The injections didn't help much with my knee pain and did nothing to help the main issue--pain below my right kneecap. The only thing that has helped so far is wearing a knee strap. On Monday, I had an MRI of the knee. I learned that I have a partial patellar tendon tear, along with tendinitis and cartilage loss. I attempted to schedule with an orthopedic specialist at Rush in Chicago, and got an appointment in 5 weeks. Not wanting to wait that long and to start on the road to healing, I self-referred to a local PT practice that works with athletes. I also scheduled with a local sports med ortho this upcoming Monday to evaluate my injury. I also want guidance on what I can do while I heal--both on the trail and in the gym. As you might have noticed, I'm still doing some running, but mostly have been walking.

On Wednesday morning, I got incredible news. My son texted me that my daughter-in-law's water broke and THE BABY WAS COMING! I worked that afternoon; he kept providing me with updates, and a little after 4 pm, my grandson was born, 6 pounds 12 ounces. Yes, he came 4 weeks early, but he was healthy and perfect. I had to work that evening, but my last 2 patients canceled, my manager closed my schedule, and I went to the hospital to see him. What a little love! Everyone says he looks like my son. He definitely has Tom's eyes!






The plan was for the baby to go home with his mom on Saturday, but unfortunately, he developed jaundice and bought himself another night in the hospital to be monitored. Fingers crossed this passes quickly!

How was your week? Did you have a lot of rain this week? Do you run when you're injured? What is the best thing that happened to you this week?

I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown. 







26 comments :

  1. Congratulations, grandma!! He is so gorgeous! And what a healthy size for being 4 weeks early! I hope he only needs one extra day at the hospital. My first had jaundice, too. He spent a lot of time under the light which meant less snuggles in the hospital but I was so relieved when he was cleared as those little foot pricks for blood test were tough to watch! 😢

    I hope you get some answers about a path forward for your knee. That is so frustrating! It’s so tough to be sidelined from an injury. I imagine the issues they found are not related to RA, though, which is sort of good news?

    I had a full week with travel to NYC and I travel again this week - Chicago first, then DC. Yawn. The next week is quieter as I only have a one night trip. But I am feeling pretty weary!

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    1. No phototherapy for this guy, thank goodness! My oldest was jaundiced too, but he had a traumatic delivery with lots of bruising. They are extra cautious these days--we chase a lot of bilis in our clinic. I think a lot of it is due to breast milk jaundice, which is not harmful at all.

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  2. Aw, congratulations! What an adorable new baby!! I hope the PT can help with your knee pain while you wait for your doctor's appointment. Those photos from your walk/hike are gorgeous!

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  3. Congrats to your entire family, Wendy! Amazing how much joy comes in such a tiny package.
    The prediction was for a wet weekend, but it did not materialize. I'm learning that the Cumberland plateau can push storms away as often as it pulls them in. In California, if rain was in the forecast, it was usually within an hour of the prediction. As far as running with an injury, I guess it depends on the injury. My longest break was after a high ankle sprain that kept me hobbling for weeks!

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    1. I had 3 months off running a few years ago when i broke my fibula and foot. But I didn't stay sedentary!

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  4. I'm so happy to hear that the new baby is so healthy! That's a great weight, especially with that early arrival. My kids were that size at full term!
    I'll be following your road to recovery for your knee. I have been doing the PT exercises with my virtual PT program, but I feel like I'm not making any progress. I'm not getting worse, so I guess that's a plus, but I think I should be better off after all of this time. I really hope this isn't more of a "permanent knee thing" for me. I'm starting to feel like that!!

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    1. I hope not! I wonder if you're not getting the right diagnosis. Did you get an MRI? I thought mine was just tendinitis until the MRI showed the patellar tendon tear. It's so helpful to know this, so the PT can target my therapy.

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  5. Congratulations again to all ! How exciting! He is lucky to have you as a grandma! Hope you get some answers and a plan for your knee to feel better

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    1. Luckily, the knee strap really helps keep things in place and lets me do some running. Mentally, that is so helpful!

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  6. GRAM! I love it! How cute is that little smirk?! I hope he and mama are able to come home SOON!
    Sorry about the knee issues. Us runners tend to wear out our parts sometimes. Hope you get a good plan for moving forward!

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    1. He makes the cutest little faces and sounds. Seriously. I can't get enough.

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  7. Wendy!! Congratulations!! Little Baby John definitely wins the “best thing that happened” category!
    I agree, he has Tom's eyes. That pic of you with the baby is so sweet! I hope the jaundice clears quickly and everyone gets to go home soon.
    Those pics from your Lodi Marsh run look magical!

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    1. Thank you Catrina! I spent the morning with him and got to feed him too. He's a good eater, lol.

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  8. Awww, John Thomas is such a cutie! Congrats to you and your whole family! I hope he gets to go home very soon!

    Ugh on your knee issues. I hope you get some answers soon so you can start the road to recovery.

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  9. GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!You have a grandson! This literally brought tears to my eyes. He's so beautiful and perfect. Don't worry about the jaundice! I'm sure you know this but it's so common. My son had jaundice and it passed quickly. I'm so happy and excited for you, and I LOVE the "gram" shirt!
    Ugh on the knee, but it seems so minor compared to a new grandbaby. Still- I'm sure you'd like it to be resolved. Good luck with it- it sounds complicated. Glad you're still able to get out on the trail!

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    1. Of course I'm downplaying the jaundice and the knee injury, lol. I think they'll send him home today. Thank goodness they moved 5 minutes away from me.!

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  10. Ahh congrats!! John Thomas is BEAUTIFUL - so perfect!! All my kids were jaundiced at birth - it went away quickly. We just thought they were "tan" babies ha- but no, it was jaundice. I'm sorry about the knee - hopefully you get that back to normal soon!! At least you're still being active. Yay!

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    1. I think it's breastmilk jaundice--but they are being extra cautious. We seem to chase a lot of bilirubins in clinic these days!

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  11. Oh the little baby, how lovely! My husband was jaundiced at birth and was fine.

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    1. Oh, I'm not worried about the jaundice--we see it so much in the newborns in our clinic too. He just has a nice 'tan', lol.

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  12. Oh I'm so sorry about your knee. Well done finding people who can help sooner than what you were offered with the orthopedic specialist. A PT and a sports dr are likely to offer better help anyway!!! I hope you'll get some hands-on advice on how to aid healing as soon as possible.
    Congrats on your grandson! He's beautiful and I agree about having your son's eyes! I love your t-shirt too.

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    1. I didn't much appreciate the way I was treated when I tried to schedule with the specialist. Since I already have a diagnosis, I think I'll be fine with the local sports med and PT.

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  13. That’s a total bummer on your knee situation. BUT a huge bright spot with the sweet little guy who arrived on Wednesday ;-) Congrats to everyone!

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