A Change Did Me Good

What a whirlwind of a week! Dealing with an RA flare, starting steroids, I prepared for my trip to California to spend a week with my sister and her hubs. I was stressed, but not because of that. The day before I left, I had to give a presentation for Grand Rounds, which is a weekly virtual education session for the physicians. I usually attend these sessions--they are always excellent, and I receive continuing education credits, which I need to maintain licensure. The Zero Suicide Team, of which I am a member, was presenting on Talking to Your Patient About Suicide, and I was tasked with the final portion of the presentation. The entire presentation was well received, and I was pleased with how it went. Let me tell you, though, I was glad to be done with that!

I landed in California early Thursday afternoon to 93 degrees and bright sunshine. After a good night's sleep, when I woke up on Friday, I felt like myself again. No anxiety, no pain. This was a much needed getaway!

Springing Forward

For once, the calendar and the weather matched up--it feels like spring! At least what spring feels like in Chicago. Coolish with a tease of a warm day here and there, gusty winds, mud, and rain. But the birds are singing and dive bombing, the squirrels are squirreling, and the deer are out.

The portapotties are not yet out. Sadly.

My favorite part of this time of year is shedding all the layers when I run outside. That also means less laundry! IYKYK. Springtime here can be frustrating--it takes so long to finally come, and then when it does, it's summer... not that I'm complaining...

Mini Book Reviews--February 2026

 Disclaimer: I received ARCs of Family Drama, Little One, Kin, Saoirse, and A Good Animal from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest reviews. This post contains affiliate links.

February is a short month; it was also a busy month for me, and finding time to read was a challenge. I like to read before I go to bed, but I often drift off so quickly that I don't always remember what I've read. That meant that I had to re-read those passages the next day. I'm not complaining; it just made it a little tougher to get all my NetGalley books read for February. But I did, and 4 out of the 5 of those were just great. The other one was a rare DNF, a mess of a book.

I also had 2 library holds to read, one which was a disappointment and the other, a fun trip back to the 60s and 70s. 

Coming up for March? I have a boatload of NetGalley reads--it will be tough to get them done, but I also have a trip to California to see my sister, so I will have lots of downtime. Hopefully, they are all engaging, and I can fly through them! I do love to read...

Bye February!!

I am so happy to see February go. It was a busy and overwhelming month for me. Between several projects at work and managing my parents' health, the month flew by. I accomplished a lot this month, but my biggest accomplishment? Completing the 1000 push-up challenge, though! When I first signed up for it, I truly didn't think I'd get it done. Even though I didn't always want to do my 36 daily push-ups, I didn't want to skip a day, because that meant double the push-ups the next day. Interestingly, as the days went by and I did my pushups, I felt myself becoming stronger, and the pushups felt less difficult. I was also able to increase the weight on my bench presses every week, which was really exciting.

Will I continue to do the push-ups? Yes, but not the volume we did this month. I have to admit that the DOMS never went away. My plan is to do 25 pushups 3x/week after I run. Hopefully, that will be enough to maintain the strength I built this month. We'll see!

Better days

After a week of absolutely spectacular weather, Mother Nature pulled the rug out from under us and sent us back to winter. I really can't complain, because after the bitter cold of the past month, this taste of spring helped lift my mood. 

It's false spring and I couldn't be happier!

Finally, this week we warmed up!! Heck, I was happy to be above 20F! We also had abundant sunshine, and it was everything. My favorite workout this week had to be Wednesday's run at the preserve, with warmer temperatures and lots of deer sightings, including a buck. Seeing them is always a treat. Let's hope this false spring sticks around for a while!

Weekly Rundown

Sunday: Trail Sisters run 6.3 miles, 36 pushups

Monday: auxiliary strength/36 pushups

Tuesday: Fluid running/36 pushups

Wednesday: trail run 6.3 miles/36 pushups

Thursday: auxiliary strength/36 pushups

Friday: speedwork/treadmill/4.5 miles/36 pushups

Saturday: 36 pushups

Life Happens

This week, I finally felt like myself again. Not just physically, but also mentally. I have had a huge to-do list looming over me, and as much as I wanted to avoid it, instead I started to tackle things one item at a time. I took care of some medical issues, both my own and my mom's. My dad is also on that list, but his issues are a lower priority right now. In addition, I need to renew my PALS/CPR before the end of the month, and I started working on that on Saturday. I'm training a nurse practitioner student in clinic. I am doing a presentation at Grand Rounds in March--eeek!-- and started working on that as well. 

Selfishly, I have a lot of pre-releases to read this month and in March, and I will read them, but maybe not before the publication date. Life happens, right? 

No matter what is on my to-do list, I always put my runs and my workouts first. Because if I can push through a hard run or a workout, I can do anything! You feel me on this?

Mini Book Reviews: January 2026

Disclaimer: I received ARCs of Strangers, Scavengers, Women of a Promiscuous Nature, and How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest reviews. This post contains affiliate links.

I sure didn't expect another 10 book month, but when you're stuck inside due to bad weather, Covid, oral surgery...you get me? While it wasn't the best of circumstances, I'm not complaining about all the time I had to knock off some good books on my TBR! 

I also read some backlist books as well as a few spontaneous selections I'd been eyeing. My favorite book of the month? Raising Hare. I never thought a book about a hare--it's not the same as a rabbit--would be so engrossing and endearing. Another favorite of mine was Women of a Promiscuous Nature--an interesting historical fiction novel that is a reminder of how far we have come and a good reminder of that in light of current events.

As always, I read a variety of books and there should be something here for every reader!

Quality over Quantity

My running goal over the past couple of years was to hit at least 20 miles per week, running three days per week, usually 2 on trails and one on pavement. That pavement run was my all-out, push-the-pace run. I put on my headphones and let my legs fly. Although I have really shifted focus to the trails, I can't let go of my need for speed. While my "speed" has sadly changed over the years, I still love that feeling of pushing myself to the red zone. 

But this winter, I've had to change my running goals. After being sick with back-to-back illnesses in December, I had to dial back both my pace and my distance. The bitterly cold, windy weather forced me to make peace with my treadmill. But something interesting has happened. 

I don't hate it. In fact, by doing interval training on the treadmill, I bounced back much quicker than I expected. I am not accumulating the mileage that I am used to--I haven't had a 20 mile week for a couple of months, but I'm running better than I have for a while. Maybe less is more? 

With this in mind, I've decided that I want to work on my endurance, and a research study cited in a newsletter I subscribe to caught my eye. This study found that while moderate intensity exercise, like long runs, is great for increasing mitochondrial quantity, sprinting is great for increasing the quality of the mitochondria you already have, leading to more power, strength, and endurance. Of course, the research subjects were healthy young men, not old ladies, but I have no doubt that I can benefit from sprinting. Plus, it makes the time on the treadmill pass quickly.

Stay tuned!

Hello, It's Me

After 6 weeks of illness and recovery from dental surgery, I can finally say that I'm feeling almost like myself again. Almost, because my mouth isn't 100% healed, but I'm done taking pain meds, and I'm eating food that can be chewed. Lol. Between health issues, the weather, busyness at work, and the unrest in the country, I was feeling a little shaky. I don't want to jinx it, but I'm in a much better place.

Thankfully, we had a reprieve, albeit brief, from the bitter cold this week before the deep freeze rolled back in. I was able to get outside for a run on Wednesday. And what a run it was!! It did me a world of good. Here's to hoping for a few more like that. Weather gods, are you listening?

Tiptoeing Back to Where I Want to Be

It's been a bumpy start to 2026, and that includes off the trail. I won't tackle what's happening in the US on this blog. In my little world, there's been illness, and this week, dental surgery. I'm continuing my return to fitness and am hoping to stay healthy from here on out. 

back at it

It was an otherwise uneventful week in my life as I resumed my post-holiday routine. Work continues to be busy as the baby boom continues unabated! I can't complain. I'm grateful that almost all the parents we see are pro-vaccine. Tough times, for sure. And while this is a fitness blog, I also want to comment on how heartbroken I am for Minneapolis and the family of Renee Good. It's hard to process the news cycle these days. 

Chicago had some good news late last night as the Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers in a wild playoff game!!

As always, I lean into running and fitness to give me an outlet and relief from the anxiety I am feeling. While I'm feeling better physically after having back to back illnesses, I'm tired.  It's all been a lot lately.

Happy New Year!

I considered not posting this week, as this is a fitness recap and I don't have a lot of fitness to share. But old habits die hard, and I wanted to start the new year off right. Plus, I had deer photos to share! 

I continue to recover from illness #2, aka Covid, and the fatigue is real. After being off work last week for the Christmas holidays, I returned to work on Tuesday, masking while I see my patients. Still not feeling even close to 100%, I limited my fitness activities to mostly easy movement. 

Overall, December was pretty much a bust for me, fitness-wise. Because I was sick most of the month, I only had 53 running miles for the month. Total miles for 2025 were 880. 

Mini Book Reviews: December 2025 and Year End Summary

Disclaimer: I received ARCs of A Guardian and A Thief, The Tortoise's Tail, Next Time Will Be Our Turn, A Ferryman and His Wife, Family of Spies, and Before I Forget from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links. 

Wow! What a fantastic month of reading. I had big goals for December-I had all my NetGalley reads from November and December to finish up this month. I even managed to squeeze in a few library holds as well. It wasn't hard to do, as I was sick for 2 weeks this month. Lots of time on the couch = lots of time to keep my nose in the books. I can't believe I read this many books, but they were all so good that the pages just flew by!

I also took time to review my Goodreads statistics for the year. They are summarized at the bottom of the post. It was fun to look back on all the books I read this year. I feel so lucky to have access to such great books!

I never set reading goals for the year, and 2026 will be no different. I always vow to dig into my Kindle to clean out some downloads, and I hope to do that again this year. But my NetGalley library is already bursting for January, February, and March with lots of intriguing reads coming up. I can't wait to dig in!

Holly Jolly Holy Moley

This post contains affiliate links.

Despite the festive season, the hits just kept on hitting this week. After a visit last week to my PCP, I received my blood test results and found out that I am prediabetic. Not only that, but I carry a gene that makes me at high risk for heart disease. As you can imagine, I was very upset by this news. I hope that eating well and exercising are enough to overcome my genetics. I have scheduled an appointment with a cardiologist in February to discuss my risks and my options.

I also had a couple of really challenging incidents at work this week. While I won't go into details, the antivaccine and antiscience sentiment is increasingly impacting our practice. Vaccines are a hill I will die on, and if this week was a sample of what's to come, then retirement will happen much sooner than I wanted. 

And after Christmas, I fell sick again, with fever, body aches, and congestion. I spent Friday and Saturday on the couch. I thought it was influenza, because one of my partners has influenza B. The hubs went to the pharmacy to pick up a test, but there were none left! I had some old Covid tests, and I tested positive. When I messaged my partners, another one messaged that she has influenza A! We are the trifecta, lol. 

What a way to wind up 2025.

All I Want For Christmas

This year, I had no idea what to put on my Christmas list. I never do, because when I want something, I just go out and buy it. But this week, I was gifted some really nice runs after recovering from that respiratory illness, a new Fluid Running workout, a PR at the gym, a fun photo on IG, and a new Garmin. 

It was a fruitful week! The weather took us on a windy rollercoaster ride, tho....

Recovery is Not Linear

Last week, when I was sick, I understood the need to take it easy. This week, I thought I'd be back to my old self. Instead, the week was filled with ups and downs, as it challenged and frustrated me, my body not allowing me to do the things I wanted to do. Guys, this virus kicked my a**! My self-image as an age-defying, strong woman took a hit as I struggled to return to my normal routine. My body sent strong messages that it needed time to recover; my Oura ring confirmed it with low readiness scores. I finally let my body lead the way, and as the week went on, I started to feel more like myself again. My voice is still hoarse, though!

I spent a lot of time on the couch with Cocoa to keep me company. I did most of my Christmas shopping online and read a lot of books. By the end of the week, I finished my Christmas decorating and started baking cookies. 

Life lesson learned: recovery is not linear.

It's That Cold Day in Hell...

What a week! 

A Big Snowstorm ✅

Bitter Cold Temperatures ✅

Gale Force Winds ✅

Taken down by a virus ✅

Hepatitis B is no longer a required vaccine ✅

Retirement is back on the table ✅

Mini Book Reviews: Nonfiction November 2025

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of Ain't Nobody's Fool from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links.

I always look forward to Nonfiction November--it gives me a chance to catch up on some of the nonfiction I've accumulated on my TBR over the year. I also read one new release that I couldn't pass up! I didn't read as many books as I had hoped. I got bogged down in Everest, Inc, and didn't get to the final book on my list. Still, it was a interesting month of reading and I hope you find something that sparks your interest!

An Unintentional Cutback Week

With the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, things were a little mixed up! Different work hours on Wednesday and a turkey trot on Thursday had me flipping my workout schedule around. The gym has special holiday workouts that fill up fast, and there was no space for me to work on my squats and bench presses. I consider myself to be a flexible person, but I was kind of bummed about missing my heavy strength because the strength cycle is ending in 2 weeks. I did what I could with my home equipment, but you know...it's not the same.

Anyhoo, there was movement every day. Let's just call this a cutback week, shall we?