Pop! Goes the Ego

Starting the new year with an injury was not part of the plan. But you know what they say about plans...and the universe is laughing at me once again. Instead of finishing up some miles in preparation for my half marathon next weekend, I'm spent most of the week sitting on the couch with a heating pad on my back. Nursing a dislocated sacroiliac joint and a bruised ego.

There's nowhere to go but up from here.

2018: It Was a Very Good Year

As a runner, it's always fun at the end of the year to reflect back on the year of running. At last year's end, I wrote that for 2018, I was going to "dial back the intensity a bit" and "be a little kinder to myself". I didn't set any goals for 2018, instead deciding to let the year unfold as it would. Still adjusting to living with RA, I didn't want to set myself up to fail and I sure didn't want any DNS. I also wanted to continue to practice yoga and work on strength via CrossFit.

Regular readers of the blog know that 2018 was a very good year for me. I've shared my triumphs, which were many, as well as my trials, which were few. For the most part, RA was pretty quiet. I had a few flares which always freak me out but were well-controlled with a burst of steroids. I did have my knees injected during the summer. My most recent bloodwork shows low RA activity. I still agonize over my loss of speed and endurance, but I've come to the conclusion that instead of blaming RA, menopause and aging are the more likely culprits. I can blame them for my thickening midsection too!

It's been a fun year, with less of a focus on the destination and more on the journey. I've had a lot of company--on my runs, at my races, and off the road too. I'm so grateful that I have been able to continue running! Here's my year in review. I'm not going to share specifics about races--you can find links to this years' races under the tab above.

What a Difference the Sun Makes!

This week, I continued on my plan of recovery after my last half marathon. I still feel good with minimal symptoms of RA, but with another half marathon coming up in January, I'm looking to ramp up the miles once again. I have to play it smart and I'm going to try not to run 2 days in a row this time. Thankfully the cold weather didn't bother me much--symptoms of RA were really minimal.

Talking myself into heading out into the cold was a challenge. The gray skies were not inviting at all. Towards the end of the week, the sun came out.

We haven't seen much sun at all the last couple of weeks and wow! It sounds corny but what a difference the sun makes. People were kinder and overall everything felt...easier. With that, the week definitely ended on a high note!

photo credit to my husband

After the Steroids

Cue the violins and sing along!

"So it's back to the same old

after the steroids,

With stiffness and swollen hands,

As I ease out of bed, 

Stretching my knees and rising to stand. 

It's so hard to explain

everything that I'm feeling,

Without sounding as if it's a whine,

'Cause it hurts me so much

To just want to feel fine.

Thanks for making me

Realize that I'm the lucky one

And thanks for turning me

Into a grateful someone

So it's back to the same old

after the steroids,

I lace up my shoes for a run.

The feel of the road, the wind in my face,

Reminds me of what I have won.

And I know that my song 

Isn't saying anything new

Oh but after the steroids,

I  just love what I can do.

~adapted from After the Lovin' 

and apologizes to Engelbert Humperdinck,
although it was a pretty cheesy song to begin with.

Could I be any cheesier? After last weekend's half marathon, I promised myself an easy week and easy is what I did. I finished the steroid pack on Tuesday and yes, while mild symptoms of RA returned, I felt overall pretty good. It's always scary to go off the steroids and after such a painful flare, I am so grateful to basically be back at my baseline.

There's a Happy Ending

Last Saturday's snowy trail run really wrecked me. By wrecked, I mean that I was hurting worse than if I had run a marathon. I'm not sure what caused me to feel so crappy after that run. It was only 8 miles, we only got a couple inches of snow, the trail is packed dirt, but whatever it was, I paid dearly this week for that run.

It started with a rumbling down under (TMI) and over the week, morphed into a full-blown RA flare. Since I was feeling so crummy after Saturday's run, I was worried about that happening. Hoping to keep the sleeping giant asleep, I made the decision to keep my training low-key this week. With a half marathon less than a week away, it was kind of like a taper, right?

F--king RA didn't care. I didn't want to write a weekly wrap post this week, because who wants to read a sad story? There were some workouts, so I'm recapping them and trying to keep it positive. Unfortunately, every time I did any kind of physical activity this week, I paid for it.

There is a happy ending, though!

Pipeworks Lizard King IPA
My reward after a hard race.

Running in a Winter Wonderland

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Garmins beep

Are you listening?

On the trail

Snow is glistening

A beautiful day

We're happy to say

We're running in a winter wonderland

-Apologies to Richard B. Smith, lyricist

Coming in From the Cold

Disclaimer: I received pairs of Swiftwick Pursuit and Vision socks in exchange for my unbiased review. This post contains affiliate links.

The arrival of cold weather here in the Midwest is inevitable. No matter how much you mentally prepare yourself for winter, when the temperature drops, it's always a shock to the system. Especially when it happens so early, as it has this year. We had snow this week and we had temperatures in the 20s. This time of year brings strong winds which ushers in the change of seasons, but combined with the cold, makes for some really unpleasant running conditions.

What is a runner to do? Take to the treadmill or suck it up and go outside? You know what I did.

Falling Back into Running

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I received The Original Worm in exchange for my honest review. 

See what I did there? Did you turn your clocks back and enjoy your extra hour of sleep? I woke up at 5:30, but consoled myself with the reminder that my body thought it was actually 6:30.

I wrapped up October with 80 miles running, which isn't bad considering that I've only been running 3 days per week. I've really been enjoying running this fall. I struggled so much over the summer that I started having dark thoughts about running. I worried that my running days were over. Thankfully, with the arrival of cooler weather, I found running to be enjoyable and rewarding again. I've also found my mojo which was sorely lacking. I'm starting to think ahead to 2019--looking at races and setting goals.

What a difference the weather makes!

Let's wrap up the week. Holly is taking a much needed week off. Marcia is graciously co-hosting. Be sure to show her all the love you always show Holly and me!!

Weekly Wrap: Here I Go Again

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Rockay Accelerate Socks in exchange for my unbiased review.

After my fun long weekend in Nashville, it was right back to reality. I always feel that after a vacation, I need a vacation to recover. My sister and I did pack a lot in those few days we were away and I was exhausted at the beginning of the week. But with a half marathon coming up in 4 weeks, I needed to get some miles in.

A Roll of the Dice

Disclaimer: I received a case of YQ by Yoplait yogurt in exchange for my honest review.

This week really was up for grabs. Nothing went as planned, but it was a great week. Sometimes that's just the way it goes. I'm not much of a gambler, but a runner's gotta just roll with it. Which is what I did...

Run Is All You Need

What a tough week--at least off the road, it was. I'm just so disheartened by current events. Mocking and lying seem to pass for acceptable conduct these days. If it weren't for this blog, I'd be inactivating my Facebook account. Instead of seeing running posts and posts about family, my feed this week was filled with contentious political posts and memes--from both sides.

What's a runner to do?

Shut it down. Log off. Get outside. Go for a run. Repeat.

It's all you need.

Running from Hot to Cold

After taking a complete week off to recover from my half marathon, this week I returned to running and CrossFit. I rarely take time off to recover after a race--in fact, the only time I can recall taking time off from working out is after my marathons. This time I really needed the break. I'm glad I did it because I was actually looking forward to running again. As the weather became more temperate, I had some really nice confidence boosting runs.

What a difference a 40 degree drop in temperatures makes! But wouldn't it be nice if it could be cold in the mornings for our runs and then warm up nicely for the rest of the day?

Hanging On To Summer

It's hard to believe that we are in the middle of September--it feels more like late August! But the leaves are starting to turn and the days are growing shorter, signs that fall is right around the corner. These warm late summer days are a gift. I tried to squeeze as many outdoor activities in as I could this week. I'm not ready to let go!

no filter for this sunset!

Life Goes On...

With the passing of Labor Day, we've unofficially left summer behind. Sadly, it rained all Labor Day weekend and we weren't able to get out on the water one last time. When you live in the Midwest, summer is so short. We try to squeeze in as much as we can, but it never feels like enough. My oldest son and I did get up to Madison to visit my youngest and drop off a few more things. While I did ok saying goodbye after our initial drop off, this time was much more difficult for both of us. I think it felt more real.

I was feeling pretty low this week--missing my boy. You know who really missed him? My pup Cocoa. She was really quiet all week, sleeping a lot and not really eating much. By Friday, she seemed much more like herself. We're all adjusting to our new norm. I was really busy at work and that helped keep my mind occupied. Life goes on.

Running is My Therapy

I am sure that somewhere in the archives here there is another post titled: Running is My Therapy. Maybe more than one. I run for many reasons but top on my list of reasons is stress relief. While not all stress is bad, and certainly this week's stressor of dropping my baby off at college was a positive stressor, stress is stress and this mama needed to run! Fortunately, my body cooperated with some really nice runs and helped me to stay cool and calm throughout my week.

Accept No Limits

This week, I continued to push out of the comfort zone and challenging any limits--physical or mental-- that have been holding me back from reaching some goals. I'm not sure what's behind all of this, but I have been having fun!

It's been a busy week and I apologize for my lack of posting. We've got my youngest leaving for college this week and lots of other things going on. Summer's like that. I'll be back to my regular blogging schedule after Labor Day.

...Because Sitting on the Sidelines is No Fun

First of all, an apology. Holly and I were set to go live at 4:30 today. I texted her at 2:30 to tell her I wouldn't be ready. I had a post prepared and ready to go. Then, on a whim, both my boys and I joined my husband and his father for a fun weekend on Lake Wisconsin. It's been a full 3 years since we've been able to do this. The boys are busy with their friends and work, we don't want to leave them home alone, and fast forward to a Friday night when we all realized that we could make this happen.

I don't have to tell you how special this was for me or how much fun it was. We didn't want to leave. Sadly, the boat told us that it was time to go when it finally stopped being able to pull my boys out of the water. We gave the boat quite a workout. We skied, we wakeboarded, we kneeboarded. While my husband manned the boat, we each took our turns behind the boat. No one wanted to stop. My oldest son not only wakeboarded but got up for the first time on one ski and did some slaloming. I have no doubt that if the boat hadn't been such a jerk, my youngest would have gotten up on one ski as well. It was one of those weekends that warms a mom's heart.

Now you know why my tagline for this blog is 'sitting on the sidelines is no fun'. I never wanted to be that mom sitting on the bench, watching my boys have fun. I want to be right there, having fun with them. My heart is full.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Thanks for your understanding! Now, on with the Weekly Wrap!

I Need Another Vacation!

This post contains an Amazon affiliate link.

"I've got that summertime, summertime sadness.." ~Lana Del Rey

I love going away but coming back to reality is so hard! After 3 really busy weeks of travel, activities, and fun, I spent this week getting back on track. My house was a mess, my husband did the shopping with very questionable selections, and my stomach was a mess from eating poorly.

Wouldn't it be great to come home to a few more days off? At least I have really great memories...

Thankfully, we still have a lot of summer left. I don't have any more vacations planned but I do plan on making the most of the time we have left before winter returns.

More Than a Runner

"🎶 More than a runner...more than a runner to me...🎶 ~Apologies to the Bee Gees. 

This post was originally scheduled to go live Sunday from Montgomery, Alabama after a fun-filled active weekend with my co-host, Holly. As much as we tried, we just couldn't finish our posts and do them justice in time to open the Weekly Wrap on Sunday as we usually do. We debated about this all Sunday morning but on the drive to the airport, we finally made the decision to defer the Wrap to Monday morning. We hope y'all understand!

For me, it's been a busy couple of weeks. Yes, I was just in Wisconsin last week. And yes, I ran a race with Holly and a bunch of other blogger friends 2 weeks ago. It's been a busy couple of weeks. I even squeezed in a couple days of work between all this activity. Full disclosure: I also had more than a few "what was I thinking?" thoughts cross through my head. More than once.

It was all worth it.

If runners are good at anything, it's learning to roll with life. That's what I did and I've had a really fun couple of weeks--although I am pooped! I need a vacation...

Ok, let's wrap it up!

Finding My Way Back

If last week was the week I found my strong, this week was all about getting back on track. You know I'm all about the music and when I sat down to write this post, the song "Find Your Way Back" by Jefferson Starship (1981) kept playing in my head. I bet it's playing in your head now too! What a blast from the past.

Anyways, I did find my way back to my running self. I continued to feel strong, my knees didn't hurt,  and the weather cooperated, which meant some good running. One bootcamp doesn't make for dramatic improvement, but crushing that grueling hour of power sure did turn my head around.