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. 

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!

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. 

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!

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.

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.

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!

Chasing 1000 miles

When checking my annual mileage last week, I discovered that 1000 miles for the year was within reach! This week, I chipped away at that goal, getting to 989 miles for 2023 after Friday's run. Barring any unforeseen issues--illness stay away!--I think I got this! 

The last time I topped 1000 miles was in 2020, during the pandemic. That year I ran 1208 miles, which included several virtual and live half marathons. In 2021 I ran 917 miles for the year, despite being sidelined for several months after breaking my ankle and foot. Last year, I ran 970 miles. I wasn't paying attention--otherwise, I would have pushed a little harder to top 1000. 

What's so important about topping 1000 miles? I never set a mileage goal for the year, but there is a certain satisfaction in hitting such a big number. A Google search revealed that 1000 miles is a fairly common goal for runners--defined by Runner's World as 'both terribly daunting and totally attainable'. For this runner, topping 1000 miles feels very satisfying. Hitting 1000 miles for the year reminds me that I can do hard things. It's a goal that takes commitment and consistency, a gift that extends into other areas of my life and makes me a better person.

"The journey to 1000 miles begins with a single step." ~ Lao Tzu

A Record Breaking Week!

Ok, the title of this post might be a bit misleading...but I did have 2 big PRs at the gym this week! I might not be able to PR in my running shoes, but it is nice to know that I can still make gains in the gym. This made me so happy and was a really nice way to wrap up my year of fitness. 

I haven't made any plans or set any goals for 2024. Right now I'm content to soak up what was one of the most fun years, both on and off the road, that I've had in a while. My running shoes took me to some really fun places--from running the mountains in Palm Desert to running that trail race in Leadville, Colorado to running on the beach in Santa Monica at Brooks' Hype Fest! I ran the streets of Chicago, trying out a new half marathon on the boulevards of the west side. And while I didn't run in Alabama, my feet got plenty wet while I skied behind Holly's boat. Don't forget about that sister trip to Banff! Of course, there were all those miles I ran on the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin, culminating in completing my 3rd Mammoth Challenge in October. 

While I take some time to catch my breath, I'm also waiting to hear if I've been invited back to join the Brooks Running Collective. In the meantime, I'm just going to lace up and enjoy my miles. At this writing, I have 38 miles to get to 1000 for the year. I had no idea I was that close, so let's see if I can dial it up for the next 2 weeks. You know I love a challenge...

Turkey Trotting

It was another fantastic weather week--sunshine every day! This is so unusual this time of year for us that I can't help but comment on it. I am loving it. The realist in me knows it's going to come to an end and in fact, as you read this, we are receiving snow. 'Tis the season, after all!

I had a very productive and busy fitness week, including a Turkey Trot under the Thanksgiving sun with my son! But by Saturday, I was feeling tired, achy, and just off. As much as I wanted to go to the gym for that 3rd day of strength this week, I did not. Sometimes you just have to listen to what your body tells you, am I right? I am hoping a day of rest will prevent this from turning into something. I've been seeing a lot of sick kiddos in my clinic.

Still Can't Beat It!

And by that title, I'm referring to this fantastic fall weather! The leaves are mostly off the trees but it's still relatively mild and that sun just keeps on shining! No complaints--I'll take this fall as long as it wants to stick around. It's been an uneventful week for me and I'm happy about that too!

A Wild Week

Wild seemed to be the theme for my week! The full moon was last Saturday, so I can't blame it on that, right?

The weather this week was definitely wild! The transition between fall and winter is always crazy, but this week, it was all over the place. We had 1.2" of snow on Halloween, which didn't set a record but was definitely unusual. Fortunately, the sun came out in the afternoon, but it was cold for the trick-or-treaters. By the end of the week, we were back in the 50s, which felt like summer. 

It was also a wild week at work. We're having a baby boom! I don't ever remember seeing so many newborns, but I am here for it. I seem to have at least one, maybe 2 newborns on my schedule every day. Our schedules continue to be full and there are more sick kids coming in, as you would expect in the fall. It's definitely keeping me on my toes.

It's never dull around here!

Motion is Lotion

I don't know if I'd call it a full-on RA flare, but this week I was really achy. I blame the ridiculous humidity that plagued us at the start of the week. Even with the mid-week temperature and humidity drop, the pain lingered on, but I just kept moving. You know what we RA warriors say: Motion is Lotion. It really does feel better once I get moving and it sure beats sitting on the couch all day. It was a crazy week at work and that was another reason for me to keep moving!

Shifting My Focus

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Until this week, I have not felt like myself since returning from Leadville. I have never had to take so long to recover from a race. I am sure that the altitude was a big part of my fatigue. Between that and my foot injury, I haven't run in 3 weeks. In fact, until this week, with the exception of waterskiing, I hadn't done much activity at all. 

I returned to CrossFit on Monday and felt as if I hadn't missed a beat. That made me happy. Without running on my schedule, I found other activities to keep me busy, and on Friday, I laced up my running shoes again. 

The first six months of this year were very focused and intense as I prepared for my goal race in June. For the rest of the year, I am looking forward to just having fun with fitness, getting back to running, and not training for anything. There are some adventures planned, including Brooks Hype Fest in LA in 2 weeks, a GoRunTour with Erica after that, a sister trip in October, and the Mammoth Challenge on the Ice Age Trail in October. But it's all about having fun and dialing back the intensity, something I am really looking forward to!

Work Hard, Play Hard

I continue to push toward my upcoming 2 races: the Chicago 13.1 in 2 weeks and Leadville Silver 15 miles in 7 weeks. I admit to feeling more tired these days. I know it's all part of training for a long distance race, but to be honest, getting older has rattled my confidence a bit. Am I doing too much? Pushing too hard? I have to listen to my body and so far it isn't pushing back...much... which is a good sign. I was happy to have Saturday at home to give me a chance to regroup and rehab. I've got to work on those niggles that I mentioned last week!