Too Old to Run? and I Tried it! Naked Protein Cookie

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Naked Nutrition sent me a package of Sugar protein cookies to try in exchange for my honest review.

On Monday, I ran into a neighbor who I hadn't seen for a while. In what became an awkward conversation, he said he was surprised to see me still running. I asked him what he meant and he kind of stammered a non-answer. The insinuation was that I'm 'too old' to be doing this anymore. He didn't say it in those words, but trust me, that's exactly what he meant. 

This week, Tom Brady announced that he's going to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for one more year. He's 44 and holds nearly every NFL QB record. While he's the oldest QB in the league, he's not the oldest QB to start a game (that honor goes to George Blanda at age 48). No matter how you feel about him, he's the GOAT and is still at the top of his game. 

Now, I'm no Tom Brady, but my point here is: who gets to decide when one is too old to participate in sports? I should give this topic the full blog treatment. Ageism is pervasive in our society. I think the baby boomer generation is doing a good job of changing expectations, but we've got a ways to go. 

Speaking of old, I completed my screening mammogram, breast ultrasound, and DEXA scan on Monday and my colonoscopy on Tuesday. Everything was normal except my bone density, which has unfortunately declined alarmingly. This really bothers me because I'm doing everything that I'm supposed to for bone health: weight-bearing exercise, eating healthy, and taking lots of Vitamin D and calcium. As my rheumatologist said, the only thing I can do is not get old. Ha! So it's back to my regularly scheduled program and hoping that what I am doing will slow the bone loss.

Sort of Sidelined

A few months ago, I developed pain and swelling at the base of my right thumb and wrist. I mentioned it to my rheumatologist, who performed an ultrasound and didn't find anything amiss. She referred me to a hand specialist, 'the guy' that she would go to. At the time, the pain wasn't terrible and it wasn't preventing me from doing anything except handstands, so I dragged my feet on scheduling an appointment. 

Out of the blue this week on Monday, I felt a sharp pain in my wrist. It felt like a rubber band snapped inside. I don't remember doing anything out of the ordinary, but maybe that Kettlebell Circus WOD on Monday morning pushed the already angry tendon over the edge? After a restless night, I woke up on Tuesday in a lot of pain. I slathered my wrist in my CBD salve, wrapped it up tightly, took some ibuprofen, and went to work. Later that morning, still feeling pain, I finally broke down and scheduled with the specialist. After an x-ray and an exam, he told me that he was putting me in a splint and that he wanted me to see 'the guy', an imaging specialist who would perform a musculoskeletal ultrasound on my wrist. He said I could still work out but nothing involving the wrist. And that includes waterskiing.

Welp. I didn't cry, but I sure wasn't happy. While I don't have a firm diagnosis, he thinks it's the flexor carpi radialis tendon--tendinopathy or a partial rupture. I'll know more after my ultrasound next week. Hoping for the best case scenario.

Go big or go home, I say. Although, I won't lie...I'm pretty bummed out about this injury. You don't realize how much you use your hand until you can't. I'm glad I can still run though. Can I just say how weird it is to be a runner with an upper body injury? 

Are You Ready for Summer? and I Tried it! Odlo Summer Running Gear

Disclaimer: I received gear from Odlo in exchange for my unbiased review. This post also contains an affiliate link.

After an underwhelming Memorial Day weekend--cool and breezy--as the week went on, Mother Nature turned up the thermostat! The heat is on--is it ever! and it looks like it's here to stay.  Time to adapt and adjust the training plan, I guess!

Sunday's trail run was steamy!

I Cheated on my Body and my Body Fought Back

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

When will I learn?

After sticking to a mostly plant-based diet for the past couple of months and feeling so much better, I cheated last week. Big time. And I paid for it. I've been avoiding most dairy, which seems to cause inflammation for me, save for a splash of half and half in my coffee and a sprinkle of feta on my salads. I've been feeling so good. So good, in fact, that I got brave.

I made a quiche last week. Sticking to a veggie theme, it was spinach quiche. But it was made with 3 kinds of cheese. I figured I could try it, see how I felt after I ate. It tasted fantastic, my husband loved it, and I felt fine the next day. So much winning! Feeling brave, I got cocky. I had the leftovers for lunch. Twice.

My old nemesis, IBS (aka I'll be stopping) started to return. But it wasn't as bad as in the past and again, feeling brave, on Sunday at dinner, we ordered cheese curds. Tuesday, it was pasta with cream sauce.

Did I overdo it? You think so?

On Monday, I felt a little achy in my elbows. Slapped some CBD cream on it and I was good to go to CrossFit. On Wednesday's run, I also felt achiness in my knees. And my tummy--well, without being too TMI, let's just say I was stopping.

After that, I returned to my dairy-free life but the pain lingered on through the week. The worst was on Saturday. I woke up determined to run but every joint in my body hurt. The pain was making me a little nauseous too. I popped a few ibuprofens and hit the couch, waiting for it to pass.  While the pain simmered down to a dull ache, I still felt yucky. I finally gave in. There would be no run. I also canceled my massage--no need to poke the bear, right?-- and rested all day, hoping for a quick return to feeling good.

A Serving of Humble Pie

After last week's half marathon, I was feeling so good about running again. But the funny thing about running is that it keeps you humble. Don't ever get too confident--because the proverbial rug will get pulled out from under you. It's happened to me so many times.

This week, it happened again. While I would have loved to bask in the glory of my accomplishment, my body served me with a big old piece of humble pie. A half marathon isn't half of anything. Respect the distance, my friends!

Ramble On

Disclaimer: I received Aspire and Maxus Zero socks from Swiftwick in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links.

"I guess I'll keep on rambling
I'm gonna
Sing my song
I gotta ramble on, sing my song
Gotta work my way around the world
Ramble on, yeah..."
~Led Zeppelin

Doo doo doo, I can't stop singing this song! This was such a better week. Is the medication finally kicking in? Is the inflammation just calming down? Whatever it is, I am thrilled. I found some endurance, rambling down the bike path and around my neighborhood.

Facing My Fears

I received a pair of SoleHealers in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Running has done a lot of good things for me. Health benefits aside, probably one of the best things I've gotten from running is confidence and the ability to do hard things. After failing so horribly at my first attempt at the marathon, I didn't think I could ever face that distance again. But...

Three years later, I lined up and ran a 1 hour and 10 minute PR at the marathon. What changed for me?

During that time frame, I started working with a CrossFit coach to correct some imbalances that were causing recurring injuries. As she worked with me to strengthen my posterior chain, she pushed me into the red zone on the comfort scale. She made me challenge myself and had me lift heavier than I ever thought I could. As part of my marathon training, along with strength training, she had me do MetCon style workouts which pushed me almost to the point of vomiting. I didn't vomit, and as a result of the hard training, I saw my mile splits improve to times I never dreamed I could run.

I'm not a natural athlete, so none of what I do comes easily to me. Confidence goes a long way to help a person overcome their fears. So does having a person who believes in you and pushes you.

This is How I Know It's Real

Disclaimer: I received NovoRenew in exchange for my honest review. 

Last week, I shared that I was in the midst of another flare of rheumatoid arthritis. I know I share my issues with RA pretty often on the blog. I'd rather not, but RA is my reality and it often affects my training. When I'm having a bad week of training, I have to ask myself if it is due to illness, menopause, aging, or RA.

Thankfully, this week, for the most part, I feel like myself again. The steroids did their job, shutting off the inflammation. I'm running faster, my legs feel light, and my strength training went really well, even hitting a 5 rep PR doing push presses. For 3 sets.

This is how I know it's real.

RA Flare Don't Care

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Mizuno Wave Horizon 3s in exchange for my honest review.

As you might have guessed from the title of my post, I spent most of the week dealing with an uptick in RA symptoms. As much as I wanted to curl up under a blanket and stay on the couch, I tried to keep it positive and stuck to my usual routine. I was both grateful for being able to move and frustrated for not being able to move the way I like. It was a tough week for me. I can't help but believe that some of my symptoms are due to this pervasive dampness we're having.

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...

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.

I Crashed My Bike

This post contains an affiliate link.

Monday was a beautiful day. I woke up to sunny skies and planned to ride my bike to work after lunch. I took my yoga mat outside to do my weekly yoga class and settled onto my mat.

Then my phone rang. Mama drama again. I rolled up my yoga mat and spent a couple of hours dealing with that situation. I called work and let them know that I couldn't come in.

I was anxious, shook up, angry...and then...

Back to Work

You can't keep a good runner down for long! After last week's RA flare, I went into full-on defense mode and started steroids. As the week progressed, I really started to turn the corner. While I've still been feeling the effects of the flare, my running gradually improved over the week.

I'm back, baby! For the most part, anyway. Here's how the week went down: