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!

A Better Week but...

This week overall, I felt much better than I did last week. The heaviness in my legs started to dissipate and by Wednesday morning, I felt like myself again. Was it the change in the weather? Certainly, the sunshine and warmer temperatures made a huge difference in how I was feeling. However, after Wednesday's trail run, my left knee started to act up again. It's that same patellar issue--chondromalacia- that I've had on and off for the past year, ever since I wiped out on the trail and knocked my kneecap out of alignment.  I started doing my exercises but haven't gotten much relief, so on Thursday, I taped it. 

Since I don't remember aggravating it, I'm pretty sure that RA is the culprit. Thankfully, it only hurts when I go down a flight of stairs. Running is still pain-free and I am grateful for that!

Ain't Nothin' Gonna Break My Stride

Ain't nothin' gonna slow me down. Oh no! I got to keep on moving...

Nothing, you ask? As you sing along with this earworm...

I've been struggling with some right shoulder pain over the past couple of months. I haven't mentioned it because up until recently, it hasn't been enough to affect my activities, although sometimes it does wake me up at night, forcing me to find a position that I can lie in without discomfort. Lately, though, it's gotten worse, probably because we've been doing more overhead lifting in the gym. I'm feeling a snapping sensation when I move my shoulder a certain way. The PT at the gym told me what I already knew, that I have shoulder impingement and as a result, my right scapula is winged. I've started doing some stretches and PT shoulder work to prevent a rotator cuff tear. Because no one needs that. 

Fortunately, it hasn't affected my running. Yet.

So if you see me walking around with my shoulders back and chest out, just know that I'm not trying to attract attention. I'm just dropping my scapulae. Or if I'm sitting and I have my arms wrapped around the back of the chair, just know that I'm trying to open my pecs and roll my shoulders back. The exercises are simple but effective! They kind of remind me of the old chest opener we used to do in gym class: "we must, we must, we must increase our bust!"

Wednesday's trail run

Are You There Sunshine? It's Me, Wendy

This may be the gloomiest January I can remember, and that's saying a lot because January around here is always gloomy. According to local weather icon Tom Skilling, we've had 20% of our normal sunshine so far this month. Even though it's been warmer than normal, it's pretty rough waking up to gray skies every morning. I was fortunate to catch a little sunshine on my runs on Sunday and Wednesday! It's something you really appreciate when you live in the Midwest. I'm making plans to go out to California in early March to visit my sister again and I cannot wait to soak up the sun.

For now, I have to make my own sunshine.

How many of you remember the book Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume? Reading it was a rite of passage for so many of us growing up in the 70s and beyond. My copy was so worn out! The title of this blog post is an obvious take on that book title, but did you know that the eponymous movie is being released on the big screen in April? How can it even be as good as the book? The trailer looks pretty cute. The 1970s are having a moment and I for one cannot wait to see this movie!

It's The Little Things

As if getting ready for the holidays wasn't stressful enough, this week literally brought me to my knees as I was sidelined for several days after coming down with the stomach flu on Thursday. My job is the gift that keeps on giving! Speaking of my job, I also had my annual review, and let me just say that blindsided does not begin to describe it. The cherry on my sundae of a week included the arrival of the so-called 'bomb cyclone' on Thursday, bringing high winds and bitter cold, but thankfully, not much snow.

It's the little things.

The good news was that because of the weather, our office was closed on Friday, giving us all a bonus day off. I still wasn't feeling great on Friday, so I welcomed that extra time to recover. Plus, my youngest made it home from Wisconsin. It's so nice to have him around!

Another Runner's High

I don't want to jinx things, but my runs have been feeling really strong lately. I won't discount all that trail running I did during the fall, especially in October for the Mammoth Challenge. But I am definitely giving credit to my strength coach for this heavy strength cycle that we are wrapping up. Earlier this year, I shared that I felt as if she was pushing me too hard and asking me to lift weights which felt scary for me. We had a very difficult discussion surrounding this and she backed off a bit. When we started my strength cycle this fall, I was feeling ready to challenge myself again. For her part, SJ changed up the way I trained and I responded really well to that, both physically and mentally. I have really enjoyed this strength cycle and guess what? I'm going to challenge my 1RM in at least the deadlift and the bench press. I'm still not sure about the back squat, but SJ wants to work on those a little bit longer, so stay tuned for that.

This strength cycle has made me feel better about myself and that confidence has helped me on the road and at my job. On the road, over the past couple of weeks, I've experienced that runner's high several times after a run and it's been a while since I've had that happen! It happened again on Friday. What a great way to set a positive tone for the day!

Friday's mess of a run!

I Should Have Expected it....

Did you see the lunar eclipse this week? I'm not going to blame any of the week's craziness on it but still...

I've been feeling so good, physically at least, that I've been pushing myself hard. Running far, lifting heavy weights--who's old? On the other hand, my stress level has been at 1000%. With the so-called 'tripledemic' of RSV, influenza and Covid hitting my patients hard, I've been not only doing illness management but also providing reassurance to very anxious parents. That is on top of all the mental health issues that are pervasive in pediatrics. Other issues at work, such as the threat of being forced to pick up extra shifts in the ER, are very worrisome. All this has led to sleepless nights and mental exhaustion. 

So it should have been no surprise when I found myself in a full-on RA flare on Wednesday morning. Everything hurt. When it was apparent that nothing was going to make me feel better but a day on the couch, I called off work. Cocoa happily kept me company and we napped together. 

With the downtime, I contemplated my situation. At 60, I'm not quite ready to retire but the idea of looking for and starting a new job just doesn't make sense. Believe me, I do look. But the situation in healthcare is not good right now and I don't think it's going to be better anywhere else. It's frustrating and I feel stuck. As always, I am grateful for running and fitness to give me an outlet to manage my stress.

I was able to catch the lunar eclipse on my way to the pool!

Runfessions Boo!

Trick or treat! Smell my feet! Give me something good to eat...or let me runfess! It's the last Friday of October, Halloween is just around the corner, and Marcia has opened the runfessional. Maybe instead of penance, she'll hand out Reese's Peanut Butter pumpkins! 

What's your favorite Halloween candy? What do you have to runfess?

Busy, busy!

Between work and life in general, it was a really busy week. Thank goodness for my runs and workouts to help keep me balanced. I've got a lot to share here! Let's get to it!

Friday morning sky

Trailfessions

Sadly, September is coming to an end. I love this month. I don't love what comes next. But before we turn the page on the calendar, we get to runfess! Marcia opens the runfessional on the last Friday of the month and it's a great opportunity to cleanse your souls and soles.

Camp Week is Here!

Disclaimer: As a member of Brooks Run Happy Team, I received a pair of Caldera 6s to trial and review. My opinions are all my own.

As you read this, I'm at Brooks' Camp Run Happy with Deborah! We're in Park City, Utah for a whirlwind weekend full of activity. I'm planning on posting a full recap soon, but in the meantime...you can check my Instagram for lots of photos. 

Just What I Needed

Sometimes you get just what you need and that is what happened this week. A change of weather, a great bootcamp, waterskiing, a beautiful trail run...and a decision made. 

Nearing The Finish Line

Malaise and fatigue set in this week. I assume it's a combination of another very active weekend out of town and the stress of life. I pushed through my workouts and by Friday, I started to feel more like myself again. The heat and humidity returned with a vengeance and the hubs and I opted to stay home this weekend. Did I ever mention that we don't have AC at the lake house? Why would you?

I'm heading out early Sunday morning to beat the heat and meet the Trail Sisters for a run. I also have a job interview this week. I think the interview will be a good experience but I'm not sure it's a job that I want to take. The hubs reminded me that with a milestone birthday for both of us this year 'we are nearing the finish line'. That gave me pause, but I thought it was kind of a funny metaphor for where we are at in our lives!

Time for a Break

This week, we went from below normal temperatures and rain to above normal in one day.  With my upcoming Ice Age Trail Race on Saturday, I watched the forecast like a hawk. As happy as I am to see it warm up, I do not like to run in the heat. As the week went on, I reduced my mileage so as not to tax myself too much before Saturday's half.

Recovery and a Race

As you read this, I'm hopefully flying down a mountain in Georgia, running the Teardrop Half Marathon with my friend Holly. Teardrop is a race she and I have had on the calendar 3 times, the previous 2 being postponed due to the pandemic. I'm hoping the 3rd time is the charm!! I felt strong going into this race and as it is a net downhill course, the hope is for a speedy finish time. But of course, Mother Nature has to have a say and she is throwing heat and humidity at us. So stay tuned. You can check my IG for updates and of course, I'll have a recap coming up. 

This week was a combination of recovery and training. I was really hurting from last Saturday's 15 mile trail race. I was using that race as a training tool, and boy, was I schooled! Specifically, I need to do a better job of fueling. I took several complete rest days this week and skipped CrossFit and strength training. I wanted to focus on keeping my legs moving but not pushing them to the point of soreness or exhaustion. I did do some stretching as well.  An actual taper for a half marathon? Who am I?

Oh, and I read a really good book that I'll be sharing on the blog next week!

Race Recap: Earth Day 15 mile trail race

For the past couple of years, I've had my eye on the Earth Day Trail races, held at the same trails where I ran the Frozen Gnome 10k in January. The pandemic put those plans on hold, but this year, the race was a go. Several of the women from my Trail Sisters group were planning on running, so it made it easy for me to commit. There are 3 distances: 50k, 15 miles, and 5 miles. I optimistically signed up for the 15 mile (25k) distance--thinking it would be a good training run for Ice Age in May. I've been building my miles over the past couple of months, spending most of my time on trails. Having run these trails before, I knew to expect a lot of hills. I felt both mentally and physically strong and ready for this race. 

Runfessions: May

Heading into Memorial Day weekend and it's cold, rainy, and windy. Sigh. It's also time to runfess. Do you runfess? On the last Friday of every month, Marcia opens the runfessional, and runners across the globe bare their soles and receive absolution. No sin is too big or small. Thank goodness. You know I always have something to runfess...

March Runfessions

March just blew by me--much like a lion, I guess. It's the last Friday of the month, which means it's time to runfess! It feels like we just did that, but here we are again. Of course, I've got a few things to get off my soles...much like the mud from the trails. Thank goodness Marcia opens the runfessional!

Let's get to it...

Feeling Salty

Holy shit, it was A WEEK. 

Sorry for the salty language, but yeah, it's been a week. We've been watching The History of Swear Words on Netflix and it is a hilarious look at swearing. It's definitely not for everyone, but for this first week of 2021, it seems to fit quite well. Laughter is the best medicine and this show gave me a much-needed release from the omnipresent anxiety that not only am I experiencing, but am seeing in friends, family, and patients as well.

Who could have predicted the horrendous events that took place this week in our nation's capitol? There were warnings, but judging by the carnage, no one seemed to take them seriously. The tumultuous past couple of years have turned the country into a pressure cooker, although some say the pressure has been building for years. So many people make the comment that 'they aren't political' or even that 'it doesn't matter who is in office'.  We have to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. Even if it means 'being political', whatever the hell that means. If you think your vote doesn't count, well, this week really proved that it does. 

I feel like for the past year I've needed to have a disclaimer in my posts: This is not a political blog. This is a running blog. All opinions posted here are mine. I'd like to get back to the business of just writing about running. Heck (hell?), I just want to run. Have I told you lately how much I love to run? This week, there was plenty of that.

Dirty Runfessions

Get your mind out of the gutter. What did you think this post was about? All month I've been training on the trails. It's been muddy, sloppy, yes, dirty. Very dirty. So much so that I have to hose off my shoes every time I run.

The runs might be solo, the venues virtual, but the runfessions still pile up. It's pretty amazing that I can't get through a month without needing to runfess my running sins. Thank goodness Marcia opens the runfessional every month. I get to cleanse my soles and start the new month fresh.

Don't judge me for any of this. Let he who is without transgression cast the first shoe...