I am....

This week in yoga class, the instructor started by talking about labels. She asked all of us to remove the labels that others have given us as well as the labels we give ourselves. She introduced a Sanskrit mantra: "so hum", which loosely translated into English means "I am". We did some pranayama (breathing), using the mantra "so hum".

You know I love a good mantra and "so hum", or I am, is as good a mantra as they come. Repetitive use of a mantra helps quiet the mind by giving the user a focus. The mantra "so hum" has a much deeper meaning, but for the purposes of this class and this post, I chose to focus on the "I am", letting go of negative labels and focusing on seeing myself in a positive light.

I am _________.

My mind wandered, as it often does during quiet meditation. While I breathed and so hummed to myself, I thought about how I see myself and how others see me. I could think of a few not so flattering ways people might see me as well as some not so positive ways I view myself. Taking a more positive viewpoint, I so hummed strength.

I would say that I see myself as strong. I bet most people would say that is how they see me too.

I am strong.

Trusting the Process: On and Off the Road

I turned a corner this week. I ran well, I held my balance poses in yoga, and I lifted 89% of my max doing deadlifts with Becky.

I am feeling good. If I didn't know I had rheumatoid arthritis, I wouldn't know I had it. Does that even make sense? As I continue to wean off the steroids, my aches and pains are barely noticeable. I have more energy. My mood is good. Most importantly, my sense of humor is returning!

Becky always says it and my rheumatologist said it too: Trust the Process.

The Group Run: It Was Time

Instead of life turning me upside down as it has been threatening to do for the last couple of months, I've taken charge. I'm making some pretty major changes in my diet, eating beets and kale and all kinds of foods I wouldn't have allowed past my lips just 2 months ago. I'm listening to more positive, upbeat music instead of the angry rock that has fueled my runs all these years.

This week I really pushed out of my running comfort zone and met up with a running friend and her tribe for a Saturday long run, which I hope was the first of many more to come. It was time.

When Steph asked me to join her and her friends for their Saturday long run, I didn't hesitate. Me, the runner who craves the solace of the long run? Who am I? I blame my boldness on the steroids I'm currently taking. Actually, I'm blaming everything on the steroids, but that's a topic for another blog post.

Cruise Control

After completing the lululemon/strava run challenge on Sunday, I dialed back my miles. It's nice to be "just" running again. Between some personal stress and our new president, I need my runs to help me sort things out. There is some prep work to do as I gear up for marathon training in March, but for now, I just get to run. I've got some mental fitness to work on and it's nice to have the freedom to do that.

No gears, no heart rate training, no goal paces. I've got it on cruise control.  

Winterlude

I wear my winter miles like a badge of honor. Snow? I'm out there. Polar vortex? The cold never bothered me anyways. Ice kind of scares me--I had an encounter with black ice this week that scared the cr*p out of me. But overall, I'm outside, putting in the miles and avoiding the treadmill as much as possible.

On Saturday, the sun came out and the temperatures skyrocketed to the 60s. When you make plans to run with blogger friends, conditions must be perfect. Wouldn't it be great if that was how things really worked?

For this January weekend, Mother Nature gave us her very best effort.

Be Careful What You Wish For...

This week was full of ups and downs for me, emotionally. The newness of being diagnosed with RA has worn off, and frustration with still having symptoms is settling in. I was really optimistic when I started on my medications--hoping that I'd be symptom-free by now. I had no idea what an RA flare was all about. I also didn't realize how tired I'd be. A few weeks ago, I asked for a small reduction in my hours at work. This week, I was granted that schedule change but it didn't come without a struggle. That too wore me down.

Running was the one positive spot this week. My runs went well. My legs felt fresh and light, and the miles passed without a problem. Maybe slowing down isn't going to be such a bad thing after all?

Frost on My Running Shoes

 It's been a cold one here at the old TTLWH headquarters. Every morning, I vowed to run on my old ancient treadmill, but once I saw the sun starting to rise, I bundled up and headed outside into the polar vortex for my runs. 

Every damn time this week. Because the sun makes me feel warm, even on the coldest mornings.

It's been a good week of running!

Finding Joy in the Journey

Ho ho ho! The holidays are upon us but at Taking the Long Way Home, the workouts don't stop! In fact, no matter how crazy things get, I make sure to set aside time to get it done. I don't know about you, but I feel so much more calm and focused after a workout. With all the time spent planning and preparing for the holidays, it feels good to make a little time for myself. I know that I'm a better person if I get my "me" time. Besides, what better way to feel a little less guilty about overindulging in holiday treats than by burning those calories on the road or in the gym?

The Curious Incident of the Toe in the Nighttime*

Long-time readers of the blog know that for the past couple of years, I have been plagued by foot issues. For the past year, it's been plantar fasciitis that has kept me sidelined. Prior to that, I had stress fractures in both feet and issues with my big toe joints. Everything has been behaving itself lately and I was so happy to run my most recent half marathon pain-free! In fact, my feet felt so good that the night after the race, they were up for a night out of dancing and karaoke.

But a runner should never become too complacent, right? For fear of awakening that sleeping giant in my feet, I am diligent about using my Spenco Insoles**, rotating my shoes regularly, doing my foot exercises, and backing off on my miles when needed. It's been a recipe for success.

Until it hasn't.

Thanks for the Miles

Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on all that is good. At our family gathering, we each take a turn to express our gratitude for the blessings in our lives. I'm a big believer in silver linings. In spite of some tough breaks this year, there was just so much good that came out of every bad situation and I'm so grateful for that.

I'm also grateful to be ending this year on a high note, with regards to running and fitness. Instead of recovering from a fall marathon and dialing down my mileage, I'm gearing up for my final race of the year. Next weekend, I'm traveling to Florida to run the Panama City Beach half marathon with a few of my fellow bloggers. Without all the miles I've normally run by this time of year, my legs feel fresh and young. This week was the best running week I've had all this year. I'm hoping to ride that wave (pun intended!) all the way to the finish line of this waterfront race!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

As I reflect back on the week, a few quotes seem fitting:

"You can run away from your problems, but you're just gonna find new ones that pop up." -Zoey Deschanel (New Girl)

"Run away, run away..." -Monty Python and the Holy Grail

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be older. This shit is not what I expected. " -unknown

Keep Calm and Run On!

After the events of last week we all need a mantra. Once the election was over, I thought that things would be more civilized but the opposite has occurred. Protests, petitions, and nastiness has prevailed this week. I'm moving on. It's not that I don't care. It's that I can't expend any more mental energy on the election results. And so I run on. Namaste.

Running On the Sunny Side of the Street

The amazing fall that we have been having continues into November. With the exception of one rainy day, this week was sunny and warm. Perfect running conditions...perfect conditions for trick or treating...perfect conditions to celebrate a Cubs World Series win...perfect conditions for just about anything. Doesn't everything feel good when the sun is shining?

The Color Runs...

Autumn in the Midwest is the season of color. Sure, it's nice to see green in the spring after the white and gray of winter, but fall is when things really pop around here. In a sense, it's nature's last hurrah before shedding its foliage and getting ready for winter. Seems ironic, right? Just when it's getting cold, gray, and drab, the trees decide to get naked. Who thought this was a good idea? Don't we need color in the winter?

I don't make the rules, I just live here. And I'm savoring every last moment of nature's show before winter takes over. Not only are the leaves colorful, but the sky has been giving us a nice show in the morning and at night.

This past week was peak season for the colors and I savored it--both on the road and off. Even on the cloudy days, the colors of the leaves made me happy. My weekly training summary is all about the colors of fall!

Running Into Fall

Fall has finally arrived in the midwest. It was slow to come--summer just didn't want to let go. The foliage is starting to turn into those beautiful colors we wait for. While it was still very warm at the beginning of the week, the temperatures settled into what is considered "normal" for late October. This is the best time of year to be a runner. The scenery is a feast for the eyes, and with cooler temperatures, it's the return of long sleeves, tights, and thumbholes!

The only bad thing about fall is that we know what's next. But let's not think about that. Here are some of the highlights from my week on the road and the mat.

Reflections on the Long Run

I've been working on building up my mileage again. Having suffered from plantar fasciitis for the past year, I took some time off and seriously reduced my mileage after I ran the Big Sur Marathon in April. While I can't say I'm 100% recovered, I'm pleased to report that my foot has remained mostly quiet since I've started running more again. I've become cautiously optimistic.

This morning I had a 12 mile run to do. I never formally train for a half marathon but I do work on upping my miles from my base and adding in some speed work to make sure I have enough endurance to go the distance. I woke up to thunderstorms and pouring rain. I was also feeling a little sluggish after indulging in an amazing pasta dish last night for dinner. The restaurant was very generous with its wine pours and I may have had more than I should.

So my motivation to complete this 12 mile run this morning was around zero. I laid in bed for a while and pondered the mysteries of life. Not really. I just did some mental gymnastics to convince myself that I needed to run. After a cup of coffee, I reluctantly filled my Tailwind bottle. I shared my itinerary with my husband, told him I'd be back in about 2 hours, and headed to the bike path.

Sisters, Doing it for Themselves

It's always hard to come back to reality after a really fun trip! My trip to Austin with my sister was a whirlwind of activity, food, and fun. Because even out of town, the workouts don't stop. I'm sharing some of the highlights of our trip on this post.

I'm also sharing a synopsis of the last 2 weeks of workouts. Since I was out of town last weekend, I didn't publish my usual weekly wrap-up post. In the interest of brevity, there won't be a lot of workout details in this post, but if you follow me on Instagram (and you should!), then you know I've been moving and posing.

I Have No Shame...

Summer just won't let go. Not that I'm complaining but normally in September, things cool down. We are nowhere near cool. I'm actually enjoying the continued daytime warm temperatures but it's still warmer than a runner likes. In spite of the unexpected warmth, I'm having some good runs. The foot is still fairly quiet.

I'm grateful for all of this. No matter what life throws at me, and it's been throwing a lot of stuff my way, running deflects a lot of the negative energy. My runs have felt smooth and my paces are steady. It's as if I'm running in a groove.

I had this weekly wrapup all prepared to publish. All I had to do was to complete today's long run. I figured I'd come home from the run, put in a little comment about how it went and hit publish. Easy peasy, right?

Well, we all know that saying about making plans, right?

Running Back to Center

In spite of writing some rather humorous blog posts, I've been kind of a grump all week. As much as I try to stay positive, run, and pick up pennies, I just couldn't shake off my funk. As I sit here, summarizing my week of workouts, I keep thinking to myself: what the hell was wrong with me?

Nothing really bad happened this week. Actually, nothing bad at all. When I think about it, it was a good week.

I got in some really good runs. The foot is calm. There have been some twinges, just to remind me to not push myself too hard. Yoga was blissful. All's quiet on the home front--at least for now. And a cold front came through yesterday, blowing that humidity and heat out east. It feels a little like fall.

Balanced and Back on Track

This is my favorite time of year. It's still warm enough to feel like summer, yet there is a change in the way it feels. Maybe it's the lower angle of the sun or those crisp, cool mornings, but it just feels different. Kind of the last hurrah of summer, in a sense.

Don't get me wrong, there will still be warm days into October. Trust me on that! All 3 Chicago Marathons I've run were warm ones. I like those warm fall days but not for running 26.2! But for shorter distances and bike rides, the cooler mornings and moderating warmth are a welcome change.

This past week, the heat broke and we had some spectacular conditions. I had some good runs and I walked the dog multiple times. She's enjoying these walks as much as me, although we've had to alter our schedule to accommodate the fading daylight. I'm looking forward to greeting the sun once again on my morning runs!