Savoring the Good

I will never complain about the gorgeous fall weather we've been having this year. Yes, we need rain. But I know what's coming--plenty of precipitation as we move into late fall toward winter. I'll take this. Especially when you consider what's happening in other parts of the country.

My heart goes out to everyone affected by both hurricanes Helena and Milton. If you've followed me on this blog over the years, you know that my family has spent a lot of time on the Gulf Coast of Florida, especially on Anna Maria Island. It just breaks my heart to see the level of destruction. I can't imagine facing the rebuilding process. 

The Icing on the Cake

After a busy September, I hoped for a more relaxing October, but this month started with a bang! I'm not complaining--it's been a really great week! Our fabulous weather has continued and I'm going to savor every last bit--I know what's coming. 

If you follow me on IG, you know that I finished this week with some waterskiing on Lake Wisconsin. In the past, I could never imagine skiing in October. But never say never, right? It was 81F and sunny. Yes, the water was a cold 63F. But I have a half wetsuit, which I put into action on Saturday night. It felt as great as you might expect. And my cup is full...

Soaking up the Last Days of Summer

It's another loooooong post as I recap 2 weeks of fun and fitness. I was out of town last weekend and wasn't able to post a recap. So bear with me as you scroll through!

I've been really enjoying our extended summer, with warmer than usual temperatures, no rain, and bright sunshine. Everyone seems concerned about our dry conditions, but trust me when I tell you we will make up for it very soon. In fact, it is raining in Wisconsin as we speak!

Me, I'm just soaking all the unseasonably warm weather up. I know what's coming...

Another Busy Week!

It's been a really busy week! But so much fun. After a great weekend up at the lake, this weekend was Brooks Hype Fest in downtown Chicago! They packed a lot in for a weekend and we are all happy and exhausted. As it should be. I'm so grateful for these opportunities! 

Summer's End

Disclaimer: As a member of the Brooks Running Collective, I receive complimentary gear and shoes in exchange for social media sharing.

I was out of town last weekend and didn't post a recap, so this week, you get 2 recaps in one post. I apologize for the length. I really tried to limit myself. There is just so much to share! With summer coming to an end, I tried to pack as much in as I could. 

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Sometimes a staycation is just what you need. It's nice to enjoy the local happenings and that is what I did this week. It was a really low key, low stress kind of week--exactly what I needed. I'm lucky to live outside of Chicago as well as close to Wisconsin, and I took full advantage, spending time in both locales. 

I also kept up with my fitness routine! This post is a little longer than usual, as I'm recapping not only my workouts, but also sharing some highlights from my week. Thanks for indulging me!

Running Out of My Comfort Zone

I'm not being dramatic when I tell you it has been fire outside. We are still in June and if this is what summer will be like, take me back to winter. Sure the sun is shining, but it burns if you are out there too long. While I do love summer, I do not like the extreme heat. We've been in the 90s all week--we even broke a few records. We had some storms Saturday night, which brought a lot of rain and cooler temperatures. 

Meanwhile, I did get all my runs done outside! I just started a lot earlier than I normally do. A runner's gotta run, am I right? Running teaches us to push outside of our comfort zone and this week reminded me of that!

Race Recap: Blue Springs Trail Race

Earlier this spring, I had plans to run 'Run From the Taxman', a trail race on the Lapham Peak segment of the Ice Age Trail. I put the race on my calendar. After seeing a friend's Facebook post about completing the race, I realized that I put the race on the wrong date. Having trained for it, but having to miss it because of my mistake made me so upset. That same friend reached out to me with information on the upcoming Blue Springs Trail Race. Part of the Golden Kettle Race Series, this race offered 3 distances: a short course of 4-ish miles, a mid-course of 6.3-ish miles, and a long course of 13.5-ish miles. 

I immediately signed up for the long course and triple checked the date on my calendar. I hoped that nothing would prevent me from lining up to run this one!

Don't Worry, Run Happy!

The family drama I wrote about last week spilled into this week. I keep wishing it would go away, but I don't think that is going to happen. Thank goodness for running and my workouts. I was able to sweat out a lot of my stress again. We had beautiful weather for most of the week, and I fully enjoyed my trail runs. There's just something about being in nature that makes me so happy!

Ups and Downs

This was a tumultuous week! Weather aside, I had a lot of ups and downs. I've been feeling unsettled since Cocoa had her surgery, and life threw some curve balls my way this week. Did you see the full moon this week? It was HUGE and I'm blaming everything on that. Oh, and Mercury has been in retrograde if you believe that stuff. Normally, I don't, but I needed some explanation for all the chaos of the past couple of weeks! Thankfully that's all behind us and the week did end on a high note. 

My trail friend whose race recap let me know that I missed my race, reached out with an opportunity to redeem myself after my unintentional DNS.  She told me about an upcoming trail race on May 18 on the Blue Springs Segment of the IAT. The distance is listed as 'about 12 miles', which is perfect for me. It sounds really laid back and there's locally brewed beer at the finish line! After triple-checking the date,  I put the race on my calendar. I'm looking forward to it!

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!

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. 

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...

'Tis the Season!

'Tis the season for:

- snow, which we've had twice already and it has melted both times,

- holiday prep, which I've been embarking on this weekend. I already have some shopping done, the tree is waiting for decorations, and I'm planning on baking today,

- holiday fun! I had two fun events planned for this weekend,

- holiday themed runs--I don't have any on the calendar this year...yet,

- sneezin'. I'm battling a cold virus and trying to power through it as much as I can. On Saturday, I had to bail on my planned 3rd strength sesh and plans to go to the holiday light show at the Botanic Gardens with my sister. 

 

  

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!

Hello, My Pretty!

Disclaimer: As a member of the Brooks Run Happy Team, I received a complimentary pair of the Brooks Ghost Max in exchange for social shares. I really do love them!

So much prettiness again this week! My sister and I wrapped up our trip to Banff and headed home on Monday. Luckily, we had decent weather in Chicago, which helped ease the landing. Work was insane, but I was still riding the wave of a nice trip with my sister. Even better, our fall colors are peeking right now, so there's plenty of beauty right here at home. We headed up to the lake on Saturday where the colors are spectacular. There was a little bit of sunshine, but the clouds blew in and kind of dimmed the glow. It was still pretty for my run!

Wrapping up the Week in Banff

Buckle up, pour yourself a drink, get a snack, because I'm recapping not only my experience spectating the Chicago Marathon, but also the first part of my weekend in Banff. My sister and I traveled to Canada for our 11th annual sister trip. It's hard to keep topping our previous trips, but our long weekend in Banff may have been our best trip yet. I have so many photos and it was hard to pick just a few to share here. Oh, and I had a big run on the Ice Age Trail in there too! And did I mention I met Des Linden?

What a week!

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!

Wrapping Up My Training Cycle

One week to go until the Leadville Silver 15 miler! I wrapped up my training cycle this week, very pleased with how it all went. You might ask when I officially started training. And I would answer that's a good question. While Earth Day wasn't my goal race, I did put in the work for that one too. It could count for training. Realistically, it wasn't until May that I really began to focus on my mileage, building on the work I did for Earth Day. Even more so, I put emphasis on getting lots of elevation. 

So here are the stats for the past 8 weeks:

Total miles: 208 miles

Total elevation: 7285 ft

I am so grateful to have access to those Wisco trails. When I totaled up my vert, the Illinois trails didn't even make a dent. The total elevation at Leadville is 1676 ft. With all my climbing, I am definitely ready for that! What I'm not ready for is the altitude, which at its peak on the course is 10,896 ft. Chicago sits at 597 ft. There's really no way for me to prepare for that. 

I wonder if I can bring portable oxygen in my hydration vest? 

What I have done: I've been 'doping' aka taking iron supplements for the past 3 months with the hopes of getting my hemoglobin higher, which would increase my blood's oxygen-carrying capacity. My son brags that his hemoglobin is 17, so he's hoping for success with that. I've also been taking creatine, along with my usual supplements, hoping to build a little more muscle mass to help me run strong. Research on running at altitude lead me to plan to arrive the day before the race, to allow as little time as possible to let the altitude affect me. 

With no goals but to finish and have fun, I am looking forward to running on some different trails and spending quality time with my boy. What else could a runner ask for?

All Mixed Up

Disclaimer: As a member of the Brooks Run Happy Team, I receive products in exchange for social sharing. All opinions are my own.

Not only is the weather all mixed up--we went from winter to spring and back to winter again, but my week was kind of mixed up too. I had to flex my workout schedule to accommodate not only the weather but also my 'niggles' and a fun opportunity with Brooks (more below). 

I was able to get everything in but I'm still bummed about a canceled field trip to the IAT in Whitewater on Saturday with the Trail Sisters Chicago Northwest. A late winter storm stymied our plans for a long morning of trails and vert. This storm dropped a foot of snow in Madison! The weather this year has sent me to the treadmill more times than I can ever remember. While I'm glad I have the option, can I say enough is enough?

Sunrise on the way into the city on Tuesday