Nature Therapy

Nature continues to provide me with plenty of stress relief. But the stress of the past couple of months is taking a toll on my physical health. I've been sick more than usual, picking up the random viruses that I'm seeing in my clinic, even with the usual precautions. I've been losing a lot of hair. I've been feeling really fatigued the past couple of weeks, struggling both with motivation and movement. I'm finding that I have to push myself to get out the door for my runs and workouts. And instead of feeling energized when I'm done, I feel tired. My Oura ring keeps sending me alerts. I've been dialing things back a bit to give my body some grace. 

To try to keep my peace, I've taken a break from talking with my father, instead, leaning more on the care manager to check in with him and make sure things are going well. The caregivers are doing their best to keep her safe. I did speak with him this week, and it went ok. He won't be happy until he gets what he wants, which is a return to life before my mom's fall. That's not going to happen. 

I never thought that my life would be like this; that my parents would act like children, that I would be in charge of keeping them safe, and that they would push back like teenagers. I thought I had gone through all that when my oldest son rebelled in high school. Who knew?

Trail Time!

Greetings from the northwoods of Wisconsin! My youngest son and I are on another hiking adventure on some new-to-us segments on the Ice Age Trail. We're taking advantage of a trail chapter shuttle on 2 of their segments. This enables us to complete the full segment point-to-point instead of doing an out-and-back. I'm sharing all the details below.

Earlier in the week, I started to feel under the weather. On Wednesday, I struggled with my run and called it quits earlier than planned. I felt achy, and by the end of the day, I knew I was coming down with something. Pretty sure I know which little cutie in my clinic gave it to me, lol. No shade at him--I should have worn a mask when I was in the room. I'm glad I was off work on Thursday and Friday to give me time to ride this thing out before the weekend!

On the parents' front, I had some good news this week! I took my mom to see her neurology NP for her semi-annual checkup. Although we had scheduled this appointment 6 months ago, the timing was perfect as it was 6 weeks after her fall. We did see a dip in cognition after the fall, but after her cognitive testing at the appointment, we learned that she had returned to her baseline. We were both so happy!

Stormy Weather

Wow, did we get rain this week! Along with the rain, we had severe storms every night. This week alone, we've received almost 4 inches of rain locally — some areas had much more —and there is flooding everywhere. It's been wild. After a final round of storms on Friday night, the summer-like conditions moved on out, and we're back to cool, calm weather again. 

After being off the past 3 weeks to care for my mom (and dad) and prepare for her return home, I resumed work this week. I thought I'd be starting with a full schedule, but we are in a brief seasonal lull and a break in the high demand for appointments. It was the perfect way to return after the recent period of high stress. Was it nice to be back? Yes and no. I found it difficult to focus completely on the job. Despite some really good runs and workouts this week, I still have a lingering unease that I can't shake. Oddly enough, after seeing 3 patients on Saturday morning, the power went out, and we had to cancel clinic for the rest of the morning. 

Taking Care of Myself

My mom is home from rehab, and with 24 hour care, I was able to step back a bit from my duties and resume some of my normal activities, including returning to the gym. I had a lot of things I wanted to do at home, but instead, I spent most of my time resting and reading on the couch, Cocoa by my side. There were still some challenges, especially with my father, but for the most part, being at home helped lessen the impact.

Pushing Through

While preparing this post, I looked back through this week's recaps on IG. The impromptu winter that started the week brought me down, but as the week went on, the sun warmed things back up. Mentally, the return to normal weather conditions helped keep me focused and positive. 

Unfortunately, my body didn't respond as well as I would have liked. I've been having an increase in RA symptoms for a while now, and this week was worse than usual. If you know me at all, you know that I don't usually let this stop me, pushing through it and trying my best to stick to my routine and get my workouts in. I had good success this week in the gym with strength training, but running was hard for me. Besides the joint pain, my body just didn't want to go. I ran my usual 3 times this week and am grateful that I was able to run, albeit much slower than usual. By mid-Saturday afternoon, I was hurting badly, so I finally broke down and started the steroids. Because of my ongoing uptick in symptoms, I have a follow-up with my rheumatologist in December. 

Fingers crossed that this flare resolves quickly! I've got a Turkey Trot to run with my family on Thanksgiving! 

Trail Magic

Trail magic, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, is finding what you need when you least expect it, experiencing rare nature, or encountering acts of generosity. I always leave the trails feeling that I've experienced trail magic, whether it's petting a sweet dog, spotting wildlife on the trail (especially deer), or simply running on a beautiful trail. I even experience the runner's high on occasion on the trails--you know, that feeling you get when everything falls into place. It happened twice this week! 

I've been feeling good about running right now. I'm going to credit the heavy strength we're doing at the gym for giving me a boost. The cooler weather helps, too. Even though I got a late start on the Mammoth Trail Challenge, I'm feeling confident about getting all my miles before the end of the month. I'm halfway there and as you read this, I'm out on the Lodi Marsh Segment working on another 8 miles! Next weekend is going to be extra special as I tackle some new-to-me segments with my youngest son. Stay tuned for that!

Another Year Around the Sun

As I posted on my IG last Sunday, I woke up and I was older. Those birthdays just keep coming. There's not much I can do about that, but I'm always grateful for what this body lets me do! Here's to another strong, healthy year!

The Calm Before...

...THE WEDDING.

EEEK! It's here!

Next week is my oldest son's wedding. All the planning is done and the big--very big--event takes place next weekend. This week will be all about preparing for the big day. I am excited and also anxious! I've been asked to give a speech at the wedding, and I have it written. I'm only working one day this week. My future DIL and I have plans on Wednesday for a mani-pedi, which will be relaxing and a chance for us to decompress. And yes, the workouts and runs will continue, right up to the big day. 

It feels like a marathon, with all the pre-race jitters! 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Labor Day weekend is the unofficial end of summer, but there's still plenty of summer-like weather left! We had some amazing weather this week--finally! I enjoyed some really nice runs that made me feel like a runner again. While I worked up a sweat, it was nice not to be drenched when I finished. 

It's my favorite time of year, and I plan to make the most of it!

Playing Outside

This really is the best time of year to be a runner! Or is it fall? I love them both so much. As for all my complaining about the slow arrival of spring, I will grudgingly admit that these cooler temperatures have made for some great runs. It has also allowed me to really appreciate the arrival of all the blooms. I've made sure to get out early to soak up all the beauty and solitude that comes with being alone on the trails.

Where is the Sun?

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As far as springs go, this one hasn't brought its best conditions. In fact, I'd rate it a 5/10, and that's generous. A lifelong Midwesterner, I long for spring after our cold winters. But this year it's been slow to warm up. The sun has been MIA most days. And let's not even talk about the incessant wind.

Despite the poor conditions, I have been getting all my runs done outside. Thank goodness for good gear! While spring is slowly arriving, I am seeing color on my runs. Green grass, leaves budding on the trees, mushrooms popping up, and flowers blooming. Now if it could warm up...

It's Me Time

Before you judge me based on the title of this post, hear me out.

My life has gotten very busy since the start of the year. On the work front, some of the projects I'm involved in have accelerated and are starting to encroach on my days off. One of the meetings was scheduled at the same time as CrossFit, and I excused myself, guilt-free from the meeting to go to my class. My husband's health issues continue. In addition, my parents need more of my time as I try to stay on top of my mom's health issues. I feel as if I'm juggling 3 balls in the air, trying to keep everything going. 

Or maybe a better metaphor would be treading water, trying to keep my head above the surface. I actually do that on Tuesdays, you know 😘.

To preserve my sanity, I've become very protective of my 'me' time. I know that I'm a much happier and more productive person if I get my workouts in. I'm willing to be flexible as much as possible, but conflicts pop up. It feels good to put my needs first and I'm surprised at myself--saying no has never been easy for me. It's a work in progress. 

A Holly, Jolly Holiday

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This was such a nice week! Christmas fell on Wednesday this year and with Thursday being my usual day off, I also took PTO on Friday, and voila! I had a whole week off work. I needed that time to prepare for hosting my family for Christmas. But I made sure to get all my workouts in. A day without movement is like a day without sunshine, am I right? And we've had plenty of those this week. The gray skies didn't dampen my holiday spirit though! 

Looking for Color

It's finally real fall here--the kind of fall we are accustomed to. Not that our recent conditions were fake fall, but all that color, bright sunshine, and warm temperatures aren't what we Midwesterners expect for November. Heck, there are still leaves on some of the trees! I loved our unusually long stretch of gorgeous weather, which mades the arrival of 'normal' a little jarring. I made the most of it this week by wearing brightly colored gear or as I like to say, bringing my own sunshine. 

This week also brought me to my knees, literally, with a full-blown RA flare. A few weeks ago, I received the Covid vaccine and had a very strong response to it, lasting for a couple of days. The body aches subsided, but my joints continued to ache. This week, I struggled with my runs, feeling fatigued and needing to stop frequently to walk. I finally gave in and called my rheumatologist for steroids. It's been a while since I've needed those, but I am feeling better. Friday's run wasn't quite so painful and I could breathe, which let me fly freely. 

Here's to hoping for better days ahead!

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!