Sometimes You Get Just What You Need

Reflecting back on the past week, overall, it was a good one. The weather was decent, especially for November which IMHO usually rivals February for the worst weather of the year. My workouts went well--I'm making gains in strength and on Friday, had the speediest run in a long time. That always feels good. I keep meeting and hearing about women in my age group or older who are doing amazing things! This week, the Chicago Marathon posted on its IG account about 2 older women who set new records on this year's course: the always awe-inspiring Jeannie Rice AG75-79 3:34:32 and Jenny Hitchings AG60-64 2:49:43. Both finish times would be remarkable in any age group, but these ladies are certainly proving that age is just a number. 

I find it serendipitous that these people and stories are coming my way when I'm contemplating running Chicago one more time. No worries, I'm not going to break any records or set a new PR. Plus I have get a bib first! But these are the kinds of stories that inspire me and quiet the voices in my head that tell me I'm too old to be doing this. You really do get what you need--you just have to open your mind to the possibilities!

So Many Miles, So Little Time

I runfess...oops, I apologize that I haven't been runfessing or linking up for coffee lately. Life has gotten busy and with the exception of the Weekly Rundown, blogging has taken a back seat. Since returning home from Brooks Hype Fest, Brooks has been keeping us RHT members busy. We've been sharing lots of photos from that weekend. We've also been posting about our latest gear drop and are awaiting some new exciting shoes that are coming out soon. The Chicago Marathon is next weekend, and those of us RHT members who aren't running are planning some meet-ups and a cheer station. It's a good kind of busy and it's really injected some good energy into running for me!

In addition to running related commitments, I've been asked to participate in a big project at work, a Zero Suicide initiative for my large healthcare system, which will include developing policies and protocols to help guide providers to prevent suicides in patients and intervene when there is the threat of suicide. It's a daunting task, but a worthwhile one. 

On the health front, I am definitely feeling better and weaning the steroids slowly. I don't want the flare to flare up again. I have to admit that I haven't minded the steroids at all. In fact, since starting them, I feel like I am 10 years younger. I wish I felt like this all the time! And speaking of steroids, Cocoa and I road tripped to Madison this week to see the dermatologist at the UW vet clinic. In the doggy world, the derms manage skin, allergies, and ears. I was so impressed with the plan the dermatologist came up with. Fingers crossed we can avoid surgery. 

Finally, I'm thrilled to wrap up September with decent mileage. October looks to be another high mileage month as I'm kicking off the Mammoth Challenge today. 

A Great Week on My Feet

Disclaimer: As a Brooks Run Happy Team member, I receive complimentary gear. 

But...the RA flare that I mentioned in last week's rundown continued into this week. While I didn't let it stop me from doing anything, I was in a fair amount of pain at rest. You know...motion is lotion... and all that. While ibuprofen has been taking the edge off, I finally broke down and called my rheumatologist on Friday for a prescription for steroids. 

It's been a long time since I've had to take steroids and as of today, I haven't started them yet. As you read this, I'm on a 'field trip' with my Trail Sisters in Whitewater, Wisconsin on the IAT. Canceled due to rain. I'll see how I feel and if I'm still hurting, I'll start taking them. 

Stubborn? Yes. But I haven't had to curb my activities yet, so fingers crossed (and yes I can do that too) that this thing just burns itself out.

In spite of the flare, I had a great week on my feet! Read on...

Shifting My Focus

Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link. 

Until this week, I have not felt like myself since returning from Leadville. I have never had to take so long to recover from a race. I am sure that the altitude was a big part of my fatigue. Between that and my foot injury, I haven't run in 3 weeks. In fact, until this week, with the exception of waterskiing, I hadn't done much activity at all. 

I returned to CrossFit on Monday and felt as if I hadn't missed a beat. That made me happy. Without running on my schedule, I found other activities to keep me busy, and on Friday, I laced up my running shoes again. 

The first six months of this year were very focused and intense as I prepared for my goal race in June. For the rest of the year, I am looking forward to just having fun with fitness, getting back to running, and not training for anything. There are some adventures planned, including Brooks Hype Fest in LA in 2 weeks, a GoRunTour with Erica after that, a sister trip in October, and the Mammoth Challenge on the Ice Age Trail in October. But it's all about having fun and dialing back the intensity, something I am really looking forward to!

I Wish My Foot Was Broken

Before you ask me if I'm nuts, let me explain. As you know, I've had mild pain in my left foot for about a month after landing on a rock on the trails. I ran Leadville with the pain, which didn't bother me at all. I waterskied all last weekend with the pain, again, very mild. Yet, I have this point tenderness around my second metatarsal and the ball of my foot. My foot swells at times. As I always say, I know enough to be dangerous, and based on my symptoms, I thought this was a stress fracture.

Turns out, I was wrong. It's most likely not a neuroma either.

I saw the ortho on Thursday. He did an x-ray and an exam and thinks that I have a plantar plate tear. I need to schedule an ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis. But basically, there's not a whole lot to do for this injury except wait for it to heal. This is why I would have preferred a fracture-- I'd already be halfway to being healed. Believe it or not, my ortho said the same thing.

My doctor did tell me to 'let the pain guide you' when it comes to activities. So nothing is forbidden--I just have to be smart and listen to my foot. I have some metatarsal pads to put in my shoes, which should help support the ball of my foot.

I probably will start some run/walk intervals in the next week or so. Otherwise, I have my arsenal of activities to keep me moving--pool running, cycling, waterskiing, CrossFit, and strength training. As always, I am so grateful for what I CAN do.

I'm not doing anything tricky here, just hitting some rough water. 
I thought it was a cool shot, tho!

A Bundle of Nerves

It's been a long time since I've had pre-race jitters like I've had this week. I think it's because Leadville is the first destination race I've gone to in a long time. There's so much more to a destination race than just showing up at the start line, which is why I don't do them very often. There's all the travel, the logistics of getting from point A to point B, and wrangling the 4 young adults who have accompanied me on this trip. Not to mention that one of my niggles, toe pain that I didn't mention a few weeks ago, decided to get really angry (see below). As the week went on, the pain lessened, but it didn't completely resolve.

My goal was to finish and I did that! I'll share more in a full recap soon. For most of the race, my foot behaved. As expected, the altitude was my nemesis, but I did better than I hoped. My son crushed his race and made me cry when he met me at the finish line. I was able to celebrate with my Trail Sisters. This was just such a great experience! If you want a sneak peek before I post the recap, check out my IG post, 

I Didn't Have an Apocalypse on My Summer Running Bingo Card and Other Runfessions

This is a pretty dramatic title, right?

Just when it became safe to go outside without a mask--thank you Covid--people are donning masks again because the air quality is so poor in areas affected by the Canadian wildfires. That includes the Chicago area, where I live. Earlier this week, our air quality was so poor, it was the worst in the world. A few weeks ago, it was the East Coast that was affected. It's almost apocalyptic, viewing the landscape through a smoky haze. And it feels wrong being stuck inside during the best time of year. 

Life has not been dull these past couple of years, has it? Thank goodness for running.

Ok. it's time to runfess! On the last Friday of the month, Marcia opens up the runfessional and we are all invited to share our running transgressions. You know I always have a few. Let's get right to it, shall we?

June Gloom

I realize this is a term used by Californians to describe their typical gloomy June weather, but here in Illinois, we're experiencing some unusually cool and cloudy days. Let's face it, we have a lot of gloomy weather here, but not in the summer. Since summer is so short, I always feel we're being cheated when the weather isn't good. To top it off, unfortunately, we're feeling the effects of the Canadian wildfires again. It's weird because the cooler weather should make for good running, but I'm struggling a bit with breathing.

In spite of the less than desirable conditions, I had some nice runs this week! Two weeks to Leadville and I have never felt more ready to be done with a race, lol. I'm starting to think ahead to the rest of 2023 and will share my plans after the race is done. 

A Good Week to Be A Runner

Yes, indeed! It was a great week to be a runner, at least for this runner. On Sunday, I ran my first road half marathon in over a year. It wasn't pretty, but it was fun! And we celebrated Global Running Day on Wednesday this week. While I wasn't able to celebrate with my Brooks RHT teammates at Fleet Feet in the evening--I work late on Wednesdays--I did celebrate with Erica by doing a Go Run Tour.  

It's always good to be a runner, but wouldn't you agree that it's better when you get to celebrate with other runners?

When My Mind Writes a Check that My Body Can't Cash

The title of this post, tho...

Last weekend's trail race really beat me up. I felt pretty bad at the beginning of the week--not so much sore, but more like a total body illness. This wasn't typical post-race discomfort. Was it RA reminding me that it's always lurking, ready to strike when I push myself? Not one to poke the bear, I had to dial it back a bit and let the post-race inflammation dissipate. By mid-week, I knew I was going to have to renig on my commitment to pace my friend on 3 loops of her 50 mile trace race. It was a tough decision--I didn't want to let her down but I also didn't want to risk a full-blown RA flare. Fortunately, she was able to find someone to replace me right away. With rain in the forecast for Saturday, I knew I made the right decision.

By the end of the week, I felt like myself again. The what-ifs started to creep into my thoughts, but no. I made the right decision not to pace her. I should know better not to commit myself to something like that so close to a hard race. Lesson learned.

A couple of people have asked when I'm going to post a race recap. It's written, but I'm waiting for race photos. Like everything with trail races, in due time, I guess! Stay tuned...

Trail Runfessions (mostly)

Well, here we are again at the Runfessional for that chance to clear our souls and our soles. Do you runfess? On the last Friday of every month, Marcia opens up the runfessional for those of us who may have strayed from the trail. There's no penance, just that feeling of cleansing and starting the next month with a fresh pair of running shoes. 

I poolrunfess... earlier this month, I went to the pool, dark and early, for my weekly pre-work pool sesh. I greeted the other 2 pool runners already tethered in and chattering away and started my workout. Not even 10 minutes later, my headphones warned me about 'low battery' and then shut off. Dammit. I left the pool to the locker room to get my backup pair but alas, they were also dead. I set my phone on the side of the pool and turned it up all the way but I could barely hear it over the racket next to me. Seriously, where's a shark when you need one?

I runfess... I have mixed feelings about trail races advertising a certain distance for a race, which may or may not be the actual distance you run. Case in point: my most recent trail race, the Earth Day 15 miler, was actually 15.76 miles when I crossed the finish line. I get it, the whole trail vibe thing is loose with the rules but still...this runner likes to know how far she has to plan for. And doesn't it kind of suck the life out of you when you think you're going to be finished at a certain distance, but when that number comes up on your watch, you don't know how much farther you have to go?

I runfess.... the ageism directed at us 'seasoned' runners by some younger runners is kind of rough. We get comments about how easy it is to BQ at our age. Or how there are so few runners in our old lady age group, that it's easy to get an AG award. An older woman in my trail race last Saturday told me the worst one yet: last year when she won her AG, a younger runner told her that she got the 'pity' award. 

I runfess... that I have to DNS my plan to pace a friend at an ultramarathon this weekend. She's doing a 50 mile race at 'my' preserve and I was supposed to run 3 loops (12 miles with her). Since I run there all the time, it was a no-brainer. But instead, it was no bueno. On Wednesday's shakeout run on the course, my left hip let me know it was not happy with the idea. Luckily, she found a replacement almost immediately. I'll be there to see her cross the finish line!

Now that the snow has melted, I've noticed the ridiculous amount of dog poop bags scattered around the preserve. I runfess... this makes me steam like a freshly dropped turd. If you're going to take the time to bag your dog's poop, then carry it out. You don't want to carry it out? Make your dog carry it out. Do what I do and tie the bag to the leash. But please DON'T leave it by the side of the trail or fling it into the woods. 

What do you have to runfess? What do you do when your headphone batteries die? How do you handle inaccurate race distances? Older runners: have you experienced ageism from younger runners? What to do about the dog poop problem?

I'm linking up with Marcia for Runfessions and with the ladies of Fit Five Friday: Darlene, Michelle, Jenn, Renee, and Zenaida.

Getting Ready to Race

This week was all about getting myself ready, physically and mentally, for Saturday's trail race. I have to admit I was more than a little nervous about this race, having run it last year. I knew what to expect this time and that gave me a little PTSD. I cut back my miles and my effort, and did more yoga to stretch out my muscles. 

It was also a challenging week at work, with some really sick kids-one of which I sent to the ER and he was admitted to the PICU. I also saw a few new patients, including a toddler from Ukraine, who has a lot of developmental issues. The family doesn't speak English. Heavy stuff on top of feeling nervous about my race. Even though I did my best not to let it get me down, I did not sleep well this week! Now that my race is one, I'm pretty sure I will sleep much better this week!

Spring has Sprung!

What a wonderful week of weather!!! We've been socked in with cold and gloom since forever, it seems. But April has been a joy so far. We had sunshine and warmth all week. I made sure to get outside and enjoy it as much as I could. The hubs planted lettuce and we've got chives. The grass is green and the landscape trucks are everywhere. The chorus of birds is sweet music. 

It seems that spring is finally here!

The Slippery Slope

I woke up Monday morning feeling tired, achy, and queasy. Was it a bug? Or was it an RA flare? I'm pretty sure that RA was the culprit as Sunday's run felt harder than it should have. I blamed the rain and the cold, but I didn't feel great when I started. That run probably pushed me into the red zone. I probably should have turned around and gone home. But you know me. 

RA is a slippery slope.

I scrapped my plans on Monday to go to CrossFit and did a yoga class that focused on flexibility. While the yoga felt good, I still felt icky and spent the rest of the day taking it easy. Sometimes you have to listen to what your body tells you. Thankfully, this flare was short-lived and did not require steroids to calm it down. I felt gradually better as the week went on. It's been a while since I've felt like that. It was a good reminder to stay on track with my diet and sleep as well as my activities.

Weekly Rundown

Sunday: run 11 miles

Monday: Yoga with Adriene

Tuesday: pool running

Wednesday: trail run 5 miles

Thursday: strength training, lunch with Marcia

Friday: run 6 miles

Saturday: rest day

March miles 106.6!!!

What Time is it?

Does anyone really know what time it is? 

Does anyone really care? 

If so I can't imagine why

We've all got time enough to....  die, cry, fry, eat pie...(fill in the blank) ~Chicago

I don't normally struggle too much with going between time zones or turning the clocks forward. But between the two hour time difference between California and Chicago and springing forward to daylight savings time, my body did not know what time it was. It really hit me hard on Tuesday, when I got up at 4:30 to go to the pool before work. Thankfully, I was off work the rest of the week for my annual PNP conference, which I attended virtually from home. That gave me a chance to take it easy and get back on track. 

Of course, I got all my workouts in. I do have my priorities!

Real Talk

Fitness and running continue to be a bright spot in what feels like every day taking me on a wild ride. I truly do not know what I would do without my sweat therapy right now.

Work has completely gotten out of control. Just when we got a chance to catch our breath after the onslaught of illnesses last fall, we started seeing a lot of non-English-speaking asylum seekers from war-torn areas across the globe. These patients present all kinds of challenges. The language barrier is just one struggle. The mental health crisis continues and resources are scarce. I've also recently had a couple of my young patients experience horrific abuse and that has really taken a toll on me.

On the home front, both my parents are starting to have major health issues that require me to accompany them to appointments and help them with medical decision-making. My sisters are supportive, but as they are all out of town, the burden falls on me.

I am doing my best to stay positive and focused on the good things in my life. Don't get me wrong, I have had my share of meltdowns, usually over the littlest things. But no matter how overwhelmed I feel or how busy I get, I vow to always make time to get all my workouts in. It is my therapy that gives me the strength to push through my day.

Staying Upright

You probably won't be surprised by this revelation: this is not my favorite time of year. As a devoted outdoor runner, late winter poses a struggle to find a satisfying place to run. While I love the growing warmth of the sun, the freeze/thaw cycle makes for treacherous conditions. In anticipation of my upcoming trail race in April, I need to start building miles again and climbing hills. Ideally, that would be on the trails, but for the next couple of weeks at least, I think I'll be lacing up my road shoes. I'm not complaining--it is what it is. But I can't help but be a little envious of runners who live in places that don't have ice! 

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

Shifting My Focus

This is the week that SJ and I discussed my goals for the upcoming year. We finished up that heavy strength cycle and challenged my 1 rep maxes on the back squat, bench press, and deadlift. Now it's time to move forward. After coming off of that strong trail race a few weeks ago, I pulled the trigger (thanks Catrina!) and signed up for that Earth Day 15 mile trail race in April, the one where I hit the wall on the last loop. My goal is to not have that happen again. I also signed up for a 15 mile trail race in July in Leadville, Colorado with my youngest son. That is really going to be a challenge as the altitude is over 10,000 feet. It's going to be difficult to train for that!

What I want to do with SJ is work on building strength for climbing the hills in both these races. I climb a lot of hills on the IAT in Wisconsin, but I think I need to also build trail-specific strength in the gym. We got to it this week!

January Runfessions

Here we are at the first Runfessions of 2023! Do you runfess? Every month, Marcia opens the runfessional to allow us all to cleanse our souls and soles. Oddly enough, I always have things to runfess. So let's get to it and let the absolution begin!