Turkey Trotting

It was another fantastic weather week--sunshine every day! This is so unusual this time of year for us that I can't help but comment on it. I am loving it. The realist in me knows it's going to come to an end and in fact, as you read this, we are receiving snow. 'Tis the season, after all!

I had a very productive and busy fitness week, including a Turkey Trot under the Thanksgiving sun with my son! But by Saturday, I was feeling tired, achy, and just off. As much as I wanted to go to the gym for that 3rd day of strength this week, I did not. Sometimes you just have to listen to what your body tells you, am I right? I am hoping a day of rest will prevent this from turning into something. I've been seeing a lot of sick kiddos in my clinic.

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!

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!

A Wild Week

Wild seemed to be the theme for my week! The full moon was last Saturday, so I can't blame it on that, right?

The weather this week was definitely wild! The transition between fall and winter is always crazy, but this week, it was all over the place. We had 1.2" of snow on Halloween, which didn't set a record but was definitely unusual. Fortunately, the sun came out in the afternoon, but it was cold for the trick-or-treaters. By the end of the week, we were back in the 50s, which felt like summer. 

It was also a wild week at work. We're having a baby boom! I don't ever remember seeing so many newborns, but I am here for it. I seem to have at least one, maybe 2 newborns on my schedule every day. Our schedules continue to be full and there are more sick kids coming in, as you would expect in the fall. It's definitely keeping me on my toes.

It's never dull around here!

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!

Big Weekend

It's marathon weekend in Chicago and even though I'm not running the marathon, it's still a big weekend! So many RHT members are running Chicago this year as well as a lot of local friends. I've got my marathon tracking app loaded up and I don't remember ever having as many runners listed as in years past. It's so much fun! I ran the 5k on Saturday--see below--and on Monday, I'm going to a meet and greet with Des Linden. My friend Kristin came to town to spectate with me! 

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. 

Filling My Bucket

This was a big week of celebrating! 

• Celebrating feeling better as the steroids calmed the inflammation in my joints;
• Saying farewell to my friend Kristin as she begins a new chapter in her life; 
• Celebrating my birthday; 
• Welcoming the arrival of fall;
• And celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary.

One of my young patients told his mom she was 'filling his bucket' when she did something for him. It was the perfect metaphor for this week--my bucket is full!

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...

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!

A Taste of Fall

We're heating back up now, but this week provided me with some really nice weather for my runs. I've been struggling with running since Leadville. My foot injury hasn't helped either. Fortunately, the foot is improving. Between being able to run relatively pain free and having some cooler mornings this week, running has started to feel good again. I'm still going to follow up with the foot ortho, just to make sure everything is all good. 

With no races on the calendar for the rest of the year, I'm currently not training for anything. I am working on building up my endurance to prepare myself for the Mammoth Challenge in October. I've got 43 miles to complete on the IAT and I only have 3 weekends free to devote to that. I'm determined to make it happen, and if you know me, you know that once I set my mind to something, I make it happen! Cooler weather will definitely be my friend. Stay tuned for that!

A Vacation and A Staycation

I'm going to apologize in advance for this very long post--I missed last week while I was out of town attending Brooks' Hype Fest, so you get a 2 week recap. With Michelle as my witness, I did bring my laptop to California, with every intention of posting last Sunday. But in the evening when we returned to our room, we were both so exhausted that we literally passed out. I shared a daily recap on IG and even that felt inadequate--we just did so much in the 4 days we were out there. I recapped it all on a blog post, which you can read HERE. My RHT teammates continue to post recaps on IG and while I am amazed at everyone's creativity, looking at their posts, I can hardly believe everything we packed in those 4 days!

The smartest thing I've done in a long time was to work up until the day I left for California and then to take the week off work after returning home. This gave me a chance to rest and regroup. It was really nice to have time away from work to focus on other things--and there was a lot going on that needed my attention. 

Most importantly, I came home to a sick little pup. Cocoa is going to need surgery on that other ear and I am bringing her to the UW Madison vet school for her appointment on Monday to discuss the plan. I'll share more details next week. 

I had my foot ultrasound on Thursday. The pain has been improving and I can run on it, but it still lets me know that it's not right. Interestingly, the radiologist who scanned it told me that there was no plantar plate tear (woot!) and no neuroma (double woot!). There was some fluid around the joint and he suspects a bad bone contusion from when I landed on the rock a few weeks ago. I still need to talk with my ortho to confirm, but this is very good news. Obviously, I would have liked an answer, but at least all the bad stuff is ruled out and hopefully, I'll be back to normal soon. 

A Little Bit of Running

I did a little bit of running this week. No, my foot is not better. But I'm finding a way to run with it. 

Running the trails gives me very little pain. I think this is due to the softer surface of the trails but also the stiffness of my trail shoes. Running on pavement gives me a little more trouble. I had the idea that maybe splinting my foot where the toes meet the forefoot might be helpful. To do that, I used a thin elastic headband and wound it around that part of my foot. Voila! Landing on the makeshift splint took some of the impact off the ball of my foot. It wasn't perfect, but at least I could get my miles in. 

Since there's no pressure to train for anything right now, I'm freely taking walk breaks when I need to. It feels good to be back out there and I'm hoping that I can continue to do this while I wait for the tear in my plantar plate to heal. 

Will it heal? I may as well pull out the Magic 8 ball. There's very little research done on the treatment of this injury. For now, I'll continue to splint the foot and hope for healing. 

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!

On the Road Again

No, not that road. I'm still sidelined from running, nursing my sore foot. But as you read this, I'm in Alabama with Holly, spending a lot of time on the water. It's always great to reunite and we always seem to pick back up as if we just saw each other yesterday!

I hate to admit this, but since Leadville, I've struggled to bounce back. Besides feeling fatigued, on Monday I woke up with severe pain on one side of the base of my head. I'm not sure if it was due to my sleep position or the virus I've been fighting, but the pain made me feel queasy. I took ibuprofen and used a heating pad and by the end of the day, it was down to a dull roar. I still had residual neck stiffness on Tuesday. So for the second time this week, I bailed on CrossFit and took to my yoga mat.  

I'm also concerned about my left foot, which was bothering me prior to my race. I knew that I would pay a price for running on it. My second toe is stiff and swollen and my third toe won't bend unless I do it manually. There is pain in the ball of my foot. My differential diagnoses: stress fracture vs neuroma. Hopefully, I'm wrong with both. I had my annual joint ultrasound at my rheumatologist's and all she could tell me is that there is no inflammation in the joint. Seriously not helpful, so I made an appointment with the foot ortho for next week. 

Meanwhile, there is still no running. I think I poked the bear enough and I'll wait to see what I'm dealing with. It's a good thing there are a lot of other things to keep me active!

Post-Leadville Recovery

After what was an incredibly fun but also incredibly active weekend, I promised myself no running this week. That was not a hard promise to keep as I was exhausted after I arrived home. It didn't help that on Monday night after I got home, Cocoa made friends with a skunk. Ugh. The hubs and I were up late scrubbing her fur with Dawn, baking powder, and peroxide. We were able to avoid most of the stink in the house, fortunately. I had trouble sleeping that night and the next day, had a very challenging day at work. 

As the week went on, I started sleeping better but still felt really fatigued. The hubs noted on Saturday that I told him how tired I was about "10 times". I guess the race and the altitude really took a toll on me. I'm not regretting the race--it was definitely worth it! I feel no guilt about taking time off from running. I'm not sure if I'll run at all next week either, but I will be active. I'm heading to Alabama for a long weekend of waterskiing with Holly! 

To be honest, I haven't missed running at all this week. Sometimes, a little time off is a good thing. Running will be there for me when I get back.

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, 

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?