Chasing Away the Blues

It's been a long time since I've had the winter blues, but they hit hard this week. I'm not sure why this year is different. There are a few things that could be contributing to it--the hubs' health issues, some family drama, the extra few pounds that have stubbornly attached themselves to my middle, learning about a work friend diagnosed with cancer, those devastating California wildfires, and some anxiety about our country's future. Oh, and of course the bitter cold that has settled in our region after we experienced a spectacular autumn.

I'm doing my best to get on top of this. I'm making sure to get outside for all my runs--that's always helped me in the past. Running more with my trail group. I'm excited about the new strength program I'm participating in at the gym. I'm planning a few trips for the spring. Reading lots of books. Leaning into all the cool opportunities I've been offered at work. 

Ok, I'm also going to tackle my closet, declutter, and donate or sell on Poshmark. According to experts, decluttering is supposed to help with anxiety and depression. It's a little disheartening to have all these pants that don't fit anymore. 

What do you do to fight the winter blues?

Weekly Rundown:

Sunday: Trail Sisters run 6 miles

Monday: CrossFit Auxiliary Strength

Tuesday: Fluid Running

Wednesday: trail run 5.5 miles

Thursday: CrossFit Auxiliary Strength

Friday: run 6 miles

Saturday: Yoga with Adriene, work

It was 12F when I met my Trail Sisters for our weekly run. We met at another local preserve, Potawatomi Woods, which is part of the Des Plaines River Trail. This is one of my favorite sections. We ran north and crossed over some bridges to a very pretty section. There was no wind--yay--but it meant I was overdressed. Even this time of year, it's hard to figure out what to wear! As always, we had great conversation and the ladies indulged my need to snap photos.

I was excited to go to CrossFit on Monday morning where we would be starting a new auxiliary strength program! The coaches developed this program to augment the strength training we normally do. There will be 4 week cycles, 2 days per week, which happen to fall on the 2 days I go to the gym. This first workout had 4 sets of 2 activities and we did 4 rounds of each set. Each activity was done for 40 seconds. there was a 2 minute transition between sets. All the activities were done with dumbbells.

Monday's focus was lower body:

Round 1: goblet squats (25#) alternating with frog pumps--hip bridges done in a frog leg position (30#).

Round 2: step up to a box with knee drive alternating with RDLs (10#)

Round 3: calf raises on a plate alternating with deadbugs (12#)

Round 4: reverse lunges with knee drive alternating with bear crawl hold (knees hovering above the ground)

This was HARD! At the time, I wished I had gone heavier with the dumbbells. But the DOMS hit me on Wednesday--my legs were fatigued on my run and my core was pleasantly sore.

Wednesday was cold but the sun was out and there was no wind. Having learned my lesson about overdressing on Sunday, I went a little lighter on the layers for this run. I was warm everywhere except for my face. I felt pretty blah when I headed out and I couldn't really shake it. It didn't help that I saw a dead deer on the roadside on my way to the trailhead. I didn't see any deer on my run and actually, it was quiet overall in the woods. It was very pretty with the sun shining brightly and a light dusting of snow on the trails. 

On Thursday at CrossFit, we did the upper body auxiliary strength workout. Just as we did on Monday with the lower body workout, each lift was 40 seconds with a 10-second transition between lifts. We did 4 sets of each round, with 30 seconds between sets and 2 minutes between rounds.

Round 1: marching front plank alternating with supermans (prone back extensions)

Round 2: alternating one armed seated overhead dumbbell press (15#) alternating with banded pull-aparts

Round 3: alternating one arm dumbbell bend press (15#) alternating with dumbbell upright rows (15# each hand).

Round 4: alternating arm bicep curls (15#) alternating with 'skull crushers' aka dumbbell overhead tricep extension (20#)

My arms were jelly after this workout. If you think these weights are light, try doing these movements for 40 seconds. 4 times. It's much harder than I expected and by the last round, I was ready to be done!

Early Friday morning, I woke up to a dusting of snow. No problem, right? I laced up my Hyperion Max, but after slip-sliding my way to the end of my block, I turned around and headed home. No, I wasn't going to take it to the treadmill! I just wanted to change shoes to the Ghost GTX, knowing that these shoes would keep my feet on the ground. They did, but there were a couple of close calls when I hit a few patches of black ice! I kept this run slow--10:30m/m pace--and stayed upright the entire run. I call that a win.

How was your week? Have you ever had the winter blues? What do you do to stay positive during the winter?

I shared the details of my strength workouts in case anyone who does home strength wants to try it. If you do, let me know what you think! I'm really impressed with this so far.

I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown. 

 

New Year, Same Old Me

I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions or set goals. 

I have the goal to hit 1000 miles running for this year, but that's been something I've done for many years. Does that count? 

I plan to do the Mammoth Challenge again in October, but again, I wouldn't call that a goal since it's something I've done for 4 years now. My goal oops, I mean, my plan is to once again visit a few new segments while chasing my miles.

I'm going to lean into strength training more than in the past. My gym is starting a new strength class in addition to the strength workouts that I've started doing on Thursdays. This new class is going to be different than the heavy strength I'm accustomed to--more body and dumbbell work. I want to see how my body responds to more strength work. 

I can tell you what I'm not going to do. I'm not going to run any more long-distance road races. My body does not like it, and I no longer enjoy the training. Maybe that will change with the strength work I'll be doing. Never say never, but all signs point to no. Short distances, like 5k, 10k, or even 15k, are still options, especially if running friends will be there. 

While I don't have any races on the calendar this year, I'm not ruling out any long distance trail races. Walking is always acceptable and I do love that finish line feeling! If I do run a trail race, it will be a game day decision. The conditions have to be right.

So 2025, let's do this. Keep moving. Stay strong. Enjoy the ride. Have fun. Get muddy. Embrace nature. Never, ever give up.

A Holly, Jolly Holiday

Disclaimer: This post contains some affiliate links.

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! 

Coasting Towards Year End

The nice thing about having no race plans is that I can just run. I used to love having a training plan with miles to accomplish, but I feel differently now. I'm enjoying my retirement from long-distance racing, and my knees are grateful for that, too. I saw my rheumatologist and my internist last week for checkups and both of them expressed amazement that I'm still running at my age and with RA; my annual mileage made my rheumatologist shake her head. I've been running so long that my body just dials in and lets me do my thing. I still lean on running to keep me sane, which has come in handy during this year's end craziness.

As long as I can run, everything else will fall into place. 

I Really Needed That Run...

It's a week like this that reminds me of how much running does for me. Sure, there are physical fitness benefits from running--we all know about that. But the main reason I started running and why I still do is for my mental health. This week my husband had his back surgery after that incident he had in August showed he had multiple herniated discs and spinal cord compression. He ended up having laminectomies at L3, L4, and L5, all done as a minimally invasive outpatient procedure. As a seasoned, jaded medical professional, I fully admit to being awed and amazed by his surgeon.

While he's been doing well, he's not able to do a whole lot without pain. He's not a complainer, but if I'm being honest, he's been a little grumpy. 

I took most of the week off to take care of him but was thankful to be able to continue my workouts as usual. While I missed Wednesday's trail run when I took him downtown for his surgery, I made up for it on Friday. That run was everything I needed. I had some good workouts at CrossFit that filled me up as well.

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!

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!

Don't Count Me Out!

This week was remarkable for our wild weather! We had terrible thunderstorms on Monday and Tuesday night--the sirens were blowing and while we didn't have a lot of damage, others around the area were not so lucky. By mid-week, the weather calmed down and we had some really pleasant conditions. I had to move my runs around to accommodate the conditions as well as some lingering soreness from a tough mid-week workout. I got it all done, though, and wrapped up the week with a really good run. At this point in my life, anytime I can finish a 10k in under an hour is a win.

What a way to make me feel like I'm still a runner!

A Very Wet Week

What a strange summer we're having! We've had a lot of sizzling record-breaking heat and a lot of rain. The humidity has been off the charts. This summer has been kind of a bust so far--I hope things shift to something more outdoors-friendly! Fortunately this week, I was able to get all my runs done outside. 

Time on the lake? We're home this weekend. After last weekend's flooding rains in Wisconsin, piers are underwater, boats have become unmoored, and as of this writing, the lake is still a no-wake zone. I'm starting to wonder if there's going to be any waterskiing this summer!

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!

The Heat is On!

This week gave me the opportunity to cut back on my miles and give my legs some much needed rest. I'm still trying to acclimate to the heat! Every summer I go through this and I don't know if I ever do get used to it!

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!

I'm Glad I Went

I won't sugarcoat it--the weather was just miserable this week. Except for Sunday, the wind, rain, cold, and yes, snow, was relentless. I managed to get all 3 of my runs outside. It was hard to motivate myself, but that old saying is true: you never regret going for a run. I reminded myself about that trail race in 2 weeks. I didn't want to run on my treadmill. Who knows what the conditions will be on race day?

While I was glad to be done, I finished all of my runs with a smile on my face! Running in bad weather really tests my mental toughness and reminds me of what I am capable of! I am so glad I got outside for all my runs!

Be Careful What You Wish For

I haven't been minding our mild winter at all. But I was hoping for a little snow- just to make things pretty and wintery. I should have known better because as extreme as the weather has been the past couple of years, at the end of this week, we got hit with a really wild snowstorm. Friday morning began with about 6 inches of heavy, wet snow and wind that chased me back inside before I could even start my run. As the morning went on, it changed to rain, turning the snow into slush, changing back to snow again, dropping about 4 more inches on top of the slush overnight. The wind continued, and during the day on Saturday, the temperatures began to drop.  It's going to be cold and windy for the next few days, which means most likely I'll be spending quality time with my TM.

Starting the New Year on the Right Foot

I've been reading a lot of posts about goals, 'word of the year', 'ins and outs', and resolutions. I think most of you know that I kind of just roll with what the year hands me. Already, I've signed up for a Chicago half marathon that takes place next month. My youngest son is going to join me and I know several other local runners who are doing it as well. I hoped that our mild winter would continue, but it is Chicago, and it looks like we are going to get some winter weather in the coming weeks. To prepare for this race, I'm going to do more running on the roads and focus on consistency. I'm a little less focused on my time. I want to feel good when I cross that finish line!

Chasing 1000 miles

When checking my annual mileage last week, I discovered that 1000 miles for the year was within reach! This week, I chipped away at that goal, getting to 989 miles for 2023 after Friday's run. Barring any unforeseen issues--illness stay away!--I think I got this! 

The last time I topped 1000 miles was in 2020, during the pandemic. That year I ran 1208 miles, which included several virtual and live half marathons. In 2021 I ran 917 miles for the year, despite being sidelined for several months after breaking my ankle and foot. Last year, I ran 970 miles. I wasn't paying attention--otherwise, I would have pushed a little harder to top 1000. 

What's so important about topping 1000 miles? I never set a mileage goal for the year, but there is a certain satisfaction in hitting such a big number. A Google search revealed that 1000 miles is a fairly common goal for runners--defined by Runner's World as 'both terribly daunting and totally attainable'. For this runner, topping 1000 miles feels very satisfying. Hitting 1000 miles for the year reminds me that I can do hard things. It's a goal that takes commitment and consistency, a gift that extends into other areas of my life and makes me a better person.

"The journey to 1000 miles begins with a single step." ~ Lao Tzu

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. 

 

  

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!