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!
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!
My idea of fun is certainly different from most people's! I love running and I love trail running the most. Getting muddy doesn't bother me. I also love lifting heavy weights and challenging my body at CrossFit. It's hard in the moment, but the reward at the end is a feeling of accomplishment. Of doing something difficult, wanting to quit, but not giving up.
I have been struggling with finding goals for myself this year. What's a runner to do but to pick a challenging race? I signed up for a trail half marathon, Run From the Taxman, in 3 weeks on a segment of the Ice Age Trail. I ran there last fall during the Mammoth Challenge, so I know what to expect. It's really hilly, so I know it won't be easy. I'm already feeling anxious, lol.
Oh, but that finish line feeling is everything. And that to me is fun!
My anxiety level was high this week and it wasn't just due to my impending half marathon.
There was last week's sad news that my young patient had passed. This week, my parents asked me to fix their computer again. Like many of us, they are struggling with many passwords, however, their solution is to keep creating new user names and passwords, which eventually gets them locked out of their accounts. I arrived with new solutions and was greeted by my mom, sporting a black eye. My sister had warned me that on the day before, my mom was on her treadmill when the phone rang. She forgot to stop the treadmill and fell on her face. It looked pretty bad, but she seemed ok when I got to their house.
It was also her birthday and when I set her up for a Zoom call with her high school friends, she asked me what happened to her face. I calmly told her, and my dad and I exchanged worried looks. The next day, I called him to check on her--he thought she was fine, but I urged him to take her to be checked out. I was worried about a brain bleed, and she had a head CT which was clear. Whew.
My sisters and I have been worried about my mom for a while now. She always took care of everyone, including my dad. Trying to get him to step up after all these years has been challenging. I'm the only one who is local, which is also another challenge. We'd like to see them downsize and move somewhere that would provide more support, but my dad isn't ready to give up his garage and his old cars. I get that.
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!
On and off the road, this was a tough week.
The cold virus that took me down last weekend slowly improved. I was pretty fatigued early in the week and didn't get much movement in. That in itself was a stressor and reminder of how much running and sweating help my anxiety.
By Wednesday, I was feeling pretty good. I was literally walking out the door for a run when my youngest son called me. He was getting ready to leave for work and he realized he forgot his keys. He was locked out of their yard, so he tried to climb over the fence. His pant leg got caught on the top and he fell 6 feet to the concrete below, landing on his face and hurting his wrist. He did not sound good. So instead of driving to the forest preserve for a run, I drove to the city, taking him to the ER to be evaluated. Fortunately, he 'only' had a concussion and a wrist sprain. If you've been following me for a while, you know this kid has had his share of injuries over the years. I really think I should wrap him in bubble wrap! I'm so glad he is ok.
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!
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!
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.
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.
“As this epidemic has progressed, we have had to make some hard decisions. To avoid the loss of potentially tens of thousands of lives, we must enact an immediate stay at home order for the state of Illinois, so that is the action that I’m announcing today.” ~ Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, 3/20/20Most of us were already prepared for this. We've been staying home as much as possible, save for going to the grocery store and work. We've been running and working out, either solo or in very small groups. Those of us who can, and that includes me! are working from home. While many are complaining about the restrictions and inconveniences, most of us are grateful for the ability to continue our lives via technology.
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| Wednesday's St Patrick's day run |
