Back to Work

You can't keep a good runner down for long! After last week's RA flare, I went into full-on defense mode and started steroids. As the week progressed, I really started to turn the corner. While I've still been feeling the effects of the flare, my running gradually improved over the week.

I'm back, baby! For the most part, anyway. Here's how the week went down:

Ready for Anything

Well, wow. I feel like after last week I can handle just about anything that comes my way. Fortunately, life was uneventful this week. The weather, however, was not. Are you tired of talking about the weather? I am. I wish it would just settle the hell down but nope, we have been on a wild ride this week, going from snow on Monday to spring and 70 degrees on Thursday, and then back to cold, gloomy weather on the weekend. In all my years, I don't ever remember a spring quite like this one. I keep thinking that the climate has got to right itself, but nope, not yet. I looked ahead for the next month (I checked multiple weather sites) and it doesn't look like anything remotely warm is coming our way.

I hope that's wrong. In the meantime, I'll just resign myself to the fact that I'll be running in the cold. On a more superficial note, I won't be able to model my new InkNBurn tanks and shorts anytime soon. At least outside I won't.

Ok, enough whining about the weather. In spite of it all, I had an excellent week of training! And that's what this weekly wrap is all about. While Holly is away this weekend, I've got a guest host with me, the lovely Teresa from Finding Fabulous at Fifty! Be sure to show her all the love you normally bestow on Holly and me, including linking back to her blog. 

All Aboard the Hot Mess Express

Hey there!

If you read my Coffee Talk post, you know that my week was pretty much a hot mess. When things first started to unravel, it was distressing, but after a while, it was almost comical! I kept thinking, what next? I was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with me, like early-onset dementia. What made me realize I was ok was my running. Life is all about balance, right? So even though everything was seemingly falling apart around me, I had my good runs and that made all the bad stuff a little less painful.

Running Out of March Like...

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate! Anyone have any April Fools pranks played on them today? Isn't it weird having both of those days together? I'm not a big fan of practical jokes. When I was a kid, my sisters and I tried pulling an April Fools joke on my dad by mixing all his socks up. The joke was on us as we waited patiently for him to say something, but it was until about a week later that he asked my mom why his socks were all mixed up.

Anyhoo, in spite of the terrible weather we've had this month, I'm wrapping up what was a fabulous month of running for me. Feeling good never felt so good, and I guess it takes feeling bad to make you appreciate the good times. Running-wise, for March, I totalled 89.5 miles, ran a half marathon, and a speedy 8k! I'm hoping to ride this wave for a while and am looking forward to my favorite 10 mile race in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, here's how my week went down.

Life's a Beach

This post contains affiliate links. 

I started my week with winter giving what I hope was its last snowy gasp and I ended my week in sunny Florida! This was a short getaway, but very much appreciated. Sometimes you just need a break from the everyday routine, right?

I also impulsively signed up at the last minute for the Sarasota Half Marathon, which took place earlier today. I had some unfinished business with this race and wanted to revisit it. I didn't tell very many people that I was running it, but the few that I did (except for Holly) told me that I was nuts for signing up the week of the race. It's not the first time I've jumped into a half marathon at the last minute, but those races were local and I didn't have a flight to catch home the same day as the race. 

I prepared this post prior to the race, so if you want to see how it went, you can check my Instagram or my Facebook. I'll share a recap later in the week. Meanwhile, here's how my week went down:

Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows

Sometimes I struggle to start these Weekly Wrap posts--when my week is mostly smooth sailing, I don't have a whole lot to say. When you live with 2 grown boys, uneventful is always a good thing in my book. I wouldn't go as far as to say the week was all Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows (Lesley Gore's classic tune is a peppy song and might actually work well on some folks' running playlists if you like happy music). Uneventful is about as Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows as it gets around here!

To tell the truth, I'm not really a Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows kind of gal. I'm more of a It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To...But I'll take an uneventful week and run with it. 

Let's do this.

5 Positive Ways that Rheumatoid Arthritis Turned My Life Upside Down

This post contains an affiliate link.

I know you're looking at the title to this post and thinking what could be good about having rheumatoid arthritis? Or maybe you're thinking: "she's done so much whining about having RA and now she's saying it's good?"

Well, after a year of living with this diagnosis, I've learned a lot about the disease. I've also adapted to the disease and for the most part, am living the life I lived before the diagnosis. Maybe even a better life, if that is possible.

I'm not sugarcoating life with RA. Yes, the diagnosis turned my life upside down. I take toxic medications to keep the disease activity low. I have daily symptoms of achy and swollen joints. I've had a few health scares, most recently liver toxicity from methotrexate, one of the medications I was taking to control my disease. If I had to choose, I'd rather not have RA.

But in spite of having a life-changing medical condition, so much good has happened over the past year. Sometimes it takes a slap in the face in the form of a devastating health problem to make you see all the good things in life. While the bad days are few, I've learned to appreciate all the good in my life more than ever.

The Week that Came in Like a Wrecking Ball

Well, at least for me it was.

On Thursday, March came roaring in like a lion--although if you ask me, it was more like a wrecking ball, actually. While we in the Chicago area had our share of rain and wind, I know we dodged the worst of it. A lot of you out east are digging out from under a fresh blanket of snow and maybe waiting for your power to come back on, too. It was a rough week, weather-wise for many people.

For some us, ahem, bad weather or not, it was a rough week in general. There was a full moon too--don't tell me that didn't affect things. I finished the week completely wrecked (see what I did there?) both physically and emotionally, but with my sense of humor intact. Sometimes, a good sense of humor is the only thing that gets us through life. That, and a few carefully placed f-bombs.

Disclaimer: This post is profanity-free.

Calming the Beast In Me

Another week, another wrap...it's Sunday and it's time to recap the week of training! Welcome to the Weekly Wrap, hosted by Holly and me, where all the cool fitness bloggers share their training and race recaps! Is it your first time linking with us? Check out the rules in the tab above.

How was the week?

Running Love

This post contains an affiliate link.

Sunday night I returned home from my weekend whirlwind to Birmingham and the Mercedes Half Marathon. It was back to the cold and back to reality.

Fortunately, it wasn't cold for long. The temperatures warmed up and melted quite a bit of our snow cover. The onslaught of sick children with the flu continued at my clinic. When will it end? Fortunately, I was still feeling the love from my weekend away.

Let's recap the week!

Running in A Snow Globe

If you read Friday's post, you know that Chicago got hit with a whopper of a storm and I was agonizing over the possibility of not traveling to Birmingham. I prepared this post in advance hoping that today, I would be in Birmingham with Holly and I was able to run the Mercedes Half Marathon! I'll have a full recap on the race for you later in the week.

Meanwhile, let's wrap up the week in the snow globe!

The Running Kind

Just when I thought it was safe to remove some layers and run without my ninja face mask, the weather gods did a 180 and sent us plunging back into the deep freeze. In all my years, I don't remember a winter as cold as this one. I was so glad to see January come to an end. Even though I know that February can be cruel too, it's only 28 days.

Yet I'm still not desperate enough to run on the treadmill. I'm trying to integrate those Mindful Running principles into my runs, but when conditions are harsh, it's tough to stay focused and keep the negative voices quiet. I loaded up my playlist with some new songs, tunes guaranteed to keep my mind occupied and my legs moving. You know it's a good run when I'm singing along with the songs. 

Can't stop, won't stop! That's me. The running kind. 

Who's Old? I Mean, Cold?

Finally, this cold month of January is coming to an end. We've had decent temperatures this week and with 2 weeks to go before the Mercedes Half Marathon, I needed some good runs. For the most part, the pavement was clear and I was able to pick up the pace again.

Before I start my weekly wrap-up, I want to give a big shout out to Teresa, who blogs at Finding Fabulous at Fifty. She ran her first ever marathon this weekend, the Mississippi Blues Marathon. That's 26.2 miles IN THE POURING RAIN, y'all. All the while battling foot issues. She finished strong and I am so proud of her. Please be sure to go over to her blog or Instagram and congratulate her!

January Thaw

This post contains affiliate links.

In spite of the bitter cold that we've all been complaining about, once again this month we are experiencing a January thaw and it feels so nice! What also felt nice this week was being able to cut back on my miles a bit. Who doesn't love a cut back week? I also enjoyed some CrossFit and yoga and lunch with Marcia where we caught up on life and all things running and blogging.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Through my affiliation with Sweat Pink and Fit Approach, I received a pair of Tabio socks in exchange for my honest review. 

The holidays are bearing down on us but that didn't stop me from getting all my workouts in. I don't know about you, but I figure that everything will somehow fall into place. Most important to me is to keep my stress level down. The best way for that to happen is to maintain my normal routine and try not to overindulge in holiday treats. So far...so good...

Recovery Mode

Following my half marathon from last weekend, I spent this week in recovery mode. Reflecting on what was a well-run race, I didn't mind taking it easy on my runs this week. In fact, I plan to kind of coast until the end of the year. It feels good to have some time to just enjoy my runs. It doesn't hurt that the weather has been picture perfect--makes me want to savor my time on the road!

Running on the Sunny Side of the Street

What a difference a week makes! Last week, I wrote about relentless rain and gray skies, about sucking it up and getting outside even though conditions were less than optimal. And then....the sun returned. This time of year, seeing the sun is a gift. We were so fortunate since this week we had sunny skies almost every day.

With a race coming up on Saturday, you know I watched that forecast closely. While I'm saving my race recap for Tuesday, I'll share that we had near perfect running conditions for the half marathon, which made for a near perfect run! This runner is thankful.

So how was my week of training?

Gray Skies Are Gonna Clear Up

If I could name a theme for this week, it would be rain and gray skies. Cold rain. Oh, and wind. If you live in the midwest, it's been a tough month to be an outdoor runner. When I published last week's post about sucking it up and getting outside, I had no idea that I'd have to continue to take my own advice to push myself out the door. Having a half marathon on the calendar helped keep me motivated--there was training to do!

Sometimes You Just Gotta Suck it Up and Go

Up until a week or so ago, we were having a magnificent fall with warmer than normal temperatures and a deficit of precipitation. The sun has been shining almost daily. But the universe demands balance, right? So in exchange for all that environmental loveliness, we now have below normal bone-chilling temperatures, wind, and yes, precipitation. With no time to acclimate, it's been quite a shock and to get myself moving, I have had to rely on those cold weather motivational tips I posted on Friday.

I could write a whole whiny post about running in the cold and how much I hate it. Seriously, though, what good would that do? Yep, sometimes you just gotta suck it up and go. 

And I Ran On Without Skipping a Beat

Feeling great after Sunday's Hot Chocolate 15k, I eased into the week and a new month. With a total of 89 miles for October, the month ended on a positive note, at least running-wise, and we headed into November!

The weather turned ugly, heck, life turned ugly, but the running didn't stop. Can't stop, won't stop. Fitness-wise, I had a good week.