A Runner Walks Into A Doctor's Office...

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Ok, that title should be the start of a joke... do you remember my fall on the trails from a few weeks ago? The one where I thought I broke my finger? Well, the finger ended up being fine, but my knee has been giving me some trouble since then. With a 5k on Sunday that I wasn't planning on DNSing, I finally broke down and taped my knee, following instructions on YouTube. My knee felt so much better! But on Tuesday, when I returned to the pool, I had pain with some of the pool running movements. I contacted our sports medicine department at my work and the athletic trainer was kind enough to schedule me with Dr. Skiba on Thursday. I am happy to report that he doesn't think anything serious is wrong with my knee except for a bone bruise. He did tell me that it could take several months to resolve. But he and his AT approved of my tape job, so I ordered another box of RockTape to prepare myself for some more taping!

I'm really lucky to have access to Dr. Skiba. He was the medical consultant for the Breaking 2 project, which was sponsored by Nike back in 2017. If you haven't seen the documentary, it is well worth a watch. I refer a lot of my patients to Dr. Skiba and I've always wanted to meet him, but obviously not as a patient! He could not be nicer and more down-to-earth. We talked briefly about that project and he said he really enjoyed working with Eliud and the other two runners. It's pretty exciting having such a well-regarded and knowledgeable sports medicine provider available locally!

Mini Book Reviews: June 2022

Disclaimer: I received a PRC of Carrie Soto is Back from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my review. This post contains affiliate links.

I don't normally have a 'theme' for my monthly reads, but reflecting on the books I read in June, I'd say that each book I read is woman-centric. In fact, each of the books has a strong woman (or 2 or 3) as the main character. I'm happy to see such strong representation, in light of what has happened in the US over the past couple of weeks!

Good News, Bad News and a PSA about Lyme Disease Prevention

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So the good news is that I didn't break my pinky after last week's tumble on the trails. It's still a little sore, but thank goodness nothing serious. However, I have had some worsening knee pain since then. I must have bruised it when I hit the ground, but it has been randomly protesting all week. Interestingly, it doesn't hurt when I run. Things all came to a head on Friday, when I woke up with pain in all my joints. Yep, RA decided to flare, I guess, forcing me to dial it back. With a 5k planned for Sunday, I could only hope that things would settle down.  

Thursday's Strength Session

Coffee Talk

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Let's catch up over coffee! What are you having? Today I'm having a local roast, Granville, from Metropolis Coffee. We used to live on Granville when we lived in Chicago, so I just couldn't pass this one up! I learned that Metropolis has opened a cafe in Edgewater, right down the street from our old apartment building. Such good memories and every time I have a cup of this delicious blend, it takes me back. What a great neighborhood!

Anyway, I've got my usual GLG collagen and a splash of half and half to make everything just right!

So what would you tell me over coffee?

Oops! I Did it Again

Almost one year ago, I fell from the rope at CrossFit and broke my ankle and my foot. While I'm happy to have recovered completely from that injury--it could have been so much worse--I'm always nervous about falling again. Well, read on, my friends, because to quote Britney Spears, "Oops, I did it again". I'm grateful that this mishap was nothing serious and that I was able to finish my run and go to work. I woke up pretty sore on Thursday, so I decided not to tempt fate and canceled my strength session with SJ. I also figured that my body deserved a break.

And now that song is going through your head. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...

I'm looking into finding a padded running suit for myself. Do you think Brooks makes one?

I was doing such a good job of avoiding all the tree roots, too!

Summertime Runfessions

It's that time of the month again, that time we all wait for...it's time to Runfess! Do you runfess? On the last Friday of every month, Marcia opens up the Runfessional so we can cleanse our soles. And our souls. Quite often it's both. As always, I have plenty to runfess, so let's get to it...

Book Review: Next Level--Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals Through Menopause and Beyond

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About 10 years ago, I was finishing up a yoga class, talking about running with one of the other participants. Another woman came up to us and joined in the conversation. She turned to me and told me that I should enjoy running now because, after menopause, I wouldn't be able to run anymore. I didn't hear the rest of what she said because I was so stunned at this declaration. I looked at her as she spoke and realized that she was exactly what I didn't want to become in my older years. I was still feeling great. I couldn't imagine that happening to me. I vowed that it wouldn't. 

For sure, in my mid-50s, there was a period of time when I really struggled with my endurance.  Fortunately, my strength workouts never suffered. I adjusted my expectations, cutting back running to 3 days per week and adding run/walk intervals into my runs to help me complete those long distances. I continued strength training and added a day of CrossFit to my weekly regimen. I also began to adjust my diet, finding that more protein and fewer refined carbs gave me more endurance and stable blood sugars. After a few years, things settled down for me and to this day, I continue to enjoy running the way I did prior to menopause. Albeit, a little bit slower.

A friend sent me a copy of Dr. Stacy Sims' new book, Next Level. Sims is an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist who studies female athletes and performance. Next Level is geared to woman experiencing perimenopause and menopause. It's an amazing read--empowering and oh so helpful. I feel as if I have found my new training bible.

Slow Burn

"I'm alright with a slow burn,

Taking my time, let the world turn,

I'm gonna do it my way, it will be alright."... Kacey Musgraves

The heat was on this week! We broke long-standing records for high temperatures. We also had a crazy bad thunderstorm on Monday. The tornado warning sirens went off 4 times. Thankfully not much damage happened and we didn't lose power. It's been a wild weather ride this year, hasn't it?

Wednesday's steamy run

Out of Sorts

I really felt out of sorts this week for all kinds of reasons. The weather was pretty blah--lots of rain and cool, cloudy conditions. I've had to switch up my workout schedule for the summer, which isn't a big deal but made me feel like a rigid old person who can't roll with the changes. And oh, my job...it was a tough week on top of a string of tough weeks. Let's just say that I'm underpaid and overworked and leave it at that. I'm so close to retirement but I'm not ready to leave just yet...we shall see how things go. At this point in my life, I'm not sure I want to start something new. Trying to focus on the good and leave the day behind me when I walk out the door.

Speaking of good, the hubs and I saw Top Gun Maverick on the IMAX this week and it left me breathless! When have you ever seen a sequel that is better than the original? And 36 years later? I know technology has improved but Tom Cruise was as good as he's ever been. He also looked like he was having a great time throughout the movie. Oh and he looked good, too! I want to see it again. And if you haven't, you need to!

Summer is Here!

The Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kick-off to summer and the weekend did not disappoint! The hubs and I went up to the lake. We had hoped for the boys to join us, but my oldest was at the Indy 500--he rented an RV with his friends--and my youngest had to work. 

On the drive up, we stopped in Madison to bring some things to my youngest and to check out the farmers' market on the capitol square. Once there, we learned they don't allow dogs, so Mike made a few quick purchases while I hung out with Cocoa. 

Saturday was sunny, cool, and breezy, so we just hung out at the cabin. On Sunday, we had a little bit of rain in the afternoon, but once that cleared, the sun came out, it warmed up, and we took the boat out. The water was a little choppy, but I wanted to ski, so he indulged me. In contrast to 2 weeks ago, the water was COLD! Still, I enjoyed my ride around the bay--it's always a good day when I get to ski. 

Coffee Talk

Let's catch up over coffee! What are you having? I've got my usual Dunkin' with a scoop of GLG collagen and a splash of half and half. We tried to buy some Colectivo last weekend in Madison but the line was too long. Sigh...

What would you tell me over coffee?