Too Old to Run? and I Tried it! Naked Protein Cookie

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Naked Nutrition sent me a package of Sugar protein cookies to try in exchange for my honest review.

On Monday, I ran into a neighbor who I hadn't seen for a while. In what became an awkward conversation, he said he was surprised to see me still running. I asked him what he meant and he kind of stammered a non-answer. The insinuation was that I'm 'too old' to be doing this anymore. He didn't say it in those words, but trust me, that's exactly what he meant. 

This week, Tom Brady announced that he's going to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for one more year. He's 44 and holds nearly every NFL QB record. While he's the oldest QB in the league, he's not the oldest QB to start a game (that honor goes to George Blanda at age 48). No matter how you feel about him, he's the GOAT and is still at the top of his game. 

Now, I'm no Tom Brady, but my point here is: who gets to decide when one is too old to participate in sports? I should give this topic the full blog treatment. Ageism is pervasive in our society. I think the baby boomer generation is doing a good job of changing expectations, but we've got a ways to go. 

Speaking of old, I completed my screening mammogram, breast ultrasound, and DEXA scan on Monday and my colonoscopy on Tuesday. Everything was normal except my bone density, which has unfortunately declined alarmingly. This really bothers me because I'm doing everything that I'm supposed to for bone health: weight-bearing exercise, eating healthy, and taking lots of Vitamin D and calcium. As my rheumatologist said, the only thing I can do is not get old. Ha! So it's back to my regularly scheduled program and hoping that what I am doing will slow the bone loss.

Math is Hard

If you've been following my Instagram this week, you already know what the title of this post means. Twice this week, I miscalculated my workouts. This has happened to me before and while I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person, when I'm in the middle of an activity, I cannot do the math. During Tuesday's CrossFit WOD, I incorrectly counted my reps and ended up doing more reps of the activities than I needed to. During my trail run on Wednesday, I didn't plan my route ahead of time, figuring I'd get about 7-8 miles. Well, I ended up with 9.5 miles when I was done. It's fine, but seriously, why is calculating miles or reps so hard during a workout? 

Of course, I turned to everyone's source of expertise, Google, and was surprised at how little I found on the subject. Basically, what I learned is that your ability to perform the workout math declines because the blood flow and your focus are going to the task at hand. The good news is that this is temporary and soon after the activity, your ability to focus is actually better than had you not worked out. 

And really, isn't that what really matters?

Muddy Shoes

Like so much of the country, we are on a roller coaster ride of weather. There's a saying about the weather here in Chicago: if you don't like it, wait because it will change. We've finally had some warmer weather, a little teaser of spring, that has melted most of the snow and ice. I ran in the mud and it was a blast!

I know it's too soon to get excited about spring, but this so-called 'false spring' was just what I needed to put a smile on my face this week!

Coffee Talk

Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.

Let's catch up over coffee! What are you having? I'm enjoying a cup of Colectivo Brazil with a scoop of GLG collagen and a splash of half and half. My hubs gave me a couple bags of Colectivo for Valentine's Day. You know it's my favorite and I'm certainly enjoying it!

What would you tell me over coffee? 

Mini Book Reviews: February 2022

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I received an ARC of Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my review. 

I read some really good books this month, but there was one book that disappointed me. The School for Good Mothers (review below) was a Read With Jenna book club selection with a lot of buzz. Jenna's books are usually a sure thing, and I waited a while for my turn to borrow it from the library, but this it just left me cold. I had one DNF as well, The Paris Bookseller, even though it was really well written, was not my kind of book. If you like classical literature and historical fiction, then you might enjoy it. 

Sometimes You Get Just What You Need

What a challenging time of year to be an outdoor runner! 

We've had that freeze/thaw thing going on for a couple of weeks, where we get a warm sunny day with snow and ice melt followed by a blast of polar temperatures, which freezes it all back up again. In spite of there being ice everywhere, with adjustments to my normal running routes, I have been able to navigate safely and get my miles done outdoors. I've got a 15 mile trail run in April and then the Ice Age Trail Half Marathon in May and I've got to start building my miles again. 

In spite of the ice and snow or because of it, I've had to slow my roll a bit. It's actually been ok because I've seen some really cool things on my runs this week!

Friday's sunrise snow run

February Runfessions

Note to my readers: 

In light of yesterday's Russian attack on Ukraine, I was reluctant to post my runfessions. I don't want to be insensitive to this terrible crisis. But humor is one of my coping mechanisms. My hope is that my runfessions will not be viewed as thoughtless but rather as a way to briefly distract from current events and maybe even put a smile on your face. I pray that there will be a swift end to this aggressive act and that the people of Ukraine will once again have their freedom. 

It's been a tough couple of years, hasn't it? Come with me and take a break from the bad news, at least briefly. Tell me what you have to runfess!