Hanging On To Summer

It's hard to believe that we are in the middle of September--it feels more like late August! But the leaves are starting to turn and the days are growing shorter, signs that fall is right around the corner. These warm late summer days are a gift. I tried to squeeze as many outdoor activities in as I could this week. I'm not ready to let go!

no filter for this sunset!

Loving...Not Loving

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

It's time once again for another edition of Loving...Not Loving. This is the where I talk about the things I love but whomp, whomp...there's something not to love.

Is it Cheating? 9 Things Runners Do that Might Be Sketchy

We live in a time of unprecedented cheating--in school, in life, and in sports. Everyone wants to get ahead at any cost. With regards to running, it's become so out of control that there's a website devoted to runners who cheat in road races.

In the running world, cheaters are more the exception than the rule. Most of us aren't in this sport to win. We run for the love of the sport. We run for fitness. We run for the bling. But there are things that most of us are doing that could be considered cheating. For us recreational runners, what's the concern? It's not as if we're going to win the race, right? Are we really hurting anyone besides ourselves?

What do you think?

Life Goes On...

With the passing of Labor Day, we've unofficially left summer behind. Sadly, it rained all Labor Day weekend and we weren't able to get out on the water one last time. When you live in the Midwest, summer is so short. We try to squeeze in as much as we can, but it never feels like enough. My oldest son and I did get up to Madison to visit my youngest and drop off a few more things. While I did ok saying goodbye after our initial drop off, this time was much more difficult for both of us. I think it felt more real.

I was feeling pretty low this week--missing my boy. You know who really missed him? My pup Cocoa. She was really quiet all week, sleeping a lot and not really eating much. By Friday, she seemed much more like herself. We're all adjusting to our new norm. I was really busy at work and that helped keep my mind occupied. Life goes on.

My Top 3 Moments of the Summer and a Momentum Wraps Giveaway!

Disclaimer: I was given the Momentum Wraps fall collection in exchange for this blog post. All opinions and content are mine.

Summer is winding down and fall is creeping in. It feels too soon, doesn't it? The arrival of Pumpkin Spice Lattes is a sure sign that fall is just around the corner. On our most recent trip to Wisconsin, we spied some trees with the leaves changing colors. Say it isn't so!

I had a great summer. I traveled, I ran, I spent a lot of time on the water. I made a lot of memories this summer. As I get older, collecting moments and memories means a lot more to me than collecting things. During our predictably cold, endless winter, I'll have a lot of warm weather fun to look back on!

For this post, I stopped by the water to do some yoga and reflect on what were my top 3 moments of the summer. It wasn't easy to narrow it down to just 3!

Grandma Didn't Run

Today's post is introspective and raw. I had one of those runs where I get in my head and this post is the result of that. I try to keep things positive as much as I can when it comes to living and running with RA. Off the road, I've had to deal with some negativity about the ways I choose to be active. Don't think for a second that I'm going to let RA or negativity stop me from doing my thing! Thanks for indulging me and for all your support.

Rock 'N' Roll Chicago Half Marathon
July 2018

Running is My Therapy

I am sure that somewhere in the archives here there is another post titled: Running is My Therapy. Maybe more than one. I run for many reasons but top on my list of reasons is stress relief. While not all stress is bad, and certainly this week's stressor of dropping my baby off at college was a positive stressor, stress is stress and this mama needed to run! Fortunately, my body cooperated with some really nice runs and helped me to stay cool and calm throughout my week.