Sunday, June 9, 2019

Too Much

Disclaimer: I received a pair of My Soxy Feet socks in exchange for my honest review. 

The theme for this week was too much. As in, everything in excess. Except for my mileage. I had hoped to hit the 20 mile mark for the week, or at least 15 miles, for god's sake. Spoiler alert: that didn't happen. But a lot of things happened this week and most of them good. Even if it was...too much!



Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Global Running Day Book Review: Running for Good

Disclaimers: I received a pre-release copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Running for Good. This post contains affiliate links. 

It's Global Running Day! I just love this annual celebration of running, an endeavor that has given so much to me personally. Runners around the world have been pledging their miles. There are Global Running Day events all over the US. My local running club is hosting a 3 mile fun run. While I have to work that day, I'll be participating in the New York Road Runners' free virtual run.

I'm also excited to share a special book review just in time for Global Running Day! Chicken Soup for the Soul: Running for Good by Amy Newmark and Dean Karnazes, is being released today. I'm pretty sure most of us are familiar with the Chicken Soup series of books. The original Chicken Soup for the   Soul was released 25 years ago. Currently, there are over 250 Chicken Soup for the Soul books, covering a wide variety of topics. The feel-good books are full of inspirational stories and anecdotes submitted by readers.

Running for Good follows the same Chicken Soup format that has been so successful over the years. There are 101 stories submitted by real-life runners. Each story begins with a motivational quote. Dean Karnazes shares a story of running the Silk Road in Kyrgyzstan and having to seek shelter with a family when the weather conditions became unbearable. In spite of being miserable, in spite of not speaking Kyrgyz, Dean left this encounter feeling good. Good about running and about the kindness of strangers.



Sunday, June 2, 2019

Finding that Running Sweet Spot

While the perfect run is elusive, most runners have runs where they find their running "sweet spot". It's that point in the run where the run feels almost effortless, almost as if you are flying. The sweet spot is where you feel as if you could run forever. Some call it "the zone". Some call it "finding your flow". Whatever you call it, if you've hit the sweet spot, you'll know. This is the kind of run that reminds why you became a runner in the first place.

You don't have to be running fast to hit the sweet spot, as I found out this week. It's been a long time since I've had a run that felt good like that. Running has not made me happy lately, but I just keep going because it's what I do. Plus I knew that I'd find my groove again and on Wednesday, I did.



Friday, May 31, 2019

Runfessions over Coffee

This May has felt like the longest month ever. Between the inclement weather and the never-ending cold and flu season, I am ready for summer. Since it's the last Friday of the month, it's time to runfess. Marcia hosts this monthly cleansing of the soles and I've been ready to head into the runfessional for a while now! Grab a cup of coffee and join me, Coco, and Deborah while we runfess over coffee!

Cocoa is a great listener. Plus she wants some coffee...

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

9 Things No One Tells Runners About Menopause

No matter how much we wish we could avoid it, no woman gets out of this life without going through menopause. The average age for menopause is 51. Perimenopause, that fun period of time when things start happening, can begin 10 years before that. Cue Tammy Wynette singing "Sometimes it's hard to be a woman..."

While perimenopause was like being an adolescent all over again--mood swings, hot flashes, acne, and heavy periods--I did some of my best running during those years. Who PRs a marathon and a half marathon in their early 50s? I did. I was running so well that I thought I'd be able to snag a BQ!

Yeah, not so much. My body had other ideas.  Here are 9 things I've learned about running with menopause. It's time to talk about it.



Sunday, May 26, 2019

And Now Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program Already in Progress...

Oh.My.Gosh.

Can I just say how good it feels to feel good again? I knew I had been feeling bad, but looking back over the past month, that was probably the toughest I've had to endure since my initial diagnosis with RA 2 1/2 years ago. I did my best to stay positive, especially here on the blog. I just want to thank everyone for sticking by me while I worked through the flare. The pain is so much better and the fatigue is resolving.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? Well, I brought some strength to my workouts this week! It's back to work.