One Year Later: 8 Lessons I've Learned About Running with RA

On Saturday, I am lining up with my rheumatologist and a host of other runners for the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis. A 5k run and walk, this is a national race to raise awareness and money for arthritis research. In a strange twist of fate, Saturday is also my one year anniversary of my diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. I find it oddly appropriate to be participating in this race on this most inauspicious of anniversaries.

I've shared a great deal of my journey this year here on the blog. My diagnosis was devastating to me, an avid athlete and can't stop, won't stop kind of gal. Talk about hitting a runner where it hurts, right? I refused to let this diagnosis limit me, as I continued running and working out throughout the year.At times, it would have been easier to just give in and stay on the couch, but that isn't me. I'm pleased to tell you that as of this writing, I have run over 1000 miles in 2017! And I've still got the rest of December!

Many of those miles were hard, tears were shed, and I struggled to find my mojo again. One year later, here I am, still running and adding up the miles. While I'm not symptom-free, I've found a way to live with my symptoms and keep on moving. For today's post, I wanted to share some of the lessons I've learned this year while running with RA.

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!

Coffee Talk

It's the start of a new month--yikes, December!--which means that it's time for our monthly coffee date! I'm totally procrastinating on holiday prep, so let's sit down and chat. What would you like in your coffee? A little peppermint schnapps, perhaps? 'Tis the season, right?

Race Recap: Schaumburg Turkey Trot Half Marathon

Originally, I had plans to run 2 different half marathons this fall, the RnR Las Vegas Half and the Panama City Beach Half Marathon. Unfortunately, life happened and I had to change my plans. I hated to throw away all my training, so I looked for a local alternative. The Schaumburg Turkey Trot Half Marathon has always been a favorite and since I didn't have to work on race day, it was pretty much a no-brainer for me to sign up. My workout buddy Steph was all in, and having my friend to go with to the race made it a done deal.

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?

Runfessions: The Gratitude Edition

Can you believe that it's the last Friday of November? And that it's already time to runfess again? For this month's runfessions, I thought it would be appropriate to share a few thankful runfessions. Kind of a Thanksgiving-themed runfessions, if you will. With a little side of snark, because that's how my runfessions roll.

So, You Want to be a Brand Ambassador... I've Got 8 Things You Should Consider

Do you run in a particular brand of clothing? Use only one fuel religiously? Wrap your legs in compression? Have you ever considered representing your favorite brand and promoting their products through social media? It's that time of year when all the brands are calling out for runners to apply to their brand ambassador programs.

It's a lot of fun being a brand ambassador! I've been an ambassador for a variety of brands over the years. Currently, I am a brand ambassador for Inknburn, Tailwind, Momentum, and RockNRoll Races. There's more to representing a brand than just wearing their products or receiving freebies. If you are considering a brand ambassadorship, I've listed some things below to keep in mind before accepting.

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!