Is It Really October Already?

Whoa, 2013, slow down a bit please! Can't believe how fast this year has sprinted along. Does it seem that way to you, too? I feel like I barely have time to catch my breath, and never seem to find a moment to write anything coherent on this blog. I smell a 2014 New Year's Resolution brewing ...

Halloween is nearly upon us, and the racing season - at least here in the northern plains - is winding down. Oh, sure, we've got a smattering of Turkey Trots and Christmas Jogs on the calendar, but trail racing is just about done for the year and that's where I find the most pleasure and satisfaction.

I will be racing at the Great Pumpkin Chase 10k this coming weekend. It's the final race in the 2013 UMTR Trail Race Grand Prix Series. I've really enjoyed the races in this series over the past year, and - unlike last year - managed to stay uninjured and thus hang in there consistently enough to take home the top prize in my age group AND OVERALL. Have to be happy with that! There is a potluck gathering a awards ceremony coming up next month (Potluck! You've got to love the Midwest sometimes).

On staying injury-free: Really, I'm just talking about major break downs, because I've had my share of sore spots and nagging little stuff, like ITB tightness, piriformis twitches, and an intermittent odd pain in my left ankle. Still, I've managed to run at least a few times every week for most of the year. The rest of the days I'm either cycling pretty hard or whirling around on my elliptical in the basement, nose pressed into Netflix on the iPad. I'm going to go on record to say that the elliptical was a good purchase for me as an "older runner". Even though I much prefer being outside (regardless of the elements), the ability to eliminate most of the injury-inducing impact of gravity while still getting a quality and similar-motion-to-running workout has been really valuable. And thank goodness for lots of (mostly old and bad, but what the heck) Sci Fi stuff on Netflix! I've found that I can do a pretty good set of intervals by finding old shows/films with plenty of chase scenes, just a tip. Oh, and comedies are no good for me - I can't workout and laugh at the same time!

I hope you are prepared for winter, and plan to stay fit and active regardless of the season. I'll be back at some point with a complete recap of 2013 and look ahead to 2014. Keep running!

We Forget How Fragile We Are

I was having a pretty good summer, really. Running fairly strong, doing more cross-training than ever before in an effort to stay healthy and avoid over-use injuries. Even (gasp!) eating fairly healthy foods. Seemed I was checking all of the right boxes.

Then, boom! One kid with the sniffles crosses my path, and within a day or so I'm laid out in bed with a fever, chills, hacking cough, and blinding headaches. Argh!

These little tiny things called viruses are truly amazing things. Get a couple into your system on the wrong day and you might as well have hit yourself repeatedly with a hot brick. I was a wreck for 3-4 days, then dragged myself (stubbornly) out for a short jog ... which of course knocked me right back down for 3 more days (we runners are a stupid lot, aren't we? Thinking we can "run it out of us". Sigh.).

Now, at day 11, I'm finally feeling almost myself again. Not 100% , but darned close. It's amazing how strong and capable we can feel one day, and then down and out the next. Over and over again, we forget how fragile we are.

And this is one of my favorite songs, too, Stevie.