2023 - An Interesting Year

Between my last blog post and now is definitely the longest I've gone without posting something, several times over. I thought in the spirit of the dregs of 2023, I'd jump on the bandwagon and do a year in review of sorts. 

Did you think I'd actually pay for a photo here?

In January, we were able to visit Dan's family in South Carolina, which is always a treat. In the beginning of February, we had COVID and rebound cases of COVID and I had to miss a work trip to DC (I love DC), but then I was able to join work colleagues at the end of February/beginning of March for a super interesting and fun conference in San Antonio. By that point, I had decided that I would do a half marathon in the end of May, so I was glad to have the opportunity to run by the Riverwalk - - once my delayed luggage arrived. (I got to wear my Oxford comma t-shirt for two days straight, including at the first day of work meetings; sorry for the stench!) 

In March I went and spent some quality time with my stepmom Beth, who needed an extra hand with some things. Then, a week later, she and I met my sister Molly and niece Sylvie at my sister Lori's and brother-in-law Shane's house for an always-fun southern California escape. In the end of April, Dan and I went to a small town in Wisconsin for a Bluegrass festival. It was still kind of cold and snowy at that point. 

Then, in early May, I had a trip for my side-hustle work project to San Diego. I had to stay the night that the meeting ended, due to flight issues. At this point, sometime shortly after my 10-mile training run (I did 10 miles, guys!), I could barely walk. But with my free afternoon, I rented a bike and showed the pre-judgey snooty bike shop guys not to be that way. And then I had some delicious sushi and the (handsome) bartender gave me a free extra cocktail because he thought maybe he could have done a better job making the first one. A week after that, I went to Wisconsin to dog sit when my mom had her knee replaced, and then helped with my mom's transition home. When I was dog-sitting, their dog and I went for a rather uncomfortable walk and got up close and personal with a very large black bear. That took my mind off the discomfort, but then I called the doctor in tears because I could barely walk and realized that I had a serious problem needing some urgent attention.

Okay, this is not the exact bear.
This is a much larger bear: the 2023 Fat Bear winner, a brown bear from Alaska.

The next week, after a frustrating visit to the orthopedic clinic that required some extra advocacy on my part to get an MRI in addition to an x-ray and a lot of calls from me to get information about what the results meant, practically, I was ordered to be on crutches for a couple of months, beginning the weekend I was supposed to do that run. So, we cancelled our Beercycling trip to Belgium (doctor's orders), and went to Grand Marais, Minnesota and to Decorah, Iowa instead. We had a lot of fun on those little trips, despite my crutches.

It was a million degrees and super dry in Minneapolis,
but cold and rainy in Grand Marais.

They call this an e-bike. I mean, I guess technically.

A rare moment of sun on that trip!

My sister and aunt and uncle also came to town in June for my nephew's high school graduation, and that was super fun. In the end of July we kicked of Home Remodeling Extravaganza 2023. As of today, we have a completely new kitchen, front and back doors, upstairs bathroom sink (because I broke ours during construction), and everything in a completely new basement bathroom except the mirror, which will get installed next week. We also had to fix our sewer pipe, something on the chimney, our gas line to our dryer, and our furnace thermostat. While we're at it, we decided today to get new gutters and are getting ready to do a second radon test because the first, short one was not great.

In August, I visited my mom and stepdad Terry, and my stepmom Beth came to visit. And then I got to meet the U.S. Surgeon General in DC. A lifetime highlight for sure! 

In September, we went to Grand Rapids and saw Jason Isbell play there, and my cousins from St. Louis visited for Oktoberfest, and I guess I had another work trip! (Atlanta.) It was a work trip kind of year.

Love this sweatsuit that I bought
on a whim in 2020, because 2020.

In October, I visited my sister Molly, and her friend Kate and I (oh, and my sister, too) stayed at a beach house and watched dumb movies and did crafts, and then I did a trip for my side project to St. Louis and got to have lunch with my aunt and uncle before coming home. I had a work trip to Omaha, where I got to see my college-freshman nephew and see the band Wilco the night before doing a presentation before the National Association of Attorneys General. It wasn't my best presentation, but I got a lot of street cred with the other attendees who are Wilco fans.

In November, I visited my mom and stepdad Terry again, and had work trips to DC and to Des Moines. It was great to meet some new people on that DC trip and see some old work friends, and I got to carpool to Des Moines with a person I didn't really know before (from my old workplace), who I really like! 

Terry and his buddy at dinner.

In early December, we went to Mexico to see Wilco and other bands. It was very relaxing. I also went on this sailboat thing and went snorkeling for the first time. I'm a fan.

We just went to visit Dan's family in northern Minnesota for a short Christmas trip, and have some upcoming trips to Wisconsin to visit my stepmom Beth and some of my siblings and then my mom and stepdad Terry, as a makeup for Christmas.

When I started writing, I assumed I would write one paragraph along the lines of: "I was on crutches, we had work done on the house. I did some swimming, did less biking than normal but got out more than I would have on my own due to some very patient friends. And I worked a shit-ton." (I spared you all the gory details of the non-travel aspects of work.) But it actually was a good year, now that I think about it! 

And of course, a lot of time was spent with this cutie pie, who barks a ton, but makes me laugh and is always happy to see me.

So... next year? I have a couple of fun weekends and some non-major trips planned. I'm going to focus on work-life balance and my health and wellness (and go back to the doctor to figure out some lingering issues with my injury from last year), and I'm going to bike! Yahoo! I signed up for the weeklong BikeMS ride in July, which is in a fun part of the state to visit - Northfield, Red Wing, St. Peter, etc.

As always, you are welcome to donate: https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participant/Go-Maggie-Go 

Minnesota (and Iowa?!?), Mend Me

Who needs to go to Europe, anyhow, when she can instead stay right here for her vacation, possibly still on crutches for extra fun? 

Yes, friends, the MRI I had about 10 days ago not only confirmed my frayed hip labrum and hip impingement detected in the x-ray and physical exam, but also indicated that I have a precursor to a stress fracture at the top of my femur. (Running schmunning...) So, no walking, no cycling that is remotely challenging, no standing.

We toyed with the idea of trying an e-bike for our scheduled bike trip in Belgium later this month, but that is not going to solve the mobility problem for a variety of reasons. Plus my doc doesn't want me on a plane. So we, sadly, have backed out of that trip.

We are going to still take vacation since we had committed to paying the dogsitter and both need to recharge in our own ways. What are we doing, praytell?!?

Going to Iowa. 

Yes, indeed. We are going to Decorah to visit a brewery. And then we will be home a bit (and go to a bar that has a lot of Belgian-style beer), and then go to the North Shore (of Lake Superior, in MN) for a couple of days to rejuvenate.

Which makes me think of this song, "Minnesota, Mend Me": https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=4na4o1Avy4k&feature=share

I listened to that song one day last year on a great day of a BikeMS ride from the Iron Range of Minnesota to Two Harbors, on the shore of Lake Superior. That was a perfect day.

I could have real problems, but I don't. This is a disappointment, but not a big life problem. As of right now, my new goals for the summer are (1) to get off crutches, (2) to do the allowable light cycling and light swimming and extra-light PT until I can do real PT and then do that, (3) not drink too much beer, and (4) be recovered enough to ride my bike to Hastings at the end of the summer. My other goal is to watch my new wisteria vines grow and figure out how to best use them as a shield from the alley. 

Not the summer I planned, but things could be much worse. 

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2023

Maggie or 2018 Honda Civic?

1. Sporty.

2. Greyish silver.

3. Eco-conscious to an extent.

4. Messed up wiring.

5. Not that old.

6. Low to the ground.

7. Fuel efficient. 

8. In need of a shower.

9. Seat covered in dog hair.

Maggie: 2, 3, 4, 5(!), 6?, 8, 9

2018 Honda Civic: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Biking tonight was a little painful, but we'll chalk that up to a lack of sleep, it being windy, my being on my heavier bike, and having an injection today into my hip joint for a very targeted MRI. I'm most definitely NOT doing the half-marathon this weekend, but will keep trying biking. I'm scheduled for PT and am optimistic. https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2023

(T)h(r)ill Seeker

So, yeah, it is appearing more and more UNlikely (but never say never!) that I will be capable of running the half-marathon in two weeks. If I can't, I am sort of considering trying to solve my hip issues very diligently so I can run a 10-miler in the fall. (I have found an amazing stretch!) Since people donated to the MS Society in support of my running goal, I would like to deliver. But maybe I'm  not supposed to be more than a casual runner and should try to do something ambitious on my bike. (Hmm.)

This running respite has allowed me to focus a bit more on cycling, which is good, since our June Belgium trip will involve a hilly, 7-day ride and I haven't ridden hardly at all this season.

After my San Diego meeting ended, I had a free afternoon and didn't want to sit in my hotel room, despite its amazing view.

So I rented a bike, wearing sweat-inducing jeans and a backpack, and did this ride after being talked out of riding to and through Coronado Island. I found some hills (with very respectful cars) in Balboa Park before riding in the most industrial, trafficky "bike lane," which had a fair amount of debris. The cars were very respectful there, too (except for one bus), which is evident by the fact that I'm still alive. On the way back from the southernmost point where I took the photo of the water, the bike lane evaporated and I had to ride the bike as fast as I possibly could because I was taking the full lane and it was rush hour. The bike's front brakes were slightly on for most of the ride, the right pedal had a concerning "gonna fall off?" squeak, and my handlebars were slightly twisted off center. It was still a great ride though. I was tired and had a delicious dinner.

I got home mid-afternoon on Thursday and, that night, did the women's ride that I started doing last summer, led by the super encouraging, super optimistic, super friendly Laura. 

I'm not sure when she took that photo of me riding, but despite my goofy mouth, I like it. I like seeing my form is pretty decent after I got my bike re-fit last summer. 

I was very focused on self-care this weekend, but did go out for a ride after the rain stopped today. I tried to find hills on a short 25-miler. The first climb was on Highway 13 to Cherokee Park (are they renaming that?) in West (?) Saint Paul. Highway 13 felt a lot harder than it looks on that elevation chart. You can't tell from the map, but I went down Ohio Street, turned around, and went up and down Ohio Street again. I then skipped the gentle grade of the MRT from Lilydale to Mendota and went up the big hill that probably has twice the elevation of the gradual uphill trail. Some decent hills without going far. Good thing I did a bunch of hill training in 2019 and know where they are hidden for future rides.

When I was at my meeting in San Diego, I gave out these cute animal affirmation cards. 

I highly recommend them. There were only about 5 dumb ones in the box of 50 and they will totally make you (or others) smile. I credit them for enabling me to just regroup a bit this weekend before I leave town again to help my mom for her knee surgery.

Here's hoping my hip mobility improves so that I can walk her dog without too much pain. Ideally zero! 

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2023

Stumbling Block

Well... I've been saying some core work is needed, and was sort of doing it. And then I got busy with running and work and I fell back into my bad habits. Now I am paying, as I sit, sit, sit on an airplane. 

About 10 days ago, I ran 10 miles. Yay me! Longest ever! Later that night, I was sore (and my watch pointed out that my heart rate was all wonky). The next day I was a little sore. Then the next day, I ran 3 miles and it felt okay. And then I ran 6 the next day and I was a little sore in my hip. Then I worked a bunch the next day, which involved a lot of sitting, and was very sore in my hip. Then I ran 4 miles and could not walk the next day. Then I felt okay and ran 5 of the scheduled 6 miles and had to stop. Since then, walking is a chore and I have to pick up my left leg to move it sometimes, including when sleeping. 

Today Haley stopped suddenly in front of me and there was a very painful shooting pain in my hip. (That's redundant.)

So, I haven't run in 4 days but have done some outdoor and indoor biking, which felt good, and I did a hip mobility class and spent some quality time with Jane the chiropractor. I now am on a plane and am taking a break from working to read a book a cyclist recommended with hip exercises for runners, as everything gets very stuck in place with each state we fly over. We'll see how this plays out. 

I want to get better enough to run the half-marathon for which I have been training. I want to have better strength and flexibility in all the parts. I don't want to be a runner, but wouldn't mind running 4 miles every so often.

I packed my big suitcase so I could bring my small foam roller. I packed running clothes but don't know if I'll be able to use them. 

This is a poorly written post but I'm kind of uncomfortable and discouraged! 

Because my biking plans are weird this year, I was using this run as my replacement for my BikeMS fundraising efforts. I have a tiny glimmer into what it could be like to have a uncooperative body. It is nothing like MS to be sure, but it does help me appreciate all we've been doing to raise money for research and services that can keep people moving and living their best lives. 

Fingers crossed that things improve! 

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2023

An unexpected twist

Well, I typed in the title for this post with the intent of remarking on the state of my back, but instead let me just get out of the way the sad tale that I twisted my ankle on Sunday when taking Haley the dog (my phone ALWAYS wants to autocorrect that to Janet!) for a walk in the woods. It wasn't a bad twist but I definitely lost my balance and I made a big "oh!" noise. I am trying to be very careful about uneven surfaces as I enter the last 1/3 of my half-marathon training.

And now, like any good, old person, let me tell you about my back, and my sciatica, and my bunions. Just kidding. But. The "twist" is that my back has been bothering me a lot for the past few days but oddly it felt better after I rode my bike tonight! What a turn of events! I have never spoken these words before! 

Sadly this was only bike ride #2 of the season, but I got to check out the flood conditions. Lilydale Road is solidly under water, as is most of Fort Snelling State Park and Hidden Falls Park. I wonder how long it will take the water to recede. I hope the displaced animals are sheltered enough. I was freaking out a bit on my ride, thinking it would get dark and I didn't have all my lights, so I'd have to pedal quickly. I then realized it is the freaking end of April (despite the weather conditions, still) so it is very light out at night. I then dawdled to look at the rivers a lot.

I now am scanning the weather report for the next few days to decide which days between now and Saturday I will do my scheduled 6 and 10 (gulp) mile runs. It is supposed to remain 45-50ish and drizzly, although tomorrow looks nice. 

We escaped reality for a day last weekend and went to River Falls, Wisconsin, for a bluegrass festival that featured a band I really like. I drank beer throughout the day. While I was never even tipsy, it was like lead in my body by the end of it all, so I think I will be pretty abstentious for the next month. It's hard enough to pick up my body on each step as it is! (Biking was glorious!)

Anyhow, if you're inclined to help with my fundraising goal to support the MS Society in its good work to help keep others moving, here you go: 

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2023

This weather is bullsh*t, but...

So, yeah, it continues to be cold, wet, and windy and not very pleasant (e.g., snow) after a few bizarrely hot days last week. 

However, I still managed to run 8 miles again today, in between rain showers. The first time I ran this far on my life was five days ago after recovering from my shingles shot. Today didn't feel as good, but I also ran 3+5 miles in the intervening days and it was cold and damp. So I'm not being too judgey of myself.

Also, there is a lot to be thankful for despite the weather, our climate, and current events.

1. I am physically able to attempt starting running at age 50.

2. Phones, earbuds, and podcasts exist.

3. I have a job, spouse, and family situation supportive of me just going off and doing things pretty much whenever I want. Within reason.

4. My running shoes are amazing and my orthotics top notch. 

5. I have good insurance that mostly paid for my orthotics, and income to pay for the rest. 

6. It isn't great biking weather so although I'm missing biking, I'm not holding a grudge against the need to go for runs. Biking will follow.

7. I live near water that I can run by and see animals and be soothed by water.

8. I am not the subject of the podcast I am listening to, which has so far focused on a cult, a plane crash, and a serial killer. 

9. I literally have a dog at my feet. And she currently is snuggling rather than barking. 

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2023

Spring?!

Well, well, well, here we are. It is still cold and today was windy with flurries, although we've had some days of melty warmth here and there and some rain tossed in. Facebook memories are taunting me with photos of pleasant-weather bike rides in March and April in past years. 

I wore my cross country
skiing clothes for today's run.

On the bright side, I've been able to find some non-icy spots to run during a time when I probably wouldn't be able to get out on my bike anyhow. This will prove to have been important, I think, for the half marathon I signed up to do in May. I still will need to get some bike riding in to train for our hilly ride in Belgium in June, but apparently this was a good year to decide to do a running race (due to poor biking conditions thus far)? 

I am halfway through week 5

I have been following the training plan perfectly so far, which is akin to the commitment I put in to training for my very first BikeMS ride over a dozen years ago. I've had to use my inhaler more for exercising outside post-COVID, but am feeling pretty good, especially after I got new orthotics and new running shoes. I'd appreciate any support you can provide - good wishes or donations to the MS Society (https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2023). 

You can also show your support by giving me a few suggestions for my running playlist! I learned when running 6 miles last Saturday that podcasts are going to be my thing for long training days, but I would like a fun fresh mix of music for the day of the half marathon. Help me build it!

Oh, you may be asking, "Maggie, but didn't Minneapolis get nearly 9 inches of snow on Saturday, despite it being April? Isn't this the third snowiest winter in Minneapolis ever in recorded history? How did you accomplish this feat?" 

This gave me something to ponder

March 11 - I thought this was going to be the last
of the cold weather. Ha! The trail was pretty empty at least.

I was in California with my sisters, my stepmom, and my brother-in-law, and ran three times in the mild temps and then rewarded myself with fresh grapefruit from my sister's backyard. Two a day! And I brought two home with me. Yummmm. 

I'm still not a master of selfies, but like this photo
nonetheless. We had lunch by the beach after I ran 6 miles
for the first time in my life. I'd done 5 several times
in high school, but never 6. Pretty soon I'll be
doing double that. I guess.

In any event, it looks like it will be warm this weekend and the snow may finally melt once and for all. Bike riding on my non-running days seems like it will happen. Wish me luck in avoiding all the debris that was hiding under the snowbanks for 5 months, not falling into any of the many deep, wide potholes while biking, and not getting sideswiped by cars avoiding said potholes. 

I'm exciting to try out the new biking things I got for Christmas, finally!

(Also, many apologies for accidentally bolding this entire post and being unable to revert it to normal. I don't know what is going on. But I will use italics for extra flair, I guess.)

I Been Everywhere (and am going some other places)

"And so I climbed into the cab, and then I settled down inside

He asked me if I'd seen a road with so much dust and sand

And I said, "Listen, I've traveled every road in this here land"

I've been everywhere, man

I've been everywhere, man

Crossed the deserts bare, man

I've breathed the mountain air, man

Of travel I've had my share, man

I've been everywhere"

Well, from 2022 through January 2023, we sure made up for lost time for doing next to nothing from March 2020 through December 2021, and racked up some airline miles. There are bigger stories, like how I ordered the wrong travel insurance for seeing Wilco in Mexico, how cold my LA-area sister's pool was in February, my fear of heights in the Grand Canyon, how closely I piled in a trip to Cleveland with dogsitting in the 'burbs with getting on a plane to Germany, the fun craft projects with my sister and her friend Kate by the beach, seeing Jason Isbell in Nashville, then cramming in Wisconsin, St. Louis, and San Diego trips, seeing my mom and stepdad in just before my birthday, and then celebrating my 50th birthday in DC with friends from work and friends from home, regrouping and then seeing Dan's family in South Carolina, before visiting my stepmom. 

Throughout all that hubbub, I managed to stay healthy. And now, today, weeks after traveling, I have COVID, which is preventing me from going to DC for a work trip tomorrow. I'm sad not to go because I like DC and it will be a good meeting. But also, it will be nice to rest since I'm sick, of course.

I'll spare you the logistical details of what it took to do all this, including the $$$ spent on a dogsitter and dogwalkers.

January	Mexico
January	Wisconsin
February	Southern California
March	Baltimore for work
April	Grand Canyon
May	(just a multi-day work meeting here)
June	Wisconsin
June	New Orleans for work
July	Weeklong bike ride/North Shore
August	Wisconsin
August	Cleveland
August	Dogsit at my brothers
September	German
September	DC for work
October	Northern California
October	Atlanta for Work
October	Nashville
November	Wisconsin
November	St. Louis
November	San Diego
December	Wisconsin
December	DC for work and birthday
January	South Carolina
January	Wisconsin

Here are a few representative photos! https://photos.app.goo.gl/rT28hAWRJN3mDGNu8. I decided to not do my typical "what I did last summer" blog post with 75 photos.

So, what's on deck for 2023? I have two other work trips and a couple of fun trips planned. My sisters, stepmom, and I are meeting at my sister's and brother-in-law's house in So Cal again this spring. My California nieces may join us. And then in the first part of the summer, Dan and I are going to Belgium for another bike+beer tour. This one is different, though - there are hills! Road bikes! Pedals that you clip into! We will need to do some training, which will be fun. I'm looking forward to seeing another part of Belgium and working hard to earn some beer.

So, what does that mean for my BikeMS fundraising? I'm only planning on doing a short, one-day ride in May, but am still funneling all of my fundraising dollars toward the weeklong ride in the event I can get away for a day and ride part of that route in July. I can't do the full week of riding, since I'll have recently returned from Belgium.

So where is the challenge you've come to expect? The hardships and tales of woe? It is hard to gather much sympathy for any "pain" I suffer while training for a biking vacation in Belgium.

Well... here it is. As I just said, I'm still going to ask people to contribute to the BikeMS ride: https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2023. It is a great cause and I want this event to continue to be a success so I can do it in future years. But, I seem to have lost my mind and have signed up to run a half marathon in May. Exactly... WTF? I'm not a runner. I hate running. It is painful and boring. I got some new prescription orthotics, I got some new running shoes, and I got a new Garmin watch. Yesterday was warm (28 degrees!) and I went to the one paved trail I know of with no ice or snow and I ran to test out all these things. It felt good and I ended up going too far, so I was kind of sore this morning. But then I got distracted by my positive COVID test result.

So, I'll keep you in the loop on my biking adventures, because that's what I enjoy, but I'll also keep you in the loop on my running progress so that you have no doubt of my commitment to the MS Society. Only a person who should be committed would do running races. :-)

I have a request: because running is so boring, I'll need a new playlist. Please let me know your top two "active" or heart-pumping songs and I'll add them to the new playlist. Thanks for all your support in the past and the future!