Happy New Year!

Okay, I am a little late on the New Year’s wishes, but I am really looking forward to 2019.  I am not one for making New Year’s resolutions; that whole concept annoys me. But, I do believe this is the year that I either make some progress towards my running goals, or I hang up my running shoes. I have been to several doctors, physical therapist, and chiropractors this past year. Enough already! Maybe my body is telling me that my running days are over. I’m still not quite ready to give up on my dream to run Boston, so we shall see how the year and the running progresses.

I have made or I am in the process of making the changes that I think are necessary to reach those running goals. I mentioned a few of those changes in my last post.

One of the things that I had mentioned in that post was that I need to give up my cokes. UGH! Why? And how is this related to running goals?  Well I have been told that coke is the most inflammatory food/drink in my diet. And inflammation could be the reason I am having joint pain in my knees. And knee pain is what is preventing me from running right now.

Giving up cokes was not something I wanted to try to do during the holidays. There were too many other stressors  to add this one little item to the list. Good excuse!? 🙂 This coke addiction runs pretty deep.  I have been drinking cokes for years! And I am a big fan of anything coke.  Just to name a couple from Christmas….I have coke Christmas bulbs.

And family members buy me Coke Christmas gifts…

I did have a coke t-shirt but I gained a little weight (probably drinking too many cokes) and had to give it away. I kept it in the family though – gave it to Sonja 🙂

Obviously, the problem with this goal is that it actually isn’t something that I want to do!! I LOVE my cokes. I have some kind of emotional/addictive attachment to them. Yeah, I know about the whole dopamine/brain connection….doesn’t make it any easier. Even the whole diabetes risk doesn’t seem to make an impact on me. But, does it impact my ability to run?? Now that gets my attention. So weird, right? I guess I have to at least try and see if giving them up will make a difference. I have not had a coke since the beginning of the year. Yep, 9 whole days!

Okay, so you get the point. It’s ridiculous! And not even logical. But, it is what it is.

I am also doing strengthening and stretching for knee support and for running. This is nothing new, but I have not always been consistent. I will try to be more consistent.

Also, this past year and even before, I have tried so many different running shoes. I mainly have tried to stay with a neutral shoe that has a low heel to toe drop, but maybe I need a little more support??? I don’t know? It’s something else on the list to try.  A little bit more cushion and a slightly higher heel to toe drop may work better for me.

Its all a balancing act. And a whole lot of trial and error. Which is so frustrating. I should have it all dialed in at this stage of the game…. I didn’t realize that some of the things I have been doing, I don’t know, like forever, was slowly adding to a chronic inflammation problem.

Getting this whole running thing dialed in is rating pretty high on my list of accomplishments for 2019. I’m forever chasing that Boston dream.

And I have signed up for the Chicago Marathon as a BQ (Boston Qualifier) which is not until October, so I have plenty of time to train. I wasn’t exactly planning on running Chicago this year, but I was looking at the qualifying times and realized that I actually qualified. How could I not sign up? Plus, I absolutely love this marathon! (Sonja are you coming with??) 🙂

I am so hopeful that I can get these running issues figured out and back on the trails soon. Things are getting slightly better but still not running yet.

Other, uh, non-New Year’s resolutions (starting to look like a list of New Year’s resolutions ha ha) is to spend more time with family both here and in the lower 48. I have shared a few posts on family time this past year, but I hope to spend even more time with them. There is nothing that means more to me than family!!

I did get to visit my Mother and my brother David right before Thanksgiving, but I had to work Christmas. Maybe next year, I can go home for Christmas. That would be awesome! We had a really nice relaxing visit. Did a little Christmas shopping and visited a couple of local parks. The fall colors were past their peak but still really pretty.

 

Lake Norman State Park

Rock Face Mountain Recreation Area

I also spent a couple of days in Idaho with Scott’s side of the family. It was a great trip. Love the area. Here we are with his brothers….

And Scott with his dad….

And I do spend time with my daughter and her family here in Alaska.  But, it doesn’t ever feel like its enough. I WANT MORE! Love those grandkids. Here are a few pics from Christmas:

Sonja is so good at the face painting. How fun will this be!

Matt helping Ms. Charlie open a present.

This is a very musical family. Maddy was a natural strumming this new guitar. Pretty cute!

I don’t think Tylor took a break all day after him and Maddy opened this gift. They were making some really cool music.

Charlie is amazed by anything and everything. So fun to just sit back and watch her.

As I mentioned, I had to work Christmas but when I got home, the driveway was lined with these ice lanterns that Scott had made. Such a nice touch…beautiful.  

I have tons of pictures and I could go on and on. This post is getting to be pretty long already so I will wrap it up. But before I do, I have to share this photo that was taken of Scott right after he opened this framed picture of Malakai. He got a little emotional.

We lost Malakai this past September. To have to put your pet down is a really difficult thing to do. At times, he just looked so happy and healthy, but he had lost all mobility. He was 13 years old. Scott always took such good care of him, and he took extra special care of him when he could no longer get up.

We miss him. He was a really good dog. Very protective. Truly sad not to have him around.

 Rest In Peace sweet pup