5k recap and august 22-28

Before the recap, heres a brief glance at last week:

Monday- 3 miles easy, core work, hip strengthening
Tuesday-rest
Wednesday -5 miles with 12x300 with 200 recovery jog
Thursday-rest, core work, hip strengthening
Friday- 45 minutes elliptical
Saturday 7 miles including a 5k
Sunday-active rest, core work, hip strengthening

On Monday, my youngest daughter came home from school with a fever. I wasn't feeling that great either (tired, run down, but what mom doesn't feel that way?) I still got in 3 slow miles around the soccer fields later that night. I was planning on 5-7 miles but stopped short due to just not feeling the running mojo. The slow paces felt much harder than they should. Later that night, I started running a fever as well....
Tuesday my daughter stayed home from school and we both rested. Her fever had broken late Monday night. Mine broke late Tuesday night.
Wednesday, I actually felt great. I was able to get in a speed workout and saw some times I haven't seen in a long time! and my legs and lungs felt awesome. I thought briefly that I should just do 6-8x400s as to not get my legs super dead for the upcoming 5k. But the paces felt really good and my legs felt great, so I really pushed the pace....I felt really confident I could surpass my goal for the 5k.
The 5k:
Let me preface by saying this race, Race for the ARK, was for a great cause with race proceeds benefiting the Alzheimer's family support group

The course itself was flat,fast and pretty---and just a few miles away from my house. Lots of refreshments after the race, a nice comfy woman's fit dri fit shirt and swag bag.
I got to hang out with my friends and training partners, which is always nice

Aside from a couple hiccups at the start, it was a smooth running event with lots of vendors.I will run this race again next year!
Now on to the race itself.......
Well.
Some races are good, some are bad and some are just plain ugly.
I had really high hopes and expectations for this race. This was going to be a test of my summer training. This was going to be the race I saw 19xx.
Based on the speed work I did on Wednesday, my confidence was boosted and I felt I could catch a glimpse of mid 19's if the weather was right.
My goal going in was to run even paces, negative split if I could and chase the clock down. I wasn't going to worry about placement or counting females. I would just run from point A to point B and see what time I got.
I get to the race, grab my packet and start doing a warm up. While I was warming up I started to get nervous. What if I wasn't as fast as I thought? blah blah blah. I really needed a good slap in the face.I was planning on 2 miles to shake out the soreness from Wednesdays speed work. I am so glad I stopped at 1.8 miles because as soon as I stop and make my way to the start, I had literally about a minute before the gun went off. They started 5 minutes early! If I would have done that extra 0.2 miles, I would have missed the start....
Gun goes off, I have to dodge a lot of kids. I pick off the kids one by one and try to get up to the lead pack. My friend Becky is there and stays with me the first mile. I wanted to shoot for 6:20's
mile 1:

6:36
Not bad, but Damn.I really needed to pick up my pace if I expected to see 19xx. I needed around a 6:15ish pace for the next 2 miles to see what I wanted to.
My friend Becky pulls ahead and I try to stay with her, but I fall behind. I try to stay positive. I try to tell myself that I could catch up. I try to focus on the group of kids in front of me and try to pick them off one at a time in order to help reel me in. There is a young girl with a blonde pony tail in front of me. I try to close the gap.
And trust me on this, *try* is the operative word
I see mile 2 at:
6:45
At this point the winds went out of my sail and for every positive thought, I had a negative one.
"You got this, focus on passing one person at a time"
"My feet hurt, I feel the pavement, I need new shoes, I hate running"

"Just keep moving, you're faster than everyone on the couch!"
"I cant believe I'm running this slow, if I lost 8-10lbs I could be so much faster. Why did
I eat that cookie last night!!!!I have no will power. I will never be a fast runner.I will never see the 19s."
"Focus, focus, close the gaps, you got this!, just keep moving!"
"My legs hurt, I cant breath, I really want to stop. I am such a pansy"
"You aint dead yet, true soldiers never die!" (my go to mantra when I need it most)
"ummmm pretty sure I felt dead after mile 1,ok- pretty sure I'm dead... I am no soldier today"
Yeah you get the idea.
The last mile just sucked, more from a mental standpoint. Seeing my friend get further ahead and me not being able to catch up, feeling like my legs were made of lead, having no clue what place I was in as I didn't even bother to count. This was supposed to be a time goal. Had I  pulled my head out of my own arse and refocused, I would have had a shot at top 3 female overall. But I digress....
I see mile 3 in:
6:51
6:20 pace for last .10
20:49 by my watch.
I was timed as 20:53 by the race clock. I didn't start my watch until I crossed the start line and I was a couple rows back, maybe that's why there's a time discrepancy?
Oh well.
I was relieved to be done. I congratulate my friend and she tells me she got 2nd OA. There was one girl between us so I placed 4th OA (1rst in AG). Oy.
I cooled down with Amy for a couple miles and bless her heart, she heard me vent and rave almost the entire way. But she gave me some really sound advice I needed to hear( that she received from a young lady, Shawanna White, who just happens to be a sub 3 marathoner)
"An unsuccessful race does not make you an unsuccessful runner. It will make you successful for another race for another day"
Or something along those lines.
At the end of the day, a disappointing 5k is just that-nothing more or less. Its only a 5k and its not like there wont be another one next week. which there will be. I need some type of redemption......

In other news, My parents made an impromptu trip while they were vacationing in FL....
I may or may not have called a cleaning service....I'll never tell, lol!!!

It was a nice visit with my parents for a few days, and they even brought their baby, Marley!

 Marley totally fell in love with my Fanci......he wanted to marry her and stay with her forever! But he would miss his Pappa too much....That puppy follows my dad around like he is a God, and my dad talks about this pup like he is his favorite child. Its quite comical actually.

But I think the best part about having my parents over was watching how my youngest baby attached himself to his Pappa. They only get to see each other once a year, so he makes the most of Pappa time!!

It was also nice to be able to listen to the adventure stories my father tells. He really needs to write a book about it!

So, how was your week?

How do you bounce back from a disappointing race?

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Check it out and read the other posts here.

Jalapeno hands, 5k recap and august 15-21 training

Pretty low key with running last week-

The week in review:
Monday- 3 mile
Tuesday- 5 miles including 6x400 repeats with 400m jog inbetween
Wednesday- active rest
Thursday- 4 miles including a 5k
Friday-rest
Saturday 6 miles
Sunday-rest

Monday I went to a group run held at fleet feet. It was an easy 3 miles along a shaded route. We had a frozen t-shirt contest after the run. Although my team didn't win, they had a sock giveaway so I got a free pair of socks
: )
Since track was cancelled due to a pub run on Wednesday, I got in 400 repeats on my treadmill on Tuesday. I had a 5k planned for Thursday so I kept the workout shorter. I am pleased to say I saw paces I haven't seen for a while!
After I got done running, I started on dinner and made some home made salsa. No big deal, right?
Has anyone ever had Jalapeño hands? ie cut up those peppers without gloves on?
All I can say is that for 12 hours straight on Tuesday, my hands felt like they were on fire. Seriously, it was one of the  most painful things I have experienced in my life (childbirth is by far #1)
I read all the home remedies on line. This is what I did to try to help ease the pain:
Soaked hands in olive oil
Washed hands with dish soap
Made a baking soda paste and let it dry for 15 minutes on my hands then washed
Soaked hands in milk
Soaked hands in yogurt
Sprayed hands with bathroom bleach cleaner
Soaked hands in cold mustard for 15 minutes
Soaked hands in Scotch
Soaked hands in ice water
Rubbed Aloe on my hands
Rubbed hand sanitizer on my hands and held hands up in front of fan to air dry.....
Can you guess which remedy worked?
NONE of them! But the  remedies that seemed to ease the pain temporarily include soaking hands in ice water, bleach bathroom cleaner, cold mustard and the letting the hand sanitizer (and even aloe) dry in front of a fan.
My advice to others:
wear gloves when you chop up jalapeno peppers.

5k recap:
The race started at 6:30pm. It usually takes me about 30-35 minutes to drive there. I left at 5:30 and did not get to the race until 6:25 due to a bad wreck on the interstate. It was a mad dash to the registration table. They were actually closing it down as I ran up but they were able to quickly give me my bib.
I made it to the crowded start line in just enough time to get my bib pinned on and then the race started. I didn't even had time to pull my hair back and put a running visor on. I ran without a hat with my hair down in a side braid. I haven't ran without a hat since 2002. I felt incredibly naked. Before the start I did take a quick notice that this race, while still small, was larger than the previous 3. I knew I would get smoked but didn't have time to think about it.
Gun goes off, I just hope I can stay in the front pack.
In the first mile I get caught behind a lot of middle/ high schoolers. The trails are narrow in some parts and I had to wait for a clearing to pass them. I see the lead gal way up front and try to count females to see where I am at.
I see 7:04 for mile 1. slower than what i wanted.I knew I could go faster.
I pick up my pace and try to catch the girl in front of me. I am at the turn around point and I think I am in 4th female spot but am not certain. I've got to close the gap. The clouds are growing darker, the wind is picking up, a storm was rolling through quickly. The rapidly approaching storm did provide relief from the heat and humidity, and the wind felt awesome. I see 6:50 for this mile.
During this time, I see a gal behind me out of the corner of my eye. I pick up my pace, she stays on my heels, this goes on for a bit. She fell behind and I motion for her to stay with me. She does and then passes me and catches the gal in front of me. I pick up my pace and also pass the same gal she does and then keep her in my sights and hope I can catch her at the end of the race. My side braid is getting on my nerves, I am still wearing sun glasses that I don't need, I just want to hurry up and finish. I round the last corner and see the clock. 20:48 Damn. I wasn't going to break 21.
I see the gal who passed me finish and then I cross the line at 21:09.
I was really hoping to see mid 20's. Oh well. I congratulate the gal in front of me. Turns out she is new to the area and is trying to get back into running.
The race director makes the announcement that lightning is less than 10 miles away and we should use our discretion to finish the race, and for those of us who have finished to go ahead and make our way to the pub where the awards were being held after the race. I was initially going to get a cool down with friends but I got a half a mile into it and then turned around to go back to my car and drive to the pub. I didn't want to risk it with the weather. As soon as I get here, the bottom drops out and the storm hits. I sit and wait and wait and wait for awards. I didn't know if I got 3rd overall or 4th. I was in good company so the waiting part went by pretty quick. However, due to the storm, it made getting results prolonged so the race director let everyone know that results would be posted the next day and we could get our awards from fleet feet the following Monday.
Turns out, I got 4th overall.... 1rst in AG.
meh.
Ive got another 5k coming up this weekend. I am using this race in order to test where I am at as far as conditioning goes. In other words, I plan on really racing and not go just fast enough to get an OA placement. This will be a race for time, not placement.
It will be a larger race with a fast field and the course is relatively flat and fast. And its being held 15 minutes from my house. I am looking forward to it!!!!



In other news:
My youngest baby started preschool today.

He is the only boy in his class this year, and he totally doesn't have a problem with that at all!
He waltzed in his class like he owned it, and was quick to say goodbye and made a bee line to go the first station of the day.
Where is the pause button on my life??? My baby is growing up to fast!!!!!


Have you ever had jalapeno hands?
What's the craziest home remedy you've tried? (for any ailment, not just jalapeno hands)
When is your goal race coming up?
If you have kids, how do you celebrate the beginning of school?

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Check it out and read the other posts here.

The unofficial end of summer-August 8-14

I cant believe summer is over!!!! Even though there are technically 4 more weeks until the start of fall, the start of school is the unofficial end of summer in our house.

(My girls got rezoned to a brand new school. They were both very nervous, and my youngest daughter may or may not have screamed and cried and had to be peeled out of my arms when I had to walk out of her classroom. My youngest boy starts preschool next week.....*sigh* I really really don't like the start of school)


This was the last full week of freedom for my children so I snuck in the TM miles when I saw an opportunity. Lots of pool and beach time came first! Soccer practices are now in full swing and we are just 2 weeks away from games/tournaments and all that jazz. I will not have a free weekend until after thanksgiving.... My oldest daughter travels quite frequently for her games,and usually plays 2-4 games on both Saturdays and Sundays. (Lets just say there wont be much racing until November.) There will be slightly more time in the mornings to get in the workouts though.
So here is last week at a glance:
Monday-rest
Tuesday- 4 miles around soccer fields
Wednesday- 6 miles including 5x1000 on track
Thursday- 5 miles TM
Friday- rest
Saturday- 4 miles TM
Sunday-8 miles

Since my oldest daughter has late practice on Tuesdays, I can easily fit in 4-8 miles during her practice. It is almost a half mile for 1 loop around the soccer fields. While its pretty boring running around the fields,(and I get weird looks from other soccer parents) running on grass feels good on my joints.
I'm not sure I can fit in Wednesday night track until November, but I will try to make it when I can. I did 5x1000's with 200 jogs in between last week and they pretty much did not feel good. But they weren't as bad as I had envisioned in my head. It was more of a mental battle than physical. I broke up the 1000's into 5 x200's in my mind. I just used the 200's as check points to help keep me focused and not getting discouraged. Anything over 400 intervals seems like "distance" work for me. But I know the longer intervals will be beneficial to seeing some faster times for the longer distance races this fall. I was able to get in 8 miles with the onshore running group on Sunday, and I can tell I'm starting to build up some endurance. We were able to run around one of the most scenic routes in Charleston and even had beer and Gatorade waiting for us after the run. Have I mentioned how much I have enjoyed being able to run the longer distances with friends? And how beautiful Charleston is?

Here in the next week or two half marathon training will officially begin!

In other news,
my foster puppy is doing amazing!
She has learned 3 commands in just a matter of minutes, is putting on a little bit of weight and seems to have a bit more energy. She is even almost fully housetrained! I leave a puppy pad by the door at night just in case I don't make it downstairs fast enough to let her outside. The past 3 nights have been accident free! She is still shy and timid but is starting to enjoy human contact and belly rubs.She still has a long road of recovery ahead, but shes on the right track!
If you want to help donate towards her medical bills, the rescue or even adopt or foster a golden retriever please click HERE

In other,other news.....
I am getting sucked into the Olympics big time and staying up WAY to late! I know I'm not the only one out there!

Heres to kicking off the start of school, the start of the dog days of summer and the start of a new week!

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Check it out and read the other posts here.

Running Mishaps and the Misadventures of Peak week

Have you ever had a race were everything went wrong?

I've only had a couple of them, including my very first 10k. It was a miserable running experience, but in my defense, I was a few weeks pregnant at the time and didn't know it yet,lol!
That recap can be found HERE
HOWEVER
I think the biggest misshaps have been with my Figure competitions. I have always had horrible peak weeks leading up the big event. ALWAYS. There has never been a stress free peak week ever!
I think a lot of it had to do with HOW I reacted to the situations. Peak week is more lovingly referred to as "Hell Week" in the bodybuilding community. This is the last week before a competition and the most crucial point of training and where your most extreme manipulation of water and carbohydrates take place. You are overtrained and underfed and feel like you are just existing in a fog/slow moving daze. Your body pretty much feels like death warmed over.......Until the night before the competition when you finally get to eat a "real" meal-for me it is a steak and sweet potatoes. After a good complex carbohydrate filled meal, your body feels better and you can conquer the world on show day, no matter how stressful things are in real life.
Here is GREAT example of my misadventures of peak week (this is back when I just had 3 kids, and the baby was only 8 months old)
For the first part of the misadventures, click HERE
To read what actually happened on show day, click HERE
 2 weeks before that show, more peak week traditions!- click HERE

If you made it through all of that, bless your hearts!!!!!
So what have been your misadventures in your sport?
How did you handle it?
How did you regroup and refocus?


I'm linking up with  Patty, Erika, and Marcia for This week's writing prompt: Running/Race Day Mishaps.  If you don't have anything to share about mishaps, feel free to post any running related blog post.  Link-up with Patty, Erika, and Marcia!

life lately and August 1-7th

The first week of August has flown by.
Workouts were put on the backburner due to sickness still in the house (my youngest daughter is still sick)
This is what I managed to get in:
Monday-Wednesday- rest.
Thursday-4 miles TM
Friday- 5 miles TM
Saturday-6 miles TM including 6x800 with 400 jogs in between
Sunday-8 miles

The TM miles were slow and easy and snuck in when I found an opportunity.
The 800 repeats just plain sucked. I was planning to do this workout outdoors around my neighborhood, but I slept in and didn't feel like running out in the heat. I should have just sucked it up and ran outside. Oh well. I chose to ride the pain train indoors.I really wanted to quit halfway through.  I was sucking wind, my side hurt- I was seriously regretting eating cake for 3 days. I'm glad I pushed through the workout though.
Sundays 8 miler was a nice easy pace with Amy on the paved trails. My legs felt done by mile 7 but I enjoyed the company and being outdoors. It wasn't too hot but the humidity was 100% so it was still muggy and sloggy...

Life Lately:
This past week a few things have been happening-
My youngest daughter turned 6!

My sweet baby girl has long long blonde hair just like Rapunzel, and she really thinks she is a princess. She is my girly girl and LOVES all things princess, all things dress up, and anything that sparkles and has glitter. She is my little diva, my drama queen and doesn't like to leave the house unless she is in a dress or a skirt ( This will make for some fun times during her teen years....)
She is my shy and quiet girl, but once she feels comfortable she is a goofy goober. She likes being silly and loves making others laugh. On the same side of the coin, she is perfectly content to be off in her own world without the company of others. She can be very blunt at times.And very stubborn. If she doesn't want to do something, she wont. If she is driven and motivated to do something, nothing will stop her (again, this will make for some interesting teen years).
She is my first baby that I was able to stay at home with, so it was a completely different experience for me. My sweet girl is such a blessing for our family and it always amazes me watching her grow from that little colicky baby to the shy girl with growing confidence that she is becoming now!

Back to school registration and supply shopping:
While this is normally no big deal, I made some pretty rookie mistakes.
I waited until 9:30 in the morning to register. Since we have been re-zoned I had to go someplace different and my GPS took me to the wrong place. So...... 2.5 hours later I had 3 of the 4 kids registered. The schools were crowded, babies and toddlers were screaming, bored kids were running wild through the hallways. It was semi organized chaos....And then the school supply shopping.
I decided to go shopping during tax free weekend. I went to Walmart at 10pm to avoid the crowds. Everyone else had the same idea. It was miserable shopping. But I got it done. The sad thing is that we still need to go shoes and clothing shopping. I did manage to go through all the kids clothes and was able to make room for new clothes........ugh. going back to school is EXPENSIVE, especially when its multiplied x 4!



I won a blog giveaway
I hardly ever win giveaways. But I was lucky enough to win samples of Idealfit Protein from Lauren at her blog The Bikini Experiment
I actually cant wait to try it out! Ive been looking for a good protein that I can easily add in for shakes and pancakes. I'll let yall know my thoughts about it once I try it!

Other happenings in life lately:

I am calling wildlife control today. We found 2 baby alligators in our pond. One of them is really small, maybe a foot long and we have no idea if the mamma is around! The other baby is about 3-31/2 feet long and although really cute, he has already eaten a couple ducks and wont leave his nice comfy new home.

Gator on right side, stalking the big white crane

My children have named him Charlie. While its been nice for him to visit, he will be going to his new home, in a much bigger area, away from human civilization (and my small children).

My Strong Man:

There are just a few more highland games left of the season. T is looking to bust through to some new PR's before fall sets in. I think he is well on his way:

Just to give an idea-this Caber is between 20-22ft long and weighs around 180lbs...

A new addition:

Of the four legged furry kind.

Our puppy will be getting a Foster sister!

We have been thinking of getting our pup a companion soon. While we weren't expecting this soon, the chance to foster happened quick, and I couldn't say no to not helping the 6 month old golden retriever/black lab mix who needed a foster home immediately to get out of a very very bad situation!

This is LADY:

Lady is 6 months old (golden retriever/black lab mix-she looks JUST like a golden, but with black fur) She has demedox mange, which is non contagious, but her once beautiful black fur coat does not look its best,thats for sure! shes on medicine to help get her coat to grow back in and be perfect again. She is also severely underweight, and so timid and scared!This poor baby girl was one of 4 puppies that were born in a rural back yard with no one to care for them. They had no human contact and were left outside in the heat with no protection from the sun. They were pretty much left for dead in my opinion. Now that she is here in our home, we will get her healthy again, shower her with love,get her socialized and ready for her forever home. If you would like to help Lady with her medical expenses, adopt a golden,or even donate to the rescue please click HERE

Now my little Fani girl will have a pup to play with when her favorite human kiddos are off to school,and wont look like this when they are gone during the day:

Soccer Season:

It has arrived!!!Soccer is a pretty big deal in our house. With 2 children playing this season (and not all 4) we will still be incredibly busy and will live at the soccer fields at least 5 nights a week. My oldest daughter is still wobbling on her left foot but is healing up nicely and should be good to play full steam in about another week. She will still be at practice and walking through the things she can.

Races and running:
I only have 2 races for August.
I did 5 in July
5 races in June
and 3 in May

Ive got a few more 5ks between now and the next big race, which will be in November. Ive got a lofty goal for this upcoming half marathon -about 12 weeks until race day. Here in the next 2 weeks I will figure out my training plan and hopefully I will hit a PR. My goal races are not until December. I am hoping to set some PRs in the 5k as well. Come on cooler temps and low humidity!!!!!!

SO that about sums up my week,

Whats been going on in your life lately?
Whens your next big race or goal race?
If you could compete in the Olympics in any event, what events would you like to compete in?

I'm linking up with HoHo and MissSippiPiddlin for their weekly wrap, be sure to stop by and check out their post!

july 25-31rst and 5k recap

August already??????
The summer is almost over,which is both a welcome relief because cooler weather will be here in about 30-90 days and just plain bitter sweet as the kids start school in 14 days. So in my world, there is really only 14 more days of summer left. 14 more days to fit in beach trips and one last mini staycation........
I really hate the end of summer, can I just push a pause button on life please? My children are growing up too fast and they need to stay little just a bit longer!!!!!!

Last week at a glance
Monday-rest
Tuesday-rest
Wednesday-5.5 miles including 6x600, 1x400,1x800
Thursday-5 miles
Friday-rest
Saturday- 4ish miles including 5k
Sunday-8 miles 3.5 miles

Last week was busy in life and light on the running.
Wednesdays track workout felt way harder than it should have with the high temps (97). The plan called for 8x600's. Physically I was done after the first 3. I was going to stop after 6 but everyone else was still on the track slogging away so I managed to get in a 400 and an 800. I know this workout probably made me stronger and ill be thankful for it once the cooler temps roll around. I actually remembered to bring popsicles for our small crew that braved the heat.

Thursday was a shakeout run on the TM. My oldest daughter managed to horribly jam and bruise 4 of her toes during soccer camp. Poor thing will probably be losing a few toenails soon.
Friday my youngest daughter woke up with a 103 fever.
Saturday I managed to sneak in a 5k.
Sundays 8 miler got cut short due to a thunderstorm causing the power to go out briefly. I had just gotten the younger kids situated for "rest time" and thought I could squeeze in some miles uninterrupted. I got 3.5 miles in on the home TM and the power went out and right back on. I took it as a sign I should just stop there. The rest of the rest of the day was spent on the couch watching movies and playing card games with the older kids. A very lazy Sunday but my daughters needed the down time desperately.

5k recap:
To preface this recap let me start by saying a 17 year old was able to pull all of this together for her senior project. She held this event in order to raise money for sick children at the local hospitals. A brief story about her can be found HERE
Another group that was at the race was
Ainsleys Angels
This was a very no frills low key event BUT bottom line is that this race was held for all the right reasons!

I get to the race about 30 minutes before the start. At 8:30am the temps have already started to climb. by 9am race start, it was even hotter (around 90).The race was held in the school parking lot (on black asphalt), which made it feel even hotter than it actually was. I was planning on getting in a 1 mile warm up but cut it short to only half a mile due to the heat. 
A small crowd gathers to the start (maybe 35-45 people?)Ainsleys Angels were to get a 3 minute head start and then the runners were supposed to go. As it turns out, a female runner started off with the stroller runners and the rest of us started about 1.5-2 minutes afterwards. I had wanted to start off with her,as I was worried I would get lost on the course because of all the loops, but thankfully the course was well marked and there were several volunteers that directed the way to go. We had to do 3 laps of the parking lot loops, so after the first loop I knew the way to go,lol!
Loop 1, a start off with 2 guys up front,(the lead gal and current lead runner had an unintentional  head start so I was 4th person overall at this point). could I catch the lead runner? I was going to try! After about a half mile in, one of the guys has fallen behind and the other had pulled ahead of me slightly. I see mile 1 at 6:44

Loop 2-
I am catching glimpses of the lead female. the guy in front of me has gained a significant lead over me.I hear the father of the guy in front of me yell at him to pass the lead runner and he does, which puts me at 2nd female, 3rd overall.The highschool football team was ending practice and one thoughtful person moved the sprinkler from the football field to an area of the course so we could run through it. It helped some but by this time I am feeling hot and pretty unmotivated to run faster. However, after the 2nd loop I receive many words of encouragement that help push me a little bit to reel the lead gal in. I see mile 2 at 6:47.

Loop 3-
I am starting to close the gap between me and the lead gal. Could I catch her? Man this heat was getting ridiculous. I could literally feel the heat  from the asphalt beneath my feet. About half way through the final loop I catch up to the lead gal and pass her. I was so ready to be done with this run. I slog it out to the finish line and see 6:52 for mile 3 and 20:28 as a finish time (the course was little bit short)

The best thing about finishing were the hand towels soaked in ice water that were given to us. They felt amazing,and were much needed!!!!!
I chatted with the lead gal for a bit and was able to get in about a half mile cool down with her(the heat was getting sweltering so we cut it short).Turns out she is a college XC runner and just getting started in her adventures as a collegiate athlete.
We hang out for awards. The top 3 overall runners are called up and I win free burritos!

While this race was very low key and had a few glitches, I do hope the young race director is able to hold this event again next year and it starts to grow and get recognition....

After the awards I made a bee line home.

(even my car thought the pavement was hot!!! 108 in the parking lot!)

T left for the Scottish Highland Games (Masters) World Cup on Saturday and I have been taking care of one sick kid and nursing one kiddo with an injured foot (and trying to keep up with a crazy 4yr old and dealing with a moody almost 13yr old-good times!) Soccer season starts today.A will have to sit out her first couple weeks of soccer practice and its KILLING her. But I tell her its better to be injured now before games start than to be hit with a foot injury when the big tournaments start.
Heres hoping for a speedy recovery to my girls!

OH and stepping on my brag box..
My strong man placed 7th overall at the World Cup.
Next years games will take place in Iceland so he is on a mission to keep his rank of top 50 in the world (currently he is in 28th place in the open division)

(T is in white shirt)

(T is the small guy in black shirt)

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Check it out and read the other posts here.