WK #6 HM training sept 19-25

Even though the calendar says Fall is officially here, it is still summer  in SC.
The weather man is predicting slightly cooler temps this week, so hopefully the humidity and heat will get the memo this time and leave. While I love the weather here in the south, I really don't like running it it,lol!
It's been a busy week in life,but I had a solid training week
Monday- rest, core and hip strengthening
Tuesday-rest
Wednesday- 7 mile tempo (6.5 @goal HM pace)
Thursday- 5.5 miles easy, core and hip strengthening
Friday- 45 minutes elliptical
Saturday- 6.5 miles including a 5k
Sunday- 12 miles, core and hip strengthening

I was feeling rundown at the beginning of the week, so I rested on Monday. I ran out of hours in the day on Tuesday so I didn't run. It was just one of those busy crazy days.
Tuesday also sucked because that's when I delivered sweet Lady to her new family. My children cried when they had to say goodbye to her before going to the bus stop. The positive side is that I KNOW little Lady bug went to a great family. She will have a happy life!
My poor Fanci girl is STILL grieving the loss of her friend. She looks for her everyday,and cries for her. When she cant find her she just mopes around the house.Doesn't this face look so sad??

I forsee a fur sibling for her in the near future!

Wednesday started off as a great day. My husband surprised me and took the day off work. We were child free for 4 solid hours ,which hasn't happened in years!
We actually had a real lunch date, with NO interruptions!
When we picked up the youngest from preschool, we had the opportunity to go shopping with just one child (moms of more than 1 can understand!)  For a solid  2 hours, little E got to see what it felt like to be an only child. (He LOVED it btw)
And then we received from some very sad news. My husbands colleague, a dear friend to us both, passed away. She had been battling breast cancer for the past 10 years. Treatment had been working but then it suddenly came back and spread very rapidly. She was given 3 months and held on for 3 days. She was able to see her daughter graduate from high school and attend her first week of college,which had been her life goal after the initial diagnoses years ago. She was  the most intelligent, down to earth,classy,bright and inspirational woman I have ever met. She was a strong woman.The world lost a brilliant soul.
 How else to cope but go on a run?
With a heavy heart I went to the fleet feet Pub run with the intention of a 5 mile tempo. It ended up being a 6.5 mile tempo at slightly faster than goal HM pace. I showed up to the run about 30 minutes early so I could get in a few miles on my own first. I got in 3 solid miles. It started to drizzle when I started and by the time I started the second half of the run (a 3 mile route around downtown) the bottom dropped out and it poured down rain. I actually had someone to run with the second half. We ended up taking a wrong turn somewhere but we still had a great pace going. I love running in the rain, and it made me feel so much better from an emotional standpoint when I was done. I seem to have my best runs when I am upset, mad, sad and/or stressed. It was an emotional run for sure,with my thoughts going all over the place. Bigger picture and grand scheme of things kindof stuff.
After the run we all gathered at a local pub, played bingo and waited around for the raffle.
I ended up winning Bingo, won a gift card to Fleet Feet and then I won the raffle. I got a FREE pair of shoes!!!! My friend must of been with me, because I rarely win the bigger raffle prizes for pub runs,lol!

Thursday was just an easy run around my neighborhood. My pup ran the first couple of miles with me.
Friday was just elliptical because my legs were feeling heavy and tired.
I was able to stop by by fleet feet and pick up my free shoes as well as get fitted for a new pair, something I can do the longer runs in. I cashed in all my gift cards and ending up with Nuun, a pair of socks, and 2 pair of shoes...all for $50

The Under Armor speed form sling glides were the shoes I won.

I ended up getting the Asics Dynaflyte. I ALOMST got the Brooks launch. Next time!

I completely forgot I ordered a new pair of racing shoes (on sale for $48) and they arrived Friday

New Balance Foam fresh Zantes

Saturday was race day. I ran a local charity 5k race for children.

It was hot and humid and was honestly just ran as a workout. My legs felt heavy and sluggish during the 1.5 mile warm up, and I knew then that this run was not going to be a PR by a long shot. I ran into my friend and her daughter and fiancé. Several members of the CRC were running so I was surrounded by good company.

Brief 5K recap:

A small race (200).I was warned there would be a hill in mile 3. (To the locals, its a hill but to those who don't run around this area then its an incline). Gun goes off and I'm right up front with the high school cross country team and stay in the lead pack the entire time. Mile 1 was spent finding a groove, mile 2 was spent passing the high school cross country team and mile 3 was just a jog. After I see the 2 mile marker, I got a glimpse of the hill. the course is unshaded and it was humid and hot (81 with 96% humidity). My legs were like lead.I didn't have any one around me to help reel me in and keep pushing hard, I knew I had overall female so mentally I stopped pushing myself and just focused on finishing. I felt every square inch of the hill btw.

splits were:

6:32

6:36

7:10 for last 1.12 (yes I totally jogged to the finish)

I cross the line 21:23 by my watch but my "official" race time on the certified course was 20:25

More about that in a minute.

I cheer my fellow CRC friends on at the finish and then get a 2 mile cool down.

the post race festivities were really thoughtful and geared toward children, Lots of bouncy castles, free food and kiddie games and a live band were set up. Post race food included hot dogs, chick fila chicken and waffles, sno-cones, goldfish crackers, pretzels, animal cookies, assorted children snack packs,a wide variety of fruits and of course boxed apple juice (Gatorade and water as well).

As I was waiting for awards I started hearing about the adjusted times on the live results web page.

Turns out that even though this course was a closed course, traffic still managed to get through somehow and a majority of the runners got held up in traffic (the lead pack wasn't effected).

I don't think anyone complained about the minute that was shaved off the certified course. And in actuality, the adjusted times reflect more accurately what the paces would have been without the humidity and heat....or that's what I tell mysef,lol!

I did end up placing overall female

Since it was a charity run,  I won a LOT of coupons for free food!!!! Including free icecream from sonic, free meals from McDonald's, 6 free meals from Canes, several 15% off appetizers or meals at local restaurants, a few chip bag clips, cozies, key chains AND  I also won a free 1 hour massage at Massage Envy.

Age group winners won large bags of freezable ice pops. I thought the awards were awesome!

Sunday I was able to get in 12 miles with Amy. We started bright and early.The skies were foggy and overcast so the heat was manageable even though it was still humid. We had a pleasant run, which surprisingly my legs didn't feel as bad as I  thought they would. I could feel the hill from the race in my shins and hip flexors but aside from that the run felt good and we managed to go slightly faster paced than last week.

(tired, sweaty selfie!)

 The run gave me a little bit more confidence that this upcoming half marathon wont be a total flop. At least I know I can finish the distance-whether or not it will be a fast finish time or not is still yet to be determined.....

After the run my husband and I got dressed up and attended a "Celebration of Life" ceremony for our friend. My husband wore a Clemson colored tie (her favorite team) and I wore bright red high heels.(A little non traditional, I know!) Several of the other attendees followed suit and showed up in Clemson attire and bright colors. That was just how our friend was, bright and cheerful. Ive never attended a "Celebration of Life" before. This was not a funeral or grave sight service but rather a gathering of friends and family to remember the life and achievements of an incredible person. It was actually very fitting and although it always hard to lose a friend much to soon, this celebration helped lift the sadness to a degree. It brought awareness and reflection to how much our friend impacted her community and the lives of so many people (She was a physician and master mind behind the scenes of the Hospital and the large private physician practice she was a part of).

Words cant express what I feel about the situation so I will leave it at that.

In other news,

week 7 of training is starting. This is the last week of September. WHERE has time gone?

Less than 13 weeks until Christmas. 35days until Halloween.

And we've been without a working fridge for the past 7 weeks. (it partially works)It is supposed to be fixed today and if its not then wow. Weve already been waiting 3 weeks for the part to come in. We were using our freezer as our fridge but now that we've had it unplugged since last night, we just have 2 coolers.

Fun times!!!

Qoutes that came to mind this week:

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says~~"Oh Crap, She's up!"

"Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Love the ones who don't just because you can. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Kiss slowly. Forgive quickly. God never said life would be easy. He just promised it would be worth it...."

Any one ever had a major appliance go out and have a repair company not fix it in a timely manner?

Any big fall races planned?

Hope all have a great week ahead!

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.

Week #5 HM training.Sept 12-18th

A much calmer week than the past 2 weeks!
And I am already ending week 5 of Half marathon training. Less than 7 weeks to go now.
Last week,I felt really tired and just run down so I listened to my body and had an easy week in regards to running.
Week 5 at a glance:
Monday- rest, core/hip strengthening
Tuesday-rest
Wednesday- 6 mile tempo (4 miles at goal pace),core/hip strengthening
Thursday-rest
Friday- 4 miles,core/hip strengthening
Saturday-45 minutes elliptical
Sunday- 11 miles,core/hip strengthening

Tuesday was a stressful day because my oldest daughter had an appointment with the Orthopedic surgeon. I was a ball of stress, not only was I nervous for my daughter but I had to drive in downtown Charleston during morning rush hour traffic. I have no sense of direction, and even with GPS, I ended up getting lost.... I left my home at 6:50 and did not get to where we were going until 8:35....(gps said it would be a 55 minute drive-its usually a 30 minute drive without traffic)
I thought our appointment was at 8:15. I called their office at least 6 times to let them know we would be late but I was put on hold every time I called! when we arrived I found out the appointment was at 8:50. So we had plenty of time for paper work, more Xrays and a very short wait to see the Dr.
The good news is that because it is a clean break, she will not need much medical intervention. She is to stay in her sling for 4 weeks, and then re take Xrays to see how she is healing. The BAD news is that she is out of sports for 3 months, which means she has to miss her entire soccer season. My daughter melted to an immediate puddle of tears when she heard this. She cried all the way back home and back to school. I felt like the worse mom ever taking her back to school. I would have kept her home and taken her out for ice-cream if she didn't have 2 quizzes and a test that afternoon.( we did go out for ice cream and girl talk later, she is still down and out though.....)

Wednesday I missed track because of more tropical storms in our area. It was pouring down rain and I didn't want to drive in that mess.  I did manage to get a 6 mile tempo run in, with 4 of those miles at half marathon goal pace.

Fridays run was just easy miles, my legs felt really tired. I was planning to get in speed work on Saturday but considering that 45 minutes on the elliptical felt challenging, I'm glad I skipped it.
I did get in a good 11 mile run with Onshore running group. Amy and I ran 3 miles before the group run started, did the 8 mile loop and while I stopped at 11, the tiny terror cranked out another mile for an even 12.
My legs felt surprisingly good during the run until mile 10, then they started to feel like led. I am thankful I had Amy to run with,as I wouldn't have gotten the miles in at the paces we ran on my own. It also helped that we ran a  very scenic route

In other news:
My sweet foster puppy Lady is going to her new home tomorrow. Her new Family has a 3 week trial period with her. If it is a good fit, then she will stay and have the best life ever.
Its bitter sweet. I am really happy a family wants to adopt her. I am sad that she is going though. when she first arrived at my home she was severely malnourished and to weak to even play. not to mention her skin condition was horrible. over the past 5 weeks she has gained 8 pounds, learned to play like a puppy should, and has learned that not all humans are bad. She was house broken in 3 days and learned her basic commands in a matter of minutes. Her house manners are awesome too!
she is still skittish and is cautious of strangers, but she wont run away from every little sound she hears now. Shes come a long way in a short time and I just hope she continues to blossom!!! She is going to be such an amazing pup! I am glad I was able to help her on her way to recovery and be a part of her life, even though for just a short while....

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.

Calamity of errors part 2: sept 5-11th

In case you missed part 1, you can read about it HERE
As far as running and such goes, heres a glance at last week:
Monday: 5 miles including a 5k
Tuesday-rest
Wednesday- 4 miles including 6x400's
Thursday-rest
Friday-45 minutes elliptical
Saturday-7 miles including a 5k
Sunday-9 miles easy

Monday:
Labor day 5k
The morning started off on the wrong foot. The calamity of errors from last week followed me right along into this week! While I left my house in plenty of time to get to the race, I got lost trying to find it. Turns out, I was in the right area but I went to the wrong entrance to the park and had to go find the other entrance. The race was to start at 8:30. I pulled into the park at 8:29, sprinted to packet pick up and was pinning my number on when the gun went off. I didn't have time to use the restroom and I had to pee SO bad!
It was a small turn out (24 runners for the 5k, 5 for the 20k and 2 teams for the 20k relay) but I wanted some type of redemption from my last 5k,so I made my way to the front of the pack behind two young guys. This was a trail race and the path was very rooty and uneven. I had to be really cautious of my footing because the recent rain had made things a little slick and roots were hiding under the leaves on the ground.
The first mile I am dodging all sorts of roots.Larry the legend passes me on the trails and once we reach a small clearing and are hugging the tree line, my ankle got caught in a hole and I took a hard fall on my left side. I fell so hard my shoes came off! I scraped my left arm up and felt a twinge of pain inside my left quad but otherwise felt OK. I got up, pulled my shoes back on and kept going. Larry had gotten a pretty good lead on me so I try to close the gap. Around mile 2 I get passed by a guy on the trails. There is a slight out and back loop and I see a female not too far behind me,so I try to pick up my pace. I trip on another root and almost take an another nose dive but I was able to steady myself. However, I rolled my right ankle in the process. By this time I was so ready to be done. My quad hurt, my ankle hurt, I had a very full bladder and couldn't wait to cross the finish line!
I finally see that last stretch, and cross the line with a time of 22:01, 4th overall and 1rst female.
I made a beeline to the restroom and was so happy to be done running. When I went to go to my car, I realized that I had locked my keys IN the car!!!!!
I had left the window cracked (about an inch), so Larry and I found a stick and was trying to press the unlock button with it. This method did not work. A fellow runner (the guy who passed me at mile 2) found a hanger in his truck and he tried pressing the unlock button with that, but it was obvious this method was not going to work. I saw my car keys were under my jacket on the passenger side and he was able to hook my keys and drag them out through the small crack of my window. Thank goodness for running friends and metal coat hangers!
I was then able to get in a 2 mile cool down with Larry (the legend). I always enjoy his company and hearing about his running adventures...and of course I pick his brain for running tips!
SO even though that 5k wasn't ideal, I still managed an overall win and was in good company-
I even won a big hammer for labor day

Tuesday was a rest day and was feeling pretty banged up from that fall. My left quad was painful walking up and down the stairs and my ankles were sore and tender.

Wednesday I made it out to the track and knowing I had another 5k, I opted to go for 6x400's to avoid having dead legs for the race.

It was hot humid and just sweltering actually. but I got the speed work done and was actually able to maintain a faster than expected pace. My quad was still hurting and my body still felt surprisingly banged up.

After I got home I soaked in an Epsom salt bath  and was thinking to myself, finally this week is starting to calm down a bit!

I thought to soon....

Thursday afternoon my oldest daughter fell off the trampoline and broke her right humorus bone. She broke it right below her shoulder. I took her to the urgent care center first,as I knew they had diagnostics there (and honestly I didn't think her arm was broken).

But I saw the break on xray and we were sent to MUSC children's hospital because they had  pediatric orthopedics there. I was told she would need a reduction (putting her shoulder back in place and re setting the bones) ASAP so we rushed over there.......

long story short:

we got 2 more sets of xrays, never saw an orthopedist..

we did see a resident who didn't know the anatomical planes and anatomical position very well(the radiologist had to give him a refresher course--that is SO not a comforting sign to a stressed out mamma!)

I'm glad I have a background in orthopedic rehab and was able to follow along and make some sense of things.

we were being set up for a reduction, but since the orthopedic surgeon got caught up with both adult and pediatric trauma patients, my daughter was pushed to the side and we waited and waited and waited......

8 hours later we were sent home with her arm in a sling and instructions to call the orthopedic clinic to set up an appointment......and nothing else......other than excuse note from school.

I'm not upset that we had to call the clinic and set up an appointment. I'm upset we had to wait 8 hours to be told that!!!!They should have let us know sooner that we couldn't be seen, that way they would have had an open room for someone who needed it more than we did.The positive is that she was given pain meds which helped get her more comfortable.

The meds made her slightly buzzed as well so she was feeling loopy before we left.(She makes for a hilarious drunk btw, years from now when she is of legal age of course,she will totally be the life of any college party!)

We didn't get home until almost 4AM and she slept most of the morning.

She is so heartbroken she wont be able to play soccer for a while. We see the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow so we will know then the extent of her injury and limitations, and the plan of action for treatment. I am really hoping that since she has a clean break, it will be able to heal on its own with minimal intervention. Worst case scenario is that she will need a reduction, possible surgery and will be in a cast for 8-16 weeks. Best case scenario is that gravity will reset her bone and only a sling will be needed to keep it in position to heal......and that she wont miss the entire soccer season including the end of season tournament.

Keeping my fingers crossed her shoulder heals ASAP!

Shes been so discouraged and really just down in the dumps about not being able to play soccer.

Her friends are pretty awesome though. They rode their bikes over and came to check on her because she wasn't in school on Friday. They were able to hang out for a while which lifted her spirits. And then the next day they came over again with these:

(Shes doing much better now and was able to go to school today)

The hard part is trying to keep this girl from wriggling her hand out of the sling. Shes able to bend at the wrist but not at the elbow. I ended up wrapping an ACE bandage around her sling and hand in order to keep it in place. She hates being restricted to just the use of her left hand, and she hates she will be needing help at school.....

Heres hoping she has a speedy recovery!

Now onto the rest of the week:

Saturdays 5k:

I ran the The 9/11 heroes run, set up to honor the fallen from 9/11 as well as honor service men and women, veterans and all branches of our military....

 (photo curtesy of 9/11 Heroes run Travis Marion Foundation)

This was an amazing event,and a wonderful way to pay tribute to all of those affected by 9/11.

I felt really proud to be an American and was very happy to be representing 4 branches of the military:

My father served in the Army's 101rst Airborne and later joined and retired from the US coast guard

My grandfathers served in the US Airforce, US Navy and the less recognized Merchant Marines....

As soon as I make my way to the start, I knew I would be running for those who could not, I would be running in honor of our service men and women,

I would be running in honor of my father and my grandfathers....

the recap:

I get there in PLENTY of time for packet pick up, restroom, and warm up. I got there at 8, the race started at 9 (that's the only part about this race I didn't like was the later start time-it was HOT!!!)

I'm looking for my friend Ariel, but cant find her.

Opening ceremonies were pretty powerful. Bagpipe players, guest speakers, heart wrenching stories of bravery, courage, and paying the ultimate sacrifice.....

It really made you put life into perspective.

I toed the line ready to run.

Gun goes off

I see a guy from the runners club and knew I needed to keep him in my sights the entire race. A young gal takes off up front with the boys and while I really wanted to stay with her I knew she would probably fizzle out, as well as all the school kids.I was fully expecting to be passed by a speedy bunch of ladies I saw while I was warming up. I see another gal in front of me and I was able to pass her about a half mile in.

after the 1mile mark, I was able to make my move and pass the  gal ahead of me. She had started to fade some so I passed her and tried to pick up my pace. I knew there was still another female close behind me. I see mile 1 at 6:25

Passing the lead gal

I tell myself I have to keep this pace up and not slow down. My legs feel heavy, I still feel my quad pulling and feeling tight. I make it a point to pick one person off at a time and not worry about who was behind me, only in front. When we get to the turn around point I am able to see that I am lead female and as long as I didn't slow down, then I would probably stay in the lead. I didn't bother to look at my watch for time or mile splits,(although I probably should have) I didn't want to, I didn't want to be disappointed. I just wanted to run strong,and run in honor of my military family. The streets were lined with spectators and American flags, several runners ran with American flags and several service men and women were running in full uniform and full gear. They inspired me to keep going even though my legs felt really heavy and tired!

the only time I looked at my watch after mile 1 was about 2.5 miles in. I was fading and wanted to know how much longer. My watch said 2.62. I told myself its just an 800, I got this!

I put my head down, turned my music up and made a silent request to my grandfather to help push me to the finish.....I was being chased down by the boys!

I cross the line at 20:42, first female Overall. I was so happy I could represent!
I finally find my friend and I grab in a 2 mile cool down before awards. oh my goodness it was so humid and just mucky outside. The cool down didn't feel that great.....I was glad to finally sit down when I was done. I was thankful for the cooling towels that were given out after the race!

My friend  ended up placing in her AG

In general, this was a great race and one that I will run again next year. I love it because its for a good cause, and it honors our everyday heroes.
When I got home I was able to look at my splits
6:25
6:43
6:45
and a 6:18 pace for the final .12
Initially I was upset about my time.
I know i am faster than that.
But when I think about how this last time last year I could barely break 23 for a 5k, I realized that I have no room to complain at all. I'll gladly take a sub 21!
My 19xx will eventually get here.
On Sunday I had a nice easy 9 mile. My legs felt great until mile 7,so I relied on music the last 2 miles to carry me through. I've got 8 weeks until the half marathon, and I have yet to do anything longer than 9 miles and any tempo runs longer than 4 miles at goal pace. I know ive got time to prepare, but honestly I only have 7 more long runs,and 7 more chances to get in those tempos and speed workouts in. That just doesn't seem like a lot. Time to get myself in gear!!!!

In other news, my foster pup is SLOWLY building up her health and confidence. she is SO adorable, and learning everyday how to be a puppy

SO how was your week?
Any comical calamity of errors happen?
Did you race over the weekend?
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.

A calamity of errors: Aug 29-Sept 4th

Last week was just a calamity of errors that seems to have followed me into this week. (Nothing major, just minor things that makes life more....... interesting)
Last weeks running at a glance:

Monday- 6 miles core/hip work
Tuesday-rest
Wednesday- 6 miles including 5x1000
Thursday-2 miles easy, core/hip work
Friday-5 miles
Saturday-4 miles
Sunday- core/hip work

Monday started off simple enough. My parents decided to leave a day early, but were able to walk the older kids to the bus stop and send them off. I got in 6 solid miles after I took my youngest to preschool. After school he went down for a nap easy but woke up with a fever.

Tuesday he was still running a fever and started developing cold symptoms. My oldest son said there were kids in his class sick with strep throat. I had to take my foster pup for her spay surgery about an hour away from where I live and decided to make a run to the walk in clinic after I dropped the pup off.
Turns out my son had impetigo, a highly contagious bacterial skin infection. That rash on his chin and check I thought was from him wiping his nose with his shirt too much was part of it (the rash didn't even look bad at all, just an irritation, nothing to cause an alarm), but the source of infection came from a sore inside his nose that I didn't see until he was laying on his back and the Dr shined a light on it...
The good news is that it was easy to remedy but he would need to quarantined for 24 hours.( I ended up keeping him out of preschool the rest of the week to be on the safe side)
Later that day I picked up my foster pup and she did not handle anesthesia very well. She was SO sick and vomited the rest of the evening....
My daughter still had practice, my husband had a late meeting so I loaded the troops, kept my oldest son home to watch the dog and kept my youngest son entertained in the car with DVDs while I watched my daughters practice from the front seat. I ended up sleeping with the foster pup that night.

Wednesday was a decent track workout, I was able to sneak off to the track while my husband took my daughter to soccer practice (and dealt with Blaze and the monster machines for an hour in the car with the youngest)
We had a good turnout of runners and while I don't like the 1000 distance, I did run them faster than my last 5k





We even had a pop up rain shower blow through. It felt great but then the sun came back out and it got hot again. And my cell phone got rained on. It wouldn't work until it dried out.
Wednesday the fridge repair man had to come out as for the past 2 weeks we had been having cooling issues and the icemaker no longer was working, the freezer and fridge both were warming up. He couldn't fix it (it was the cooling and coiling system)but since it was still under manufactures warranty (its 4 months old!) I had to call that company and wait another 2 days before they could get a look.
Thursday we found out that schools were closed on Friday due to Hermine coming. I was actually relieved about this. My oldest was thankful because he had a big project due on Friday so that gave him the weekend to prepare for it more.
Friday came and everything in our fridge had ruined. It will be about a week or so before it can get fixed.( the freezer is still running but not at capacity so we are keeping things that need to be in the fridge in the freezer.)

On Friday afternoon, my pup got out of the fence and jumped in the pond after a duck. Normally I wouldn't freak out about that, BUT remember that gator that decided to set up his home in our pond????
Um yeah......that thing has grown and my dog was *almost* a gators lunch. She was so focused on swimming after the duck she didn't see it swimming behind her. I did though!!!!and every time it lunged at her I screamed and slapped the water which scared the duck and redirected it, which then redirected my dog so the gator missed. My dog would not come to shore, despite me calling for her. She really wanted to get that duck! . My husband came outside (in the wind and rain) and our pup was getting visibly tired. I had my oldest daughter go inside the house because she was crying hysterically. I didn't want her to see what I thought was going to be a certain death. The gator came back around, I'm trying to divert attention on one side of the pond and my husband is on the other side ready to jump in and get Fanci.  I see the gators head go to my pups side and then he goes under. I'm pretty sure Fanci felt him either nip her or swim past her because all of a sudden her back end went down and then she swam like a bat out of hell right to my husband!!! Thankfully she was unharmed!

Then hurricane Hermine came along and swept that gator away, right into its next life......(That's my story and I'm sticking to it!) The good thing is that we weren't impacted very much by the storm  And we actually had a few mornings in the 60's!!!!
The weekend was just easy miles gearing up for a 5k trail race on labor day.
Saturday I finally decided to click the "install now" button on my phone for the latest apple update. HOWEVER,  since I had an iPhone 4 the updates were incompatible so it fried my phone!!!! Why send an update to install if it wont work for that phone???
I got a new one on Sunday, an upgrade to iPhone 5. (I think apple does ish like that on purpose to force people to buy newer versions of their phones...its all about the $$$)
Monday was race day.......
The calamity of errors followed me along!
But i'll save that recap for later.
The good news is that I still won overall female despite the comical calamity of errors before, during and after the race...

How was your labor day weekend?

Have you ever had weeks like this, where things just don't go as planned or expected?

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.