WK 10 HMT and another 5k recap

Wow. Week 10 has flown by! I skipped a run but still had a solid week. Heres last week at a glance
Oct 23-29
Monday-rest
Tuesday- 45 minute elliptical plus weights
Wednesday- 6 miles including 8x hill sprints
Thursday-rest
Friday-skip
Saturday-9.5 miles including a 2x5k workout
Sunday- easy 10 mile shakeout run

Tuesday I chose to do elliptical instead of run. My hips have been giving me some issues so I thought it would be a nice way to still get my legs moving.
Wednesday was just a weird day for me. It started off great. I got the text from the recuse I volunteer for that Mamma Darling had her puppies. When she went in to get her head wounds taken care of, ultrasound showed 2, possibly 3 puppies and 2 strong heart beats were heard. Given her poor health condition we really weren't expecting more than 2 viable puppies. She is now a proud mamma to 6 babies!

 Mammas head wound(which was covered with maggots when she was found)

 Mamma Darling has blue eyes btw!

Click HERE to read more of her story!
Also, the 25th was my first litter of foster puppies birthday!!

So yeah Wednesday morning was full of puppy love!
But while I was at Publix I got some news I wasn't expecting. My Calico Kelly Cat had passed away.
I was in the busy produce section on senior discount day,so I went to the baby aisle where no one was at. I did my best not to cry in public. I think I got hit hard by emotions for the simple fact of the story behind Kelly cat and what she meant for me.

I found Kelly over 21 years ago as a tiny tiny baby kitten in the Old Time Pottery warehouse I was working at at the time. I found her 2 days after my friend committed suicide, and I always felt she was sent to me for a reason. Every one grieves differently and taking care of this tiny kitten helped me through the process. I named the kitten Kelly, in honor of my friend. My friends death came as a complete shock to everyone, as no one,not even his parents and girlfriend, knew he was depressed. He had everything going for him-smart, good looking, athletic and came from a good family....No one knew he was struggling.
Calico Kelly was my little angel and a constant reminder to be a good friend and always be kinder than necessary as you never really know what people are going through....

What helped me on this day was the group run. I headed to the Newington neighborhood to meet the crew and get some hill work done. since the track has been taken over by the middle school football players, we find this route a good substitute.

This run was just what I needed!
Friday I was supposed to get in 5 shakeout miles for the upcoming race on Saturday but life happened so I ended up not running. Lets just say that our fridge that has not been working for the past 2 weeks was supposed to be fixed then but the wrong parts were ordered so we are without a fridge until parts come in. Yay.

Saturday-race day!
I was actually really looking forward to running the James Island Connector run. Its a run with a great cause! The JICR benefits the Gavalas Kolanko foundation which offers scholarships to students with all types of disabilities.I had never raced it before (and top 5 got cash prizes). Scoping out the times from the past couple years, I had a good shot at making top 5 in either the 5k or the 10k. I had originally planned to do the 10k as a tune up race to see where I was at for the up coming half. But I chose to do the 5k and then add another 5k to just make it a tempo workout. This is a hilly course (ran on the roads) and I didn't want to risk injury so close to a goal race. My hips have been acting up lately and I didn't want to chance it.

5K recap
I somehow manage to find a parking spot and head to packet pickup without getting lost. I find Larry the Legend and we get in an almost 2 mile warm up. I try to pick out the speedy ladies from both the 10k and 5k. We all started together and I wanted to get an idea of how many females would be in front of me. Gun goes off and 3 fast ladies immediately separate themselves from the pack. Maybe I had a shot at top 5? I see tony ahead of me in the first half mile as a lady passes me. I had myself as 5th female in the 5k. The good thing about this race is that it is a point to point 5k.There was no way I was going to get lost! and also it was nice to just run a straight (albeit hilly) course with no turns. (The 10kers turned around at the 5k and made their way back up the connector, which had an additional 3 hills, which were steeper) This race had 3 hills and I attacked each one. Tony was my source of motivation. I wanted to catch up to him so bad! I see mile 1 at 6:44, and I was mad at myself for going out way too conservative.

I make it a point to open my strides and use the down hills in order to gain some ground on Tony. I'm not a strong hill runner so I had to use any advantage I could. Tony is lightning fast on the down hills so whatever ground I made on the inclines, he pulled ahead of me on the declines. I see mile 2 in 6:27 and I see a shadow to the right of me. I think its another female so I make it a point to accelerate and shake them off my heels. It works and I am on a serious rabbit hunt. I reel in the guys in front of me and try to catch the gal in front of me, who was just behind Tony. I am getting in a good groove until the last hill. It takes a lot from me and as I'm trying to accelerate I see that shadow again. Close to the 3 mile marker I get passed by another female. I try to surge with her but I just cant catch her. The wind goes out of my sails.I see mile 3 at 6:30 and the last 0.1 was 6:11 pace. I cross the line in 20:29 as 15th/582 person and....... 6th female OA.

I hang out at the line for a couple minutes and find Larry, Becky and Deanna.They were going to run back as a cool down and I was going to add in that other 5k at tempo pace. While I nailed the tempo run and felt really good and strong, it was TOUGH!! Those hills were killer and I couldn't imagine racing it. After I'm done with the workout I find Larry and we get in a nice cool down. We manage to find our group and get our results. I placed first in my AG, Becky placed right behind me and got 2nd in AG, Larry placed first in his AG and Deanna won the females masters division and won $100

After awards I make my way to get some post race snacks and I was given a hot dog, a bunch of bananas and a bag of bagels, lol!!!

 Just for kicks and giggles,when I got home I checked the results for the 10k---AND I would have placed in the top 5 if I ran the time I did in my workout.

Oh well. I plan on running this course next year, and next year I'll be better prepared for it. Its a challenging course!

Sunday morning I did an easy 10 mile shakeout run on the TM before I went to Myrtle beach to take my daughter to her soccer games. The girls won the first game against this team 1-0 but lost the second game 0-1. The other team played rough and dirty. The ref wasn't very fair and Alex got 4 fouls called on her because the girl she was marking up on would literally fall at Alexs feet, even when Alex didn't even touch her! It was an intense day and I'm proud of how well the girls handled themselves with such a pushy/aggressive team!

It was also nice to spend all day in the Myrtle Beach area. while it brought back ugly memories of the race that shall not mentioned, I had a great day with my daughter and I also realized how trashed my legs were from the race!

This week is my last hard week before the taper and I'm just hoping my body stays together long enough!
How do you recover from a hard course and bounce back to the daily grind?

I’m linking up with Holly at HoHo Runs and Tricia from MissSippiPiddlin for their Weekly Wrap. Be sure to check out not only the hosts’ posts, but the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!

WK 9 HM training and a 5k recap

This week starts week 10 of HM training. Eeeek! here is wk 9 at a glance:
October 16-22
Monday- rest
Tuesday-4.5 miles including 8x400s
Wednesday- 6.4 miles with hills
Thursday-rest
Friday-4 miles easy
Saturday- 7.2 miles including a 5k
Sunday- 12 miles

Tuesday my Oldest baby turned 14. I got in a quick 8x400 before the celebrations...

Wednesday was 6 miles in the Newington neighborhood, which is where I do hill sprints. I didn't sprint the hills, as my hip flexors have been extra tight for the past week.

Friday was easy 4 miles to shake my legs out for a 5k the next day.

Saturdays 5k:

I ran the Susan G Komen Race for the cure. This is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart and I try to run these races every chance I get. My family has been directly impacted by Breast Cancer and we have seen first hand the benefits of this organization.

Both my paternal and maternal grandmothers have battled cancer. My paternal Oma sadly lost her fight in 1981,and my maternal grandmother has fought and won the battle 3 times over.

Pre race:

I woke up unrested and in a bad mood. I left my house later than expected and therefore had a hard time finding a parking spot. Small things were just aggravating me. By the time I get my race packet, I only had 25 minutes to use the restroom and warm up. My hip flexors felt really tight still and I had originally planned on a 3 mile warm up. I mange to avoid the portopotties by running to publix and using their nice,clean indoor restrooms. I only get in a 1.8 mile warm up and when I get to the line I try to get in a few striders and stretches. I don't see anyone I know. I was really hoping I would see Kerry, who I ran this race with last year. I make a point toe the line away from the small kids who tend to go out WAY to fast and die a quarter mile in.

Race time:

Gun goes off and I expertly avoided being boxed in by the kids. I didn't see any females dart out to the front, except for a small girl. I figured she was going to go out too fast and loose steam before the first mile.
I didn't want to go out too fast and had to slow myself down. I see the first mile in 6:27.
at this point I was on the lookout for the small girl. I didn't see her fade any,i hadn't passed her yet. I see a pack of 5 men in front of me and make a point to reel them in and pass them one by one. Mile 2 comes and goes  and I see 6:36. I pass 3 men.I make a quick glance behind me as a turn a corner and see a female trying to close in on me. That motivates me to not slow down. I still don't see where that small girl went. Was I first female,or 2nd? I felt really strong and relaxed during this mile. I pass another guy and try to chase down the guy in front of me.The Course takes us along the streets of Daniel Island and as I'm running, I see signs posted along the course in honor and memory of those who battled cancer, which was a simple reminder that i was running for those who could not.The crowd support was amazing during the last mile. The only downside to this course is that 1) its a little long (3.16) and 2) once you make the final turn you can see the finish arch for over half a mile. it seems like the longest stretch ever. My pace doesn't change much for this mile, 6:38. The guy in front of me surges ahead and I follow along. I cross the line at 20:42, 26 seconds slower than last year. I cringe when I see the time. But I quickly remind myself that this race wasn't about the time on the clock.
As soon as I cross the line I hear footsteps behind me. it was another female, apparently she almost had me beat at the line. If I would have known I was being chased that closely perhaps I would have ran faster? oh well.

Post race:
I finally catch sight of the small girl. She was already finished just hanging out at the line. She never faded and crossed in 19:23, snagging the OA win for the ladies!! I give her a high 5 and tell her she's going to do great things when she gets older.
I then head to my car before cooling down. Usually I like to find someone to cooldown with but at the moment I was glad I was running solo. It gave me a few minutes to clear my head. While I was disappointed with my time, one thing I can say for sure is that I felt good during the race both mentally and physically. I wasn't hating every second of it, I didn't want to stop and quit half way through. I was enjoying the run and still had gas left in the tank at the end. All these signs are encouraging to me as I've been feeling on the edge of a burnout since March of this year. Since the course measured long, I was actually faster than my last race and had it been 3.1 my time would have been 20:18. I hang around for awards, grab a cupcake and head home.

I woke up on Sunday, very tired and with sore knees and hips. My youngest son kept waking up in the night due to his ear hurting. Even with Tylenol he still had restless sleep. And lil Maggie didn't sleep well either. she kept thinking it was time to play! I was glad I made it to the group run though. I got there a little bit early and got in 3 miles with Larry the Legend. And then got in 8 miles with the group and then the last mile I did solo to get in a total of 12 miles. My legs felt surprisingly good after the 3rd mile (they felt achy and heavy at first) so I just rolled with it. I'm so glad I had company during these miles. It made for good conversation and the time and miles seemed to just fly by. I don't think I would have hit the paces we did if I were running solo.

When I got home, my youngest was camping out on the couch. He said his ear felt better but he couldn't hear. When I checked his ear I was shocked to see it was draining blood. We made a trip to the walk in and my suspicions were right. Another double ear infection. This is his first ear infection since he tubes put in a few months ago. The tubes were doing their job and draining it like they are supposed to. He got put on antibiotic ear drops.

 After my daughters soccer games I was able to just lay around and rest.And so did Elijah and Maggie

So that about sums things up for last week.
Now its on to week 10!!! 18 days until race day and yet again I still feel very unprepared. My back up race is scheduled 6 weeks from now so in case I don't meet my goals, ive got another race lined up,lol!!!
Hope all have a great week up ahead!

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link.
Is it fall yet where you are?
It isn't here yet for Charleston. We've had 1 cool day but I think that in another week or so the cooler temps will be here to stay--keeping fingers crossed!

WK 8 HMT and a 5k recap

week 8 is in the books-now its on to week 9. only 3.5 weeks until the half!!!! eeeek!
 Here is last week at a glance:
October 9-15
Monday-rest
Tuesday-rest
Wednesday- 6 miles including 8x hill sprints
Thursday-rest
Friday-5 miles easy
Saturday-7.5 miles including a 5k
Sunday- 12miles  10 miles

Wednesday the group met up at to run the Newington hills. I did 6 miles with Amy and did hill sprints. I'm glad I had her encouragement because hills aren't really my favorite. After the run we went to Erin and her husbands home for a cook out. I'm glad as I was able to join the get together with friends. Its never a party until someone starts stretching and breaks out the foam rollers! Lol!

Friday I just did some easy miles to get my legs loose for Saturdays 5k. My hip flexors were screaming at me and I started to feel my shins ache. awesome.

5k recap

I woke up to slightly cooler temps than last weekends race,and I was thankful for that. It was still 100% humidity and 70% dew point though. This was my 3rd year running this particular race. the first year I ran it (2015) I placed 3rd OA female and won a $25 gift card to fleet feet. it was a breakthrough race for me, as I had just met the Wednesday night track crew a few months earlier and was trying to get back into running shape. I had gotten out of the rut of sub 24 and made a sub 22. I ran this race last year (2016) 1 week after the Sweet Tea half (on dead legs)and placed 2nd OA, winning a $50 publix gift card. I ran a sub 21, just 13 seconds from sub 20..I was hoping to place 1rst OA this year and get sub 20...

This isn't a particularly fast course as its on curvy winding paved trails through the woods. Certain places are bumpy and you've really got to watch your footing and the finish is on grass, very much like crosscountry! 

I arrive at packet pick up and see Larry the Legend. we get in a 2 mile warm up, and my legs were feeling very stiff and tight. As I make my way to the line, I spy Shannon, the gal who won the race last year, and also won the Sweet Tea half last year. She's a super fast runner so I just wanted to keep her in my sights, lol!

Gun goes off , Shannon takes off and the boys are chasing her. I'm in a pack of 4 guys, one guy pulls ahead and I'm with 2 high schoolers and a guy who looks like a sprinter. I quickly pass the sprinter and fall behind the 2 high school kids. I still see Shannon leading the way.

I stay with the high schoolers for a bit and try to pass them. But the path was narrow and they were running side by side. I eventually pass them before the 1 mile mark. I see the other guy up ahead and try to close the gap. it doesn't take long to catch up to him and pass him. I ran the last half of the race in complete no mans land with periodic glimpses of Shannon.

My hip flexors felt really tight still but aside from that I felt strong, at least mentally. like last weekends race, I wasn't hating running. I just focused on my breathing and my cadence. about 2.7 miles in I was questioning if I was going the right way, but a volunteer directed me the way to the finish. I crossed the line in 20:39 by my watch but 20:41 official time. While I was still disappointed I didn't beat my time from last year, I'm really glad that I felt strong and just enjoyed the run. AND I was 2nd OA person and 2nd OA female. The women represented!!! I won a medal and a $50 gift card to fleet feet, so I cant complain a bit.

After the race, Shannon, Larry, john and I get in a little over 2 miles for a cool down and then wait on awards. Larry ended up placing 3rd OA male so heres the pic of 1rst, 2nd and 3rd!

The rest of the weekend was spent celebrating my oldest sons 14th birthday, going to my daughters soccer games,and waiting on the new washing machine. Our house is officially falling apart. Our refrigerator isn't working so I have to wait on another repair man this week. good times!!!

My son had good birthday weekend though

I did mange to get in a long run on Sunday. it was NOT pretty. I was supposed to get in 12 but I cut it to 10. it took 5 miles before my legs warmed up and my hip flexors were screaming the entire way.

thankfully I had a not so relaxing torture session deep tissue sports massage and stretching scheduled for the afternoon. I felt MUCH better by that evening....

and now its on to week 9!!!

I still don't feel anywhere close to being prepared. I am still hoping I have at least 1-2 workouts that give me the confidence boost I need!

I'm also hoping that fall gets here ASAP and stays! We've had a couple cool days but the heat is going right back up...

Is it fall yet where you live?

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link.

Welcome to wk 8 HMT and 5k recap

Hey, Hey! another week of HM down in the books!
Last weeks training:
October 2-8
Monday-rest
Tuesday-- rest
Wednesday- 7.5 miles including 6x2 minute sprints @goal 5kpace and 1 mile @10k pace
Thursday-rest
Friday-4 miles
Saturday- 7 miles including a 5k
Sunday- 12 mile progressive run

Like most of the USA, I woke up Monday morning to the news about a mass shooting in LasVegas. I wont spend much time on this but will share here what I said on IG:
The only thing I could wrap my head around was some wise words of wisdom spoken by Mr. Rogers:
"Look for the helpers"...

My heart is heavy. As a mother, this has been yet another difficult topic to discuss with my children. they've been asking questions and I have heeded Mr. Rogers advice "look for the helpers"
I am a firm believer that there is far more good than evil in this world and that the basics of humanity can be found in kindness. Las Vegas just proved to the world that even in times of great sorrow and tragedy, good will still prevail. I encourage every one to always be kinder than necessary. and when tragedy strikes, "look for the helpers"
Las Vegas, my heart goes out to you. Despite the horrific events that have transpired, you are proving that love and kindness are stronger than hate and evil. Thank you everyday heroes, neighbors, strangers, friends, paramedics, first responders, EMS, Doctors, nurses, police officers, civilians for coming together in unity and humanity to rebuild. Vegas will come back stronger than before...

Having that to start the week off wasn't the greatest but I did manage a good rest of the week.
On Wednesday I met up with Amy to get in a warm up before my workout and then would meet her and the rest of the fleet feet group for a local pub run. I got in 6x2 minute sprints and then noticed I didn't time the workout so that I ended close to meeting area. I was running a few minutes behind. I finish the workout and ran to where fleet feet met up. I was given the course directions and I went on a one mile tempo run in order to catch up to the group. I may have cut a couple corners but I finally ran into Amy and Howie who were leading the group run. I clocked that mile in 6:20. Turns out that Amy made the route a little longer so I still ended up with 7.5ish miles. Its always great to have company, especially when you don't know the route! that first mile I was like:

Thursday was puppy Maggies first play date and first photoshoot!!!

She did amazing.

Friday was easy miles to get ready for an upcoming 5k, The Isle of Palms Connector run. I have never ran this race and had no idea what to expect, other than having to run over the connector twice. (2 hills, 1 in mile 1 and 1 in mile 3 but with a down hill finish)

5k Recap:

5:30 wake up calls are never that fun. I woke up to rain and humid muggy air. I had to leave by 6 so I could get across the connecter before 7am, when they closed it down to traffic. I eventually find my way where to park (I may or not have called Amy to double check where paring was-but I started following cars and volunteers directed me)

I get my packet, pin my bib and walk around until I find someone I know. I find Mark and we get in a 2 mile warm up. He was doing the 10k and he offered me some advice on how to tackle the course. Be conservative the first mile,  so I have enough left in the tank to get over the connector the second time and fly like a bat out of hell on the down hill....

I am very thankful for that advice. I am NOT a strong hill runner so I set ZERO expectations on this race. I make my way to the start and love on some puppies before I find my people. I felt the heat and the sweat coming off the runners in the starting corral. 5k and 10kers start at the same time so it was getting crowded, and it was hot, humid and sticky. (The skies had been overcast but the sun started to come out right before the start). At that moment, I wanted to be anywhere but there. I was not in the running mood and I'm pretty sure I bitched about how I wished I would have stayed in bed. I start to feel a little bit nervous, my stomach is doing flip flops. I scope out the competition and feel defeated before I began. But I chose not to focus on that, I was just going to run my race, if anything I was going to use it as a workout.

Gun goes off, and the first half mile I felt miserable. My stomach was in knots, I was wanting to tap out within the first 3 minutes of the race. I shift my focus to how my breathing was, how my legs felt...I crank up my ipod and I start to find a rhythm with my pace. I look up and see the hill. It looked incredibly daunting but I remind myself that this race isn't as hard as the Cooper River Bridge run. I make a point to keep my head down as I make my way up the connector the first time. (This is reason #43267891 why I always wear a hat)

When I get to the top of the connector, i see a few women ahead of me. I don't know if they are doing the 10k or 5k, but I start on a rabbit hunt on the down hill. I see mile 1 in 6:52. A little slow but i make up for it on the down hills. I pass a couple women, and I see Tony-a guy I've been trying to catch for the past 2 years. He is always just seconds ahead! I see the turn around point and the 5kers are starting to turn. I start counting places and kept waiting to see a female make the turn. At the half way point I am 10th person and first female. Out of the corner of my eye I spy another female close behind me. I pick up my pace and catch the guy in front of me. I see mile 2 in 6:38. I zone in on Tonys shoes and try to ignore the steep incline going up the other side of the connector. Try being the operative word. By this point, the heat and humidity were out in full force. What kept my wheels turning was trying to catch Tony. He started to slow down on the incline, I was closing the gap. I was catching up!!

Picture proof I was chasing him down.....

But as soon as we started the down slope of the connector, Tony flew the last stretch like his britches were on fire. I see mile 3 at 7:15(yikes I slowed down way too much!) I pick up my pace in hopes of catching him again and have a 6:04 pace the last .16

I ended up with 21:43 on the clock, a solid 18 seconds behind Tony.

I was really disappointed in this slow (for me!) time but was pretty happy that I felt strong during the race. I was actually enjoying the chase and I wasn't hating every second of the run like I have the past few races. I originally had planned to go back through the course so I could get in a 10k tempo run but to be honest, I felt zapped so it was a big NO to the tempo. I talk to Tony for a bit then find Merideth, the womens master winner, to cool down with. We do 2 miles around town and then head back to cheer the 10kers on. I look for Amy and was told she had just finished. I head to the finish and start looking for her but cant find her. I see a lot of the CRC crew and everyone is talking about how hot and humid it is and what a tough race this was because of it. I scoped out the results and it looks like everyone was about 90 seconds off their normal paces due to both the weather and the course itself. I hang around for awards and am pleasantly surprised to win not only a medal, but $100 cash!!

I am so glad I didn't choose to stay in bed that day.Half the battle to racing is simply showing up on race day, right? Sometimes races are not about fast times but rather running for a good cause. I may be disappointed with the time on the clock but I'm happy that i finished uninjured, and I felt mentally strong.

At the end of the day, race times don't matter to those who are benefiting from the race. They just care that enough people signed up in order to help their cause!

I skipped the group run on Sunday because i "slept in" until 7:45. baby Maggie slept a full 7 hours and i was thankful to finally get a little bit of extra rest! i ended up getting in a 12 mile progressive run on the TM later in the day. I felt strong and wasn't hating it until mile 11 by then i was bored and hungry! I usually don't like to do long runs on the TM and am surprised the run went so well. But I also felt exhausted afterwards and may or may not have sat on the couch eating popsicles and dozing off to sleep..

And now its onto wk 8 of half marathon training!

I STILL don't feel at all prepared for the half marathon coming up in 5 weeks. I'm hoping i can have a few great work outs or races that will give me some confidence I'm on the right track....

Hope all have a great week ahead! Do you ever really feel fully prepared on goal race day?

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link and with Courtney of Eat, Pray, Run, DC.

its been a while! welcome to wk 7 of HM training...

Wow its been a while...
First off, I'm still running. In fact, I'm in the thick of half marathon training. This week is the start of wk 7 of 12!
 This is last weeks training at a glance
Sept 25th- Oct 1
Monday-rest
Tuesday-rest
Wednesday-6 miles with 8x hill repeats
Thursday-4.5 miles easy
Friday-rest
Saturday- 5 miles including 5k
Sunday- 11 miles

First part of the week was resting from the previous week (which included 12x300 and an 8 mile tempo run) Wednesday was hot and humid! glad I had my fellow Wednesday night track crew with me for this,and Amy stayed with me so I could get in the last 4 hill repeats.

Saturdays 5k wasn't very competitive, and I ran just slow/fast enough to snag a win for the ladies (I was 2nd overall person, first overall female)
All proceeds went to help raise awareness of gynecologic cancers such as cervical and ovarian cancers. This is a cause that hits close to home, so I was proud to toe the line and run for those who have been effected by this.

Sundays long run went surprisingly well. It was my longest run since march of this year! Fall temps FINALLY arrived and my lungs and legs were thankful for the lower humidity and cooler temps.

And now this week starts week 7!!!! eeeeek! 5 more weeks left and I don't feel ready at all.
 In other news......

LOTS of things have been going in in my world over the past few monthsI'll spare all the boring details but things of note are:
1) I barely raced this summer. Last summer I did 15 races between June-September. I've only done 3 races since 4th of July and all 3 of the races were not the races I was hoping for. In fact this entire year of training/racing hasn't been anything like I wanted or expected. I haven't had a good race all year and I fear I am on the edge of a burnout. My competitive mojo has gone missing, and I'm trying to find it again. I have been hitting the workouts close to or on target. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can end the year with at least 1 good race.
 
2)Summer fun in the sun and on the beach got cut a little short due to my oldest daughter breaking her wrist during the 2nd day (of a 3 week) soccer camp. She missed the first month of practice but was able to play the first game of the fall season(unlike last year when she missed the entire fall season due to breaking her arm falling off the trampoline). Grace is NOT her middle name!

3)My youngest baby started kindergarten this year. It was an emotional day, and it didn't help that I got a phone call from the teacher saying I had an unruly child. Ok it wasn't THAT dramatic but he refused to sit next to a girl at lunch and didn't follow the class rules when it came to lining up and things of that nature. It got better and he's been keeping on his best behavior during school hours.

4) I've been doing summer work with the rescue I volunteer for and was able to help save a few dogs.

5) I did a half iron man relay this summer, and ran the run portion. It was a mock half iron man race that the Summerville tri group put on in order to get in one last good practice before the big races. The mock event was complete with transition areas and aid stations. I even won a medal!

4) We have a new addition to our family! My husband surprised us all by bringing home an 8 wk baby old English bulldog. We took a while to find a name for her. Nothing seemed to really fit her. For now, we call her Maggie Moo. My husband calls her Moose.

So that about sums things up from my 4 month hiatus!!
I'm planning to start back up with the weekly blogging to keep me accountable.5 more weeks until the first fall half marathon! I've got several races lined up this month, and through the end of December.
Hope all in blogger land are doing well! Do yall have any big races coming up?
I’m linking up with HoHo Runs and MissSippi Piddlin’ for the Weekly Wrap.