i did end up getting my 17 in on saturday. i walked a minute after each mile, which still seems to be working well for me for longer runs.
this saturday is 18. i haven't run yet this week, so i am already behind.
i've had more important things happening though...
yesterday my sister had her baby.
a boy - 8lb. 4oz.
mom and baby are doing well. thanks for all the prayers and emails!
it was really neat to be there w/her!
it was a tough day though because we had to say goodbye to our sweet dog maggie that night. ugh. so hard.
i've been in a funk all day today.
i keep thinking she's still here, and i almost went out to feed her this morning.
we had her for almost 15 years. it's going to take awhile to get used to not having her here.

motivation

images from here.

still hot and humid here. it's been brutal for running, but somehow i'm still getting my miles in.
saturday will be 17. i need to buy more gels. i don't feel like i'm ready to run that far, but hopefully i'll surprise myself. friday is my birthday, so i guess i'll have to go easy on the cake and ice cream. ☺ i'm celebrating 36 this year. not sure how that happened so fast.

we've been enjoying lots of this lately.

we picked it up at the farmer's market last weekend after going to a few garage sales. i haven't found much at garage sales this year. my kids are getting too big to find very many clothes now. i used to buy almost all of their clothes at garage sales, but not anymore.

i did find these pressed flowers though. i've been wanting some for awhile, so i was so happy when i saw them for .50 cents each. the frames they were in were in bad shape, so i used new mats and frames and i think they look great! i already had the frames, and the mats were only $2. not bad for a $3 project.

my little sister is going to be induced on monday morning. i'm so excited to be there with her and to meet my little nephew. please pray for a healthy mom and baby.

15 miles done.
i love the sound of my feet hitting the pavement, especially at the beginning of a run when i'm feeling good.


today i learned that it's always a good idea to check the forecast before leaving.
 it started pouring and thundering at mile 6. i decided to take cover under a tree for a few minutes, but still got pretty drenched. it was refreshing after all the heat we've had though. the rain stopped, and the rest of my run went well.

now week 9 begins 4, 7, 4, 11.

random

• i haven't taken very many pictures since vacation. i need to get back to it.
• i went shopping for school supplies for the first time ever using a school list. i feel like i am sending my baby to kindergarten, but it is 5th grade. i almost cried in target.
• my little sister is going to have her baby any day now. a boy. yesterday they said if she doesn't have him in the next two weeks, they are going to induce her. can't wait to meet him.
• this is coming for my laundry room. from here.

• my vacuum broke. not a good thing for someone that vacuums at least once a day. i can.not.wait. for the new one to come!
• my garmin has been taking forever to get a signal. hopefully it's not on it's last life too.

procrastination over. time to go run.

oh, gatorade you are my friend.
it is HOT here! we're under a heat advisory for the whole week w/heat indexes between 110-115.
needless to say, it has made running tough. i can handle the heat; it's the humidity that's the killer.

i didn't end up getting my 14 in last weekend. in fact, i didn't run at all over the weekend. we were super busy with a friend's (beautiful!) wedding. when i had a small window of time to run, it was just too hot. such a wimp.

this week is 4, 7, 4, 15. i'm going to make sure i get it all in.
i ran 4 this morning in 90 degree 100% humidity, but i felt ok.

can't believe a week has already gone by. july is just flying...

this week calls for 4,7,4,14. i'm a little concerned about getting my 14 in. it's supposed to be 90+ degrees here with a heat advisory this weekend, and it's a super busy weekend for us. last sunday, i ran 9 miles in a heat advisory (not knowing there was one at the time) and i had a headache for the rest of the day. i don't recommend that. i guess that explains why i didn't see anyone else out...

hopefully i can fit it all in, but if not i will just have to break up the distance.

sad news. we're probably going to have to put our maggie to sleep. she's not eating anything (we've tried it all) and at 14 years old the vet said there isn't much they can do for her. we're all so sad about it, but we don't want her to suffer either. what a great family dog she has been for us. we're going to miss her so much.