Time for some R&R!

Other than my third toenail that is trying to fall off, this week has been full of good stuff like resting, recovering and eating! I only had a three day work week so it was perfect! I am not sure what is wrong with me but I have been more than hungry for the past few days! I have been kind of giving in and eating a little too much.

All of the soreness that I had in my quads was gone when I woke up yesterday morning. I was kind of surprised since my first two marathons left me sore for close to a week. I think that the soreness may have gone away much quicker this time because I have been foam rolling every single day. That thing really works! I think that I might try to run an easy paced 6 on Sunday but we will see what happens.

I have a 10K coming up on June 8th so I need to get a couple of short runs in before then so  that I don't die out there. The start of the race is about 2.5 miles from my house so I might even jog over to the start. My friend Megan will also be in town to run the 5K so I will finally get to meet this sweet girl! I keep telling her that she needs to move back to California so she doesn't have to keep flying in from Georgia to run these 5K's! I don't have any big plans for this 10K but I have not ran one in a while so it will be interesting to see what I can pull off.

In other news, my puppies will be turning a year old on Sunday so I am planning to buy them a peanut butter doggy cake and we will be having a little birthday celebration.

What are your plans for the weekend? Any races on the schedule?

How We Celebrated Valentine's Day!

From all of the posts on Facebook and Instagram it appears that everyone had a great Valentine's Day. I saw so many pictures of roses, chocolate and sweet notes from spouses and children. We had a great Valentine's Day too and I will share all of the details with you. I did take the day off of work to watch over my two puppies who are recovering from surgery. They have been pretty calm and quiet which is a change in our house. They do not have to wear their cones of shames since they have been behaving and not licking themselves.

My other half sent me these beautiful roses for Valentine's Day which I did not expect. I told him not to buy me anything and that we would just go out to dinner but he never listens. The prices of roses on Valentine's Day are just crazy!

We went to dinner at P.F. Chang's and the food was pretty good. We had egg drop soup, Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Mongolian Beef, Crispy Honey Chicken and brown rice. The lettuce wraps are my favorite. I can eat those for a meal and be satisfied because they are so good!

The service was pretty good and the food came out quickly which was great because my son was starving. Thank goodness we had a reservation because the wait was an hour and 45 minutes if you did not have one. I don't think I would wait that long at any restaurant!

My favorite part of the dinner was dessert of course! These banana spring rolls were amazingly delicious. I should have never tried them because I am going to eat them every single time I go to P.F Chang's in the future. I don't care how many calories they have and I don't want to know either!

I was supposed to get a run in yesterday but ended up falling asleep. It was 76 degrees when I woke up so I decided to wait until this morning. I ran 6.30 miles and I am so glad that I did since I feel crappy when I get lazy and miss a run for no good reason. It was warm and windy this morning so I am hoping that the weather will not be like this on Sunday morning for race day. Hot and Hilly are not a good combination for me!

Tonight we are going out to dinner again to celebrate a friend's 40th birthday. It should be fun!

How was your Valentine's Day? Did you do anything special? 

Are you a dessert person like me?

I was planning on behaving myself tonight but then I was asked to bring cupcakes for the birthday girl so I highly doubt that I am going to!

Will They Still Love Me?

Yes, I still have these two little girls and tomorrow is a big day for them! My family is convinced that these two now belong to me so I have decided that I am going to get them both spayed. They are not going to be happy with me but I know it is the right thing to do considering the pet overpopulation problem which breaks my heart. The girls are almost nine months old now and I have put this off long enough. I have a five day weekend coming up next week so I will be able to keep a close on them to make sure that their recovery process goes well.

I hope they still love me once it is all done! Please pray that the surgery goes well for my two babies on Tuesday.

Yes, I Still Have Them!

Remember those puppies that were born back on June 2 of this year?  I still have them and have not been able to find homes for them. They have names now and I I am not quite sure what I am going to do with them. My son is completely attached to them and maybe the rest of us are too! They are getting pretty big and are just the most lovable little things. Jackie is already 9 pounds and Chiquita is 7.1 pounds. Sugar still thinks that she needs to take care of them like she used to when they were first born and she loves to be with them. The puppies love her too and they cannot stand to be away from one another.

They all got new sweaters from Target to keep them warm for the winter. Chiquita is not very fond of her sweater and she takes it off when we are not home or when we are not looking. Jackie leaves hers on and doesn't really care for the most part. Sugar does not like the cold and has been refusing to go outside to use the bathroom so I have to force her out and she shakes and shivers. I think she appreciates her sweater more than the puppies do.

The next step for the puppies is getting them spayed before they go into their first heat cycle. I don't want to deal with the mess and I know that it is coming soon. I want to take care of it before Christmas so my girls will be going for surgery really soon. They are not going to be happy since they have already figured out what the vet does to them after having four sets of puppy shots!

Do you have dogs? What breed? Do you dress them up or put sweaters on them during the winter to keep them warm?

Pumpkin Spice Lattes and My Trial Run

So this trial run has been on my To Do List for the past couple of days and I have not done it.  I said I was going to do it yesterday and just didn't. I thought about it and then just decided that it was better to just stay in bed and do it tomorrow. I even told myself that even if I didn't run that I would go to the morning spin class but I skipped that too! I have did a busy day yesterday which included getting my teeth cleaned, pet food shopping, lunch at CPK, and gift shopping for a family birthday party that we are attending today but that has nothing to do skipping out on my run.

Today I woke up early and almost got up to go for that run 10 times and just didn't do it again!   The weather was perfect but that still wasn't enough to get me to do it. I thought to myself if I try to go for this run and my shin is still hurting it is going to ruin my day and I wasn't in the mood to feel like that today. I didn't get out of my bed until 8:00 am which almost never happens! Instead of running, I suggested that we grab some pumpkin spice lattes and then take the puppies to get their shots. Great idea, right? I have never tried a pumpkin spice latte and it was actually really good so now I understand what the hype is all about. 

The puppies got their shots today so they are not very happy with us say the least. They get really quiet and actually stay calm for a change. They are 19 weeks old today and are getting so big! Jackie weighs 8.2 pounds and Chiquita weights 6.6 pounds.

The rest of my day includes haircuts for the boys and then the birthday party. My trial run is not in the plan for the remainder of the day. Will it happen tomorrow? I really don't know!  I am not sure what is wrong with me but I really need to get my running mojo back! 

What do you do when you feel like you are losing your running mojo? 

17 Days and Counting....

It has been 17 days since my last run. Yes, I am counting the days because running is part of my life and I can't live without it. The plan is to continue spinning this week and then go for a trial run over the weekend to see how it goes. I am so tempted to hop on the treadmill at the gym so I have to leave my running shoes at home to stop myself. I wear my flip flops to the gym and then change into my cycling shoes so that's all I can do. I am actually starting to enjoy spinning and I think it is a great way for me to continue my cross training once I get back to running again. Last night I was pretty tired and had to drag myself to the 6:45pm class and once it was over I was glad I went. I never regret a great workout. I think I am taking this injury thing much better this time around but I am not sure how long this somewhat positive attitude lasts.

My original plan was to start my marathon training the week of October 14th, which would give me 16 weeks to train but that may not happen. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can at least get a small run in this weekend and remain pain free. I will not run through pain because I don't enjoy it and then I turn into a bag of nerves wondering what I am going to feel like the next day. If I cannot get back into training soon enough I will downgrade to the half marathon in February and reschedule my sub-four quest for my Dad. I really want to hit my goal so I won't run a marathon that I am not properly trained for. If I don't make the February marathon then I might put it off until the end of the year. I would really love to run CIM in December so maybe that will be my race.

I haven't talked about my puppies in a while but I still have two of them. My girls are 18 weeks old now and have grown so much.  I am not sure what I am going to do with them or better yet without them. I have been way to picky in placing them in new homes so I guess it is my own fault. The puppies are very attached to us so going to a new home will be difficult for them but I know they will adjust if they find a loving home. I have to stop the whole picking up the stray animals thing but I can't help myself.

So tell me...How many weeks do you train for a marathon?  
I have always stuck to a 16 week training program.

Do you have a soft spot for stray animals? 
You know I do! I have picked up two in the past year and all of my dogs have been strays with the exception of one. I can't bring myself to spend money on a pet when so many are homeless or in shelters about to be put down :(

"Damien and Dexter"

My son has been such a mess since our Brownie and Spot left us on Monday that I had to text their new owners and ask how they did on their first night without us.

I was told that they did great and have new names. They are now known as "Damien and Dexter." The Siberian Husky in the picture is named "Diablo" so I guess they wanted all three of their dogs to have names that start with the letter D. My son is not happy about the name changes but I think the picture they sent us gave him some comfort.

I got a little teary eyed looking at the picture because I miss them a lot.  I think I made the right choice and I still have a link to them through my vet so I can check to see how they are doing. 

Are you a super animal lover like me? 

I am probably a little over the top and tend to treat my pets like they are people. My co-workers think that I am crazy for taking in all of the strays and raising these puppies.

Two Tough Days!

The last two days have been emotionally challenging for me. Yesterday marked one year that I had to say goodbye to Baby, my little Pomeranian.  I knew it was going to be a tough day because all of the thoughts of that horrible day would become fresh in my mind. The only negative thing about having pets is having to say goodbye.

Today was also a sad day for me because it was my Dad's birthday and he spent the majority of his day getting his chemo treatment. This is probably not the ideal way to spend a birthday but he had no choice and it just sucks that he has to go through this. I feel so bad for him and wish there was something that I could do to take it all away.

It was also a very sad, yet happy, night because two of our puppies found a home..a good home. One of the technicians at our vet's office called and said that she was interested in adopting Brownie and came to see him after I got home from work. She brought her brother along and they fell in love with the two males and decided to take both Brownie and Spot. I was not prepared to let two of them go but I know that they are going to a good home so I was comfortable with these people. Sugar was not excited either and tried to bite the man when he attempted to pet her.  They were considering taking one of the pups and Sugar but I think she blew her chances when she decided that she needed to bite him for taking her babies away.

As much as I know that I cannot keep the puppies, I was heartbroken. My whole routine has been centered around these puppies for the last three months and I am going to miss Brownie and Spot.  The males were the wild ones of the litter but oh so lovable and sweet. I hope their new owners love them and care for them like we did. We reminded the new owners that Brownie and Spot can be returned at any time because we would never want to see these little guys at the shelter if things did not work out.

My son was devastated and it was a rough night for him to say the very least. He ran upstairs and cried for 30 minutes straight and it was not pretty. Sugar also cried and waited by the front door shaking and continuing to cry for a long time. The two female puppies were also very sad and they just went to their bed and looked at us as if to say "Are you getting rid of us next?"

We are going to miss Brownie and Spot dearly. I don't think we will be able do this again. It is so hard to let them go and my son is a mess! A huge, horrible mess! The puppies left four hours ago and he has been crying off and on asking me why I got rid of them. He is not happy with me at all! I guess he does not fully understand why we cannot keep 7 dogs... 

Do you ever have days like this when everything seems to be happening at once and you feel kind of overwhelmed?  

A Visit to the Doctor!

My puppies went for their first outing/car ride today. We took them to the vet to have exams and vaccinations. None of the puppies liked the car ride and they all wanted to get out. My son opened the side of the crate a little and gave them all some love so that they would relax. Sugar came along to have an exam as well as get her vaccinations since she was not allowed to have them while she was pregnant and nursing. Speaking of nursing, we have completely weaned the puppies off of their mommy.  That was tough since they would attack her the minute they saw her.  

We loaded all four of them up in this little red crate and went to visit our amazing vet. Dr. K's mother has been really sick so our journey to find homes for these puppies has not been very successful to date.  I have to admit, that I love them so much that I haven't been making much of an effort to find them homes. I had a few prospects but I was not 100% comfortable with the people so I didn't really pursue them. These puppies get lots of love and attention and I am not looking for owners that plan to throw them out in the backyard and forget that they exist. I am a super pet lover so if you don't give me that warm and fuzzy feeling, then it's probably not going to happen! 

Dr.K had never seen the puppies in person before and she quickly fell in love! All of the staff in the office loved them and Brownie seemed to be the favorite. One of the technicians is seriously considering adopting him. The other male pup, white one with the brown spot over his eye, was the second favorite so maybe he will also get adopted by someone in the office.  Even the people in the waiting room fell in love with the puppies. Sugar was busy growling at all of the other dogs that were 10 times bigger than her!

Only one of the puppies, the smallest one, cried when she got her shots. I felt really bad for her because she was the last one to get her shots and none of the others cried. When we returned home, they ate and fell asleep.  I think the vaccinations made them sleepy which is normal. We have to do this all over again in three weeks and Sugar will be having surgery on September 4th to be spayed, get her teeth cleaned and remove a fatty tumor she has on her tummy. I need to take care of Sugar before she goes into heat again! I am hoping to have all of the puppies placed in good homes by early September so I can take a small vacation for my birthday. If not, it's okay I want to feel 110% comfortable with the homes they are placed in and they all come with a lifetime return policy :)

Weekend Update, Puppies and a Spider!

I had a three day weekend and it was pretty nice. I was really lacking on sleep last week and I was feeling pretty beat by the end of the week. I slept until 7am on Saturday which is something that I rarely do.  My internal alarm clock, as well as my dogs, never fails to go off on the weekends!  The dogs never fail to start barking at 4am to eat breakfast! They love to eat!

My son really wanted to see Batman this weekend but after the horrible events that took place in Aurora, Colorado I didn't really feel like going anymore. I feel really bad for all of those people and their families. I just could not make any sense of it over the weekend.  It was just so bad watching all of those people hurting over what had taken place. Why do things like that have to happen??

I put my long run off until Sunday because I just did not have the energy to do it on Friday or Saturday. I went out for a run on Friday morning and I did not feel 100% and turned around and went back home.  I was only able to get 7.3 miles in before I had to call it a day. It was warm out at 6am and it was not just not my day!  I mapped out a new route to try on Saturday and I almost ran through this!  

I guess this is not a very popular route if this guy was able to build this masterpiece! I was kind of done at this point because I don't like spiders! I kept thinking that something was crawling on me after seeing this guy.

My puppies turned 7 weeks old on Saturday and are getting cuter, smarter and all of those good things. They are doing everything on their own but they just can't seem to get enough of their mama. They still cry to nurse with her and chase her down until she gives in so we are still letting them nurse once or twice a day.  Other than that, they eat and drink water on their own.  

The pups are pretty good about understanding the whole "go potty on the puppy pad" thing but once in a while they push their luck and poop somewhere that they shouldn't like in their own water bowl!  

My 15 mile run did happen on Sunday! I headed out at 5:45am and just went for it nice and easy with a goal pace of around 8:50-9:00. The weather is just too warm for me to push for anything more than that so my focus was more on building my endurance and not so much on my pace.

After my run, we headed over to my sisters apartment and had a BBQ and relaxed by the pool. I closed out my week with 36.34 miles and will be shooting for a 17 mile run next week. I am excited and nervous all at the same time! I am making progress and that always brings a smile to my face :) I still haven't bought that helmet to start riding my bike but it is going to happen soon. I need to start incorporating some cross training into my running schedule to get me ready for Surf City in February!

How was your weekend?  Did you go for a long run? Did you race?

Puppy Update: Five Weeks Old and a Weekly Recap

The puppies are doing great and are now five weeks old! They are so cute and they are now responding to our voices.  When I stand at the opening of their little home and they all come running to me. They love to lick me and they all want to be held and loved. They cry until it is their turn to be picked up and hugged and loved. They love to play with one another and sometimes things get a little out of control in there. Brownie even figured out how to get out of the caged area yesterday!

They love to play with one another and sometimes things get a little out of control in there. Brownie even figured out how to get out of the caged area yesterday!These pups are pretty smart too. They actually step out of their bed and use the bathroom on the puppy pads. I am not sure how they learned this but all four of them know how to do it! We bought them some toys to see if they would play and they love their toys.

They are still learning how to eat and prefer to drink from mama but they are getting too big for her to feed 100% of the time since they are all almost 3 pounds.  They are getting the hang of it and should be weaned from their mama really soon. They get their nails trimmed every week and they don't really like it but I have to do it so that they do not scratch Sugar when they are nursing.

I don't have homes for any of them yet but we are still working on it. I really want to make sure that they go to good homes that will keep them as inside pets. These little pups are used to a warm, clean bed and lots of love and attention so if they can't continue to get that in a new home then they can't leave mine! My family thinks that I am going to try to keep them all but I am not. I can't! I just want to place them in good homes with responsible owners who can give them the proper care and love. I am happy to say that most of the bloggers who are pet owners show an amazing amount of love for their pets and I really admire them for it! 

                                                                 Weekly Recap

My running is continuing to get better and better. Slowly but surely I will be where I want to be. I am in no big rush but am just happy to be back in the 8:XX pace range again and running pain free. I made some progress this week and logged 31 miles and I am happy with that. My challenge for the week will be planning my runs around this heat! I guess it's a week for the dreadmill!

Less than two months until the Disneyland Half Marathon! 

Puppy Update: Four Weeks Old

Can you believe that the puppies are now four weeks old today?  They are all about two pounds now and they have learned so many new things in the last week.  They are so playful with one another now and they walk, bark and growl and are learning to do all of the things that dogs should do.

On Wednesday, I caught one of the puppies eating a piece of dry food out of Sugar's bowl so I decided to try to feed them. It was a little sooner than planned but I think they will be fine. The put a cup of dry food, some powdered puppy milk, and hot water in the blender and made them some mush.  They loved it!  

They were even licking each others faces after they were done eating!  It was very cute!  Sugar is starting to get a little tired of nursing and it kind of separating herself from the puppies so I think it is good time to start training them how to eat on their own.  The cuter they get, the more I don't want to give them away!! My son is busy convincing me that we need to keep all four of them!

A New Home for the Puppies

The puppies turned three weeks old yesterday! They have changed so much in the past week and continuing to grow and do new things all of the time. Their newest thing is escaping out of their bed and looking for mama! They are also learning how to walk around. Their walk is not yet perfected but they are no longer slithering around. 

We had to relocate them to a new set up in order to keep them safe. Their previous home was the laundry room but I was afraid that they would start to wander behind the washer/dryer and I didn't want any accidents. So this is there new home for now. We had to put the sheet up since Sugar is too mindful of Roxy and Buster (my other two dogs) and barks like crazy is she can see them.

The puppies are also becoming more vocal and trying to bark when they want their mama. Sometimes when we pick them up, they let out these little growling noises. They sound so cute. They all have their own little personalities and the two smallest pups are always together and love to sleep together.

They are getting so cute and I am trying my best not to get too attached to them.  

I See You!

The puppies are two weeks old today!  Puppy #2 and Puppy #3, the two biggest pups, had a big surprise for us this morning! Their eyes were open! I can't really tell what color their eyes are but they look kind of bluish. Now that they can see, they just look at me like I am crazy when I hug, kiss, and talk to them.

Puppy #1 and Puppy #4 haven't opened their eyes yet but we are thinking that their eyes will open any day. The puppies have grown so much in the last week, and they all weigh a pound or more. You can see how much they have grown in the photo below.

Sugar is doing great and eats like a horse! She is starting to give the puppies a little bit of freedom and is spending less time in the bed with them. She feeds them every few hours and then lays beside the bed when she is done. She is also less protective of them and allows us to handle them without getting upset. The plan is to start weaning the puppies when they are 3-1/2 to 4 weeks old so we can start preparing them to go to their new homes. I get sad thinking about letting them go but I know that it is not realistic to keep 7 dogs!! 

Aren't they just adorable?

Puppy Update: Week One

Thank you to everyone who has asked how the puppies are doing and all of the comments on how cute they are.  They are so adorable and I love them to pieces already. I use the daily bedding change as my opportunity to hold, pet and kiss each one.

The puppies are a week old today and they have grown so much in seven days!! They are trying to open their eyes and they can slither around pretty well. Sugar is exhausted but is taking her daily calcium pills and they seem to be helping her handle the nursing a little better. The bottle feeding is not going so well, in fact is was a failure! The puppies are refusing the bottle and definitely prefer their mommy! We have been trying to give Sugar some time away from the babies since they eat constantly when she is with them. They actually sleep for 2-3 hours straight when she is away from them so we know that they are not as hungry as they like to make Sugar think they are.

Here is a little update on the puppies:

Puppy #1: Current Weight is 10.870 ounces! Her nose is no longer pink and is now black just like Sugar's.  The little pads on her feet are also changing color.

Puppy#2: Current Weight is 12.995 ounces and he is the biggest to date! He is obviously the most aggressive with the food supply so we have to keep an eye on him to make sure that he shares with his brother and sisters. He is also the biggest cry baby. He doesn't like it when I pick him up and give him his daily hug and kiss!

Puppy #3: Current Weight is 12.620 ounces. She is the calmest of the bunch. She loves to cuddle up with her sister and brothers. She is always yawning and trying to open her eyes.

Puppy #4: AKA Brownie: Current Weight is 10.910 ounces and he is the least aggressive of the bunch and usually sleeps close to mama. We have to help Brownie find the milk most of the time so that he doesn't lose any weight and stays healthy. He is the only puppy that we have given a name due to the fact that he is the only puppy that is not white like Sugar.

As I have mentioned before, I have an awesome vet who is helping me place the puppies once they are able to be without mama. She called me to tell me that she may have a home for one of the puppies already. I am happy but sad at the same time because I am already getting attached to them. I am lucky to have such a great vet who is helping me out.  I also feel secure that the puppies will be going to good homes since I know that she would not give them to anyone she did not feel comfortable with.

This is one of my favorite pictures!

This is a full time job but so worth the experience.  I am so glad that we made the decision to care for Sugar and her puppies.

The Dog Log and National Running Day!

I would love to say that my life has been centered around my family and running but lately it has revolved around this family instead:

All the puppies are doing great and Sugar is such a good mommy. She refuses to leave them for more than a minute. Sometimes she comes out to eat but most of the time I have to put her bowl in the family bed or feed her by hand. She runs outside to use the bathroom and then sprints back to the puppies. The pups get weighed daily to make sure that they are gaining weight. We have a log that we keep track of their weight in and I call it the "Dog Log." The puppy that gains the least amount of weight gets watched really closely and we make sure that he/she is getting a spot to eat. So far, the smallest and first born puppy has gained the most weight.  

Did you receive the email from Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series about the $20 discount that they will be offering off any race (Las Vegas and some others excluded) in honor of National Running Day on June 6th? I have been shying away from signing up for any races but with this kind of discount I just might give in. I am considering the Pasadena Half Marathon since I had to sit it out this year and/or the Los Angeles Halloween Half Marathon. I am not brave enough to sign up for a marathon quite yet but this will be a good start for me. 

Speaking of National Running Day, I will definitely get a run in to celebrate the day. Last weeks mileage was a little less than I would have hoped for (22.06 to be exact) but the birth of the puppies kind of became my priority and I missed a key run on Saturday! I would like to get back to running at least 25 miles a week so fingers crossed that I hit my target this week.

So tell me, are you planning to take advantage of the discount from Rock 'n' Roll? What races are you considering? How are you planning on celebrating National Running Day?