Tobias update

As mentioned in my weekly review, Tobias fainted last Friday and we found out he has a significant heart murmur. This morning we went back to the vet for blood work and x-rays.

First things first, today's doctor was much more positive than Friday's. The vet on Friday kept telling me about his dead dog and how this could be the end for Tobias, while today's doctor had a much friendlier manner. She honestly might have meant all of the same things, but her attitude was not so bleak. 

The tests

Tobias's blood work was great (phew) and they showed me his x-rays. His heart is pretty big, as is his liver. Since his blood work is ok she said his liver was likely tied to the enlarged heart. His lungs were good and clear (phew!). He has a partially collapsed trachea, but that's pretty standard for toy breeds and it's only a big deal if it closes more. She said this was probably causing his cough. 

Meds and such

She sent us home with a daily heart med with instructions to monitor him for a week to see how he responds to the medicine before taking him for walks and such. As long as he stays the same or gets better, he'll keep taking the pill. If he gets worse, we'll try something else. The pills run out at the end of July so we have to go back for another visit before then. I like knowing we have another check point down the road. 

She added that the only way to be sure what's happening internally is an echocardiogram. Unfortunately he'd have to see a specialist in Helena or Billings. I guess that's a next step if the pills don't seem to work or if his next appointment doesn't go well. I may get one even if the pills work, just so we have a baseline comparison in the future. 

Future

I suppose the original vet's statement of Tobias having 1 day to 10 years is still true. Just like a human with a heart problem, he could have a heart attack and suddenly die. But today's vet was hopeful we could keep him happy and relatively healthy with medicine and regular check ups. 

Even though we're still in the same boat, I feel better about things. I think the change of vet was good for me. Her positive spin made a huge difference. Plus, he seems back to his normal self today. 

Weekly Review: Good or Bad, Happy or Sad

Closest local park. Not too shabby.

I'm finally back with an official Weekly Review post with Hoho Runs and MissSippiPiddlin! (I posted last week, but was a bit late). It's good to be back! Also, I apologize in advance for slacking on blog comments. I've been reading posts on my phone, but not commenting.

June 5–June 11
Monday: RUN 2.5 mile
Tuesday: RUN 5 mi
Wednesday: RUN 2.5 mi
Thursday: RUN 2 mi
Friday: RUN 4.1 mi
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: RUN 10.25 mi

Total: 26.5 miles / 1,145 ft

I'm training for a crazy 25k THIS weekend (ack!), but beyond that I'm just trying to have fun and enjoy Montana life. We're three months into this move and it's been pretty fantastic. We're lucky to have great mountain trails within 10-15 minutes. The neighborhood trails and locals parks are also excellent (see above).

2.5 trail miles for Global Running Day w/Alex

I ran pretty easy this week because my legs were super sore from last week's hilly hikes. I kept up my almost three week run streak until Saturday. Friday morning's run was a slow run/walk and I realized I needed a break. No need to maintain what started as an accidental streak.

From Sunday's long(er) run

After a bit of rest my (still tired) legs were better on Sunday's long run. I wanted 14-15 miles, but when I turned onto the single track trail around 4.5 the mud levels skyrocketed and my fear of being alone in the woods kicked in. Sure, I carry bear spray and yes, maybe there weren't bears nearby, but after I went 15-20 minutes without seeing anyone I decided to turn around. 10.25 was still tough. I walked a lot, but ended with an 11-something pace, which I was pretty happy to have with hills.

Pretty cool to see horses along the trails

Sad

On Sunday

I didn't have any hiking miles this week. Ugh. This is tough: On Friday, Tobias fainted. My friend came to get me for a hike and my dog Tobias got really excited to see her, started running around like he normally does, then all of the sudden he collapsed on the living room carpet. I started yelling and went to grab him. He was limp, but stuck in his position– if that makes sense. He wasn't having a seizure. After a short while he came to and shook it off. He didn't seem phased. He's 11 and this has never happened before (in my presence, at least).

My friend was amazing. She'd never met him and we've only know one another a month or so, but she immediately said, "lets go to the vet." I don't have a vet here (he got a check up before we left) so she drove me to hers and after a bit of a wait we got in. I described what happened, the vet asked questions, then listened to Tobias's heart. He knew what was wrong immediately. Tobias has a heart murmur. I texted my old vet (she was our neighbor and is awesome) who responded, "he didn't in Ohio!"

A sudden onset is not a good sign. The vet said it was a level 4.5 of 6 (also not good). We didn't run tests and have to go back Monday (he wanted Tobias to be calm), but of course I've been googling everything. The vet said he has 1 day to 10 years to live. Helpful. Of course, I'm freaking out. There's no "cure," just ways to delay an eventual heart failure. I hope so much they were mistaken. I hope it was all a fluke. But deep down I know it's probably true. He has displayed many of the symptoms in the last month (coughing, heavy breathing). What bugs me is he didn't before we moved here. Was the move stressful? (He seemed fine and enjoyed a few hikes.) Was it because we boarded him while we traveled last month (which we've never done before)? Untreated heartworms can cause a murmur. Were his heartworm meds not enough?

Anyway, we will know more tomorrow. Regardless, I've been very sad since Friday. Alex has been great trying to cheer me up and Tobias has been extra cuddly. I just thought we'd had many, many more years together. I hope we do.

Maybe it's stupid to share this here, but Tobias means a lot to me (and Alex). I really hope science prevails and we find something that can help him continue to lead a long, happy life.

I apologize for ending on such a sad note, but it's truly the only thing on my mind right now. [Update here]

Week 16: Good cloud days

From Saturday's run. 

Happy Sunday! Welcome to another weekly review linkup with Hoho Runs and MissSippiPiddlin. Read more about my fall goal race here. 12 days!

Week of September 26–October 2

Monday: 5 miles
Tuesday:  rest + walk to work
Wednesday:  rest
Thursday:  3.1 miles
Friday:  3.2 miles
Saturday: 12 miles
Sunday: 3 mile run, 1 mile walk

Total (Running) Miles: 26.3 miles
2016 Miles: 774.4 miles

New path, new views!

This week wasn't too wild, but I had three strong weekday runs. Monday's run after work was the biggest surprise. I used the new path to enjoy the relatively mild weather (66º with 60% humidity) and ran 8:54, 8:13, 8:09, 7:54 (!), and 8:09. The weather obviously makes a huge difference.

Successful shopping trip!

I took Tuesday and Wednesday off due to lingering ankle pain from last week's long run and heavy rain. We spent those nights at Taco Tuesday, shopping for casual dresses (me), and watching Captain America: Civil War (meh).

Re: ankle pan -- I thought my New Balance 860v6s were shot and switched to new Saucony Omnis on Friday and Saturday. While the shoes helped, the pain was still there (it's not terrible and doesn't last, just annoying), so I think it's time for new insoles. I don't track my milage on those, so who knows the last time I bought a pair. I think I'll mark the starting date on my next set...

Random corn field in the middle of the city. (Ohio State agriculture)

Anyway, (!) Thursday and Friday were relaxed 3 milers. I considered skipping Friday, but I was 3 miles from a 100 mile month, so... I ran after work between downpours and had another enjoyable time. The new path is fantastic. It's only a mile, but it connects to a longer trail and a great neighborhood. Plus, it's uphill out and downhill back, so I always run negative splits. ;)

Bath time! (Tobias does not like bath time.)

Saturday's group 12 was nice and cool. I will probably switch pace groups next season, but I suppose if I start running full marathons* I'll stick with the 10:45 pace (or slower). After the run I cleaned the house and dog, pampered myself a bit, and watched the Ohio State game while Alex went to it with his family. We went out for Italian after they returned from the game, then he and I came home and watched Central Intelligence. It was stupid, but funny. (*did I just say that? Uh oh.)

Recently reopened bridge

On Sunday I prepped a slow cooker soup from Run Fast. Eat Slow. (flu fighter chicken and rice stew), wrote this, ran some errands with Alex after he installed new breaks on his car, and then we went out for a 3 mile run and 1 mile walk. It felt really fast, but maybe because my legs were tired from Saturday. Luckily he ate too much before and didn't mind taking breaks!

Odds and ends:
I ended the week with 240ft in elevation gain. Not terrible, but I did not top my 535ft from last week. I missed my mid-week hill repeats due to storms.

I signed up for a bunch of races this weekend: a beer run next week, a Thanksgiving race, two winter trail runs (10k, 20k), and 2017's Medina Half. Alex signed up for all but the half, so I'm looking forward to running with him over the winter!

Are you loving the cooler weather? Did it rain a bunch in your area?
Have you scheduled any races for 2017? Which ones?

Weeks 9 & 10: Birdcamp and beyond

Hola! Welcome to another weekly review linkup with Hoho Runs and MissSippiPiddlin. This one's a little different. I'm combining Weeks 9 and 10 due to travel and a ton of work. I'm finally caught up and back to normal! Let's get started: 

Lake Michigan looks tropical near Glen Arbor

Week of August 8–14: Michigan + Birdcamp
Monday: walk to/from work (w2w)
Tuesday: 2.2 miles + w2w
Wednesday: travel
Thursday: GL Birdcamp: Alligator Hill 4 miles,  397ft
Friday: GL Birdcamp: Sleeping Bear Dunes 3.3 miles, 558ft
Saturday: GL Birdcamp: Crystal Lake Team Marathon Relay Leg #5, 6.2 miles
Sunday: GL Birdcamp: "Slight Incline" 4 miles, 226ft

I think I'll make a separate post about Great Lakes Birdcamp (on Instagram), but here's a quick rundown: camp was for members of Oiselle Volée (a cross-country female running team) and located in Glen Arbor, Michigan near Sleeping Bear Dunes. I highly recommend the area. Very cute town and lovely coastline. We had one daily run (usually very hilly, but not very long) and spent the rest of our days sightseeing, hiking, and watching some of the Olympics. It was an action-packed long weekend and I made some great new friends.

As I mentioned, the runs weren't long, but they were hilly. Columbus, Ohio is not hilly, so I found the inclines of Glen Arbor to be pretty challenging. And let me brag: when I returned home and uploaded my watch data I was #2 in elevation gain in my local Strava group of 230+ people! Score!

We used the markers as beacons along the way.

Our most ambitious run was Friday's Sleeping Bear Dunes run (/hike). I didn't expect to make it to the beach because everyone said it was extremely tough. I planned to get to a dune with a view, take a photo, then turn back. I found myself with three like-minded ladies and somehow we kept moving forward. At one point we could hear the water, so there was no turning back. It was a difficult run (giant inclines in unsteady sand), but we took it dune by dune. We usually ran downhill and hiked uphill. It took over an hour to go 3.3 miles roundtrip and our shoes were filled with sand, but it was worth it!

Great Lakes Birdcamp - Michigan

Again, I'll recap Birdcamp in it's own post, but we ran a marathon relay on Saturday. Somehow I ended up with the longest leg. I thought it'd be ok, but I suppose not starting my part until 11am got the best of me. I was sluggish, hungry, thirsty, tired, and I got a little lost. Suffice it to say, it was kind of a confidence... ummm.... ruiner? All of my hard work in winter seemed lost. So, while I had an amazing time at Birdcamp, I wasn't feeling too confident about my fall goals. Which brings us to...

---

We came home to this... and still can't find his collar. What happened?!

Week of August 15–21
Monday: travel
Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 5.6 miles + w2w
Friday: rest + w2w
Saturday: 9 miles
Sunday: 5 miles

Tuesday's run was cut short due to an unexpected downpour. (See above) I attempted to wait out the rain, but it didn't stop. Wednesday's day off was unplanned, but necessary, as I ended up working a 12 hour day (normal work and freelance) to make up for my time away. Luckily, the Olympics kept me company.

Thursday was nicer than normal, but still full sun and hot.

When I woke up Thursday after my long day of work, the last thing I wanted to do was plan my day around a group run. But I didn't want to bail, so I dragged myself to the store just after 6pm. New Balance and Brooks were there for shoe try-ons, so I took the NB Vongo's out for a spin. I planned to stick with the 3 milers, but somehow ended up with the 6s. They maintained a pace in the 9s, which honestly felt like 8s in the heat. I could keep up, but just barely. Like the Saturday of my marathon relay, I was doubting my fitness.We returned to the store, grabbed a beer and our free tank tops, and socialized. Despite feeling like crap, I had a great time with the 6s and will be back next Thursday to run with them again.

I skipped my Friday morning run in favor of sleep. That's another thing: I've slept like crap since returning from Birdcamp. At camp we got up between 5:45 and 6 and I didn't go to bed til 11 or midnight. When I returned home, I'd get in bed around 10, but my brain was on overdrive til midnight or 1. These successive nights of 5-6 hours of sleep were starting to compound.

At our friend's wedding downtown on the Scioto River

Saturday was my normal training group run. I had 12 on my schedule and figured I'd run 9 with the halves, then add 3 at the end. Ha! It was 97% humidity and I felt every percentage point. It was a terrible run. Last season I'd considered moving to the 10 or 10:15pace group since I'd gotten faster, but it was so difficult to hang with the 10:45 pace on Saturday. Despite everything, I had great company. I went home, vegged out, then got gussied up for a wedding. It was a lovely evening with friends.

Sunday: pre-dusk run and watching Jeff complete his 70.3

On Sunday we woke up early-ish to watch my friend's husband participate in his first half Ironman. He was smiling every time we saw him and he beat his goal by 20 minutes! It was so exciting to see the first finishers and watch the bike transition. Normally I get a little jealous when I spectate a marathon or trail ultra, but I can confidently say the Ironman had no effect on me! No thank you, I'll just watch!

Later that night (after much delay and whining) I went out for a run. I had 5 on the plan, but convinced myself 2 would be fine. Once I got going I did not want to stop! I ran the full 5 –with some breaks for photos and traffic– but my paces were close to olden days (9:10, 8:32, 8:30, 8:36, 8:22). A big part of it was the weather: it was in the upper 70s with 43% humidity. It felt lovely and it was a great confidence booster. I've been struggling on my runs this summer and maybe it really is weather-related?!

Will you miss watching the Olympics? (I will!)
What's your favorite season? 
Have anything fun coming up in September? 

Week 6: July 18-24 - Good Times & Heatwaves

This week's sky shot.

Happy Monday! I'm linking up with Hoho Runs and MissSippiPiddlin for another weekly review. Read more about my fall goal race here. 

This sweaty tank sums up the week.

Week of July 18-24
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: off + walk to/from work (w2w)
Wednesday: 3 miles + w2w
Thursday: rest + w2w
Friday: 2.2 miles + w2w
Saturday: 9 miles
Sunday: rest

Total Miles: 17.2 miles
2016 Miles: 542 miles

Last week's hiking helped my legs and lungs. I felt strong on each run, despite the extreme heat. Another new thing: I've been running with groups 90% of this summer and I have to say, it was time for me to get in some solo miles. I also had an epically productive life and work week. Gotta love that. Speaking of which, we caught up on Game of Thrones! Does that count as productive?

Monday was a solid 3. I didn't feel like running, but once I got out there it felt really good. I didn't break any records and stuck to my neighborhood to avoid traffic, but I did get my weekly sky shot.

Actually from Sunday, but since we're talking about Tobias.... 

I intended to run Tuesday night, but had a meeting with the author who's books I illustrate, then ran home so my vet (and neighbor) could examine my dog Tobias. Oh yeah! He got stung in the face on Monday night and she had to give him an allergy shot after his cheek puffed up. (He didn't seem to notice. He just looked stupid.) Anyway, during his exam my neighbor's husband offered Alex and I some wine. A few hours (and bottles) later we were chatting on their back patio and eating burritos, while the sun went down and I knew I'd lost my chance to run. Oh well. We had a lovely time.

Wednesday is group speedwork, but I worked late and two of my running pals begged off, so I decided to wait until closer to dark and got in another solid 3 mile solo run.

Thursday was another off day (scheduled) and I woke up a tad late Friday to get in more than 2.2 miles before I had to drop my car off for an oil change and go to work.

Post 9 miler in my new training group tank top.

Saturday was my normal group run. We started 30 minutes earlier due to weather, and while it was tough to get up at 5:30, I'm so glad I went. I ran the prescribed group 6 and then 3 more with a new friend to get my scheduled 9. It was my first longer run since Medina (May 28) and I felt great! I forgot that I need to get past mile 4 or 5 to feel "in the zone."

Asian stir fry and pizza

We drove up to Cleveland Sunday for a brunch for Alex's uncles (4 hours total in the car). It was a lovely time, but man it ate up our entire day. When we returned we started watching Stranger Things on Netflix and wowee it's good so far. Kind of spooky, but I love the 80s setting. One cool thing about this weekend: I cooked two meals that involved eggs and potatoes in very different ways. (What a thrilling life - ha!!)

This entire week reminded me why I love running. I went out, kind of followed my schedule, and had fun -- even with the oppressive heat and humidity.

Our peach trees are finally fruiting! 

There's one item I need to address: I'm not really following Hanson's anymore. Over the past 6 weeks I've kept track of my completed workouts vs. Hanson's and there have been so many times I've moved a workout to accommodate group speedwork and long runs. I follow on/off days and enjoy the higher weekend milage, but the constant swapping of Tues/Wed, Mon/Thurs, and Sat/Sun to fit my training group was starting to drive me batty. Plus, my easy days weren't lining up after speedwork/strength. This week, I did a mash up of Hanson's and my training group plan (a generic half schedule supplied to me by coaches) and I really enjoyed it. I will continue using pieces of Hanson's (mainly weekend long run milage and pacing guidelines), but I'm going to stick with my training group plan on the other days. I'm using my group's "advanced half plan" and it covers speedwork and recovery milage, so it's not very different. I guess I can't toot my horn about using Hanson's anymore, but I don't care. I'd rather have fun on solo and group runs vs. stressing out over switched days and "how will this line up?!" - especially in this flippin' heat!

How are you handling the heat? 
Have you watched Game of Thrones or Stranger Things? 
How do you like your eggs? 

Week 4: July 4-July 10

No sky shot this week, just a flower from Thursday

Happy weekend! I'm linking up with Hoho Runs and MissSippiPiddlin for another weekly review. Read more about my fall goal race and training plan here. 

Week of July 4-July 10
Monday: rest + walk to work (w2w)
Tuesday: rest + w2w
Wednesday: Alex's birthday, w2w + dog walk
Thursday: 3.5 miles + w2w
Friday: 3 miles
Saturday: 4 miles
Sunday: ?

Weekly Total: ?

Bday drinks

This was another odd week. Honestly, the first 4 weeks of this plan have been odd.

Anyway, the off days for Hanson's week 4 are Monday and Tuesday. I planned to go to speed work on Wednesday, then go to dinner with Alex after for his birthday. Around lunchtime he decided he wanted happy hour dinner and drinks and asked me to skip my run. Of course I obliged the birthday boy. We went out for dinner, did some shopping, then came home and (by his request) walked the dog. It was a really nice.

I woke up early-ish and ran before work Thursday. The humidity was a sky high 90% and my pre-run fuel (toast and peanut butter) wasn't sitting well. I intended to make up my Wednesday 5 and go to my Thursday running group for a slow 3 after work, but in the end the morning run was cut by stomach problems and I skipped the group run to assist Alex (he was very stressed going into a busy weekend and needed help prepping for our upcoming trip).

Friday selfies: Sweaty morning and dressed for pizza

On Friday I ran another soggy 3 before work. I fueled properly (Honey Stinger waffle), but went too fast for my plan (9:21, 9:10, 9:05). I really need to enforce slower times on easy days. Regardless, Friday's run was fun and positive BUT (! this whole week is full of buts !) my left calf and shin hurt a ton after I got out of the shower. I wore a compression sleeve on my leg and went to work. We went out for pizza with an out of town friend and when I came home it still hurt. By bedtime it was almost pulsing and I couldn't get to sleep for a while...

All my helpers on Saturday morning

Saturday was my normal group run. The halves had 4 miles, the fulls 7, and I had 6 on my schedule. Initially I'd assumed I'd run with the fulls, but when we hit the half turnaround at 2 I knew I couldn't run on my leg. It wasn't terrible, but something wasn't right. We finished 4 miles and I went to the on-site trainer. The trainer pushed on my leg and it hurt in a 2-3 inch section on the inside of my shin. She said the fact that I did not have targeted pain meant it wasn't a stress fracture (yet). I explained my new shoes (New Balances I've been wearing for a month) and how I used to wear Sauconys with an insole. She said I should try the insoles in the NBs and gave me several calf stretches and instructions to foam roll. Before leaving, she added that if I tried the insoles with the NBs and the pain didn't subside in the first two miles I may need to go back to my old shoes. Long story short: I went home and did the exercises she prescribed and felt better, but a tiny dull hum of pain remained. We'll see what happens with the shoes...

Sunday... well, I don't know yet. If there's time I'm going to attempt to run slowly and with insoles. BUT there may not be time, because...

Before we cut out some things... because we're hungry people.

Alex and I are heading off into the wilderness for a hiking trip. We'll be backwoods in the Smokies for 4 days with a stay at a swanky lodge when we're finished. I'm (still) packing and trying to cram as much in our packs as I can without overdoing it. We have 6-9 miles a day, which isn't bad, but may prove to be interesting with a full pack and thousands of feet in elevation change. We did a short 2-day trip in 2012 – before I was running far – and I was dead tired and super sore the day after we finished. I'm hoping I'm in much better shape and there will be more fun than pain!

We'll be hiking and camping in this area.

So, I apologize in advance: I won't be commenting on blogs for a few days, but I'll catch up when I get back. Next week's recap will include 4 days of hiking and potentially a few days of running.

Have you ever gone on a multi-day backpacking adventure?
Ever had shin pain? 
Aren't foam rollers great... but also terrible when it hurts? 

blue room - almost complete!

Once upon a time I posted a layout for our guest room (aka "the blue room").  After purchasing the bedding, I was able to put things together pretty quickly. Ideally, I'd paint the bed black and ditch (or dye) the curtains... AND get a frame for the art... but it's close.

Here's the layout:

Blue room by lizzard214 on Polyvore

Here's the bed:

Finally, here's a panorama that makes the room look really skinny: 

(Click to enlarge)

* That bag in the corner is where we toss recycling when it's too cold to go into the garage. The two bookcases are in a corner. And, the mirrored door is my closet because our upstairs bedrooms don't have any closets (lame).

When I hang some art, you'll be the first to know!

parks & rec: Frank Fetch Park

I'm trying to go to a bunch of local parks these days. I've got hundreds of photos from two of them that I have yet to sort through, so until then, here's Frank Fetch Park in German Village.

(I took my point and shoot camera, unfortunately.)

The park is pretty small, but it's beautifully landscaped. The surrounding houses are traditional brick, so it's a really fun area.

These dog deterrent signs are a little gross, but get the point across. ;)

(I don't think Tobias enjoyed being up this high.)

There was a hidden spot for bees in the front corner, which was pretty cool.

In the end, Tobias had a good time.