We're all out there chasing our better selves (FredtheDuck chases on)

[DopeyBadger]

Aaaaah, I had missed the feeling of fatigue that I get from a "typical" training plan week. Got that back this week.

The one observation I had this week was how much easier of a time I am having getting through and recovering from longer distances. The 8 miles on Saturday were done on a hillier route than my long runs are typically done on. During the training cycle over the summer, 8 miles would have left me physically tired, in need of a nap, and sore. Not this time. I felt really good after, and I definitely could have kept going for several more miles if scheduled to. We had a busy day and a busy weekend overall, and I felt totally fine and ready to go. I'm sure the cold is playing a factor, too, but I also think I'm just getting used to running.

Great sign of improvement!

 

[ZellyB]

Great week of training and how awesome that you are starting to feel so good on an 8 mile run. You are adapting for sure and improving with every run - even if some runs don't always feel that way.

I had no desire to see Coco from the previews, but I'm hearing such good things about it, now I'm thinking maybe I should go to see it.

 

[JulieODC]

Happy birthday to your DD! Cutie!

Sounds like a fun holiday race!

Congrats on a successful turkey trot - your splits are impressive with the crowd issues.

Great work in keeping up with training - this time of year is sooo busy! I think running around doing errands and decorating counts are cross-training for sure!

 

[run.minnie.miles]

During the training cycle over the summer, 8 miles would have left me physically tired, in need of a nap, and sore

Way to go! That has to be a great feeling!! (I wouldn't know... I always want a nap haha)

In other news: We had a date night and saw Coco. It was excellent. Beautifully done. I also really liked the Frozen short in front of it. It was much less obnoxious than the preview made it look.

We did the same thing last week and I agree! I really, really enjoyed Coco! The colors were stunning- I must be appreciating the art behind animations more, because I thought the way certain colors "glowed" was amazing.

I had no desire to see Coco from the previews, but I'm hearing such good things about it, now I'm thinking maybe I should go to see it.

I was the same way, but we saw an extended preview in Disneyland and it totally changed my mind. I would definitely recommend going! Plus I love going to the movies- such a fun, relaxing treat!

 

[FredtheDuck]

Monday Training Update (Week 11): Week Ending 12/10

This was the plan for the week:

T - 4.5 miles @ EB
Th - 1 @ WU, 5x800 @ 10k w/ 45 sec RI, 1 @ CD
F - 4.5 miles @ EB
Sa - 7 miles @ LR

Well, the week started off well enough. I got outside for my Tuesday run. The weather was comfortable and my pacing was pretty good. There was definitely a moment at the beginning where I lamented the end of my Tuesday EA runs (this one was at EB), but once I settled in it was fine.

Thursday I woke up with a sore throat and no voice. My body felt fine, so I felt OK to do my workout. But I didn't want to inflame an already inflamed throat by running in the cold for a speed workout, so I decided to do the workout on the treadmill. Speed workouts on the treadmill are not my favorite, they seem so much harder than they do on the track, and each interval seems to last so much longer. That was compounded by this being a set of 800s instead of the 400s I'd been doing. All-in-all, it went fine. I did my RIs slower than called for, but I felt ok about it.

And then, that afternoon, the rest of my week/weekend got totally derailed. I'm going to hide the rest of this post behind a spoiler wall and will tell you that it involves a sick pet. If you don't want to read the whole thing (and I can't blame you for that), I'll fill you in on the rest of my running week by telling you that everything going on meant that I didn't get my Friday or Saturday runs in, and I'm not sure when I'll pick back up this week. Maybe Tuesday. Maybe Thursday (in which case I'll ditch the speed for a easy run).

Spoiler: Sad pet-related spoiler that was hard to write

OK, so here are the details. On Thursday, I decided to work from home because of the sore throat/loss of voice. Moanaspapa (not tagging him because I don't want him to come read this if he doesn't want to) has been fighting the same bug for weeks, so I was trying to nip it in the bud. I was sitting at my dining room table working on my laptop when suddenly my dog Rusty, who was laying on the floor next to the table started convulsing uncontrollably. It looked like he was sprinting, but on his side. I thought it was a really vivid dream at first, but quickly realized that he was either having a seizure or a heart attack. Once the convulsions ended, he got himself up and started walking around, but it was like he didn't know us (my dad was home) or where he was. We loaded him in to the car and rushed him to the animal hospital.

It turned out he had had a seizure. The vet was very clear that in older dogs, seizures are usually caused by something in the system failing. They did some blood work and sent us home to monitor him. The blood work came back normal. But the next night (Friday), he had another seizure. So back we went. At this point, the vet told us they suspected a (cancerous) brain tumor. They offered a neurological consult, but also cautioned that it would be informational only - if they found a tumor, at his age, it was unlikely they would/could treat it. We made the decision to start him on an anti-convulsive medication in the hopes of at least avoiding more seizures while he lives out his days in comfort. They told us median expectancy was 4 months. We went home again.

A few hours later, he seized again at about 2 in the morning. When he came out of it, he had no idea where he was and paced the house, walking in to walls and objects. So off to the animal hospital again, this time to admit him for observation because cluster seizures are so dangerous. If he seized again, they'd be able to administer an injection to immediately stop the seizure. They'd also be able to give him an increased dosage of the oral anti-seizure under supervision. He didn't seize again while there, but both of us went individually to visit him, and he seemed really confused and out of sorts. He's never been good at the vet, so not entirely surprising, but this felt different.

We brought him home from the animal hospital yesterday morning, and it's clear to me that he's suffering. I don't want to recount all of the reasons that I feel that way, but I do know that my sweet, smart, happy boy is already gone... I'm not sure he was ever back after the last seizure. So, tonight or tomorrow, we say goodbye.

Rusty was my first dog as an adult. I got him from a shelter in my hometown in NorCal when he was 9 weeks old. He had a waitlist for him, but he was so timid compared to his siblings that two other families passed him up, so he came with me. That was 12 and a half years ago. He moved to LA with me and for a while, it was just me and him. He helped keep me from being lonely in my first apartment (I didn't have a roommate) and was my sorority's unofficial mascot. A few months after moving to LA, I got him a buddy (another rescue, that was about 6 month old, so his age), my second dog (Rhianna). Then I met moanaspapa, who took them both as his own. After we bought our house, we added another rescue (Roxy), who is like his shadow (which is funny, because we really got her to play with Rhianna, who is much younger at heart than Rusty). My kiddo is too young to understand any of this, and didn't ask after him when he was in the hospital, but she'll eventually realize that he's not there. That will be a heartbreaking conversation.

So, it's been a hard few days. My childhood dogs passed while I was away at college, so I'm totally inexperienced with this. Today/tomorrow will be extremely tough. But I know it is time. It's the right thing to do for my sweet boy. At some point, I'll turn back to running to help process. But for now, I just can't focus on it.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Condolences.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

So sorry @FredtheDuck. Furry friends are the best friends.

 

[KSellers88]

I am so sorry @FredtheDuck. I cried at my desk just reading that. Losing a fur baby is like losing part of your family so I will be praying for y'all and thinking of you over the next few days.

 

[ZellyB]

I'm so sorry. We have an older golden who has little mini-seizures with some frequency. She was an adult rescue so we aren't positive of her age, but she's also close to 13, so I know her time is drawing close. It's so hard to lose them. It sounds like you gave him a wonderful life and he gave you so much in return. I wish you strength and peace about what comes next.

 

[Anisum]

So sorry for your loss. The hardest part of having furry family members is losing them. It sounds like he's had a great life with you guys and I wish you guys all the best going forward.

 

[FredtheDuck]

Thanks for thinking of us, everyone. My boss knew about the first seizure on Thursday, and when I told her this morning about the rest of the weekend, she immediately sent me home to be with him. It is looking very likely that tonight will be the night, so I'm so grateful to be with him now. As always, I'm grateful for the support and care of everyone reading this. It means more than I can say.

Condolences.

Thanks, Billy. I'll have some questions later this week about how to get back on track. Looking like we're going to take him tonight (late), so an early AM run is likely not in the cards.

So sorry @FredtheDuck. Furry friends are the best friends.

Thanks. He's been a part of basically my entire adult life. I will miss him terribly.

I am so sorry @FredtheDuck. I cried at my desk just reading that. Losing a fur baby is like losing part of your family so I will be praying for y'all and thinking of you over the next few days.

I'm sorry I made you cry! I also didn't mean to write as much as I did, but it just kind of came pouring out. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers and thoughts.

I'm so sorry. We have an older golden who has little mini-seizures with some frequency. She was an adult rescue so we aren't positive of her age, but she's also close to 13, so I know her time is drawing close. It's so hard to lose them. It sounds like you gave him a wonderful life and he gave you so much in return. I wish you strength and peace about what comes next.

I'm sorry about your golden, @ZellyB. And how wonderful of you guys to rescue a mature dog... I know that comes with its own set of challenges and joys. I'm sure she's living a fabulous life now We knew Rusty was getting up there and that we didn't have a ton of time left with him, but we definitely weren't expecting this. And thanks for the kind words and wishes. Right now, I'm just hoping that in he has some memory of the life we gave him and will carry that with him.

So sorry for your loss. The hardest part of having furry family members is losing them. It sounds like he's had a great life with you guys and I wish you guys all the best going forward.

Thanks so much. He's had a happy life full of love, and I feel comfortable knowing we've done our best for him. This decision is a continuation of that, as hard as it is to do.

 

[FredtheDuck]

We spoke to the vet tonight and while he thinks some of what we are seeing is related to the progression of the disease, some of it could also be how his body is adjusting to the new medication. He’s more cautious than optimistic, but he’s advising us to observe for another couple of days to see if we see any improvement. So I get another day with my boy.

 

[Anisum]

Glad to hear. I hope he feels better in a day or two and you have the opportunity to get a little more time with him before saying goodbye.

 

[ZellyB]

I'm glad you got some encouraging news from the vet and hopefully it's an adjustment to the medication. I hope you see improvement and get a bit more time with your fur baby.

 

[KSellers88]

Thanks for thinking of us, everyone. My boss knew about the first seizure on Thursday, and when I told her this morning about the rest of the weekend, she immediately sent me home to be with him. It is looking very likely that tonight will be the night, so I'm so grateful to be with him now. As always, I'm grateful for the support and care of everyone reading this. It means more than I can say.



Thanks, Billy. I'll have some questions later this week about how to get back on track. Looking like we're going to take him tonight (late), so an early AM run is likely not in the cards.



Thanks. He's been a part of basically my entire adult life. I will miss him terribly.



I'm sorry I made you cry! I also didn't mean to write as much as I did, but it just kind of came pouring out. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers and thoughts.



I'm sorry about your golden, @ZellyB. And how wonderful of you guys to rescue a mature dog... I know that comes with its own set of challenges and joys. I'm sure she's living a fabulous life now We knew Rusty was getting up there and that we didn't have a ton of time left with him, but we definitely weren't expecting this. And thanks for the kind words and wishes. Right now, I'm just hoping that in he has some memory of the life we gave him and will carry that with him.



Thanks so much. He's had a happy life full of love, and I feel comfortable knowing we've done our best for him. This decision is a continuation of that, as hard as it is to do.

Oh please do not apologize at all, I just have a huge love of animals. I hope that you enjoy all the time you have left with him.

 

[kski907]

I am so sorry to hear about your puppy. Your story is so eerily similar to mine. Our golden mix last year started having seizures and like yours would be totally out of it for a bit after they were done. He was 14 and had him since he was puppy,not wanting to make the call yet we did a lot of vet visits. We also got some seizure medications and they treated him for dehydration and it gave us about 3 more weeks with him. He had one more bad one and once coming out looked at me and his eyes said it was time. So having been where you are my heart goes out to you and your family. My thoughts, prayers, and support and reading ears are here for you.

 

[FredtheDuck]

Glad to hear. I hope he feels better in a day or two and you have the opportunity to get a little more time with him before saying goodbye.

Thanks. He's up and down right now... we're taking it a day at a time. I'm glad my dad is home and can keep an eye on him while we're out, it helps.

I'm glad you got some encouraging news from the vet and hopefully it's an adjustment to the medication. I hope you see improvement and get a bit more time with your fur baby.

Thanks, @ZellyB. Back to the vet on Sunday to discuss what we're seeing in him right now and whether that's medication or illness (meaning, could get better/stay the same or will get worse).

Oh please do not apologize at all, I just have a huge love of animals. I hope that you enjoy all the time you have left with him.

I hear you on the animal love. I tell people I have three big dogs and a toddler and they look at me like I have two heads. He's getting all the food and pets his curmudgeonly heart could desire (he's always been kind of grumpy),

I am so sorry to hear about your puppy. Your story is so eerily similar to mine. Our golden mix last year started having seizures and like yours would be totally out of it for a bit after they were done. He was 14 and had him since he was puppy,not wanting to make the call yet we did a lot of vet visits. We also got some seizure medications and they treated him for dehydration and it gave us about 3 more weeks with him. He had one more bad one and once coming out looked at me and his eyes said it was time. So having been where you are my heart goes out to you and your family. My thoughts, prayers, and support and reading ears are here for you.

I'm so sorry you had to go through that. We're having a tough time because sometimes he does stuff he used to do (he bolted to the door when I got home last night and wagged his little tail, he was up in the kitchen this morning begging for food while my husband made lunch and looked mostly like his old self), but other times it's clear that he's struggling (he's up and about a lot less, and when he is, he falls often. he's not doing other things he used to do, like hovering around our kiddo when she eats or getting excited for walks, and I'm not sure he always knows where he is anymore and he paces/falls a lot to try to figure it out). So we're obviously getting close. The three week timeline you had is what scares me - I have a lot of travel at the end of this year and beginning of next... Anyways, sorry for venting here. It's just hard to know what the right thing to do for him is.

 

[FredtheDuck]

@DopeyBadger When you have a sec: I'd like to try to get back to running tomorrow (barring unforeseen late night vet visits again). I missed my Friday EB workout, my Saturday LR, and my Tuesday EB. Should I still just pick up as if I hadn't missed any workouts (so tomorrow would be my 4x1000 speed)? Or should I make adjustments? Probably all of my remaining runs this week will be treadmill runs, including my LR on Saturday.

 

[DopeyBadger]

@DopeyBadger When you have a sec: I'd like to try to get back to running tomorrow (barring unforeseen late night vet visits again). I missed my Friday EB workout, my Saturday LR, and my Tuesday EB. Should I still just pick up as if I hadn't missed any workouts (so tomorrow would be my 4x1000 speed)? Or should I make adjustments? Probably all of my remaining runs this week will be treadmill runs, including my LR on Saturday.

Just repeat the workouts of 12/18 this week and next. This will help you catch up and be prepared for the start of training in January.

 

[FredtheDuck]

Just repeat the workouts of 12/18 this week and next. This will help you catch up and be prepared for the start of training in January.

OK, so tomorrow 4.5 EB, nothing Friday, LR of 5 Saturday, then back on schedule? Thanks!