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You are here: Home / #RIOTS / riots#8: you take the good, you take the bad.

riots#8: you take the good, you take the bad.

March 10, 2019      23 Comments


Happy Monday! I hope you’ll join us for the #RIOTS (Running Is Our Therapy Sisters) link up every week on Mondays. We’d love to be a part of your weekly routine!

Set some goals, share them on your blog and then link up with other awesome fitness bloggers to help keep you on track! We’d all love to support you!

This week. Oh, this week. I will admit to being a hot mess this week. I’ve been quiet on social media, and a bit of a hermit in real life.

Sunday – 5 miles, hiking

My big plan for Sunday was a nice hike at Ravine Gardens State Park. It’s a beautiful park about 40 minutes away, with both paved paths and technical trails, suspension bridges and azalea gardens. I figured the kids would enjoy the extra challenge to it, and the adults might appreciate that it was during the Azalea Festival.

I have exactly zero photos of nature, because I was busy hiking and taking some pics of the kids, but my friend did capture this for me: I’m standing next to a sign for the “Pug-Puccy Trail” and we were all half-hoping to be attacked by a grumble of wild pugs. Spoiler alert: “Pug-puccy” was a nickname that means “Flower-Gatherer” and had exactly nothing to do with pugs.

We hiked for hours, enjoyed lunch and then I had to get home to shower and change for a goodbye dinner with our now-former Cubmaster. She will be missed.

Monday – rest

Monday started beautifully. I got to “sleep in” a little and rest after Sunday’s huge hike. We were going to pick up little man’s hedgehog after school. It was going to be epic.

Things took a downward turn very quickly. Molly got violently ill in all the ways, and we ended up having to rush her to the vet. After a blood draw, the vet found that her kidneys were not doing well at all. It was like a knife to my heart. Our first plan of action was to put her on 72 hours of IV fluids to see if her kidneys would respond positively, and so we had to leave her in their (fabulous) care, with a promise that we could visit as often as we wanted.

I was useless the rest of the day, but I had to put on a happy face for little man. He had waited for months for his hoglet, and no matter what was going on, he deserved to enjoy the moment.

Guys. There are no words to describe being the owner of a hedgehog. It’s pretty freaking cool.

We are still adjusting to each other, but I think we are doing fairly well. Little man is a bit afraid of being spiked or pooped on, but we are working through those fears.

Tuesday –6.5 miles, running

Oh, I needed this run. Badly. I know I look awful and tired in this photo but it felt so good to stretch my legs and breathe in fresh air.



I dropped little man at school and visited our girl. She had had a great night, although she was absolutely ready to come home. 🙁

There were some errands to be run, and I decided to treat myself to a manicure to take my mind off things.

I had been in the habit of getting them done before the holidays, but then I slacked. Maybe it’s time to be more consistent again.

Wednesday –rest

I was grateful for the rest day. Little man had karate in the evening, but the rest of the day was just quiet, with a few visits to miss Molly.

We got a sweet welcome card from one of my oldest friends and her family.

And we were able to spend a little more time with Hufflepuff. She is definitely getting more comfortable.

Thursday – 6.5 miles, running

Ah, yes, the temperatures dropped again, putting us back into the 30s. Enough, already!

I stayed home all morning so the glass guys could come finish their installation of the shower doors. And there was much rejoicing. There is still a bit of work to be done, but it’s nothing critical and I still have to figure out exactly what I want as far as mirrors and light fixtures. We’ll get to it.

From there, I visited our girl and then headed up to the Gate River Run Expo to pick up our packets and check out some shoes. The Brooks rep didn’t have my size in the Adrenaline GTS 19, but we got to chatting about my needs and likes and he asked me just to try the brand new Ravenna 10.

I need a stability shoe, but I like a light, flexible shoe with a bit more responsiveness than cushioning. Ravenna is the shoe I always wanted to love, but it just never quite fit me right. The new update, however, seems like it checks off all the boxes.

I wouldn’t be able to run in them until after Saturday’s 15K, and they are a little more pink than I would normally like, but I love the width in the toe box, the shape of the instep and the bounce. We will see how these work out. It doesn’t hurt that I got them for 20% off, too!

Even better, we got word that Molly could come home! The final blood draw showed that her levels were much improved. She will go back in on Monday to see if this is something we can manage with diet and meds, more regular IV treatment, or if we have to make a different decision altogether. I’d prefer not to think about that last option, and simply threw myself into loving on her.

Friday – rest5

I spent most of the day working and cuddling Molly.

Since it was International Women’s Day, I chatted/texted with some of the incredible women in my life, and thought about how lucky I am to know so many great ones.

After school, we drove little man to my parents for the night, grabbed a quick, carb-loading type of dinner and tried to get to bed at a reasonable hour.

Saturday – Gate River Run 15K

The Gate River Run is Jacksonville’s biggest race. It’s also the largest 15K in the country. It’s a hard course with a late start, and two monster bridges (the second hitting in the last mile of the race). It’s an experience unlike most others, with incredible spectator support (Fireball shots at Mile 2? If you insist!).

I was actually going to pass this year, maybe take on something else, but then I saw the medal, and couldn’t bring myself to skip it. I do a lot for bling.

Obviously, a full race report is to come.

That afternoon and evening was dedicated to: eating, napping, eating and watching movies. As it should have been.

March is off to a mostly great start with two 15Ks under my belt, in addition to my training miles.

With our hike on Sunday, I did get in some cross-training. So two thumbs up there.

Did I hydrate? I did! The Gate River Run 15K was a hot and humid one, and I made sure to drink water leading up to and after (never during – water during a race does not do well by me). So that was a huge win.

Our new meal of the week was a jambalaya pasta dish, in honor of Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras. I tweaked the recipe a bit: I don’t love andouille and little man doesn’t love shrimp, so we stuck with chicken and called it good. Everyone loved it, except little man would have preferred it to be tomoato-chunk-free. Fair enough.


On Friday, little man made me breakfast in bed, completely unprompted and unassisted. Cheesy eggs with half a pumpernickel bagel and a little orange. Yum.

And one more hoglet photo because she’s freaking adorable.

I will keep everyone posted on Molly. She’s been getting all kinds of love this weekend and seems to be thriving on her new food and medication. I’m hopeful that things will continue on this path for her.

Please join our linkup! Drop your link and please visit our Hosts and some of these other amazing blogs to share the love!

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I am also linking up with the new Weekly Rundown, with Confessions of A Mother Runner and Running on the Fly! Check them out!

How was your week in training?

Have you ever changed your mind about running a race because the medal was super awesome (or super not-awesome)?

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Comments

  1. Coco says

    March 11, 2019 at 1:30 am

    Wow on that 15K! Nice going. I tried the Ravenas for the first time this fall and just got the new 10s. I’ve held onto my Mizuno’s for longer runs, but the Ravenas have been great. I still can’t believe you have a hedgehog – so cute. Lots of snuggles for Molly!

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      March 11, 2019 at 9:17 pm

      It was a crazy tough race!

      So now we’re shoe twins! Yay! I still have some life in the Adrenalines, and I will probably buy another pair of them in the next month or two, but I’m glad to try something new.

      I can’t believe it either. Molly has been snuggled to pieces. I think she’s over it and can’t understand why we are all fussing so much!

      Reply
  2. Kimberly Hatting says

    March 11, 2019 at 1:49 am

    Glad to hear Molly is doing better. And that little hedgehog is SOOOO adorable. Sweet new shoes 😉

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      March 11, 2019 at 9:16 pm

      Thanks. It was an upsetting week, no matter how cute the hoglet is LOL.

      I hope I love the new shoes as much as I feel I should love them.

      Reply
  3. Kim G says

    March 11, 2019 at 2:32 am

    Awwe, poor Molly! I am glad that she seems to be doing better now. I can’t imagine how sad and scary that must have been.

    I love those Ravenna sneakers! I have the Ravenna 9’s and I really like them so far.

    I’m looking forward to hearing about your new adventures with the hedgehog!

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      March 11, 2019 at 9:16 pm

      So terrifying and upsetting. We had a great weekend and so I am considering every day a gift.

      The 9s (and earlier models) just didn’t do it for my foot. I’m excited to give these a spin tomorrow and see how they feel.

      Reply
  4. Deborah Brooks says

    March 11, 2019 at 2:38 am

    I did not know that people had hedgehogs as pets! He is super cute though. Congrats on the 15K look forward to reading more about it.Thanks for linking up with us for weekly run down
    Deborah Brooks recently posted…Weekly Run Down Springing ForwardMy Profile

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      March 11, 2019 at 9:15 pm

      I think they are becoming more popular. They are hypoallergenic, don’t really smell (unless you don’t clean their bedding), are fairly solitary so no need to get “friends” and have a decent life span. That being said, they are fairly particular, shy and a bit challenging to socialize. So far, we are doing pretty well, but they are not for everyone.

      Reply
  5. Beth says

    March 11, 2019 at 11:36 am

    Oh your poor sweet girl, and your heart! We lost our pug over the summer to very quick moving cancer and I miss him every single day. I hope that there is a simple fix for whatever is wrong!!! The hedgehog is the cutest, and what a great week of running!
    Beth recently posted…Friday Favorites – Keeping CozyMy Profile

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      March 11, 2019 at 9:04 pm

      I’m so very sorry for your loss. It’s just so devastating. She is 14 years old so I know it can’t be forever, but I also don’t want it to be now.

      We love the hedge and the running is going well.

      Reply
  6. Stacie Seidman says

    March 11, 2019 at 2:54 pm

    Oh I so hope it’s good news today at the vet. Fingers crossed for you all!
    Hufflepuff is the cutest thing ever. So excited to see that face on your blog regularly!
    The shower looks beautiful!
    And lastly, I’m team Pumpernickel too for bagels.

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      March 11, 2019 at 7:47 pm

      I might have to wait until tomorrow. We’ve really had a pile on of nonsense, so I’m dealing with something with little man now on top of everything else. Ugh.

      Hufflepuff is a doll. Her feet are so adorable. I can’t wait for her to be a bit more comfortable so the super cute photos can start.

      Reply
  7. Sandra D Laflamme says

    March 11, 2019 at 4:24 pm

    I am so sorry about Molly. That is so hard and I hope that she is ok! that hedgehog is amazingly cute. What a fun pet!
    Sandra D Laflamme recently posted…Ways to Learn to Love YourselfMy Profile

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      March 11, 2019 at 7:41 pm

      I do, too. I have raised her since she was about 8 weeks old, and I really don’t know what I’m going to do when it’s time. I know I need to be prepared but ugh. It’s the worst part of being a pet owner. 🙁

      Hufflepuff is a cutie. She’s definitely way different than anything we’ve had before.

      Reply
  8. Kat says

    March 11, 2019 at 7:50 pm

    Congrats on the 15K. Also what cute animals!
    Kat recently posted…February 2019 Book Wrap UpMy Profile

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      March 11, 2019 at 9:18 pm

      Thank you and thank you! We love cute animals around here.

      Reply
  9. Darlene says

    March 12, 2019 at 12:33 am

    The hedgehog is cute but not sure I’d want one. Healing wishes for your pug.
    Congrats on the 15k. I like that distance – just long enough but not too long.

    I am returning my Mizunos and I ordered Ravennas – hope they do the trick.
    Darlene recently posted…Weekly Run Down for 3.4.19-3.10.19My Profile

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      March 12, 2019 at 11:24 am

      They are definitely not for everyone, but so far, I’m liking it much better than a hamster or bird (I’ve had both of those, too).

      The 15K is a great distance! This one is hard because of the bridges, but it’s fun all the same.

      I just took my Ravennas out this morning… magical!

      Reply
  10. Renée says

    March 12, 2019 at 7:50 pm

    poor Molly! I know how it feels to have a beloved pet become ill, it wasn’t that long ago for us. I really hope she is feeling better and will still be around for a long time. big love to that girl!

    the hedgehog is just too too cute. adorable!!

    I’m sorry last week was so stressful. I can only imagine those miles you ran helped release the stress a bit! And great that you did go to the race after all! Send little man my way next time he wants to whip up breakfasts 😉

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      March 13, 2019 at 12:24 am

      <3 and Hugs. She is doing really well. We are so lucky.

      Hufflepuff is ridiculously cute and sort of sweet.

      Little man is quite the budding chef. We are lucky he contributes to our household like that.

      Reply
  11. Esther says

    March 13, 2019 at 12:22 am

    So glad to hear that Molly is doing better!
    Your sweet hoglet is precious!!!
    I like those shoes! I hope they do well for you and take you on many adventures!
    Esther recently posted…5 reasons I’m celebrating the coming of springMy Profile

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      March 13, 2019 at 12:23 am

      Thank you and thank you!

      The shoes were great! I got to test them out today and I loved them.

      Reply
  12. Judy @ Chocolaterunsjudy says

    March 14, 2019 at 12:20 pm

    Still sending lots of love to Molly. I know you’ll make the right decision, whatever that may be, and I know whatever the decision is, it’s a very tough road.

    Otherwise it sounds like a marvelous week — I’m sure some of those distractions helped a little. Especially the hedgehog. 🙂

    Gizmo was such a comfort when my elderly cat Puss was so sick. No one can ever take the place of another furkid, but they can help ease the pain just a little.
    Judy @ Chocolaterunsjudy recently posted…When is it time for a break?My Profile

    Reply

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Welcome to Runs With Pugs. My name is Jenn and this is the story of my love affair with running and finding myself through fitness. From C25K to marathon, from triathlon to SUP, from broken leg to the recovery journey... I'm sharing it all. I'm a wife and mother of one, living in NE Florida, in love with travel, adventure, and food. Oh. We have pugs and a hedgehog, too. Thank you for joining us! We're glad to have you along for the ride!
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