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Weekly Rundown… Seriously, Universe???

Well, it was quite a week, with some odd twists and turns.  Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting this Weekly Rundown.  Let’s just see what happened this week…

Sunday

Leg day at the gym!  I focus on squats and deadlifts on these days, and end with the leg press machine where I work to failure.  Good workout!

Monday

4 mile run.  It was a beautiful morning, 50 degrees and sunny- PERFECT weather for a run.

Tuesday

Because I have a half marathon on Sunday, I switched up my schedule for the week.  I went back to one of my “favorite” Caroline Girvan workouts, Day #20 from the Iron Series.  Biceps, triceps, core and abs.  Ouch.

Wednesday

Instead of a long run (once again, because of the Sunday half marathon) I did a 5 mile run.

Thursday

Gym day!  I wanted to get in a little bit of everything, but not too much on the legs.  I did squats, bench press (my shoulder is all better!) lat pulldowns, and abs.

Now let’s talk a little bit about this half marathon.  I originally signed up for it because Darlene was coming down to run it.  My husband also wanted to do it, so I thought it would be fun to do it together.

Well, for various reasons (including, but not limited to, his bout with Covid in January) my husband wasn’t able to put in the training so I knew he wasn’t going to do the race.  And poor Darlene… I’m going to let her tell the story on her blog, but she couldn’t run it either.

I have to admit I was feeling unenthusiastic about running the race by myself.  I haven’t been doing any speedwork, and I thought it would be depressing to run much slower than my last half marathon.  But then I had a mindset shift and realized how lucky I am to be able to run a race.  I’ve had to DNS this same race in the past due to injury, and the fact that I was able to run this year, I realized, was an amazing thing.

I wrote a whole blog post on the subject, ending with “This year, everything came together for me and I get to show up at the starting line of this race, healthy and ready to run.  I can’t wait.”

I hit “publish” and then, literally right afterwards, my daughter came into the room and said “I just threw up.”

Oh.  Well, that’s very, very bad news.  And actually, now that you mention it, my stomach doesn’t feel so great either.

My husband had been sick on Tuesday and Wednesday with what we thought was food poisoning.  He ate dinner at work on Tuesday, then came home and got sick.  I thought we wouldn’t get it, since we didn’t eat what he ate.  Well, think again.

To make a long and horrible story short, my daughter and I were up all night in the bathroom (good thing we have two bathrooms!)  Ugh.

Friday

Obviously, no workouts and no work or school either.  My daughter and I stayed home and slept on and off all day.  All we were able to get down were some sips of water and tea, and later at night, a little white rice.  Fun times!

Saturday

I slept great but woke up with a massive headache, I assume from dehydration.  The good news is we were both able to drink as much as we wanted, but eating was still iffy.  We had toast and more white rice.  I decided to rally and do laundry and change everyone’s sheets, and just doing that made me tired.  Bummer.

Sunday

No race.  I held out hope for as long as I could, but by afternoon on Saturday I knew it wasn’t going to happen.  I’m beginning to think this race is cursed!

Obviously, I’m really sad that I couldn’t run.  But this wasn’t my big, goal race (no, that’s coming up in April and I BETTER NOT GET SICK for that one!)  This will pass; as a matter of fact I’m hoping to go out for a short run/walk today just to get moving a little.  The timing was ridiculously bad- if the race were just one day later I might have been able to do it.  But… c’est la vie.

So that was the week!  The beginning was great, the second half, not so great.  But tomorrow we start all over again.

How was your week?  Have you ever had to DNS a race due to illness?

When was the last time you had a stomach virus?  – They are the WORST.

 

 

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Weekly Rundown- Back At It

Happy official first day of fall!  Of course, the weather is not fall-ish here, but we will not speak of such things.  We WILL speak about my calf though- it’s still feeling good, and I went from running every third day to every other day.  Progress!  I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah for this Weekly Rundown.  Here’s how it all played out… Monday The last time I ran was Saturday, so this was my first every-other-day run since coming back from the calf injury.  Everything is feeling good, but I’m still nervous about it, so I was very conservative- I walked one mile and ran two. I followed the run with a Caroline Girvan standing core workout.  I’ve decided that I like standing core workouts, if they use dumbbells.  You don’t get the same burn as with deadbugs or crunches, but I like the way I have to stabilize my core against the weighted arm moves. Tuesday Strength day at home- hip stability (including Runner’s Touch and the one leg sit-to-stand.)  I also got out my pull-up bar and did dead hangs and scapular retractions (you hang from the bar and lift yourself up a few inches without bending your arms, only by retracting your shoulder blades.) Boy, are my lats weak.  I rounded it all off with the tried-and-true Caroline Girvan deadbug workout.. Wednesday This was a big day- I got back to the cross country trail!  I haven’t been here since the end of May. I walked a mile and then ran 4.  I loved being back and I LOVED running in the daylight! Thursday Upper body strength workout from Sally McRae’s app, and then this MadFit standing abs workout.  This is officially my favorite standing core workout (thank you, Engie!) I feel it in my core, there’s some balance involved, and it’s a good upper body workout as well. Friday Third run of the week! Once again I was super conservative- walked one mile and then ran one. Followed this up with hip stability exercises and squats. At night I went to our high school football game! Our team is undefeated this year, and we won 48-0.  I actually felt a little sorry for the other team.  The band had to play their halftime show on the track because the field was so wet, but it was still a fun night! Saturday Off!  Friday was a late night, so it felt good to sleep in a little before going to work. Sunday Ooh, I’m excited.  On tap for today- a trail run!  I’m going to my second favorite trail- my first favorite has a lot of sand and I don’t think my calf is quite ready for that yet- and I’ll do 6 miles (the first mile will be walking though.) As you can see, it was a great week!  The only thing that marred it a little was my low back, which has been very achy.  It doesn’t hurt when I run (so it’s not a “real” problem, ha) but I babied it a little and didn’t go to the gym for any heavy squats or deadlifts.  Hopefully I’ll get that back on track this week. How was your week?  Are you celebrating the first day of fall?

Friday Coffee Date

Hello friends!  We made it to Friday and GUESS WHAT.  Sunday is officially the first day of fall!  Pour yourself a delicious fall-themed beverage and let’s talk about what that means. This week, Elisabeth posted her Top Five/Bottom Five Fall lists.  In her Top Five was the delightful fall weather, and in her Bottom Five was “winter is coming.”  Well, in Florida that is reversed. One of the WORST things about fall is our weather.  September is absolutely terrible.  Hot, steamy, rainy, and the chance of hurricanes increases every day.  Now that my kids are older, it doesn’t bother me as much.  But when they were young, there were all sorts of outdoor activities we thought we should be doing… like the PUMPKIN PATCH. The “pumpkin patch” was actually the yard of a nearby church that had hundreds of pumpkins- obviously no pumpkins actually grew there- they were imported from another state.  It seemed like a fun thing to do, but the weather just wasn’t conducive.  One year stands out starkly. The day we planned to go to the pumpkin patch, it rained.  But then the rained stopped- oh, good!  Let’s go to the pumpkin patch!  The problem is, when it rains here in September, it just makes things unbearably steamy.  Our time at the pumpkin patch was muggy, muddy, and horribly uncomfortable. (They don’t have that pumpkin patch anymore- I WONDER WHY.) Okay, so we don’t have fall weather here.  But you’re probably thinking that I’m guzzling down all the fancy fall drinks, right? No pumpkin spice lattes for me!  Starbucks does have some vegan seasonal drinks, but they all have a ton of sugar.  This year I’ve been having some serious FOMO, so I’ve tried a couple things… This is a vegan, unsweetened creamer, and I’ve been putting it in my tea (NOT in my Earl Grey- that would be gross.  Just regular black tea.) I think I like it?  I can’t really decide, but it does make me feel festive and fall-ish. Some friends gave us another new (to me) beverage: It’s sugar free!  The ingredients are black tea, chai spices, and sucralose.  Okay, I know sucralose isn’t good for you.  I know!  But I’m more willing to have sucralose every once in a while than sugar.  I’ve only tried it once- I mixed it with soy milk and made a DELICIOUS chai latte.  My daughter went a step further and added the pumpkin creamer to hers and made a super fancy fall beverage. Let’s go back to Elisabeth’s Bottom Five Fall item: winter is coming.  YES.  Winter is coming!  In Florida that means a break from the heat and humidity.  We’ll get some cool nights and beautiful days.  It won’t happen until November/December, but we’re here, waiting patiently. What would you tell me over coffee?  Do you like festive fall beverages?  Are you excited for the first day of fall?    

Reading and Eating

I’ve started Edge of Eternity and we are now in the 1960s!  It’s amazing to me how much I actually don’t know.  Yes- I did know there was a wall in Berlin.  But if you asked me when it was built, I would have said… right after WWII?  No!  It was built in 1961, after the US and USSR threatened war over the Berlin crisis.  This was going on during the Civil Rights protests in the US.  What an incredibly turbulent time!  Needless to say, I’m loving this book. This is the third book in Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy, and in between books 2 and 3 I quickly read this: This was a reread, as all Agatha Christies are for me.  I found it at the used bookstore, flipped through it and didn’t recognize any of the character’s names.  I took that as a good sign, and decided to risk it.  So many times I start an Agatha Christie (I read them all at least thirty years ago) and remember the ending about halfway through. Not this time!  I KNOW I read this one, but I truly couldn’t remember it.  I even tried out different “ingenious” solutions: “The narrator is the murderer!  The priest isn’t really a priest!  Someone is a long-lost son!”  Nope.  The ending was a complete surprise.  I really enjoyed this reread! Eating wise… I’ve continued to pretend that it’s not hot, muggy, and steamy here, and made chili!  I while ago I made Vegan Cincinnati Chili from this website. I was planning to make that again, but when I went to the website, I noticed he also has a recipe for “Texas Chili” which is called Best Damn Vegan Chili Ever.  Well!  I had to try that. It was very good!  I’m not sure I believe the claims that this chili is “award winning.”.  But to be fair, I did leave out two “optional” ingredients, pickled jalapenos and masa harina.  Mayne next time I’ll put those in and see if it wins any awards. I will say that my husband LOVED it!  We ate it for two dinners, and both times he exclaimed over how much he enjoyed it. Chili: Cincinatti, or Texas style? What are you reading now?

Fall Fun

I had a really nice, fall-ish weekend!  When I say “fall-ish,” I don’t mean I visited a pumpkin patch or went apple picking.  No, we don’t have that in Florida- although, I’m pretty sure it’s too early for those things just about everywhere right now.  But those are things that never happen in Florida, so we have to make our own fall. We may not have cool temperatures and falling leaves, but we do have football and homecoming!  Saturday night was our high school homecoming dance, and my daughter went with two of her friends, looking amazing in her new dress.  I got a lot of GREAT comments on my post about the suit vs. dress dilemma, including one from Julie saying that she wore a tux to her prom!  For this dance, my daughter wore a dress- who knows what will happen in the future. I dropped my daughter and her two friends at the dance, and I loved seeing all the kids dressed up.  I also loved that these three girls didn’t feel like they needed dates- they were happy to be going together.  I was excited that it was my daughter’s first high school dance. I was also excited that after the dance, another mom was picking the girls up and bringing them back to her house for a sleepover.  I knew that my daughter would be in good hands and I knew she would have fun- and my job was done for the night. I got home just in time for the start of the Baylor game.  It was gloomy and rainy outside (a typical South Florida evening in September) and my house was so cozy!  We broke out the fall food and beverages. We tried each of the beers: the Oktoberfest was very good; the Pumpking Ale was okay, and the Howling Gourds was terrible.  The only one we actually finished was the Oktoberfest.  It turns out some things just shouldn’t taste like pumpkin, and beer is one of them.  But it was fun to try them all. I LOVE chips and salsa, but don’t normally eat them.  It’s one of those thing I can’t stop eating once I start, so I usually don’t let myself start.  But I made an exception since they were “fall-themed” (holiday foods don’t really count, right???) and I loved them.  The pepita salsa is delicious, and chips are always good.  Plus they looked like fall leaves! We also had this: It was good.  I mean- it was good for a prepared dinner.  Elaborate cooking wasn’t in my plan for this night, so we definitely enjoyed these “heat and serve” enchiladas. We watched Baylor win, and oh yes- I was wearing my new favorite pajamas. After the game, I stayed up late reading, and finally crawled into bed, knowing that there was no work or school tomorrow, and no one would be needing me for anything.  I could sleep as late as I wanted, and didn’t wake up until 9 am.  It felt AMAZING. After a nice slow start to the morning, Sunday got underway.  I picked up my daughter, did the grocery shopping, and started thinking about plans for the week.  I felt a little melancholy that the weekend was coming to an end.  Sometimes everything just comes together perfectly.  I know there will be more fun times this fall, but it’s possible that I’ll look back and say “Yes, that was the best night of the whole season.” Are you starting to think about fall, or are you still in a summer frame of mind? Pumpkin ale- yay, or nay?

55 Responses

  1. No, no, no, no, no. Jenny, I absolutely refuse to believe this is happening!!!??? I saw the title of your post and my heart sank. I am so sorry for you and your husband and daughter because stomach bugs are THE WORST and they do always seem to come at the absolute worst time.

    I feel like this is sweeping North America? A number of American friends, all the way to people who live around my block are struggling with stomach bugs and/or really bad colds/strep? It feels like the second wave of what hit in the late fall.

    You know my son got a viral bug in November which doctors believe set off his nervous system in a wacky way that has translated into abdominal issues/regular nausea ever since. I am borderline terrified about when he will next catch a stomach bug. He now lives in terror of throwing up, but I also know it’s inevitable and…what do I do? Life can’t stop and chances are – even with extreme measures – he will catch whatever is going around. I’ll just love him and care for him as best I can when it happens, but it is filling me with dread.

    My husband got home last night from a week away and he has a high temp and a cough. I banished him to the guest room and left bottles of hand sanitizer everywhere and he is going to wear a mask and have, very sadly, given the kid’s instructions to not go near him. We are supposed to go away for a short (but exciting) vaca soon and the timing could not be worse for the rest of us to get sick…so he is officially an outcast in his own home. I’ve told the kids we can FaceTime him from upstairs…and I will deliver food.

    I’m so sorry, Jenny, but I also hope and have to believe this means you will be in absolute tip-top shape for your big race in April? Hugs my friend. And I hope you’re feeling so much better soon <3

    Reply

    1. Yes, I know you have a LOT of experience with this type of thing lately- and I agree that it seems to be sweeping the country. The day my daughter was sick, her friends texted her that a LOT of kids were out of school. Of course, I don’t know if they had the same thing, but a lot of people are getting sick.
      That’s such a bummer about your husband. I hope he feels better soon and you’re able to go on your vacation. And I hope Levi is doing well. There’s nothing worse than seeing your child suffer.

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  2. Oh noooo I’m so so sorry about the stomach virus and race. How disappointing. Hope you all feel better soon!
    We’ve had a few stomach viruses in our house over the past few months, including 2 weeks ago. My husband got it the worst but it’s still no fun with sick kids.

    Reply

    1. No, having sick kids is the worst! Luckily my daughter is old enough to mostly take care of herself, although she did need some assistance. i won’t go into details, but kids just don’t seem to understand that there are good places to throw up and BAD places… ugh.

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  3. Ugh. I had a stomach bug last month. My medical assistant and I both got sick after our late night at work. We even knew which patient we caught it from, lol. In fact, we just saw her this week and we reminisced about that…not a fun experience. I sure hope I don’t catch it again! I hope you are feeling better and I’m sorry that you had to DNS your race. There was a race that I had to DNS 3 times–so I just gave up on it!

    Reply

    1. Oh really? Yes, maybe it’s a sign- I shouldn’t be doing this race. Stomach bugs are just so awful- there’s nothing you can do to power through, you just have to accept that you’re going to be miserable for a while. Glad we’re on the other side of it now.

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  4. Girl, my week was pretty rough as well. So, when I saw your title I had to read your post first. Misery loves company I guess. I’m sorry you didn’t get to show up for your race, but think about this way. If you were going to not show up for one, this seems the one not to show up for – Darlene wasn’t there. Your husband wasn’t there and you weren’t totally mentally prepared. Next race will be perfect and this week is over! On to a new week! Hope it’s a great one!

    Reply

    1. Yes, it really wasn’t a huge tragedy- just a little sad and frustrating. Also annoying that it was $100 down the drain, but oh well- that money was spent either way. Yes, I hope next week is better for both of us!

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    1. Yes, it’s MUCH worse for you. I’ll be honest- I don’t love this race course. It’s nice to see the ocean, there’s no variety and once again today it was hot and humid (even though I wasn’t there I of course was checking the temps!) I think we should pick a different Florida race next year. Any ideas?

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  6. Ugh, I’m so sorry. Stomach bugs are the worst. I’m glad you are feeling better and this won’t interfere with your main event in April.

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    1. Yes, but now I’m paranoid! These things just seem to come out of nowhere, and there’s not much you can do to fight off a stomach virus. Well, fingers crossed. It doesn’t happen often, luckily.

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    1. I know- the whole thing pretty much turned into a fiasco for both of us (more for her than for me.) I’m feeling much better today though.

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  8. Hope you’re all feeling better. This stomach bug course has not been fun, although I’m still not sure whether mine was a bug or food poisoning. Gentle healing hugs my friend

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    1. What, you have it too? Yes, stomach viruses are TERRIBLE. I’m feeling almost back to normal today- I hope you’re feeling better too!

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  9. Oh what a bummer, on so many levels. Even though the race didn’t happen, I MUCH appreciate your comments about “getting” to run a race, even if not ready for it, etc. That’s always my perspective. When a race goes bad (for whatever reason), I am still grateful just to be able to run at all (though those happy thoughts aren’t often immediate, LOL). I hope you are feeling better!!!

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    1. Yes, and this experience was another reminder to really appreciate the times we DO get to the starting line healthy and ready to run- because it won’t always happen.
      I am feeling better today! Almost normal.

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  10. Oh Jenny, I’m sorry you had to miss the race. There’s never a good time to get a stomach bug, but sheesh really that it had to be right before the race?

    Thankfully I don’t get stomach bugs very often, but when I do, they’re memorable. Oof.

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    1. Yes, it’s really been a long time since I’ve had this. I had actually forgotten how miserable it is. But now I won’t forget for a while.

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  11. Nooooooooooo! I am so sorry to hear this! And I suppose it is a good thing you didn’t suffer from an injury that would affect you longterm but a stomach bug is awful!!!!

    But yes maybe the universe has a reason for keeping you and this race apart.

    Hope you are all back to normal tomorrow.

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    1. Ha ha… yes, maybe this race and I are not meant to be. Darlene and I are already talking about picking a DIFFERENT Florida race to run next year.

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  12. Noooo!! I am so sorry to hear this! I am glad it wasn’t a goal race but still. It sucks to miss a race you were trained to run! It seems like stomach bugs are sweeping the nation! I have heard of so many families that were sick. I dread the stomach flu, especially since my kids are young so don’t know how to get to a bathroom or bucket in time!! Paul actually threw up during the first night of Kyria’s visit. I was so paranoid we would all get it but he was totally fine in the morning. So I don’t think he actually had a stomach bug? Who knows. Luckily we all stayed healthy!

    I hope you stay healthy going forward, especially with your upcoming 50k!

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    1. Thank you Lisa! Yes, it seems like a lot of people are sick, and having a stomach bug with small children is the absolute worst. Luckily it was a lot easier for me that my daughter was able to mostly take care of herself (there’s nothing worse than being sick AND having to take care of a sick toddler at the same time!)

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  14. Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear this! And of course about Darlene, whatever the story is. Now get better and stay well so that you can continue your training for the big race. Stomach viruses are horrible and if I get them I get really sick. Normal people are sick for 1-2 days and I throw up (and other eww) for a night or so but I’m weak, sickly, dizzy, and unable to eat for a week or so. Not sure if it’s been because I’ve had some bad IBD until I finally got proper treatment in 2018.

    Reply

    1. Yes, there’s definitely some recovery time AFTER all the vomiting stops. I’m writing this Monday night, and we’re just now feeling pretty much band to normal. It does sound like it takes you a long time to recover- maybe your digestive system just needs a little more time. Glad you got treated for IBD- that is not fun either!

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  15. Wow, I’m so sorry you didn’t get to run the race — again! But glad that you are already on the mend. Just wasn’t meant to be, I guess.

    About 5 years ago I had what I think was a mild case of food poisoning. It started DURING my race. So special. But I was able to finish — I just couldn’t really eat anything afterward. So that was a bummer.

    I’m guessing both your bathrooms are on the same floors? Ours are on two different floors. Ugh. It’s not usually too much of a problem . . .

    Reply

    1. Ha ha, both bathrooms are on the same floor. So every time I was up in the bathroom, I could hear my daughter up too. I guess you could call it a “bonding” experience?
      Getting food poisoning during a race sounds like a nightmare! At least you were able to finish.

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  16. Oh how disappointing! I’m so sorry that you didn’t get to run your race!
    I am reminded about your recent post where you wrote about enjoying the training because nothing else is guaranteed and the last post, how positively you were framing everything. I’ve really liked reading about how you’ve been taking care of yourself physically and mentally as you train. I imagine it’s still such a huge bummer not to be able to do the race, though!
    I hope you feel better soon!

    Reply

    1. Yes, this was a huge reminder of exactly what you mentioned- enjoy the training because nothing else is guaranteed. Duly noted, Universe!

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  18. I hope you and your daughter are feeling back to 100% soon! It’s always such a bummer to have to miss a race, but at least this one wasn’t because of an injury that’s going to keep you from running for weeks or months. Take care!

    Reply

    1. Yes, it would be much worse if I were injured. On the other hand, it’s frustrating to be down for only 2-3 days, and have the race fall in that time period. I’ll take this scenario over injury, though!

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    1. Thank you! It’s actually been a REALLY long time since we’ve had a stomach bug. Like… over ten years? Somehow I had forgotten how intense it is. STAY HEALTHY!

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  21. Nooooooooooo!

    I don’t usually get stomach bugs, but I’ve had food poisoning twice. Do not recommend.

    I am so sorry you had a DNS. It’s for the best, of course, but it still stings. I hope everyone is feeling better and that everything is ok.

    Reply

    1. Thank you Jenn! We actually thought this was food poisoning at first when my husband got it, but then we got it two days later so the timing didn’t make sense. Anyway, we are feeling much better now.

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  22. Ughhhh! How awful about the race and especially that you were all feeling terrible! I hope it clears up fast. There is something going around our high school with a lot of those symptoms. I’m not sure I should even post this (don’t say it out loud) but I can’t even remember the last time I had a stomach bug or when anyone in our family did. Let’s all knock on wood now!

    Reply

    1. No, no, do not say that! You will be doomed! It does seem like a lot of people are getting this, or something similar.

      Reply

  23. Oh no I’m so sorry the stomach bug got you and you had to cancel the race. I had that tummy bug 2 weeks ago, and while i did not throw up, my stomach sure felt like it wanted to. It’s the worst! Hope you and your daughter are feeling better!

    Reply

    1. Honestly, sometimes NOT throwing up is worse. But either way, it’s not fun. We’re definitely feeling better now.

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  24. Oh Jenny, I’m so sorry that happened to you! It must be so frustrating. But good on you for focusing on your goal race in April. Hopefully, you got all the germs / viruses out of the way and have a good rest of your training cycle that builds to a great day for that!!

    Reply

    1. Yes, it was really, really bad timing. But, the silver lining to stomach bugs is they’re intense, but fairly short. We’re pretty much back to normal now.

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  26. sorry to hear you had to skip the race due to sickness. a lot of sickness in my household too so I haven’t run much since last Thursday, which seems so long. hopefully we all recover well and run stronger next time.

    Reply

    1. Ugh, sorry to hear you’re sick as well! It seems that a lot of people are getting sick right now. I hope you feel better soon.

      Reply

  27. What a bummer, Jenny. I know I am commenting late, so I hope you’ve been over all of it (the bug AND the disappointment) by now.

    Reply

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