It’s hard to believe it’s only been a week since I last posted.  In the land of foster kittens it feels like several months.  We’ve gone through having some relief because our littlest kitten had to be returned to the shelter for extra care, to having our three kittens go through some issues.  It’s not determined if they are just sick or have some medical issues, but they have not been gaining weight like they should.  It’s the stressful part of being a foster parent, always making sure they are thriving and worrying about them.  They are fussy and don’t want to eat at times.  They also have stomach issues (loose stool and throwing up).  Ugh.  Lots of laundry happening around here. The low part of the week just hit this morning at 3:30am when one of the kittens passed away.  Although it wasn’t completely surprising, as you can imagine it was heartbreaking.  She passed away peacefully in my arms.

Mon – 3.5 mile run.  I had to get outside because it was almost 50 degrees!  I did wear light arm sleeves, but it was really nice out and I have missed seeing the sunrise.

Tues – “two for Tuesday” 3.5 mile run, outside!  With the temps increasing this week I was more than happy to run outside in the dark again.  It was 59 degrees. Just perfect!  I also got to see a possum attempting to cross the road.. until I scared him.

1 mile walk after dinner.  It was 84 degrees!  Wow, hello summer!  Ok, I hope it’s not quite summer yet, but we did open up our pool so we’re waiting for it to turn clear!

Weds – 24 miles riding.  18.3 mph.  It was our first club ride, the “Windsday” ride.  It’s always a bit windy on this route in the country, but luckily we only have the one direction and the other way is a nice break. Haha!  Tonight the wind was at our backs going out, so a bit more challenging going in.  I was also challenged to keep up with the group a couple of times because they were pushing the speed past 19.5 mph.  I held on until the last mile when they burst into a sprint to the finish.  I got left in the dust and finished last.  Pretty funny!  A good time though and I’ll join them again.

Thurs – Cedar Point day!  We needed a break from the foster kitten stress, so my daughter took over kitten care duties for the day.  Even though it was 85 degrees back home, it was only 70 at the park.  A perfect day for a much needed break.

Fri – 5 miles running.  I had a crazy busy day, so I needed to get my mental game set with some morning miles.  But the weather really beat me down on this one!  65 degrees felt like 90. 

I was non stop after my run: feeding kittens, going to the pool shop, shopping for a baby shower, taking a shower, hosting a baby shower at work, kitten visit to the Humane Society.  It was exhausting!  I was in a sleep deprived haze for most of the day because I had done the 2:30am feeding and also up at 6:30am to drive my son to school.  Funny part of this is that I do not like hosting parties, yet I ended up throwing a shower with less than 2 weeks notice for my coworker (oops, I procrastinated a bit on planning it!).  Luckily it turned out really nice!

Sat – 7 miles running.  I haven’t committed to a fall marathon yet, but one is my sights is Erie, on Presque Isle in Pennsylvania.  It’s 18 weeks away, so I looked at some plans.  One plan had 7 miles and another had 12 miles!  With the warm temps I only made it to 7 miles and deemed it good enough.  Hopefully next week’s weather will be more conducive to getting a longer run!  It was another busy day – garage sale shopping with my daughter, another trip to the shelter with the kittens, and finally dropping off donations and cleaning up after our garage sale!!

As I mentioned, Bernice, our black little kitten passed away.  It happened after the middle of the night feeding, so as I’m typing this, I have been up since 2:45am – unable to sleep after that happened.  With two more events happening later today (another baby shower and band awards), I hopefully will be able to fit a nap in.  We have two kittens left now.  One is doing pretty good.  She is big and fluffy and is even grooming herself.  She has been a fussy eater lately though.  The other is much smaller and is my concern because she has not gained weight due to stomach issues.  Send all positive thoughts and prayers that she improves!

Need some more inspiration? I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Check out all of the fun blogs there!

21 thoughts on “Weekly workouts – send a prayer”
  1. I’m so sorry to hear about the kitten! That had to be hard. I think fostering animals would be very difficult–I hadn’t considered that one might die while being fostered!

    We had that heat too and I’m looking forward to more temperate conditions this week!

    1. Unfortunately it’s not unusual for the foster kittens to need some sort of medical help, but it’s usually something like medicine for a respiratory infection. Sometimes even the older ones are a challenge to persuade to eat and get bigger. We have had one other time a kitten died under our care. Super sad because my daughter was holding it as we were taking it to the emergency vet. The foster coordinator is amazing though. I emailed her at 3am when I was having issues and sure enough she was awake at her house, tube feeding the other kitten we used to have! They put so much of their time and heart into the job.

  2. Sorry to hear about your foster kittens. I am sure that is so stressful for you all. The return of the humidity is not welcome to me either! Way to get it done this week

  3. I am so sorry for your loss and for the kittens’ struggles. It just breaks your heart. Know that you made a difference in their lives, and they knew love because of you.

    How sweet that your daughter pitched in to give you a little release. Sending all the healing vibes to those remaining kittens!

    For such a physically & emotionally tough week, you sure got in plenty of activity! Especially in the sudden heat, it’s always tough. Here’s to a better week this week. Hugs.

  4. I’m so sorry! That must have been so, so sad for you. I know I’ve mentioned that our cat Muffin was found in a dumpster when she was a day old and nursed to health by her awesome foster mom- what I didn’t mention was there were other kittens in the litter, and only she and her sister survived. And, at one point they were both really sick but recovered. So it’s actually really hard to keep them healthy when they’re that young. You are doing an amazing job! Sending positive thoughts to the remaining two kittens!!! Poor little girls.
    I think a seven mile long run for a marathon that’s 18 weeks away is good. I hope you have some cooler weather this week.

    1. The kittens were a bit dehydrated so they got fluids at the shelter. When I left the worker said “You’re doing a great job. No really, you are!” Oh man, that brought tears to my eyes. It’s a labor of love for sure. I hope the upcoming week gets better. The remaining small kitten is only half the size of the healthy kitten. She’s got a battle ahead of her.

  5. Oh, poor kitties. That must be so exhausting to care for them and worry over them. I hope you get your nap in and have some fun later today.

    Sounds like your weather was all over the place this week, but you got some good run in.

    1. Fostering the little ones definitely requires a commitment. I’m so glad my family is here to help out and it’s not just one of us taking on the burden.

  6. Oh, I’m so sorry to hear about the kittens’ struggles, and especially feel bad for all the sadness of losing one. I cannot imagine how physically and emotionally demanding fostering is. As for the biking…doesn’t it always feel like the wind is from at least three different directions? It’s great resistance training, but certainly not always appreciated.

    1. Thanks. It’s all of the successful adoptions that make fostering worth it. We’re just giving it our best shot. Sucks that it’s not always a positive outcome and things like this happen 🙁

  7. So sorry about the poor kitty. You are doing a superb job and giving these little ones all the love and care they need. Hope you can get some time for you and for rest.

  8. Awwe, poor kitty 🙁 It’s so hard when pets aren’t feeling well since they can’t communicate with us. You’re doing such a great job caring for all of your foster pets.

  9. Isn’t it great to get back out on the bike? And wow, on the 18.3 MPH ride! The only time I’ve ridden on roads that flat was when we were in Florida and managed to average 17.8 MPH, but only with the help of a tailwind. LOL

    I’m so sorry to hear that Bernice passed away. I hope the other little kitten starts gaining weight and thriving soon! Have you gotten an update on the kitten that you took back to the shelter?

  10. Oh poor sweet kitten. You must be heartbroken. I know it comes with the territory, but ugh. You must be excited and drained.

    I’m excited to hear more about your fall marathon! That is exciting!

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