This week we got the chicken wire on top of the chicken run area finished. We were holding off on doing this last strip while we brainstormed on how to do the section at the gate, since there was nothing to attach it to there. Barry came up with the genius idea of stringing a cable and attaching it to the end post. It worked out perfectly.

Now the entire chicken run is covered, which keeps the chickens in and protects them at the same time. We used zip ties to attach the strips of chicken wire together and to attach the wire to the top rails of the fence.

The chickens got some more treats this week. When they see me get the blue “treat” bowl out, they all stand by the gate waiting to see what I’ve got for them.

This week their new treat was grapes and they were a hit!

Every time I introduce a new treat there will be one brave soul who will come over to check it out. Then everyone else comes running.

Barry also decided to trim down the bushes in the front part of the run area to give the chickens a place to run around. The back half is all shady for them still, and they seem to really enjoy the new open area. They like to run back and forth and jump up into the air and flap their wings.

The chickens continue to grow. I don’t think they’ve changed much in size, but their combs on top of their heads and wattles below their beaks are getting bigger and redder.

My father-in-law told us that when they get ready start laying their combs will turn bright red. Since the chickens are getting close to starting to lay (usually 18-20 weeks), it is time to start training them on where to lay. Do you remember the nesting box we installed in the chicken coop way back when?

We do actually intend for them to use that at some point. It’s sole purpose is a place for them to lay their eggs. Usually chickens will lay one egg per day. We have to train them on where to lay, so that they don’t choose their own “safe” place to lay their eggs. This is done by putting an egg-shaped object in each of the nesting boxes.

I used rocks from our front yard that are oval-shaped. Like most training, they may not catch on right away. They may first lay them on the floor in the chicken coop, but within a week they should start laying up in the nesting boxes.

I am using rocks, but any egg-shaped or round object is supposed to work. Some people use golf balls and others will use plastic or wooden eggs. The idea is that they will think there’s already an egg in the box, so they will want to lay their egg there as well. Hopefully it works out!

What new thing(s) did you learn about chickens this week?

Some exciting things came in the mail yesterday! One was my very first StrideBox ….

 …and the other was my new Go Sport ID.

I’ll start with the July StrideBox. I love the packaging. It makes for a great presentation. The tissue paper makes it feel like you’re opening a little gift, which you pretty much are. Great timing since my birthday is next week!

Inside I found some nutrition bars, an energy gel, some kinesiology tape, and a StrideBox hydration bottle full of hydration options – perfect for the summer heat!

The box also came with two Stride Guides that tell you a bit about each of the products, what the retail price is, and where to find them on the internet.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s inside. I will link to each of the product’s websites listed on the Stride Guide to keep this from getting lengthy.

The products outside of the hydration bottle included a Bearded Brothers Fabulous Ginger Peach energy bar, an apple pie flavored PR Bar, a double espresso Body Glove Surge Gel, and some SpiderTech pre-cut kinesiology tape.

Inside the hydration bottle I found a sampler of six different hydration products. The top row has a tri-berry GU Brew electrolyte tablet, a berry flavored ZYM sport drink tablet, and a grape flavored Nuun electrolyte tablet. The bottom row consists of some HDX grape flavored hydration mix, some lemon lime Vega Sport hydrator mix, and a packet of tropical punch flavor Healthy To Go! acai energy mix.

I am excited to try out each of these products. The main reason I signed up for StrideBox is to try out some different hydration and fuel products. Each month, you receive a box with an assortment of running gear, accessories, and nutritional products. It costs $15/month and you can cancel at any time. And now on to my new Go Sport ID!

I first became aware of this product through Sweaty Emily and her post about gear. I had been on the hunt for some type of ID to wear while running and this was exactly what I was looking for!

I have the Inspire band which allowed me to put a motivational quote on one side and my ICE info on the other side. I liked that I could make my ID a “functional” accessory that I can wear on a daily basis.

I utilized my favorite inspirational quote from 2 Chronicles (also on the right sidebar of my blog). My favorite color is currently purple, but that has a tendency to change. So naturally I had to get the 8-pack of bands so that I could switch it out as my little heart desires.

That orange band will become very important this fall as I cheer on my Hokies at football games! How could I not be decked out from head to toe in maroon and orange, including my Go Sport ID? If only they specifically made it in burnt orange. Official Virginia Tech colors are Chicago maroon and burnt orange… but I’m sure you knew that 🙂

Disclosure: I was not compensated by StrideBox or Go Sport ID for this post. I purchased these products with my own/Barry’s money (what’s yours is mine, honey) at full price and these companies probably do not even know I have a blog. I just thought I’d share about my new stuff!

Do you subscribe to StrideBox or any “surprise” boxes?

Do you have an ID like the Go Sport ID that you use while out exercising?

Have you ever tried any of the products in this month’s StrideBox? Do you use any of them regularly?

This evening I went for an easy 3 mile run. I ended up running an average 9:34/mile pace which is pretty quick for me on an easy day. My breathing was fine, except up the bigger hills. My legs felt a bit fatigued, but I didn’t feel like I was running too hard. Funny enough, I ended up doing a progression run. My mile splits were 9:39, 9:37, and 9:27. Now if only I could do that when I was trying to do a progression run.

I ran on the roads around our house. Do you know of that show Duck Dynasty? If you don’t you should check it out sometime. I think season 4 is supposed to premiere on A&E in August. You may not like it the first episode, but it’ll grow on you. I think they’re really funny. But now I’ve gotten off topic.

The reason I brought up Duck Dynasty is because today I saw Phil on a scooter. Okay, so it probably wasn’t him since he lives in Louisiana, but it looked like him! He honked at me as he drove by. Have you ever heard a scooter horn? It sounds like Roadrunner from Looney Tunes.

Another interesting tidbit from my run today: I did not get chased by any dogs! This is unprecedented for me when running on the roads around our house. I really enjoyed it.

Since I’m already sharing random things, I will share one more. My schedule got so messed up from having the day off work and running a race yesterday. All day yesterday I kept thinking it was Saturday and that today was going to be Sunday. I had to keep reminding myself that it was going to be Friday and I needed to remember to go to work. Luckily (or unluckily?) I did remember and went to work today.

Have you ever watched Duck Dynasty?

Tell me something random from your day!

Did the holiday throw you off? Who went to work today?

Let me preface this by saying that this was a very small, low-key race (my kind of race). Also, it appears that the 5K course was actually 3.3 miles long, but I’ll address that in a bit.

Instagram {turkeyrunner}

Shortly before the race, I bumped into Anita, Glenda, Wendy and a whole group of Sole Sisters. I took a pre-race picture with them “prom style” (as in we all turned to the side) and hung out prior to the start. At 8:45 we made the short walk over to the start line, I did some stretching, and we were briefed on the race course. The 5K would be a simple out and back. The race also had a 10K that had a slightly different course, but everyone started together and the start and finish were in the same place. The race did end up being flat! I was skeptical.



Photo courtesy of Glenda Scott

The weather for the race turned out pretty ideal, especially for July. It was overcast, in the low 70’s, and only slightly humid. It poured all day yesterday and the weather forecast called for that to continue today. I am glad it held off for the race!



Photo courtesy of Glenda Scott

The race course didn’t have mile markers, and if I had known that I would have run with my Garmin instead of my Timex stop watch. I got to the turn around in 13:36. Interestingly enough I had only seen two men and one girl on their way back. The girl ahead of me was only about 30 seconds ahead at the turn around. The turn around was not clearly marked. There was a water stop there (we were told there was a water stop before the turn around) and if there was a sign I didn’t see it. But I thought this was where the girl in front of me had turned, so I asked the man working the water stop if this was the turnaround and he said yes.



Photo courtesy of Glenda Scott

During the last half mile or so, pink shirt started to pull away from me. I tried to push but there was nothing there. I think she crossed the line about a minute ahead of me. I ran the second half in 14:04, huge positive split, and crossed the line in 27:40. When I crossed a woman handed me a card with the #4 on it and told me to go over to the table where they were collecting bib tags for placing. Turns out I placed 4th overall and 2nd overall for women! How cool. I know I’m not fast, but it was pretty neat to be so close to the front of the finishers.



Sole Sisters cleaned up today- everyone placed either overall or in their age group!

Overall I’m pretty happy with this race. I don’t feel like I ran as well as I could have, but at the same time I feel like I ran with the same effort as I did two weeks ago at my last 5K.

Today was a sad day in our house. We had to make the heart-breaking decision to have our Toby dog, Barry’s childhood dog, put to sleep. Toby lived to be 17 years, 2 1/2 months old, which is a long life for a dog. Nevertheless, it was still a tough decision. Loving a dog means making the impossible decision to let it go when it’s quality of life is no longer there. Toby had gotten to this point. We will shed tears that he is gone, but we will also celebrate the long life he had.

We drove down to Barry’s parent’s house afterward to lay him to rest alongside other dogs that they have had. Toby was lucky to have a human like Barry who gave him a great life. He left this world knowing how much he was loved and cherished.

Camping in 2009