Dog blogging

Dragged the teen out of bed this morning for breakfast/cartoon duty with the younger two, so I could get in a run with the dog. The teen's going to be crabby all day, but... too bad.

It's been a few weeks, so it was just short run. A couple of miles (1.95 miles, 9:15 pace) with Peter T. Dog, sunshine and the sounds of birds and not-too-distant rush hour traffic. Yea!

It was a tiny bit of good exercise for the both of us, and a much needed bit of peace and quiet, away from noisy children and teething puppy.

That's right, I said "puppy." Clifford, intended to be Peter's packmate. Pete's been mopey since coming home from his two weeks in the country with dogs, cats and horse. A younger dog is supposed to give him a bit of zip to keep active and happy in his old age. It's worked well for my mother's dogs over the years, and the vet suggested it last year. The final straw was last week, when I was reading Radley Balko's blog. The kids were passing by the computer while I was on his normal Sunday dog blogging. It was a puppy blogging post. In looking at the cute photos, my little girl read the story about the puppy being a pal for his older dog. The lobbying began.

The intention when we visited the Atlanta Humane Society (no kill shelter) was a 6-12 month medium dog, preferably female. Found the perfect dog, 6 month old Annie, a beagle/terrier mix. Went back again the next day with kids & Pete, to make sure the two dogs got along as well as the first day, and to bring her home. That's when we met Clifford.

At 2 months old, he's bigger than the almost-grown Annie. He's a Collie/Shepherd mix, so has quite a ways to grow from his current 20 pounds. In fact, the general consesus was to purchase a crate for a future 70 lb dog, but not to be surprised if we have to go larger by the time he turns one. He's teething. He's so young that housebreaking isn't going to take until he has bladder control. He likes to flip over water dishes and play in the puddle. He's not good on a leash yet, as the older puppy was. He's on antibiotics for an upper respiratory thing, and for the minor infection at his sutures (post-neuter). And, did I mention he's teething?

He's an absolute sweetheart. Playful, but not in a crazy way. Sleeps through the night, as long as his crate is by my bed. Pays attention when Peter backs him down with a sneer for too much ear/tail nipping, so there's been no growling or big dog bites. Only a couple of messes in the house over the last week, mostly due to children not quite knowing the signs of when a puppy goes from general sniffing to sniffing for a spot.

As for perking up Peter T. Dog, it seems to be working. He's now happily herding Clifford in loops around the house and yard a few times each day, instead of just napping in a sunny spot. (I make sure he still gets some time for peace and quiet in his nap spot, sans puppy.)

Half Training, 2/23-3/8

Combining two weeks this time. Between rest days for sick kids (or me), map projects, orthodontist appointments, and organizing everything for 2008 taxes, I'm just glad to see how many days in my online training log have something in them. It's been a bit of a blur. Good reminder of why I always build in an extra week or two into any official* training plan.
*By official, I mean the hodgepodge plan put together from a combo of Hal Higdon, RunnersWorld and various running bloggers.

Monday, 2/23: Rest

Tuesday, 2/24: Easy Trail Run, 4.5 mi - 9:56/mi

Wednesday, 2/25: Easy Run, 3.5 mi - 9:31/mi

Thursday, 2/26: Easy Run (w/dog), 4.25 mi - 9:30/mi

Friday, 2/27: Core/Yoga, 65 min

Saturday, 2/28: Rest

Sunday, 3/1 (Snowing!): Easy Run, 3.1 mi - 9:23/mi

Monday, 3/2 (Snow Day): Easy Run, 3.1 mi - 8:52/mi

Tuesday, 3/3: Yoga/Core, 60 min

Wednesday, 3/4: Easy Run (w/dog), 3.25 mi - 10:01/mi

Thursday, 3/5: Bike (Grocery), 3 miles

Friday, 3/6: Bike, Hills (Errands), 5 miles

Saturday, 3/7: 9.2 miles, total
Chattahoochee Road Runners 10k - 57:41 (Official), 9:18/mi New PR!
Plus, since the race was close to home - easy 3 miles, getting to and from race.

Sunday, 3/8: Easy Run, 3.1 mi - 9:26/mi

It's less than three weeks until the ING half. This week will be a combo of running and cycling (hopefully both utility and just-for-the-sake-of-riding), with a the Silver Comet 10k on Saturday. Having trouble getting signed up on Active.com, so I'll need to go by Big Peach Running Co. to register. It's a much flatter course than the first five miles of the race in Sandy Springs this past week, so I might even have a shot at breaking the 57:41 time.

Half Training, 2/2-2/8

Monday 2/2:
Easy Run, 3.43 mi, 9:27/mile

Tuesday 2/3:
Hot yoga, 90 min

Wednesday 2/4:
Rest Day
Grumble, Grumble

Thursday 2/5:
Hot yoga, 90 min

Friday 2/6:
Hot yoga, 90 min

Saturday 2/7:
Chattahoochee Challenge 10k, 9:29/mile
And about 2.5 miles of walking with kidlets.

Sunday 2/8:
Easy run with dog, 4.67 miles, 10:09/mile

Pete's Taxi Service

Went for a run at Riverside Park with Peter T. Dog on Sunday. It's not something I planned, it just happened. The kids were off at a birthday party, so I decided to seize the afternoon and enjoy the beautiful weather. Figured a nice, easy three miles around the neighborhood would be a good way to work out the slight stiffness from Saturday's 10k.

As soon as I pulled out my running shoes, Pete was beside himself. I finished changing, with him pacing at the foot of the bed. I filled the water bottle, with him sitting on my feet. I walked over to grab the doggie bags, with his nose in the back of my knee. Opened the kitchen door, and was almost knocked to the ground by Pete, as he charged the screen door.

I know, how is this a taxi service?

The waist leash was still in the truck from Monday's run. I opened the back driver's side door, to get it. Snapped it on to Pete's collar, and turned around to set his radio collar by the house, and...He was in the center seat. Would not get out of the truck. I could not talk him out. I could not bribe him out. I could not drag him out. He was ready to go.

So, I started the truck and drove Pete to the park.

Darn dog.

We had a blast. Good run. 4.6 miles, with stops at both creek and river access point for the wild dog to drink his fill of muddy water.

The park was packed. The warm weather had brought out the herds. Loads of folks, clogging up the usually empty stretches of path. I don't mind at all the kids, learning how to ride bikes or rollerblade. I'm glad they're out there. I do mind their mothers, who walk absentmindedly in the center of the path, barely holding onto the leashes of their yapping dogs, while talking on cell phones, gesturing wildly with the hand holding the leash, and hitting runners who are trying not to get in the way of their offspring . And, if you're not going to pause in your conversation long enough to say "excuse me" for poking said runner in the breast, at least have the decency to buy me a drink.

Half Training, 1/26-2/1

Monday 1/26:
Easy Trail Run, 2.65 mi, 22:47
With teen (B1) and dog. Nice little run, not too tough on knee

Tuesday 1/27:
Hot yoga, 90 min

Wednesday 1/28:
Easy Run, 3.46 mi, 35:05
Tougher on knee; decided to avoid hills for a few days after this.

Thursday 1/29:
Easy Run, 6.2 mi, 1:01:20
With dog by river. No hills - great for knee.

Friday 1/30:
Hot yoga, 90 min

Saturday 1/31:
Long Run, 6.28 mi, 1:03:58
B1 ran about 3 of the miles with me, then spent time walking by river with younger sibs & dad.

Sunday 2/1:
Rest Day
Bike, 3.2 mi, 20-25 min (trip to store)
Family Hike, 3.5 mi, 90 min (Sope Creek)

Planning for this coming week will be a bit trickier. The Chattahoochee Challenge 10k will replace my long run on Saturday, so I'm trying to figure out whether to work in a long run on Wednesday or Thursday. Add two projects in the final proof stage, the possibility for a bit of freezing rain Tuesday morning, and the insanity which comes with any winter weather in Atlanta, and I'm not sure what's going to happen this week. I think it might be time to take the challenge from MizFit and Charlotte to add meditation to my daily routine.

Peter T. Dog (T is for Troll)

My running buddy (9+ year old lab) has been on a daily aspirin regimen for a couple weeks now, and it is really making a difference! He'd been slow getting up from the floor, tiring quickly on runs, and generally mopey, so it was time to try something for the arthritis. He's 80 pounds, so the vet said one pill is a good dose for him. Started slow, with a tablet every other day, while we waited to see if it caused stomach upset. It didn't, so he's now a one-a-day dog. He's eating normally, diving through shrubbery while chasing squirrels and birds, and is generally back to his normal cheerful Petey-self. I'm really glad this is working, because the stronger options the vet mentioned all required regular bloodwork, to check for organ damage. Aspirin is far less scary. (And less expensive.)

Anyway, since Saturday's long run w/out proper wrapping of knee, I've been having a tough time with inclines. I can make it uphill okay, but coming back down is not fun. Wednesday's 3.4 miles with inclines were not so fun, so I drove over to Riverside Park, for the long, FLAT path & crushed gravel trails. Seeing as how Pete's back to being the running fiend, I brought him along. Figured we'd go a bit slower, and I'd loop back early if I noticed him wearing out. He didn't. In fact, he was pulling me along, off and on, throughout the entire 6.3 miles, which hasn't been the case in a while. We greeted other runners, walkers and cyclists, stopped at every trail sign and about half the trees, and chased geese. (Technically, Pete chased geese. I was dancing around, avoiding goose poo on the grass.)

Biggest burst of towing capacity came from him as we approached his favorite spot (okay, one of hundreds of favorite spots) along the trail. He raced down the slope to his watering hole, underneath the bridge (see above). Not only did he drink, he wallowed. Climbed in the water and inched along on his stomach in a crouch, so he could be the wild water dog he knows himself to be. I was very glad for the elastic in the waist leash, because he scooted on his belly with amazing speed to get under the bridge. Once there, he proceeded to plop himself down on the sand, and rest his paws in the water, waiting.

Waiting for what? His keen "wild doggie" senses detected the approaching older couple with smallish dog. As soon as their feet hit the bridge, he let loose with the barking. Bouncing, tail wagging, but still...

My dog, the bridge troll. I'm so proud.


And, a regular old snapshot from the bank by the trout fishing area:

Running Buddy

When we got back from the riverside trails today, Peter T. Dog spent a few minutes rolling around and shedding all over the carpet, then passed out for two hours. He was so wiped that he snoozed right through mail delivery. I forget sometimes he's hit the senior years, especially when he's dragging me after random squirrels and birds. Maybe our cold weather runs should be limited to the three milers?

Running with Peter T. Dog

I picked up a Ruff Wear leash at Big Peach Running a while back. Between this and the bag/clip, running with Pete is a breeze. (Getting him to look at the camera? Not so breezy.) I snap him around my waist, and my hands are free to carry water, swat mosquitoes, change songs on the iPod, etc.

The main section of the leash is elastic, so there's a warning before a complete stop, or squirrel-chasing dash, yanks me off my feet. And, there's a split closer to him, so I can grab Pete and reign him in when we're passing other dogs and people. (He's not at all unfriendly, just big. He makes some people and little dogs nervous.)

One note of caution about running with one of these leashes: if you open your mouth to laugh at your big dumb dog as he runs around you in a circle while you are running at 6+ mph, be careful. You will have left yourself vulnerable to the elusive Assassin Moth. This moth will fly past you at the moment you inhale, causing you to choke, gag, and trip over a rock or tree root. Hopefully, you'll be able to cough out this menace before he causes anything beyond damaged pride... or maybe you'll only cough up half, like I did. *shudder*

It's the little things

Just in case the weather doesn't cooperate with plans for a 20+ mile this evening, I took Peter T. Dog out this morning for a lope. It rained most of last night, and everything is cool, damp, and lush. The kudzu is in bloom, adding the exotic scent of grape kool-aid to the air.

It was our very own, not-so-tropical, rainforest run.

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Picked this little gem up from Dr. J at Calorie Lab.

A former olympic athlete has been banned from a department store in the UK, for running up the down escalator. What makes this snippet a gem?

You see, Mr. Hildreth just celebrated his 80th birthday, and unlike his previousathletic accomplishments, his celebratory behavior was not looked at favorably! At least not by the owners of Elphicks department store in Farnham, Surrey, where he decided to run up the down escalator to celebrate the event!

“‘I did it to celebrate my 80th birthday and it took me about six weeks to crack it,” he said, quite satisfied with his run!

It all started this past summer when Peter was making his daily visit to Elphicks, and was going up the escalator to their coffee shop. “It reminded me of 50 years ago, when I used to run up the escalators in London for a bit of a lark,” he said.

When asked about his training, he said, “It’s best to begin in little bits, so you start by coming down — say about five or six steps — then turn around and sprint to the top. And then gradually increase it.

“The most difficult bit is getting on at the bottom, because the bottom steps are constantly moving towards you and disappearing.”

I'm inspired! But, I think I ought to keep my goal of getting in trouble for kid stunts in my senior years to myself. Not sure I should let my kids hear I'm planning to be a juvenile delinquent when I grow up.

Pooch Pouch Pickup

I have a big dumb dog. I love my big dumb dog, and I love taking him along on runs. I do not love carrying the big ol' bags of stuff he leaves along the way, especially in hot weather.


This. Is. Wonderful. The pooch pouch has a small roll of baggies, with space left for me to pop in a ziploc baggie of handwipes. (When I'm out of baggies, the regular old shopping bags will work just fine.) The outside has a handy dandy clip for hanging the bag, and a big old ring which allows me to attach it anywhere along the leash. I'm thinking closer to Petey is better in the summer.

Next doggie run purchase at Big Peach Running Co. will likely be one of the waistbelt leashes. Probably the kind with an elastic section, to reduce the shock of the sudden 85-lb anchor that is my dog in a sniffing mood.