Running with a pup partner

When I started running in 2010, I had a large Great Dane mix who had made it abundantly clear that he lacked the endurance and willingness to walk more than 20 minutes, much less run. He had a lot of joint problems, so I never really tried running with him. He passed away in 2012, much to our sadness and shock and I waited more than a year to get another dog.

Once I decided that I needed another dog, I knew I needed a dog that could be a good running partner. About a year ago, I ended up with a crazy coonhound/beagle/hound puppy through a rescue situation involving a coworker and the timing was right. Let me preface the following tips by saying, I am the world's worst dog trainer. I am lenient and inconsistent, and a stubborn hound was probably not the best choice for me. However, the one place that my dog has figured out the pecking order and listens to me better than most places is while we run together. My one goal for this dog was that she would be a good running buddy.

1. Start slow. If your dog has never been running, especially if the dog is young, start with walking at a brisk pace and work in some intervals. You didn't start out running 3 miles at a 6-minute mile pace (or 12-plus at times in my case), so don't expect your dog to do the same. If you have a younger dog, under a year, you really don't want to damage their joints by starting out too hard. In our case, we started out walking, slowly, when she was a baby, working up to walking a mile together, and finally adding in some trail intervals to start her out running on softer surfaces.
2. Leash manners are pretty important. I have to admit, we haven't quite mastered this one yet because 'Heel' was never a command that my dog mastered. That being said, letting your dog be a nutcase whenever they see a squirrel, bike, another dog, other people, etc. is not going to make for a good run. My dog's leash manners are at the best when we run because I established early on what was expected during runs. We started out in a fenced area with me running and teaching her not to attack me and worked our way up from there. Walking is a challenge, though, because she wants to run.
3. Establish commands that make sense to you. I don't like to do things by the books, I'll admit, but I've made up some commands that work for us that we use on runs. The most valuable:
• Let's Go! This is especially valuable for a hound that likes to take sniff breaks that are way too long.
• Whoa! We use this to mean, "Hey pup, you need to slow down and stop pulling."
• Wait. This is useful when you have to pick up a pile or are getting your gear together and don't want a dog pulling you everywhere. Also, when we occasionally trial being off-leash on trail runs, it means that she had better stop and wait for me when she gets ahead.
• Hurry!!! I accidentally turned this into a command when crossing a crosswalk and want her to pick up the pace so we don't stop in a street.
4. Your dog needs a change of scenery, too. The same old route, even with fresh smells can get boring. I can tell my dog loves going to new places and checking them out, especially with trails.
5. Pace doesn't matter. You aren't going to achieve a route PR with your dog. That's silly. Take the time to enjoy being with your pet and let them enjoy your time together. I usually run between a 12 and 13-minute mile with all of the sniff breaks, potty breaks, and stops to stare at strangers.
6. Pay attention to the weather. Try to be mindful and prepared for whatever you might encounter. In hotter weather, pack water and take frequent water breaks. Don't take your dog out on the hottest day of the year. I usually turn my CamelBak into a water fountain on the run for my dog, stopping about every mile for a break. I'm looking into finding her a backpack so that she can carry her own water because she usually drinks the majority of my 70 oz. pouch and leaves me thirsty. Now that the weather is getting colder and the salt is making the roads harder on pup feet, I'm looking into buying boots to protect her feet.

Running with a dog pal can be very rewarding, even if it is frustrating at times. I hate running alone, and she makes me feel safer on routes that I normally would not run without a buddy. I may sound like a nut, but she also gives me someone to talk to. Just have fun, stay safe, and be mindful of making the run as fun for your dog as possible!

Competing Against Myself

Just a short post today on some thoughts as I play with my computer.

I recently started using my Garmin Forerunner again to track my runs after a year of leaving it in a box and using my phone instead. It is nice to be able to look at the past few years' worth of runs. I found my old training runs and marathon breakdown, and realized that I was maintaining a better pace over 18 to 20 miles than I have for many of my recent long runs and half marathons.

What happened? Shouldn't I be getting better? What was so different about my motivation compared to now? And more importantly, how can I get back to that level of commitment?

My life has been crazy with school, but I've always viewed running as a means to compete against myself. When I trained for a marathon, I was in the midst of a year sabbatical from school and only had to worry about work for the most part. I have a tendency to fall off of the wagon, but I need to dig deeper and make myself try to keep up with training. This is my constant battle, which is much harder than running and training for a marathon.

A Recipe for Love...of Running

     On the walls of my office are pictures from coaching my first running group this past fall. One of the members at the gym made a comment that I looked super happy in all of them especially for having just finished a half-marathon. He's not wrong. Even in a sweat soaked shirt, no make-up, and a bird's nest in place of where my ponytail started...I wear the biggest smile, which is a testament to how much I truly love running.
    Mornings like today remind me how that happened. After 6 years of serious running, I can honestly say I have only experienced a runner's high maybe twice. I don't run because I enjoy pushing myself, making myself vomit in exertion, or other things you hear from athletes. I like to run because stuff is pretty and my best friend is awesome. 
     Kaycee and I both have a great appreciation for the environment. To the point that I get super depressed during winter because I miss my running routes. Yes, I know winter running gear exists and it's not that bad once you get going...but it's not the same. 
     The places we run are so pretty and the conversations we have are always part weekly best friend update, part therapy session, and part just whatever weird $%*! we can think of. Our culture tends to associate food with conversation. "Oh hey I'll be in town this weekend, we should get lunch!" is an all too common statement. Why not go for a walk? There's plenty of research on the benefits of walking both physically and mentally, adding stimulating conversation only makes it better. You meet to talk anyway, why have food as a distraction?

But I digress...as a Master's of Public Health student, it's easy for me to go into cultural rants. Therefore, since Thanksgiving is coming up and everyone's talking about food... I give you My Recipe to Fall in Love with Running:

• 2 Parts GOAL
• Start with a goal. Whether it be a race or something else. Set a date and, most importantly, make a plan. There are plenty of training plans on the internet and some are actually legit. Whatever you find, allow yourself freedom. There's a fine line between not training enough and over-training, but the balance is there if you're realistic with yourself.
• 1 Part PRETTY ROUTE
• Ever heard of Frederick Law Olmsted? Most people know him for designing part of Central Park in NYC but, he also designed our park system in Louisville. We're fortunate for this in that we have safe places to run that are also absolutely gorgeous. Today's route went through one of those parks, the historic water reservoir, and this one street with dream house after dream house ( I'm also obsessed with HGTV just fyi). I know these places might not always be convenient or available to people in other cities but find a place where you can get lost in the ambiance, not in the struggle.
• 1 Part BUDDY
• Running with Kaycee is great for our Long Slow Distance (LSD) runs. Not only is it a great way to catch up (we're both very busy don't cha know) but it is an excellent way to pace. We know if we can carry on a comfortable conversation, we're right where we want to be.
• A dash of TUNES
• I love Kaycee, but sometimes it is nice to run solo to clear my head. On these days, my iPod is my savior. If you can afford something like a Spotify premium account, you'll always have new an exciting music to keep you motivated...and to cover up the sound of your own exhaustion, otherwise known as breathing.

It's not one of those relationships that hits you immediately, it develops over time. Slowly but surely, you realize how much you can't live without it, how much you need it in your life, and how much a part of you it truly becomes.

~Kirstin 

     

Embracing my inner granola-loving hippie

I'll be the first to admit that I have weird health problems. And I probably sound like I complain a lot about them, but the past few days have culminated into something wretched, so here I sit in a mixture of lavender Epsom salt and baking soda to detox.

You would think that being in the health field that I wouldn't buy into "natural" remedies, but I've been helped by a few. Just because something hasn't been researched to death, doesn't mean that it can't be helpful to some people. Maybe it isn't financially sound to research baking soda in a bath because that stuff costs $0.40 a box. So in desperation, I am willing to try something because I've mentioned these spells to my doctor before and they think I'm crazy or want to do an MRI, which is expensive.

I've been fighting a cold and a massive acne breakout for the past few days and using my Neti pot like a good girl, but yesterday, my skin revolted against me. It hurt to move, for my skin to touch my clothes, and every nerve ending from my neck to my knees was on fire, to the point of madness. It was better this morning, so I figured I would keep our long run date because I always feel better after a run when I have a cold. Not only did my skin pain come back with a vengeance, but last night's mistake in the form of a burrito also reared its ugly head.

So far, the only differences I notice is feeling a little sweaty and my skin pain calming down. The burrito is still gurgling, but hopefully that passes soon. I'll update later.

Update:

I feel very mellow and better overall. Maybe my nervous system was just amped up and I needed to chill, but my stomach, throat, and skin all feel better. I don't know exactly how it all works, but whatever, I feel better and I'm going with it.

-Kaycee :)

Post-Race Resolutions

I prefer to make my resolutions at the end of a major race, instead of at New Year's. My New Year's resolutions have never held up longer than a few weeks.

   At the end of my first half marathon in 2011: "I'm going to run a marathon next."

   At the end of my first marathon in 2012: "I'm never doing this again."

   At the end of my second half marathon (and Kirstin's first) in fall 2012: "I need to train way more consistently."

   At the end of my third half marathon in 2013: "I need to focus on recovering."

   And finally, at the end of last week's half marathon, the fourth one for both Kirstin and me: "I need to start acting like a real runner and get my butt in gear to get faster."

I always fall apart toward the end of training. This race, I held my training together fairly well because I joined a running group and kept up with my strength training, but I didn't push myself on any of my runs. And while I felt the best that I have ever felt during the race, it was my slowest time, not even faster than my third half when my electrolytes got out of whack and I spend the last four miles of the race woozy and the next two hours vomiting anything that went into my stomach. But that's another story. 

I know that I've never been a fast runner, but a person would think that after 4 years, I would figure out how to get faster. I've always let that voice in my head say, "It's okay, go ahead, you deserve to walk. You're working hard." Or, "Go ahead and take today off, you've had a long day."

So, today marks the start of ignoring my own laziness and making myself keep going. This morning I ran 4 miles without stopping, and while it wasn't as fast as I would like to be, it was faster than I usually am, even with hills and it being the coldest morning of the fall yet. It's time to push.

-Kaycee :)