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.