Running Mom's Motivation

Today was my long run. I spent last night and tonight out on a hill in the woods behind my church singing the same song over and over again about 30 times each night. Here is a link ...
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071209/NEWS01/712090683/1002/CONTACTUS01&GID=+PmoeO08WY11rVHS9R7fVAWEXK9f52fQC0w/jI91TUA%3D

So this morning it was very hard to get out of bed at 6:30am. I turned off the alarm and slept in until 7:30. The weather hasn't been too bad for Michigan in December, but we have had a little snow and ice. It gave me another opportunity to use my YakTracks. The good thing is that they really keep me from falling on my butt. The bad and good news is that it is hard to run with them on. It gives you a good workout, but sometimes I don't want my long run to be that hard. I ended up taking them off about three miles into the run because I was running on mainly clear, dry cement at that point. But there were a few places on the way back home that I should have had them on. I will have to remember next time that I can work harder to wear them and stay upright, or I can work harder to run through the snow and hope I don't fall on my butt when the unexpected ice pops up.

Having my Garmin allowed me to run the river trail this morning. I can run it any time I like, but it can be hard to map out online because the trees over the path kind of block out the view from the satellites. But with my Garmin I was able to tell exactly how far I had gone while I was running. Just in case you can't tell, I really like it.

My dog is so funny. He really loves the snow. Whenever we get to a section of road or trail that has even a little snow covering it, he acts like a kid that has never seen snow before. I don't mind too much as long as he stays on my left side and doesn't pull my shoulder out of joint. I also realized that he is much more competitive than I am today. He will often be a little ahead of me during the early stages of a run, but will fall back right next to me as the run goes on and he gets tired. We were about six miles into an eight mile run this morning when a woman came up on our left to pass. She made a comment about how nice it must be to have a dog that can run with me and how her Beagle is too fat to run (surprise, surprise...just ask your vet about Beagles and food). I quickly assessed that this woman was faster than me. At least today she was faster than me. As soon as she started to pass me, Phantom picked up the pace. He didn't want anyone to be in front of us! For the next half mile or so until she was out of sight it was all I could do to keep Phantom from running too fast and ruining my run. Thank goodness he slowed down when she was out of sight.

One last thing for all you people with dogs. I am talking about the active dogs. You know, the kind that need more attention than you have time for. The one that scares people not because he is mean, but because he is so hyper that no one knows what he will do next...That dog...My dog. He needs to get out and run. The best thing I could have ever done for Phantom's mental state and my own was to start running. He was a puppy (about a year) when we first got him. He calmed down a lot by just being trained and being in one home for a while, but he really became better behaved once I started running. A tired dog is a good dog! And the running will be good for you too. One word of caution...if you have a puppy don't run with her until she is at least a year old (giant breeds more like 18 months) so that you don't do any damage to her maturing joints. Always be careful in the heat and humidity and watch your dog's pads year round to make sure they aren't being damaged by the pavement or ice. Other than that, have a great time. Phantom is the best running partner I could ask for. He is always ready to go, even when I am not. And he knows instantly when I am getting ready for a run and won't let me go out the door without him. So get out there and run with your dog. He will love you for it and you can thank me later!

Total Miles Today = 8 Approximate Miles Since Beginning = 696

Posted in: on Sunday, December 9, 2007 at at 11:05 PM