Quick Post

I didn't get up this morning early enough for much of a run, so I took Ares on a short, brisk walk/run -- about 3/4 of a mile, but I didn't have my Garmin on to so that's not exact :)

This evening we went for a run. He was a little tired because he had his second "well puppy" checkup, but he was eager to run. We went about 3.4 miles, which is a lot for a little puppy. Well, he's not little; he's over 19 pounds! Probably 1/2 of it was walking (more walking towards the end), but it was more to get him used to one of my routes, the traffic, the scenery, and so forth.

I dropped him off at home, and then went a little more by myself. I'm still nursing the ankle and trying not to overdo it, so I only went about 2.32 miles. So, all together I did end up with 5.74, and that does not include this mornings mileage.

At least I'm trying to get out some every day, and I don't think Ares will let me go a day without running anyway.

Gotta run ...

Run???

Well, I didn't plan to run today. My ankle is a little sore from yesterday, and I don't want to push it.

However, when I returned home from taking Kate to voice lessons, Ares was extremely wound up. So, I decided a walk was in order. I had on my winter coat, blue jeans, and no "real" running clothes, but luckily I decided to wear a pair of running shoes.

We started off walking, and by the time we got to the neighbor's house, Ares started running. So, off we went. We did a short run -- just down to Riverside Park, up a few blocks, and home. So it was probably about 3/4 of a mile. And it was unplanned. But, a run is a run, I suppose. And I did feel better after the short run -- my muscles weren't as sore. I guess I deserve it -- I did say I wanted a dog that would push me to run ...

Gotta run ...

I'm Back

I'm back running. First, I hurt my ankle and my knee playing indoor soccer. I had forgotten how much of a contact sport even recreational soccer can be! Then, just when I figured it was time to try out my ankle (actually it was probably too soon), I came down with bronchitis. I'm at the end of week two of that, so I decided to try a run today. I have been taking some long, brisk walks in an attempt to strengthen my ankle and not get too far out of shape.

Oh, there something more to say first. I have a new running partner! He's pretty quiet most of the time, and all he asks for is some food, water, and a little petting now and then. He's a Siberian Husky puppy named Ares! He was born January 20th, 2009, so he's still just a young puppy. He's doubled in size since we got him about a month ago and is now bigger, much bigger, than our chihuahua.

Now back to the run. Since Ares is in training mode and I wanted to try out my ankle first, I started out by myself. I took the back loop as usual, but not all the way to the high school. It went better than I expected, with just a few walking breaks. I did have one coughing fit, but I survived. I went 3.5 miles.

Then I stopped at home and woke Ares for his training. He ran the first 1/4 mile at a pretty good pace, then he needed to walk a bit. We did a combination of running and walking, and we ended up with 2.1 miles. He even did the sprint up the hill at the end -- how I usually end all of my runs. Well, it was only about 3/4 of the way up before he had to walk, but that's pretty good for a rookie! Now, of course, he can sleep most of the day if he wants. Huskies have a lot of energy, though, so this will be good for him. Plus, now even if I don't feel like running some days, he will probably insist on it.

So, I'm back, and I ended up with a total of 5.6 miles. I feel better than I thought I would. I feel great, actually! My ankle seems to be OK, and it was so much fun to get outside and run. The weather is supposed to turn nasty again -- possibly SNOW -- but I'll find away. I have not yet pulled out of the Flying Pig Marathon (5 weeks), so maybe I will be able to at least participate in it, even if I don't meet even my slowest time so far. Now if I can just lose that 10 pounds I "found" over the winter and my running break.

Gotta run...