Running with Dogs
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a person who cohabits with a dog must certainly want to go running with her.
I mean, it seemed like the logical idea at the time. I want to run every day in May to raise money for the International Multiple Sclerosis Fund. I live with a dog who loves to run. Ergo, I should run with my dog. Right?
Little did I think that running with a dog means learning a whole new method of perambulation!
I exaggerate… a little. Running with Lucy is actually a ball. I’m more likely to get a stitch from laughing than from running, but it must be said that when one runs with a dog, there are a few things that need to taken into account.
Firstly, there is the extra gear. With a dog like Lucy, one cannot simply don the appropriate shoes, ask her to run nicely at your side, and expect her to do so. At eighteen months she is the equivalent of the energizer bunny, with a lot less sense. She is also a first class huntress. Every whiff of something quick and fluffy sets her off and turns her into a canine torpedo. So, in addition to a good pair of shoes, I now have to fix a special belt around my middle and attach Lucy to me by means of an elasticated dog lead that clips onto her harness. This allows me to run hands free while she trots along beside me… when she chooses to trot along beside me, that is.
Secondly, you will not keep a consistent pace. My sports watch has a tizzy every time I try to record a run with Miss Muttly. I am either below or above the magic zone it apparently wants me to be in and it really does not like me not being in it. Angry buzzes shake my wrist every few minutes. Who knew a wrist watch could be so judgemental?
Generally, Lucy runs at a steady six minutes and thirty seconds a kilometre (yes, we have measured this – thank you Garmin). But she also brakes suddenly at random intervals to sniff flowers, chase butterflies and answer her weemail. Then there’s the obligatory delivery of the brown package. All this plays havoc with our pacing.
In addition to the random stops, there are also the unannounced sprints, usually triggered by the sighting of a bounding bunny or phlegmatic pheasant. This pushes me to hit four minutes a kilometre, pacing wise, and gets my heart dangerously close to jumping out of my throat. Luckily the bunnies are faster and the pheasants can fly, so the sprints are short lived. But I do need a bit of a rest afterwards.
Stops, starts and sprints aside, running with my sweet little floof is an awful lot of fun, and as long as she doesn’t drag me into a ditch, I have high hopes that we are going to meet our goal of running 100km over the month of May. We already have close to fifteen kilometres in the bag and we’ve already reached 25% of our fund raising goal, thanks to some wonderfully generous sponsors. I’ve also dragged my mum into the madness and we’ve formed a team, the Can Doers – Mum and her doggo, Zoe, are aiming to cover 100km as well.
If you’d like to sponsor us, there’s still plenty of time. Just follow the link below.
I tried running with my cat once -- around the house. I couldn't fit under the sofa. Have a fun time with your run!