November 05, 2015

A run with Joey

I am having such a hard time believing that it's November--the weather has been absolutely GORGEOUS for the past several days. It's been in the 60's and even the low 70's and sunny! A couple of weeks ago, it was snowing at the starting line of the Detroit Marathon. Go figure ;) #PureMichigan

This morning, the kids were ready for school pretty early, so I found a documentary on Netflix to watch while we waited to head to school. It was called "Fed Up", and I could have sworn I watched it before, but once I started it, I realized I must have been thinking of something else. It was a really good documentary! It's about the food industry and how the changes in ingredients are making Americans fatter--the use of sugar, in particular. I'm glad my kids found it really interesting. Watching it made me want to cut back on sugar (not eliminate it entirely, but at least to be more conscious about how much I'm eating).

After the kids went to school, I got ready to head out for a run. Joey always gives me "the look" when he knows I'm going for a run:


I used to take him with me, but he still doesn't do well on a leash (he zig-zags in front of me), and it was really irritating to my injury when he would pull on the leash during a run. I decided to take him with me today, because that look he gives me is too much to resist sometimes ;)

He was SO excited when he saw me pick up his no-pull harness. We drove to the State Park to run the 5K loop there. First, I let him get all of his sniffing and peeing in, before we started the run. As soon as we started the loop, he began his zig-zagging, and I thought, "Oh, no, why did I think this would be a good idea?!" But I hoped that he would get in a rhythm after a few minutes.

Thankfully, once he realized that we were running and not doing a start-and-stop walk like usual, he did much better. The first mile was hard (physically) for me, because I was working on controlling Joey, but after that, it got easier. He was so excited to there!

Mile 2; we stopped for a picture. What were we looking at?
I have no idea!
When we hit the three mile mark, I stopped the Garmin and we walked to the water. I let Joey off his leash for a couple of minutes so he could swim and cool off, and then we walked back to the car. Our pace was 9:31, but it felt so much harder than that!


Taking Joey with me was fun today; I don't plan to run with him all the time, because it is a big mental and physical challenge, but once in a while is okay.


Sunday is the third annual Monroe Half Marathon (my hometown race). I ran it in 2013 and 2014, but this year I'm not going to be doing it (for fear of injury). Instead, I'm going to volunteer! Jessica asked me if I wanted to volunteer with her, so we are going to be course marshals at mile 3.5. The race changed the course this year, and it doesn't go through the State Park anymore. I'm not crazy about the new course, so I don't feel too bad about not running it.

I don't think I know anyone that's running the race, but I'm excited to volunteer. The temp is actually supposed to drop this weekend (high of 50 on Sunday), which will be good for racing. I'm glad that it will feel like fall weather!

13 comments:

  1. Love the snarl from Joey! I’m so glad he behaved well for the majority of your run today.

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  2. I struggle sometimes running my tiny 6 pound dog Meeka sometimes! She will come to a sudden stop to sniff and it's hard on the joints, so I can't imagine that with a bigger dog! But they really do love it so much. I always think it's so sad when doggies don't get to run and sniff and pee on stuff like they want to, so Joey says thank you mom! :)

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  3. Oh, I love running with my dog (65 lb energetic german shorthaired pointer). I can say it hasnt always been that way - i used to dread taking her for a run because she pulled, zig zagged, etc...I tried the face harness and then the no pull harness to no avail...Then i tried the "pinch" collar. it looks terrible, i know, but it makes the run way more enjoyable for both of us. She gets to go on every run because now she is easily controlled, and I have a go-to running buddy for all of my early morning and late night runs. I totally recommend it (even though i hated the idea at first) it's the best thing that's happened to our runs.

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  4. I have a Husky who thinks it's his job to pee on every vertical surface he passes. The only way I've found to keep him in check is to keep a very short leash, holding him close to my side (same side every time), and talk to him. We'll make "deals"--get to the end of the street and we'll walk so you can sniff! I swear he knows what I'm saying! We're in a neighborhood, so if we're running early, I'll also keep to the middle of the street--it minimizes the distractions, especially at the beginning of the run. Once we've got a mile or so in, he's usually calmer. And, like Jessica, a pinch collar is the only way to go with my guy--he's got very thick fur around his neck, so it's more about pressure, not pain.

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    Replies
    1. I have an Alaskan Klee Kai (commonly called a mini husky!) who is the same way! I have't tried a pinch collar on her because I was always worried she was too small - good point about the thick fur though! She had the THICKEST double coat - I can barely keep up with grooming haha!

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  5. I'm running the half marathon! I signed up for it back in August to aim for a PR (wanted a flat course!). TRaining has been rough so I don't know if that will happen but I'll be there and I'll look for you at Mile 3.5!

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  6. I was going to have the monroe half be my first half ever this year......well a bun in the oven kind of sidelined those plans hopefully next year even if I have to walk it :)

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  7. Ooh, please be careful when you run with your dog! My dog was usually fine running with me, until one morning he saw something and ran right in front of me. I had a pinch collar on him and everything! I tripped over him, falling onto the concrete and was unable to run for two months while my injuries healed. Pulled a ligament in my knee and completely busted up my knees, hands and shoulder.

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  8. Have fun volunteering! I just ran my very first 5K last weekend (reminds me I need to send you a MM post!), and I really appreciated all the volunteers on the course!

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  9. Just found your blog! I'm from the west side of MI and am taking up running again! Thanks for your posts!

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  10. Yay for a good run with the pup (I don't care how old...aren't they always pups???)

    And you are right...the weather has been FANTASTIC????

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  11. I watched Fed Up too! It's rare to come by new insights with the vast amount of information about weight loss already out there, but I think they made some really good points that were new to me. Especially about some of the problems with sugar and how "a calorie is not a calorie", and how food companies' lobbying affects even governmental nutrition guidelines. I will definitely start paying more attention to my sugar intake.

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  12. Our Labs were like that. My husband takes them on his runs sometimes (only one dog at a time). After a few runs, they figured out that it's run first/swimming and sniffing at the end, and they do a great job. Labs are so smart.

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