Chug-along-chica!

So let me explain about my dog...  I really wanted to put up a picture of my new dog, Sparky.   So, in one of those notorious attempts at being funny, I tried to make him look like the picture of Paul Peterson's dog, Gil (who could probably eat Sparky for breakfast).   Paul changed his picture recently, and now I think it's a penguin making spaghetti or something like that...I don't know.   However, I'll just take the 5th as to how the underwear ended up on the poor dog's head.  I WILL say, dear reader, that this picture is definitely on the outer limits of exactly how far I am willing to go to amuse you, so please do not expect anything else in this particular vein of craziness.  I kind of hoped Paul would get a kick out of it, too, but you must remember that the poor man runs about 100 miles a day (or something like that) and cannot be expected to read the blog of every pee-on who emulates his dog's headwear.

And speaking of peeing-on, I took Sparky on a run for the first time today.   He is not used to the leash yet, and suffers from acute I-Must-Stop-and-Sniff-Every-Bush Syndrome.  So half of the run he was dragging me to the nearest bush, and the other half I was trying to drag him away from the last bush we passed.  Well, I guess it must have been less than half, because a large portion of this run Sparky was zig-zagging wildly in front of me in an apparent attempt to get me to trip on him.   Once or twice he stopped right in front of me without warning--I had to hop over him.  I suppose if he were taller he would be a perfect training tool for a hurdler.  But being a dachshund (wiener-dog), he is really more of a speed bump than hurdle.   If ever my neighbors thought I was comical to watch before, they probably were on the floor today.   I laughed out loud myself more than once.  I had the leash wrapped around my right wrist, so of course Sparky figured out that if he went behind me and then sprinted past me on the left side, he could almost knock me down, despite his puniness.  What a great run.  I have high hopes that Sparky will become a great little training partner with more practice. I ran 1.4 with  Sparky, then another 1.3 or so alone.  With Sparky my ave. pace was 11:47, without him it was a more typical 10:07. 

Hooray!  Another new (albeit tiny) record for a non-race 5K with Christine today.  30:46, which is 9:56 pace.  Actual miles were: 10:06, 9:58, and 9:45, (9:32 pace for the last .1).   Felt good...I'm happy, and as always it was a huge treat to run with Christine.  I see now the HUGE positive effect training partners can have on running performance. 

I'm starting to really notice the benefits of running in general.  I feel like I can really trust my body to make it through the day and still have energy left.   Before I started running I often would run out of energy before the day was over--and this is without even doing any kind of exercise to tire me out!  Now I am exercising, and I still have more energy.  Very nice. 

PM --One thing that is concerning me a little is that my left hip is always just a little sore.  I don't feel it during the run, but when I first wake up in the morning, and when I get up after sitting down, it hurts a little kind of like a sore muscle--right below the crest of my hip.  I need to get back to the chiro.

Another 1.65 miles with Holly and Paige in the evening.  Fun fun.  I am the one blabbing it up in this little group.  It took me fully a mile to attempt to explain the whole sniffing shorts reference on the blog.  

I took Sparky out again this morning.  He may have improved...a little...tiny..bit.  At any rate, our time was a little bit faster, so that's good.  First mile in 11:15, so that's a PR for Sparky.  After the next .7 Sparks fizzled out and wanted to just stop and rest.  I thought I was going to have to carry him home, but he perked up after walking a little while.   He runs twice as far as I do, with all the zig zagging.  I took him home and finished the last little bit alone.  So 2nd mile in 11:07 total.

I have heart-heavy work ahead of me today, so wish me luck!

Well!  Sparky did such a great job on our run today!  He seemed to finally understand that we are trying to go on a somewhat linear course.  I took him out for just one mile and we did it in 9:41.  That's a PR for him by over a minute.   He would have gone faster (especially at the beginning) if I had let him.  

Then I ran a mile alone in 9:04, which felt surprisingly good to me.  I didn't look at my Garmin and just ran what I thought was sub 10 pace--I looked down at a quarter mile and it said I was going around 8:00.  Yea!  I pushed it a little the rest of the run, but still felt quite comfortable.  .3 cool down just to get back home at 10:13 pace.

2 more miles with Holly tonight.   My hip hurt.  Darn that hip!  I think it gets tender after every time I push the pace at all.  Just have to be patient, I guess.  Run a little slower for a little longer--and get back to the chiro.

Did you notice that I changed my goals?  I want to run a Boston Qualifier someday.  That is a huge step for me to even admit that.

Good Luck at TOU!!!!

And please don't keep us all waiting too long with those race reports.  Well, I know you'll be tired, so take your time, but just know that some of us are going to be checking the computer every hour or so. 

3.1 miles with Christine untimed.  I was taking it slower to try to let my hip relax a little.  It seemed to help, and it is feeling fine now. 

Remind me to tell you my funny helicopter story when I have a little more time.  Maybe I'll post it later today.

Really easy miles outside with my dog  and three sons, one at a time.  Hip felt pretty good.  My weekly mileage was over 20, for the first time in several months.

So do you want to hear my helicopter story?  A couple of months ago, on one of my blistering hot night-time runs around the lake, a helicopter started circling overhead.   In an apparent effort to help me reach my max heart rate, they shined the spot-light on me and followed me around the lake for a several minutes.  Don't worry, it doesn't mean that there was some terrible criminal on the loose.  There's a helicopter pilot training school somewhere closeby.  Hey, anything I can do to help the coming generation of helicopter pilots!  Plus, I think it helped me push the pace a little.  Oddly invogorating, actually.  Probably gave a thrill to a little person who will never be hunted down by the police.  The closest thing to an illegal act I've ever done is...oh, I suppose it was the time I got caught vadalizing a car.   Well, that sounds terrible.  Let me explain...

My sweet friend had recently gone through a heart-brake of the evil dude-inflicted kind.  And naturally, on Valentine's Day I wanted to make sure she did not feel the day drag on slowly and uneventfully (as it does for about 90% of the female population). So *ahem*  I snuck over to her house in the middle of the night and wrote all over her car with white shoe polish.  Encouraging messages, you know, like "WHAT A WOMAN!" and "HAPPY VALENTINE:S DAY!"  That kind of thing.  Well, just when I was really getting into it--really enjoying myself--a cop pulled up and glared at me.  I just froze there, shoe polish in hand, scouring my brain for a logical alibi, I mean, explanation.  Well, I must've looked somewhat innocent, because he finally just burst out laughing and drove away.  By the way, if any of you ever attempt this particular little stunt, make sure to only get the shoe polish on the windows.  I guess shoe polish can sometimes eat through car paint.  (oops!)