Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Running with the Pup...a new adventure!

So, we had taken a short hiatus and I am running again with the kids, but given the darkness already coming in around 7pm and the recent sightings of things less than interesting (coyotes or misbehaving dogs), besides my pepper spray, I wanted some additional reassurance.  So, we decided to take the dog!

Cleo is a rescue beagle.  We believe that she is about 2 years old now.  She was being used as a breeder from her first cycle.  We adopted her after her first litter.  She had heartworm, so we couldn't exercise with her for quite some time.  But, beagles are supposed to be great running companions for shorter rungs (5K distance), which is perfect when I'm running with the kids.  So, Cleo had her first run last night!

We did three intervals of 6 minutes each, with a 1-2 minute walk.  
  • First interval, being a puppy and not sure what was going on, I had her on my right side with only about 18" of lead available to her.  She was so unaccustomed to the short hold, but it was needed to ensure that she didn't wander and end up tripping us!  First interval really caused my right arm to strain a bit, as I felt it first thing this morning.  But other than that, she was a trooper.  Also, it may have been due to the slightly cooler temps this week, but we were a tad faster than typical!
  • Second interval, she was great!  Good pace, happy dog, 
  • Third interval, she was dragging :) I kept on encouraging her just like I recall doing to the kids early on.  My son was even trying to make her happy.  She kept up, but was definitely slower.  
She ran a total of 1.5 miles (not including walking breaks),  Not bad for a dog that typically isn't too active.  Wow, did she sleep well last night!

Now, if I can find a headlamp that fits on her collar, that would be perfect!