Starting Over

I decided that since I felt sick most of last week, I would just pretend that last week didn't happen and start over as if this week was last week. That meant I started over with the week I was in with T25, I started over with where I was on the 30 day Ab Challenge and I started over with running, trying not to feel bad about how long it had been since I last run. Yes, it has only been a week, but I don't like it. I'm really still not feeling 100%, but I am not going to sit on my butt any longer. If I have to throw up on the side of the road, then that is what I will do. Luckily, I did not have to do that, though we moved kind of slow, just in case.

After a weekend watching agility trials, I missed my Henri and doing something with my Henri. I was glad to be able to go on a run with him again this morning. I love when he looks up at me and waits for my direction. I still think Henri would have a lot of fun doing agility, at least the jumps and tunnels, since that's all I got him to do without fear. I think most of the other stuff would just scare him, though I've seen him jump back and forth behind a tree, so I know he could do the weave poles as well, if I could just get him near them...and figure out what he was motivated by that day.

I think he'd like Dock Diving...if I could get him to jump in water. I also think he'd be good at Flyball, though he might be scared of the box the ball comes out of. I don't know. I don't know if it makes a sound or not. So, I guess what I'm saying is that Henri would be good and enjoy a lot of things, if he just wasn't such a scaredy cat. I guess we will just keep running and that will be our sport. Running is a fine sport. We do it well enough and there are not too many scary obstacles. Now if I could just move past this nauseousness and really move again.

{52 Snapshots of Life} Week 25: Flag

It was another tricky one this week. Where do you find flags in everyday life, especially in a place that I can take Henri? Flags are usually in the air, which is not a place I regularly take Henri :) The only flags we come in contact with are the gas line flags.

Well, Henri isn't a part of this week, only because he is such a Nervous Nelly that he was not able to go with me on this journey. I went to Indy this weekend with my mom and sister as they went to an agility trial. While Henri was invited, three dogs and three women in a car would be a tight fit, especially Henri size as opposed to the Sheltie size of the other dogs. Then there's staying in a hotel room and hanging around an agility trial with lots of dogs and people and just unfamiliar territory in general. Yeah, I thought he'd prefer to stay home, as much as I miss him when I'm gone and I'm told he sleeps by the door, waiting for me to come home.

Luckily, the race capitol of the world has a few flags that suit my ideas for the theme. It's not running with your dog in the traditional sense, but some of those dogs can run, and their humans can only do their best to keep up with them. So, while it's more than one picture, put into one, I thought this was the best way to satisfy the theme this week.

While there are certainly no checkered flags at the end of Henri and I's "races", I hope to get back to that this week.

Non-Voluntary Off Day

Why is it that the days that you most want to go for a run are the days that it doesn't happen? There is some law surrounding this, right? Similar to Newton's Law? 

I don't know what happened. I have been very careful to stay hydrated with the heat and the humidity this week. I drink Gatorade and water all day long. If I start to feel queasy, more Gatorade! If I have some muscle soreness, more Gatorade! I woke up feeling fine, thinking I was going on a run. I drank my water and then, suddenly, I didn't feel so good. Deep breathing was making it worse and my heart was racing. I spent the next several hours hanging out by the toilet, trying to go to sleep so I could hopefully sleep it off and go to work. I cannot miss work on Wednesdays! I have things that I must do!

I never actually got sick, I just felt blech and sometimes dizzy and clammy. Henri watched me from his place on his bed, occasionally curling up on the blanket I had pulled into the bathroom and letting me stroke his paw. He was confused when I called work and told them I was going to come in later (as I had yet to fall back to sleep after over an hour of trying). Hearing me talk made him think I was better, so he got in my face and pawed at me to get up and feed him.

I had really wanted to run today. It was a little cooler, a little less humid. It was a day we could start a little later and catch the coming over the horizon part of the sunrise. I wanted to continue to play with our GoPro. It's just too dark most of the days we get up. This was our one day! And now, I'm not planning on running tomorrow either, just to be safe. Boo.

I did go to work, doing only the most important work and leaving after I was struggling to keep my focus and my head from hitting the desk. I'm sure I would have been fine to stay, especially since I never got sick, but laying in bed sure feels better.

Well, that's one way to make me sit down, catch up on my blogs and get some extra sleep. Happy reading!

{52 Snapshots of Life} Week 24: Comfort

Comfort is many things to many people (and dogs). It comes in many forms. Some people find comfort in people; the best friends they've had since they were five years old, their grandma who teaches them all things about cooking, their child who brings them dandelions as if they were the most precious flower to give, *cough* their Henri. Some people find comfort in places; their favorite chair that is nestled in the corner of their bedroom, the hammock in the middle of the garden in the backyard, the spot where they first met their spouse. Some people find comfort in things; their favorite oversized sweatshirt, a fishing pole their grandfather gave them, their phone with all of it's secrets and invaluable information. Warm cookies from the oven, a letter from a loved one overseas, a photograph of a place your wish to visit, whatever it is, it invokes an emotion, a feeling, a sense. Comfort washes over you and you can stay there, for a little while, if not longer.

I immediately think of sitting with Henri, his head resting in my lap or his body pressed against my legs are we relax and cool down after our morning runs. He can be extra affectionate during this time, as if it's his way of saying 'thanks' for the time and energy spent with him. This time must come to an end as it is time to move on with the day and get ready for work. I come out of the shower and, without fail, I find Henri in the hallway. He has made himself comfortable, though I don't know how that can be all that entirely comfortable to twist in such a way, but there he is, nonetheless, stretched, twisted and propped up against the wall.

Sorry for the quality. It's often still a little dark after my shower and the hallway doesn't get much light. As soon as he knows I'm there, he jumps up and follows me as I dry my hair, so I had to be fast and sneaky.

The Puppy Run

The Puppy Run is another Virtual run that Henri and I signed up for! I mean, come on, it was basically made for us! Registration meant cool swag, but even better, donations made to Valhalla Canine Rescue which is a rescue, based in Washington, whose purpose is to help improve the lives of animals, primarily dogs, through rescue, community support and education programs. Hooray! Count us in!

We signed up for the 5k, but you could also participate in a 10k. There was swag for everyone, including the dogs and the children (If only I had a child to participate!) which included tshirts (for the humans), bandanna and collapsible dog bowl (for the doggies), a drawstring bag and collapsible frisbee (for the kiddos), a sweet medal, a sticker and some yummy dog treats! That's a lot of exciting swag! 

We had plans to run our Puppy Run on June 5th, the day it started, but we didn't have our swag yet, so we decided to wait. Then there was heat and rain, so we finally got around to it on Wednesday, June 10th. It had been a few extra days since our last run, so that combined with the heat, kept us moving at a slower pace. We will not be winning any awards for speed, not that I ever thought we could. Even on my fastest day, I'm still on the slower end, not that that really matters. In the end, we're out, exercising, together. 

It was early, so it was fairly quiet, just the way we like it. We ran around the park and along the sidewalks back home. We'd been out of town so it was nice to be home and back to our familiar scenes. We sat out on the back porch, cooling down as much as we could in the heat, watching the sun come up. It was kind of the perfect way to start the day.

Here is our celebratory picture, complete with puppy kisses! Henri was pretty proud of our medal as well. Yeah! We now have two!

No, my shirt and Henri's bandanna are not wrinkled! They have been lightly loved. The treats disappeared shortly after the production of this picture as well. Hmm...where could they have gone?

{52 Snapshots of Life} Week 23: Play

This week's theme (or at least the theme for week 23 since I have fallen behind) is 'play'. This really should be a no brainer. We all have a million pictures of our pets playing. Piece of cake, right? No. I have to be different. I have to interpret things differently and when I get an idea in my head, gosh darn it, that's what I want.

I have been seeing so many fantastic pictures of dogs taken with GoPro cameras, especially pictures of people running with their dogs. So, well, I needed a GoPro camera, too! I was in luck as we just happened to have one on clearance at work on the very day I inquired about it. Awesome! So, now I have this camera and I need to figure out how to use it. Ta da! I'm "playing" with my GoPro to get some fantastic shots of Henri and I running!

One problem. I run early in the morning. The sun is barely coming up. How am I supposed to take pictures when there is no sun? Now you see why I fell behind on this one. It's been SO hot in the afternoons that I didn't dare try to take Henri out and attempt a run then. So, it had to wait till a time where it was cooler or a morning that we could get up just a tad later and catch the sun.

Without further adieu...

So, it's a work in progress. I'll get the hang of it! I'm excited to capture memories of our runs from this new point of view. Let's face it. Henri is way cuter than I will ever be.

So Many Blogs, So Little Time

We/I have been so busy lately and I have so many blogs to write! I hope to catch up this weekend, but this weekend is busy, too, so here is a weekly wrap-up till I can write the blogs in length:

First up, last week's weekly photo challenge. The theme was 'play', which is really a super easy theme for pet bloggers. I had an idea for that, but ran out of time (and the obstacle of sunlight). Then I took some photos while we were out of town last weekend of Henri playing with my niece, but I didn't feel right posting pictures of someone else's kid, so I will stick with my original plan. I'm already late, so...

We only got a few runs in this week, between Henri recovering from some calming drugs for travelling and some stormy mornings, we just didn't get out much. We did participate in The Puppy Run this week which is another virtual 5k. I'll write more about it when I write our recap.

This week has been muggy and gross. I've had to break out the shorts and tanks, so I'm sorry to everyone that has to see me wearing them. Luckily, it's early in the morning so most do not have to witness that. I just blind a few people on their way to work as their headlights shine on my white legs. It's fine.

Then there's this week's photo theme, which is another easy one, and I'm not late on that yet, so, go me! So, I'm technically only two blogs behind with one due tomorrow, and I'd like to go in order so, let's see what I can get done in a few short hours tomorrow.

FASTER

Today was day five. We got a head start by taking advantage of the beautiful day on Sunday. I'm glad that my ankle has proven to be stronger than I had previously thought. While I do have some pain in the evenings, I can wear my compression socks and I seem to be better in the morning. 

Henri is helping my speed by dragging me along as he wants to get home quickly for breakfast. He seems to be getting a little impatient with me in the mornings. I'm not ready to go for a run fast enough. I don't run fast enough. I don't get in the door fast enough. I don't feed him fast enough. Then I don't leave for work fast enough because all he wants is the treat he gets as I leave. I'm not really feeling the love, Henri.

National Running Day

Today is National Running Day! Of course, Henri and I participated with our usual three miles in the morning! It was PAWsome!

Happy Henri-versary!

Three years ago today we picked up our little bundle of fur and brought him home! He was so young the first time we met him that we weren't allowed to touch him. We spent the next several weekends driving 45 minutes to visit with him in the shelter until he was released to us. He was quick and smart. He practically potty trained himself. He loved his toys. He loved to play. I didn't take long to realize that he was going to need lots of activity, at least for awhile. He went on walks until he was old enough and vaccinated enough to go to the dog park. He spent almost two hours a day playing at the dog park, running, wrestling, chasing and sniffing. We needed something for the days that we could not make it to the dog park, and the running partnership began.

Of course, we celebrated this momentous occasion with a run. The moon was really bright and the sun was actually going to shine today so we weren't in the dark for very long, but it was still just us. Since the light seemed to be cooperating, I tried to take a picture to mark the occasion, but Henri would not look at the camera, the little stinker. So, a post-run hug was what we got, which I'm totally okay with, BTW.

Is It June?

Yesterday was June 1st and a high of 65 degrees. What? That's crazy! Well, this is the midwest. So, we started the week early with a run after church. Henri always has energy to burn off and just in case it rains some morning or we have to skip a day, we just made up for it. We even had our friend, Griffin, try to join us as we ran by his house. His mom told him 'no'. Sorry, Griffin!

This morning was, of course, also cool. I am thankful for that as I didn't really feel very good, especially towards the end, and the heat would have made me miserable. I don't know if I was pushing because my legs hurt or because I didn't feel well and I was just trying to get to the end, but we ran two of our best miles ever today! I feel like my Fitbit is lying to me. I ran an 8'04" mile. Really? I'm super impressed with myself! I'm starting to wonder if the days I'm feeling good about the run is because I'm not pushing enough and the days I feel awful are because I'm pushing really hard. This is the only explanation I can come up with so far. It does seem like the trend.

Afterwards, I was doing my hair and I hear Henri sigh a HUGE sigh. I come out of the bathroom and he is stretched out, pretty much as far as he can be across "his" bed.

He was even pushing against the edge of the bed to stretch his neck over the side. It must have felt good after that run. He doesn't usually sigh like that!