Loving it

Running this week has been phenomenal.  No joke.  I've had some quicker runs, around 8:13 pace.  I've had some longer runs, as much as 4.2 miles on Monday.  I've had some rainy runs, which are my favorite thing ever.  But none of that would make the week phenomenal.  The biggest difference this week is that I'm feeling a bit of a challenge, but it's not in my knee.  I'm finally getting to the point where I feel it in my muscles again, and it's great!

I'm not tracking my miles as adamently as I previously did, but I'm up to 10-ish miles this week and have another run scheduled for Sunday.  Tomorrow I'm debating finding a local 5k to go watch, maybe see some old friends or make some new ones (Comet makes that surprisingly easy).  I'd like to see how Comet does around bigger crowds too, he hasn't had that experience yet.

Also, I went to Petsmart today to pick up more treats for Comet.  We ran into one of the trainers, AJ, and got to talking.  He was so impressed with Comet at his age and said that with not much more work I could train him for his Canine Good Citizen (CGC).  I read over the requirements, and he's actually remarkably close to meeting most of them.  And best of all, everything they require are things that are great for him to know, too.  If I end up getting into Agility, CGC is a great base to build off of!

Tonight we're heading to the dog park for the first time, since Comet got his last shots yesterday.  Supposedly they were going to knock him on his butt for a while, but he slept for an hour and was back to normal.  So, as soon as sleepy head wakes up, it's time for him to herd up some new friends!

Comet's Definition of Fun

Good runs and "OH MY GOD DID SOMEONE SAY STICK?!"

It's been a good couple of days.

I had family come into town to visit this weekend.  Had a barbecue, went to a comedy club, saw a movie, and spent time together.  I've also gotten a few good runs in recently, peaked by today's 4.2 miles in the rain.  And damn do I LOVE running in the rain!  It was my longest run in a while, and I felt so refreshed when it was over.  The down side?  My shoes are soaked through because when I run in the rain I act a little like a puddle-obsessed five year old.

Over the past few days, Comet has developed an obsession with sticks.  Almost every walk we go on he ends up finding a new stick to bring home, and right now we have 5 or 6 sitting outside the door.  In a few weeks I have a feeling every stick in a mile radius will be piled high outside my apartment.  They make good, cheap toys to play fetch with too, so I'm not complaining!  He's been doing a lot better with fetch lately, it makes it a lot easier to tire him out.

In other news, my project for school is going great too.  We got a few new really bright students to join the team and everything seems a lot more manageable without going insane; always a plus!

Nic - Good luck on breaking 3 hours!  What day is the race?

Reid - It sounds like we're in a similar boat.  I've been holding my distance pretty steady, with extremely gradual increases.  However, the seconds have been dropping pretty quick!  My 5k time went from 27 minutes to 25 minutes in the past week or two, and that's without risking too much with my knee.

Testing the Limits

Today was a beautiful day.  Sunny with a high of 73, and not much wind to speak of.  I got out for a run and made it 3 1/2 miles in under 29 minutes, which is the farthest I've gone since surgery earlier this year.  Also my fastest run this year, go figure!  I'll give the weather the credit, because it felt great out there.  I'm not running close to the speed I did pre-surgery, but it's progress.  And those who know me well know how much progress motivates me to keep at it.

But it wasn't just me testing my limits today, Comet was too.  Actually, let me introduce Comet briefly.

That's Comet.  He's my Border Collie.  I got him in July when he was 7 1/2 weeks old and have been trying my best to raise him right, with heavy socialization and positive training.  Right now he's a little bit over 3 months and quick as a whip.  Next year, when it's healthy for him to start running with me, he'll be my new running partner.  Although, I'll also admit a friend of mine is trying to get me to train him for agility, and for now I'll just say I'm "not opposed" to the idea.

Tonight Comet was simply full of it.  Normally he walks great on a loose leash, but tonight he was constantly taking a flying leap of faith into the end of the leash.  Every time we would turn around and go the other way, until he was walking nice, and then turn back around.  At least half the walk was back tracking.  He's definitely trying to push his limits now that he's getting more rambunctious.  I'm just going to cross my fingers and hope it's an extinction burst and persistence (on my end, more than his) will save the day.