Running races

I started running last summer, when I was motivated to stay as fit to further my horseback riding goals (and nominally to impress my dressage instructor when she came back from Florida in the spring...). I would puff out a couple of miles and then return home, satisfied that I was doing the best I could. Then a high school friend moved back to PA, and when she suggested running a 5K on Thanksgiving, I said sure. I mean, three miles is really close to two, right? Sounded fun!

It was fun. So we signed up for a 5 mile relay on December 17. Then our third runner (my marathon-running younger brother) had to drop out, so we were left with a choice - either run the whole thing together (I had never run that far before) or divide up the running somehow. We did the former, and managed to squeak out 5 miles. It hurt, and it was frigid and snowing, but our success gave aforementioned younger brother an idea - how about I run a half marathon?

Thirteen point one miles seemed like a whole lot of running, but his enthusiasm and my competitive nature made training for it kinda fun. I would listen to lots of audiobooks while I ran (I know, nerdy), and would be in great shape for another summer of dressage training. Win!

We picked a half marathon that was flat (ish) and far enough away from my house that if I passed out on the course, nobody I knew would recognize me. Also, my 5K and 5M buddy would be joining me (yay!). April 15, at 8am, we set off running in the Bucks County Half Marathon. The weather was perfect for running - overcast, cool, and a little drizzle-y. We finished in 2 hours and 30 minutes. My next one will be faster!

Of course, now that it is over - and has been over for more than a week - I feel a void. I mean, I just finished this months-long goal, training four or five days a week, and now, poof, nothing. Sigh.

Then yesterday, I re-discovered the Dog Jog Run that is taking place in a few weeks, on May 12, very close to my house. It benefits the SPCA, which I like, and involves running, which I like very much. It also involves running with a dog.

I may have mentioned preciously, but I have two Welsh Corgis, ages 10 and 4.5. The younger one, Ripley, already plays a few dog sports for which we have a training regimen of sorts. We play flyball and agility, and have daily walks, weekly agility practice, occasional runs, bi-monthly flyball practice, strengthening exercises, and sessions of catch. Oh yeah, and we throw in a competition or two every now and then.

I mentioned competitive nature, yes?

So I decide that we will try the 5K. Three miles. The most we've done is two. In flyball, I calculated that Ripley sprints about 3/4 mile over a weekend of racing (10 races, 4 heats each). That doesn't count warm up runs, walking back and forth to the crate, the car, on walks, etc. He is a pretty fit little dude, and I am hoping that we will be able to rock out our first 3.1 mile run sometime next week. Last night, we ran 1.65 in about 16 minutes, which is pretty good, and he didn't seem very worn out at all.

But try to talk to that dog about pace. Ha!