Life with Jackie Blue: So far, so good

There are lots of things didn't know about living with a puppy. For instance, I had no idea they could sleep in positions like these:

I also didn't know they produced so much poop. Seriously. How does one small body produce so much poop every day? I might be exaggerating somewhat but Jackie's poop production is truly impressive.

Mostly, I didn't know that hanging out with a puppy could be so relaxing. A few weeks ago, Jackie and I spent several hours on the back deck together - me reading, her chewing on this and that, and the two of us playing occasional games together. When we finally got tired of being outside, we wandered into the house, flopped on the couch, and settled in for a long nap. Talk about restful.

Don't get me wrong. Jackie's a Jack Russell Terrier so she's smart as a whip with heaps of energy, but most days it seems a good walk, a few training exercises, yummy treats and regular interaction with her humans is enough to keep her contented. Since Husband and I enjoy those same things, it works out well for all of us. She gets what she needs, and we spend a lot more time relaxing.

Of course, it helps that Jackie's so cute. Who wouldn't want to spend time with this wee face?

I was going to go on about all the other great things about having a dog until I found this article in the Huffington Post, which covers the topic far better than I could. You might want to check it out if you're wondering why people are so smitten with their fur-babies.

In running news...well, truthfully, there isn't much. In May, I ran a local 4-miler in a mediocre time. Since then, life's been too full of other stuff to do much training. My folks' house finally sold after being on the market for three years so Husband and I spent a good chunk of the last 5 or 6 weeks helping them move. In addition, work's been busy and I attended a conference in Toronto the week before last. Added to which, of course, there's Jackie. As much as I enjoy having a puppy, hanging out with her chews up a lot of free time.

Despite everything, I'm still running 3 times a week (more or less) - including a longish run on weekends - but, since I haven't got a particular race in mind, my training's been lackadaisical to say the least. Now that summer's here and the folks are moved into new digs, I'm hoping to set a new goal for fall and get more serious about training. Ideally, I'd like to complete a half in late summer and a full marathon later in late October or November but much will depend on how my body reacts when I start ramping things up again. I certainly don't want to end up where I was a few months ago when I overdid it preparing for Cabot Trail Relay.

Though it's been frustrating to be sidelined this long, I have to admit the break's been good for me. By the time I gave up on training for CTR, my back, hips and legs had been uncomfortably tight and sore for months. Running less and putting my body to work in other ways (packing, moving, gardening) have reminded me that they don't have to feel that way. When I stretch regularly, train properly, and eat and sleep well, my body wants to run and feels awesome when it does. When I push myself too far too fast, running just feels like hard work.

Whatever races I decide to run, my real goal will be to run joyfully - comfortable in my skin, attentive to the journey, grateful for the beauty surrounding me. In a few months, Jackie will be old enough to join me for short runs, which should ramp up the joy factor considerably. In the meantime, I'll do my best to savour the freedom of running solo with no agenda other than enjoying myself.

Happy running! And happy summer!

P.S. The pics above were all take in late April when Jackie weighed just 8.5 pounds. She's more like 14 pounds now. Here's a photo I took while we lounged in the sun together last weekend. She looks like a runner, doesn't she? I can hardly wait until she's old enough to hit the trails with me!

Vacation!

Sitting on the deck sipping coffee and watching birds at the feeder while I write this. After a couple of hot days, this morning's air is fresh and cool - like early fall. It's day #3 and I still haven't fully relaxed into vacation mode - despite plenty of good food and wine. It's hard when there's so much I could/should be doing, but I'm determined to rest as much as possible - when I'm not marathon training, that is.

My training goals for the next few weeks are to run 5 times per week and do yoga daily in an effort to kick my marathon preparation up a notch. So far, the running's going okay but I haven't started the yoga routine yet and I'm not sure I will today either because I took a fall while running with my buddy David yesterday. I went down relatively gently but still managed to scrape one elbow rather badly and my shoulders, arms, and hands are sore from the impact. I don't think they'll be up to doing downward dogs for a few days. I'm luck to have gotten off so lightly since it really could have been much worse. I know people who've broken arms and gotten concussions as a result of similar falls.

David and I were nearly18k into our run yesterday when I fell. We'd planned to do 22-24k but it was 28C in the shade and humid by the time we hit 20k and my arm hurt so we called it a day. Despite everything, I enjoyed the run. David's good company and the route was gorgeous - from his house in Prince's Inlet, along a shaded trail to Lunenburg, around a loop that took us to Carter's Beach and back.  We didn't stop to take many photos so you'll have to take my word for it, but here's a sample.

Husband and I plan to stay close to the country house for much of our vacation but hope to make quick trips to the Annapolis Valley and Cape Breton to see a few friends as well. Once I've a little more energy, I'd also like to spend time with my camera. I'm determined to get a few decent shots of the birds at our feeder. They're fun to watch but move so quickly it's hard to capture crisp images. So far this summer, we've spotted woodpeckers, jays, sparrows, nuthatches, chickadees, doves, and goldfinches - in addition to the robins, ravens and eagles that visit our yard regularly. 

My other major project for this vacation is to start planning my (semi-) retirement. Husband and I have been batting around options for awhile and the time has come to make some decisions so we can start moving in our chosen direction. More on that when we've concluded negotiations. :-)

Hope you and yours are enjoying these last few weeks of summer!