Hey Blogland - it's good to be back!
It's been a long and crazy summer, but Autumn is in the air and it's time to get back in the groove of things. In my last post I made a list of all of the things to catch up on, and so I'm going to go ahead and start with the first thing on that list - boot camp!
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| photo borrowed from www.k-9companions.com |
After a summer too hot for long walks (and plenty of food and beer) I was in need of a jump start to get back on the road to physical fitness. As if August weren't crazy enough with our recent near-homelessness status and a pending move, M and I decided to sign up for a boot camp program that met in Grant Park at 6am three days a week. We were up so early that Bruce and Alfred were still sound asleep when we left...even they thought we were crazy!
The first day we completed our initial assessment: run a 1/2 mile, 40 squats, 30 sit ups, 20 push ups, 10 squat thrusts, then run another 1/2 mile - timed. I almost threw up. The next couple weeks were tough, but by week three I was finally starting to feel stronger and actually went out to run on my own on a Saturday...morning. On the last day of the four week program, we were reassessed and M and I both dropped our times by more than 3 minutes!
Meanwhile, our move date was inching closer and closer AND we had plans to be out of town the following two weekends. Alfred and Bruce had a little vacation of their own to Kritter Kare while M and I completed our own travels and finalized the move at the end of the month. By Labor Day, we were finally all home in our new apartment and trying our best to readjust. Some of us had an easier time than others.
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| life is easy - just look for the sunny spot |
One of the major adjustments we've had to make is that we aren't able to let the dogs run in the back yard, so we need to take them on the leash every time they go out. This means lots more walks (yay!), but now that the weather is getting chilly again they are full of energy and it's not quite enough just to walk them. So, in order to keep myself in shape and make sure the dogs are getting enough exercise, I've decided to sign up for my first race since the 8th grade: the Hot Chocolate 5k! And Alfred is my training buddy.
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| Did I mention the park here is beautiful? |
I know what you're thinking: how do you run with a leash-reactive dog? Quite honestly, he's a great running partner! As long as we keep moving he has little time to get distracted by other things, and once we stop he is much more relaxed from getting some good exercise. It's a win/win for both of us...I haven't died so far. And cheese. Cheese helps a lot. :)
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| more on our neighborhood parks in a future post... |
Oh, and don't feel bad for Bruce. While he's a terrible jogger, he does get to go out and play on the 25' lead in the park down the street. Here's a shot of him enjoying himself on his 3rd Adoptaversary earlier this week.
Both dogs have been gearing up for the reopening of the Snug-A-Bull shop this Friday
I think runs are usually great for reactive dogs. Not that I run. But our dog sitter takes our girls for a run before he sits them each time to get reacquainted and he always reports no reactivity. They are too busy having fun running to worry about dogs in yards or across the street. I should really take up running...
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