Every Wish That We Put Into Motion.... (comments welcome!)

[RuntheMouse]

Forward progress…you’ve got this!

 

[azrivest]

Fortunately, Joy isn’t far behind because I do actually enjoy running most of the time.

I think i've understood why I usually stick to my running schedule, which also brings me Joy. But I always struggle to stick to my lifting schedule, which usually triggers my Anxiety and Ennui. It's because most runs in our training plans are meant to be "easy", whatever that means for ppl whether it be zone 2, conversational pace, RPE, etc. But lifting never gets easy. It's meant to be constant overload. It never feels fun...

 

[Herding_Cats]

I swear, every time I start to get some momentum going these past few months, something comes along and knocks it off.

I got through all but one of the lifting workouts last week (was going to do the last one on Sunday night, but rainy weather forced our baseball team's travel-tournament fundraiser to play all games on Sunday, and I ended up working 10 hours at that and was exhausted.) DD had an eye infection all last week and slept horribly which means that *I* slept horribly. And then I woke up sick on Monday. This was the week that I was going to add running into the mix, and now I'm 2 lifting workouts behind, and missing a run. While I feel a bit better today, I'm definitely not feeling 'do a workout and a run' levels of better. Oh, and we found out that DS1's college move-in weekend is the same weekend that we are supposed to be 8hrs from home at a XC meet in the Upper Peninsula, camping (and his college is 4 hours in the opposite direction, near Detroit.) So now we have to figure out how to pull that whole thing off.

Also, our 10yo dog tore her ACL Sunday night while playing fetch in the back yard. I'm just...exhausted.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Things that make you go "aw, shucks."

The race I was going to try for a POT is Sunday. And the weather.....well the weather couldn't be a better forecast for being almost-July. High 40s/Los 50s in the morning, DP around 50. *sigh* But even if I had done all of the training, I've been sick basically all week now (shout out to Tylenol and Mucinex for keeping me functional!) and I would be freaking out at this point about having "wasted" all of that training effort.

I've managed to do a couple of my lifting workouts (backing off the weights for one, literally doing half the workout for another) hoping that I can sweat out whatever it is that I've got. It's always so gratifying when you start lifting weights after a long time off because your muscles wake back up and you can lift heavier so quickly. I'm definitely being reminded of muscles that I haven't specifically targeted for awhile when I'm doing things like carry DD up to her room for bedtime.


In cuteness, DD pulled a suitcase out of the basement and has been playing "going to Disney World" this week. She's packed and re-packed it a few times, keeps demanding to go see the "real" Mickey Mouse (and then also lists the rest of the fab-5,) and had a meltdown at one point because she doesn't have a princess dress. I really do need to get around to listing her Bo-Peep dress she wore last year so I can fund a replacement.

 

[The Expert]

Playing catch-up on all the journals this morning. HUGE for all that you're dealing with. But at what point will you finally realize that you're basically Superwoman?!?! The chaos IS your normal and you thrive in it! So don't worry about things being "normal" and just do what you can do on any given day. It IS enough.

 

[Herding_Cats]

It's a new week, but not a new me. I'm still sick with this upper respiratory crap. Nothing says fun like a sinus headache for a week straight. Apparently my brother had something really similar, and it lasted for almost 2 weeks.

I was going to [mostly] walk our local firecracker 5k with DD and the puppy this week, but I honestly don't think I want to deal with the dang hill that's in the middle of the course (it's like 100ft of gain in less than 1/4mi) and if DD decided she wanted to run, there's no way I could keep up without coughing up a piece of my lungs. Maybe DS1 or DH will sign up and take her along because I think she'd LOVE it.

I'm going to jump back in where I left of with lifting last week. I got behind on week 1, got sick for week 2, so I have almost all of week 2 left to check off still. Ugh. So frustrating.

Did a lot of digging around on social media, made a bunch of phone calls and we have found a vet office that we can afford to get surgery done for our dog's leg (but it's a 4hr drive away.) I absolutely cannot understand how one office told us $9k, and another office told us $3400, and everyone else was somewhere in between. (And people in some of these FB groups are so casual about having multiple dogs that have had both legs done...like....what do you do for a living that you can spend $20k+ on your pets and be home for all of the recovery care? Which then makes me laugh because it's so easy for me to justify spending on Disney.) AND. AND!? Did you know that if your dog tears their ACL that they usually rupture the other one within 2 years? So pretty much just count on having to pay for 2 surgeries. Totally nuts.

 

[The Expert]

Sorry you're still feeling icky. Rest up while you can! And vet costs are out of control everywhere right now... I have a 23-year-old cat who has to get bloodwork every 3 months and it is almost $500 every time. And pet insurance?? It's crazy expensive even with my industry discount. I am thankful every day that we can afford it. A lot of vets have funds you can pay into for those who need help, and we do that whenever we can. We also support nonprofits who help people pay for pet care who can't afford it. Sadly otherwise many of those folks would be facing the impossible decision to surrender their pets to a shelter. Hang in there!

 

[Herding_Cats]

Sorry you're still feeling icky. Rest up while you can! And vet costs are out of control everywhere right now... I have a 23-year-old cat who has to get bloodwork every 3 months and it is almost $500 every time.

Oh yeah. When we went to the vet last week, I told them "I'm 99% sure she tore her ACL. And $560 later, they were like "Yep."

And pet insurance?? It's crazy expensive even with my industry discount. I am thankful every day that we can afford it. A lot of vets have funds you can pay into for those who need help, and we do that whenever we can. We also support nonprofits who help people pay for pet care who can't afford it. Sadly otherwise many of those folks would be facing the impossible decision to surrender their pets to a shelter. Hang in there!

And the crappy thing for rescues is that a lot of THOSE can't afford the vet care either. Even if they find a vet that will do it "at cost" it's still a lot of money for the supplies and meds needed for the surgeries. I get that things are expensive, and that labor isn't free. I just don't understand how some places are double or triple the price of another for the exact same procedure. We even contacted Michigan State University because they have a big veterinary program and do a lot of things that end up being less expensive because it's a teaching hospital. And they were in the middle of the price range.

The other "fun" thing about it? Most places are scheduling into SEPTEMBER right now for surgery. I don't even want to think about how much muscle atrophy she's going to have if we have to wait 2.5 months.

 

[jmasgat]

I am so sorry you are having a crappy summer, health-wise, dog-wise and other-wise. I never faced those extreme costs with my Buddy, but there were many occasions of $1000+/pop to have things done. I am thankful I could afford it.

Hope you feel better soon. And can you not just ditch trying to play catchup with the strength workouts? One less thing to stress about.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Hope you feel better soon. And can you not just ditch trying to play catchup with the strength workouts? One less thing to stress about.

I’m not catching up, as much as I’m just picking up where I left off. Trying to catch up on 5 lifting days/week when I’m 4 days behind is a good way for me to hurt myself.

I did relent and see the dr today and got some more ideas of OTC things to take and a rx for some antibiotics for my sinus infection.

 

[azrivest]

We had a Newf for 10 years with hip dysplasia and glaucoma, and every surgery she had done was a 2k minimum on anesthesia alone, so I understand the dilemma. All my thoughts are with you and your fur girl

 

[Herding_Cats]

Oh hey, it's Monday again. I did almost nothing last week (1 workout, and I did walk a mile with DD when she did her fun-run for the 4th.) Started taking Delsym 12hr to try to control my cough. It's about 75% gone at this point, but it's still awful when I do have a coughing fit. I swear, every time I get a cold I end up with a 100-day cough.

Anyhow, our doggo gets a road trip next week on Tuesday, an overnight stay at the vet for Wednesday morning surgery, and then will be able to be picked up Thursday. And then all of the rehab care for her will start. I can't tell if people in the FB groups for this surgery are just really dramatic, or if it really is as much work as they're making it out to be. Guess we'll find out!

How am I coping with this? By spamming DH pictures of puppies. Lookit how cute! Ronin (our puppy) needs a friend to play with! He just rolls his eyes at me. He understands that this is just me playing the distraction game....something that almost 20 years of marriage will do for you! We were both in agreement after we lost our 2 labs in January that we wouldn't have 3 dogs again; it's too much cost in food/vet bills, and we just don't have the time and bandwidth to give them the attention they need.

I'm starting up on week 3 of my workout program. And I'm contemplating trying to start a walking/running streak through the end of August. I just don't know if it's reasonable given all of the long driving trips I'm going to have in the next month. But then again, it's just a mile (or 30min, I've been debating which to go for) and surely I could fit THAT into a day, right?


Side note: is anyone else's garmin taking forever to sync? Mine is taking 3+ minutes every time where it used to be less than 30sec. It's kind of annoying. I don't think I've done the app update, because I like it now and no one had any good things to stay about the changes that came with the update.

 

[Herding_Cats]

First run in a long time complete! Took the pup with me, and he did so well. Definitely need to go when it’s cooler out, but we can build our stamina up together! We stopped a couple of times so he could lay down in the shade (following his lead because of his age…I’m not worried about it being too early because I’m so slow and using run/walk intervals.) Did I also make him a Strava account? Yes. Yes I did. Apparently I am “that person” now.

(ETA: We are running with an Alpine Outfitters Urban Trail Harness [from the garage sale section since it's adjustable] with a 14in tug extender, and a Ruffwear Trail belt and the bungee leash it comes with. I'll probably upgrade the running belt to a canicross-specific belt because this one rides up a lot while running, but for the $20 I paid, it's a great starter set.)

 

[superchime]

I also tend to get coughs that won't quit. So frustrating! I hope yours is gone soon.

I hope surgery goes smoothly and your dog's recovery is easy!

I've got three dogs right now and, yeah, it's a lot. We *had* to, though, because our old man has never really liked our middle child dog, so middle dog needed a friend. I'm hoping our new puppy can be a running buddy for me too, so I'm interested in your gear. She's so fast, though, my "running" will probably just frustrate her.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

She's so fast, though, my "running" will probably just frustrate her.

There was an episode of Nobody Asked Us recently where Des was saying her husband has to tire her dogs out first or they're too fast to run with her... If Des Linden is too slow to run at pupper pace, we all are

 

[Herding_Cats]

I'm hoping our new puppy can be a running buddy for me too, so I'm interested in your gear. She's so fast, though, my "running" will probably just frustrate her.

I joined a FB group (Running with Dogs) and it's pretty decent for information. A lot of repetitive posts, as to be expected, and a lot of regulars who post selfies every day.

The gist of it is: how do you want your dog to run with you? Pulling, or loose leash? The kind of determines which kind of harness you "should" buy so that it's not interfering with their breathing or shoulder movement. This means either sleddog harnesses (x-back), Cani-cross harnesses (non-stop Dogwear is the most common brand), or some sort of bike/skijoring harness, which is like a half x-back harness. The differences: x-back harnesses and cani-cross harnesses need to be pulling. Otherwise they bunch up, and they can slip or back out of the harness. They're not intended for loose-leash/heel position running.

Non-stop Dog-Wear makes a "line" harness and Alpine Outfitters (it's a .net website) has an "urban trail" harness that are basically half x-back harnesses and dogs can pull in them, but they can also heel in them and not be able to easily back out. They have these in standard sizes, you can get a custom one made (if your dog needs more length to clear their front leg and prevent chaffing, or has a big chest/skinny neck that wouldn't work with a standard), OR they pop up in the "garage sale" section occasionally.

Other harness brands I see mentioned at lot are Howling Dog Alaska, and Neewa.

The difference between a "running belt" and a "cani-cross belt" is that the CX belt has leg loops to prevent the belt from riding up so that the pulling is anchored to your pelvis and not your lower back. (I'm already picturing what that's going to look like on me ) Our pup is only like 25lbs right now, so I'm not super concerned with him pulling me, but I definitely noticed it this morning, where when I've used the same belt just for walks, it's been fine and not had issues with it riding up. FWIW, it's been on sale on the ruffwear site for like $35....it's blue and comes with a water bottle and the bungee leash. Like all things running, gear can get $$$ really fast, so I'm starting off with stuff that's on clearance or on marketplace to try things out while I decide if it's something I'm actually going to do.

 

[Herding_Cats]

There was an episode of Nobody Asked Us recently where Des was saying her husband has to tire her dogs out first or they're too fast to run with her... If Des Linden is too slow to run at pupper pace, we all are

the general consensus on the fb groups is that their dogs are absolute psychos for the first mile or 2, and then they settle in. Considering that Des probably weighs like 90 pounds and has a Chessie who will also likely end up weighing close to that when he's full-grown, I don't blame her at ALL for having her husband wear their dogs out first.

My issue right now is the birddog-genes want to run back and forth out in front, and then down into the ditch sniffing for all of the things, and then circle around behind me.

 

[The Expert]

Tip: Ruffwear is well worth the cost but you can also often find it heavily discounted in the pet section at Sierra (especially if you aren't picky about colors).

 

[superchime]

I joined a FB group (Running with Dogs) and it's pretty decent for information. A lot of repetitive posts, as to be expected, and a lot of regulars who post selfies every day.

Like all things running, gear can get $$$ really fast, so I'm starting off with stuff that's on clearance or on marketplace to try things out while I decide if it's something I'm actually going to do.

Thanks! I'll check out the fb group and look up the gear you posted.

And of course I'd find another way to make the "cheap" sport of running even more expensive!

There was an episode of Nobody Asked Us recently where Des was saying her husband has to tire her dogs out first or they're too fast to run with her... If Des Linden is too slow to run at pupper pace, we all are

This makes me feel better!

 

[Herding_Cats]

I did it! I had a week where I did all of the things on my plan. I did the lifting. I did the running. And it felt really good. Nothing particularly eventful happened; the runs were all 30min. The puppy went with me for 2 of them. 2 miles seems to be about his limit right now, and that’s absolutely fine. I did find a different running belt to use with him on my local fb marketplace, so I’ll hopefully be trying that out this next week.

Speaking of next week, I’m trying to figure out how to keep up with my regularity next week since I’ll be making 2 8-hour car trips for old dog and her ACL surgery. That’s basically going to eat the entire day, and i absolutely do not want to run before I go because I think I’ll be too tired on the return trip if I get up early enough to fit something in before I have to leave. I might feel really good to move my body after being in the car for so long, but there will probably be a million things I have to take care of when I get back home.