Attachment

I don't enjoy running without Shelby any more.

I noticed this dependence issue arising over the summer as we trained for the half-marathon in Colorado: I had to do a few runs without her because I wasn't sure if I could keep going without her companionship and constant tugs. I did, and I was fine, but I felt like I was missing a limb. This feeling subsided a bit when I had to take some time off for my toe to heal, got back into running ever so slowly, and did several races on my own. But after doing a race with her, I found in a 5k today that I didn't really enjoy the run much. I had too much fun talking to everyone last week as we sped by and watching the smiles creep onto people's faces when they saw her tongue lolling all over, and I love that she doesn't let me slow down--she just looks up at my every so often and keeps pulling.

Maybe I'm just tired from the sinus infection plaguing me this week; maybe I've just done too many 5ks and 10ks lately and need to train again for something longer to keep me feeling challenged.

Maybe I'm just overly attached to running with my dog. Whatever.

Shelby's First 10K!

The nice people at the Pilgrim Pacer last weekend let Shelby run, and she was super: She stayed glued to the side of the trail and didn't interrupt anyone's running. Her only issue was a short spell of impatience before the start--she was super excited and started giving her screechy bark, but once the race started, she was off. In fact, the only time Shelby wasn't leading the way was at the end (as shown in the pic). We finished out in 52:04 even after the hills at the end that just about took us both out. She made everyone smile, and I smiled with them: I couldn't ask for a better running buddy.