He put himself up for adoption after this photo was taken

According to the training program, yesterday was a walk/run 3 miles day.  Yesterday was also Nick's golf night, so it was up to me to make sure that Mr. Mutt received the proper amount of exercise.  When it comes to that, I had several options as a single dog mommy:  I could walk him and then go run, run and then go walk or take him with me for a run (this is the LEAST desirable option because Chino doesn't like running since it interferes with his pooping and peeing).  Since I got home from work a little late, it became necessary to multitask, despite his very strict poop and pee regiment.

Chino and I headed across the street to the development that's still developing.  There's an area that still has cornfields on either side, leading to a dead end, which means that I can let Chino off of his leash here.  It also means that I have to essentially run short laps back and forth in order to keep him in that designated area.  As I began my back and forth and back and forth and back and forth, in my quest to hit 3 miles, Chino was bumbling around, keeping me in his sight and checking in periodically.  I could hear his tags jingling, so I knew he was close, without having to keep my actual eyes on him.  After a few laps, he decided to park himself in the middle of my route, rather than venture too far in either direction.  As I finished each lap, he'd look at me desperately, waiting to see if that would be the last one.  I was grateful for the distraction, even though I know for a fact that he was annoyed and ready to go home.  In my head though, I pretended that he was standing at the halfway point, cheering me on.

Dog park rules, by Chino

1. I will chase but will not bring back, unless its not my toy
2. If I want to drink the water, I will
3. Humping is allowed and encouraged
4. When we walk into the gates, I have no name
5. I will (or won't) play with whoever I want
6. Don't expect anything from me, until I've pooped at least once
7. If you're a boxer, I probably won't like you
8. I may or may not expend my energy during our time there, its my prerogative

Suck it up, buttercup

Last night, we tried a new approach to training.  Instead of running "together" as in running at the same time, but not WITH each other - we actually ran together.  I promised to go a little faster and Nick promised to go a little slower.  We ran together for the first mile or so before I got the evil pain in my side, forcing me to walk.  Nick kept running and then doubled back and ran with me when I started again.  My goal was to keep him in my sights, so when he got too far ahead, I sprinted so I could catch up.  The result was pretty good, my time dropped below a 13 minute mile for a run/walk, which is the fastest that I've been since I've gotten back to running after my sore knees.  I definitely need more work to get through the sluggish feeling and the sore knees, but that will come.  I have to say though, that removing music from the equation has helped eliminate a sense of time in the run, which for me is pretty beneficial.  The jury is still out for Nick. I'm thinking that I'll mix it up, sometimes music, sometimes not and see what happens.

The Hunter

Last Thursday, Chino and I were lucky enough to be invited over to a little impromptu happy hour with my friend and her pup.  While she and I enjoyed some peach sangria, made with peaches from her own backyard tree, Burt, the pups were supposed to be playing.  I say supposed to be because her pup was the only one who got the memo.  My mutt was acting aloof and indifferent about the whole evening.  When approached by my friend's dog, he growled instead of playing 

The only thing that seemed to interest him was the possibility of finding my friend's cat.  He caught a glimpse of him when we arrived and caught a few whiffs of him in the backyard, but nothing too close-up.  So, when the cat appeared in the window to see what was happening outside, Chino was all over it.  Of course, we cracked up as Chino's hair stood on end while he growled and whined and stood on his hind legs, trying to find the cat.  For the record, he's looking in the wrong window.

Conditional Morning Person

I'm not sure if conditional morning person is the best term, but I thought of it this morning, while I was jogging outside instead of hitting the snooze button.  I don't like waking up any more than the next person, but if I don't get up and exercise in the AM, I'm consumed by self-loathing and dread for most of the day.  Ok, that sounds a bit dramatic, but still.  If I don't get up and get at it, thoughts in my head throughout the day include, but aren't limited to:

"Was the snooze button worth it?"

"Seriously?  You couldn't get your butt out of bed in the morning?"

"I don't waaaaaannnnnnaaaaa exercise after work."

"I'll just take today off."

"I'm fine with being fat."

"Sure, I'll go on a chocolate run."

The list goes on and on.  On the mornings that I exercise, it seems like the major thing on my to do list is already crossed off, before my day even starts.  No matter how crappy of a day I end up having, I know that I got my run/walk/weights in and done.  It also tends to trigger a chain reaction that results in better eating choices, a calmer attitude and happy hours after work.  

Today was especially difficult.  Nick was up and out early, so there was no one to nag me.  Chino was warm and snuggly, and cuddled up in bed.  My eyes were heavy and puffy and in need of more sleep.  I don't know how many times I hit that snooze button, but I got to the point where I had a stern talking to with myself.  The conversation had to do with the fact that I would have no time to run today unless I got up and that I'd hate myself if I didn't get my ass out of bed, into some running gear and out the door.  So that's what I did.  Once I started moving around, my cuddle bug mutt figured out that he was going for a walk, so he began his stretching rituals.  I put his collar on and that was it, he was pumped.

It helped that the morning was absolutely gorgeous.  Not too humid, a great sunrise and a bit of fog.  My exercise partner didn't disappoint.  He kept me in his sights while he explored the area and even  jogged with me for a little bit.  I declare that day two of running was a success.  Knees are still a tad sore, but they don't hurt (does that  makes sense???) and a major thing is checked off of my list on my way to checking ANOTHER major thing off my list.

What in the hell am I doing?

I officially kicked off my latest 1/2 Marathon training schedule last night.  I had unofficially kicked it off the prior week, but last night was the first evening that I jogged in about 2 months.  The reason for the delay (besides my love-hate relationship with running)?  Well, my knees were a tad pissed off at me after my first 1/2 marathon, back in May.  They were so pissed actually, that they forced me to visit a sports medicine doctor, in order to have them checked out.  The Dr. diagnosed me with runner's knee, probably caused by the fact that my knees hyperextend, which makes my knee caps move a bit more than they should.

The solution for this issue was a break from running, which was fine by my knees, and by me.  Instead of jogging, I used the elliptical machine, walked the mutt and continued cross training with weights.  Since running and I weren't officially broken up, just on a break, this lovely arrangement inevitably had to come to an end.

Running and I went on our first date in months, last night.  Dr.'s orders were that I had to walk for 10 minutes, jog for 10 minutes and then walk for 10 minutes.  Nick had to force me I had to force myself into getting my butt off of the couch and into my running attire, after delaying the inevitable for as long as possible. 

Since this was a definite "wogging" situation, I took Chino along with me for support.  Chino runs on his own terms, and is typically more of a baby about it than I am, so we headed across the street, where I could let him run leash-less during the jogging portion.  In un-Chinolike fashion, he stayed within eyesight of me, even trotting along beside me for a few minutes.  Such behavior is usually beneath him.

As for the run, I was shocked that I wasn't huffing and puffing. I actually found myself getting into a bit of a rhythm and working up a good sweat at the same time.  Just as my knees began to protest, my 10 minutes were up and it was time to collect the mutt and do our 10 minute walk back home.  When I looked at my time and distance, I was pleasntly surprised to see that I had done a little more than 2 miles!  This is in line with a very beginners training program.

The dips in the end are where I had to stop and hook Chino back up to the leash and also where Chino decided that he had to mark a few trees on our way home.  As you can tell from the beginning, I had him going at a pretty decent pace.  All in all, a great first day back.  Running and I will be going out on our second date tomorrow morning, bright and early.  If all goes well, we'll head out for coffee afterward.

The weekend. Sponsored by Twitter

Nick and I had one of the best weekends that we'd had in a very long time. Nothing in particular stood out, it was a collection of fun times, great weather and awesome friends, so much so, that it deserves its own recap. This particular weekend happened two weekends ago - and since I'm a bad blogger, I'm late on the posting of why I thought it was blog-worthy. BUT, its my blog and I can do what I want, so there.

Since it was a four day weekend, we were in to just about everything. Friday started me with a trip to Hillbilly Beach at Alum Creek. Nick got home from work and we were off to dinner with friends, followed by a rooftop viewing of Red, White & Boom.

Saturday started with some patriotic donuts from Kroger, followed by our very first Farmer's Market in Worthington.  After some shopping, we were off to Oakland Nursery to pick up some tomato plants and a few flowers. Once we got home, we planted everything before relaxing in Chino's pool in the backyard. Once we got cleaned up, we headed BACK out to see some friends downtown and to do some Gallery Hopping in the Short North. We started at Surly Girl and then hopped our way down High Street, hitting a few bars and restaurants along the way. We called it an early night, heading home to spend some time on our neighbors' patio before heading to bed.

Sunday morning, we hung out at home for a bit before heading to a friend's 4th annual 4th of July Party!  Read her post for the recap, but the food was awesome and the company was even better.  We hung out on her deck, drinking sangria and Elevator beer, listening to music and watching Wiffle ball and home run derby!  After chilling for a few hours, we ran home to retrieve the mutt and then headed to PSL's 4th of July get together.  This was kind of a big deal for Chino to get an invite to this particular function because PSL's house is typically a no-dog zone.  They must have a reputation in the neighborhood because  an unlucky feline happened upon the backyard while Chino was on patrol.  We had a near-miss before the kitty jumped the fence and was on its merry way.

The next day was spent at Hillbilly Beach at Alum Creek, lounging in the sun and people watching. Fun times, great people, awesome weather.  Perfect celebration of summer.