Blogpost: Three-O and Sophie are My Running Pals.

Three-0 is his name-0. My youngest german shepherd’s name is Three-o because Steph Curry of the Golden States Warrior’s number is 30. He was my mother’s favorite basketball players and Three-o was her new dog. Three-o is learning to not loose his mind when he sees a dog on a leash. Yards are fine. Only Three-o knows why. The earlier we walk the better. However, our route seems to be getting more popular. Today we encountered a young Golden-Lab mix that is afraid to walk on a leash. We took a wide birth through a green belt to keep them both calm. Immediately after, we looked up to find an energetic Doodle and his look alike owner. We side stepped them quickly to run into a high strung yellow lab mix and his not so responsive owner. We passed quickly and went down the opposite side of the circle. Our walking pace was still too brisk and we met them on the bend before they had reached their house. We slowly u turned to allow Three-o to get a glimpse but then practiced leave it and move along. My ankle was feeling pretty good so we decided to run a little to make up time. We promptly ran into a boxer and his owner that has excellent control walking. He decided to run a little to get out of our way. The boxer was really fast. Thank goodness the owner had a pretty good gait as well. I do think it surprised him. Luckily, everyone stayed upright. With only a few treats left, we jogged it home. Three-o was happy to have a few 30 second walk breaks as well.

Sophie took over at 3 miles and took it in to finish at 5.5 miles. Her only concern is that the treat bag is well stalked. She is happy to heal and prance for treats. We did the last segment running easy for 4 minutes and walking 30 seconds. Sophie never tires. Never. Three dog encounters without a delay. My ankle felt the best that it has felt. Despite all the interactions, it was one of our best times yet.

My coach has me assess my runs as what went right and what went wrong. It is to prove the point that more goes right than wrong when we assess most endeavors. We just tend to hang onto what went wrong. As Three-o learns to walk/run like a gentleman, I try to focus on his progress and what went better. Not everyday is perfect, but we are both happy to be out together. My ankle injury has persisted for a lot longer than I expected and has many more layers than just one issue. I try to focus on my progress and not that it still hurts. It is getting better and I note the objective things that supports that conclusion. I am grateful to be able to continue to walk and keep building mileage even if running is intermittent. I am still getting outside with my dogs, seeing the sunrise, and hearing the birds. Each day is a new and beautiful beginning. Get your run in.