New Running Dog and New Running Technique

As the Mud Runner is 6 weeks today (EEEEK!) I've stepped up my 'training', or 'practising' as it might more reasonably be called.... so, THREE runs this week! Yay!

On Wednesday after work I strapped on my knee brace, gathered up New Running Dog and set out in the general direction of Rudry Common - the top bit. New Running Dog seemed oddly unkeen and sat down. I ran on, then ran backwards shrieking 'Come on!' and 'YAY!' in a thoroughly excitable fashion - and she ran to catch me up. We jogged on and she stopped again. Backwards running, 'Come on!' and 'YAY!' and she caught up. We carried on in this fashion until the real uphill started at which point I ran out of puff for calling out and just ignored her, figuring that she'd either catch up or give up. I must have been a hundred yards ahead of her when she started running - very fast - and with her speed she passed me in a few seconds. Then stopped. I jogged on, she waited, she hurtled past me and stopped. Suddenly I got it - she was making it more exciting for herself by waiting and then speeding past me. She adores running fast - better than almost anything else apart from swimming - and clearly my rubbish running was just Too Damned Dull. Hilarious! Or, at least, fairly hilarious but it makes New Running Dog nearly as insulting as Fit Mark...

On Friday Ice Cream Sian and I did the Machen 8 (actually it's 8.2) again. We chatted, we jogged, we didn't chase a time, and we still shaved 45 seconds off Ice Cream Sian's previous best time. Hooray! Maybe we really are improving? Our time even included me having a chat with my brother on the mobile whilst running... multitasking or what?

And this morning I was out at 8am with New Running Dog again - same technique on her part: hang back, rush past with eyes shining, ears flapping and tail wagging. Same technique on my part too: jog, pant, jog, pant, jog, pant, go purple. I would have been running with Ice Cream Sian but on Saturday night we were both helping out at her dad's charity fund-raising event and after several glasses of wine each we agreed running was A Bad Idea. We were right - my legs were like lead for the whole 5.6k... I really must crack this whole 'preparation for running' thing.

However, there's one enormous upside of New Running Dog's latest technique...

At least she pants a bit now.