I seem to write these around New Years, a time for resolutions. Though I am not one for resolutions, perhaps this year I will give myself a general theme. And with that thought, I will try to tie that in here as some running inspiration. The saying goes to try to be the person your dog thinks you are. A noble goal when I look in Dakota's eyes or see Traveller do his spinning dance when I come home. What do they think of me? How can I live up to those expectations? And how can I carry that to other aspects of my life? Enough introspection. Back to running. How can we run like our dogs think we should? Thinking of our four legged buddies, they run for different reasons, just like people do. Dakota runs for reward. She could certainly run longer or faster. She has done both. But her routine is to get a couple miles done, turn for home, and get a cookie. This works for us too. A small reward can be a good incentive to get out and run a few miles. Traveller loves to run and likes to be in a group. He loves to be out and running. And T is happy as a social runner. He is a little short in the legs, but will go anytime the opportunity occurs. Some of us just run for the pure pleasure, to be outside and moving. And some like the company of a group to carry them along. When I ran with Cahill, he had a gait that I could not match. A big guy with long legs, he would run forever at my side. Or slightly ahead. I remember a drizzly, 34 degree day at the end of a 30 mile run. At that temp Cahill could run all day. I was cold, damp, and tired, but he still wanted to go. It is good to run with someone with different abilities then your own. Someone to pull you along when the going gets tough. When the dogs are on their own in the yard, they sometimes run with abandon. They fly like crazy in loops around the inside of the fence. What would they do if they had the world open to them to run till they were exhausted? Many times I run by myself. I enjoy the solitude, the time to think through some problems, or to think about nothing. Just to fill the sun on my face, the wind, rain, snow, or whatever Mother Nature has to offer. To run free and leave the world behind for a while. So find what works for you. Reward, social interaction, or the simple joy of moving on your own two feet. Or with a four legged friend. Kev
