Today, I'm thankful for just about everything: my Lord, my family, my home, material provision, health and my running legs. :) AND...today? I'm thankful for new experiences and puppies. :)
This morning, I went on my first run with my parents' lab/golden mix dog, Missy. :) She's probably the only dog they have that could have gone all 6.5 miles with me, so we hooked up the leash and went for a spin!
She did SO great! It took a while for us to find our stride. She started off super fast and didn't know where to settle in regarding which side. And I really didn't know what would work either. (We eventually settled her on my left.) There were a few issues getting out of the big metropolis of Canton in the form of other dogs that barked their heads off at us, but Missy did so great at ignoring them! I was so surprised.
Once we got out of town and hit the dirt country roads, we were on a roll! She kept up the pace so well. The biggest challenge was the cars. Man, those scared her to death! The first truck that went by wasn't anywhere close to us, but it sent her scrambling into the ditch, where she just sat down with her tail tucked. Poor thing. That happened most of the way. Good thing we only got passed by about 6-7 cars. And, by the time we hit the last mile, she'd gotten a little more used to it. She'd only slide back behind me toward the ditch and slow down. I'd do a little spin to get out of the leash trap and coax her back up to my side.
There were a few other distractions (i.e. a deer, a loose dog), and she got super tired by the last mile, but it was so fun to have a little buddy! I wish I could take her to the city with me. I'd feel so safe with her! I'm not sure how she'd handle the traffic, though. But, man, what a great running buddy! Who else could go out for their first run ever and survive 6.5 miles? :) Great job, Missy.
The bigger overall lesson for me was in releasing control of my run. haha! It's been my pace, my race, my choice for so long that it was a little adjustment to worry about someone (thing) else. And to put her needs above my own was new. Especially when working through the car issue. It's hard for me to stop during a run, but I had to stop with Missy a few times and love her back into the groove. And the love part was a challenge for me. It was honestly really frustrating at first. I did yell at her once or twice when she lagged behind or tangled me in the leash, but by the end of it, the Lord had ministered to my Spirit and given me the patience and love for my girl. :) It was a great experience. And she was so great. :) I love my Missy. :)
So, here's to a new running buddy! And to the new experience of dog running! :) Now that I think of it, I don't think I'd ever gone on a real run with a dog before. I'd taken them out for shorter runs around blocks just for their sake before, but I'd never done an actual morning run with a dog before. It was great! I can see why people love it. :)
Anyway...Boston training starts in a little over a month, so I'll get back in the writing saddle as the training gets going. I'm sure there will be more lessons than I can anticipate. :) That's just how awesome God is. :) He's got special plans in store for me and for us all.
Again, happy Thanksgiving everyone! Praise the Lord! :)
-Jill
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