My Dog's Blog

I speak of my dogs so much these days that I decided that they should have their own blog.

Maybe that's not a good idea, because maybe I will run out of stuff to talk about here at Musings! But I now have 3 dogs, two of which are in training for something or other. And I'm so new to this training thing that I need a place where I can talk about it and have others with more dog training experience to help me along the way, without having to mull through the Musings here.


So, Frankie, Jake and Kirby (and me) have created Sport Dog Blog. Its just a new blog where I talk about the trials and successes through the training and lives of these dogs. Especially the Aussies.


So check it out if you like dogs. Or even if you don't. Maybe you will see something that I could work on. I would appreciate the advice!

A link will remain at the right sidebar, just click on this photo (on the right).

I Went Barefoot

I've always wanted to run.  I aspire to be one of those people who can wake up at the ass crack of dawn and pump out 3 miles without hardly breaking a sweat.  But as it is, I have trouble getting up a half an hour early just to walk my dogs around the block.

Running has always been difficult for me.  I have suffered with shin splints since junior high school.  Even when I was in perfect shape and condition, I was plagued with these horrid splints.

Over the past year, I have begun different beginner running programs to lose weight.  My weight alone is a huge factor in my running pain.  But running was the fastest way for me to lose weight.  I tried everything to rid myself of the aweful splints that would stop every routine I attempted dead in it's tracks.  The pain was too much.

Finally, I caved, I and I purchased a $120 pair of running shoes.  And miraculously, they cured the shin splints.  But they also brought on a whole new multitude of problems.  My back started to hurt, my knee started to hurt.  My feet began to hurt.  You can't run on sore feet. So I had to make a choice.  Did I want shin splints, or a handful of other painful and potentially damaging issues?

Choose, Em.  You have to choose. 

Or do I?

Little sister recently raved about this book.  A book about a distance runner who spent time with a tribe in one of the most dangerous places on the planet to live.  And this tribe runs.  Barefoot.  And they have no pain.  They dont suffer from shin splints or back pain or knee twinges.  They don't spend hard earned dollars on 'real' running shoes.  They live on highly vegetarian diets, despite the protein rich diet that long distance runners swear by.  This tribe gets plastered in celebration the night before their 50 mile barefoot trek across the canyon.

I did so much research on running shoes, so that when I forked over that hunk of paycheck for good running shoes, I would get what I was paying for.  But as it turns out, the more supportive a running shoe is, the more likely you are to be injured.  Really?  Can that be right?  Well yes, I can see how that would be correct.  When you have that much arch and support, you don't get to feel where exactly you are going wrong in your form.  And then down the road, it turns into bigger problems, like shin splints.  Like low back pain.  Like knee pain.  Like foot problems.  But if you're running barefoot, you can immediately feel where you're stepping wrong and you can correct it within a step or two.  You are correcting your own body in a way that run of the mill, made for everybody running shoes can't. 

So today, I went barefoot.  I went to the gym.  I hopped on the treadmill without shoes (just socks).  And I started to walk.  Obviously, I cant immediately expect to run a marathon barefoot.  But I can begin to build strength in my feet and legs so that my body can adjust.  I went one single mile.  That mile took me 19 minutes and 54 seconds.  Going barefoot causes me to have to shorten my stride pretty drastically, because it forces me to stop heel striking.  Oh yeah, when I run with shoes, I am a heel striker.  Big no no, especially when you're overweight.  When you come down on your foot while you run, you are putting 5x the weight of your body down on heel. 

For the first half mile, I just walked.  Normally, I can walk comfortably at a 3.5.  Barefoot, because of the shortened stride and the forced concentration on my landing, I was gong 2.9.  Considerably slower.  But it felt great.  After a half mile of walking, I turned it up to a slow jog.  Immediately I discovered where I was going wrong.  My body automatically corrected it's landing in a way it could never do with a shoe. 

I jogged for about an 8th of a mile.  Right out of the gate, I could only safely test myself that much without risking injury.  No pain.  No pain anywhere.

Okay, that's a lie.  My one complaint would be that because I chose to use a treadmill wearing just socks, the friction from the track against the underbody started to burn.  It got pretty hot and I'm left with a small heat blister on the ball of each foot.  But that just means that I have to change my game plan a little bit.  Those blisters had absolutely nothing to do with the barefoot running, and completely to do with my poor judgement.  It's easily corrected.

I'm excited to see how this progresses.  The worst that could happen is that I'll fail like I have before with every other running program. 

Ironically, on the same day that I discovered barefoot running, I signed up for a running class.  At the place where I bought my $120 worthless running shoes.  So it will be interesting to see what they have to say about this barefoot running.

Pink Ribbons & Basset Hounds

I don't know Lisa on a personal level.  But I do know her on a rescue level.  And she's amazing.  Lisa has always helped us out with our Basset rescues when we needed it. 

Lisa recently found out that she has breast cancer...AGAIN.

So friends of hers came up with a cool way to help raise some money for her surgery.  Tshirts!

If you like dogs, and you want to support a fabulous woman on her breast cancer journey... Check out these tshirts.  Please.  Woof!

High Flying Birthday Aussies!

Today is a special day in my world.

Today is the given birthday of my two rescued Australian Shepherds.

I adopted Frankie in July of 2008. She arrived on the 13th, and was approximately 9 months old. 

I adopted Kirby in August of 2009. He arrived on the 15th, and he was approximately 10 months old.

That makes Frankie approximately 2 years old.  And Kirby approximately 1 year old. 

Happy Birthday, Aussies.

You're both insane.  

And yet somehow you manage to keep me sane.

It's Snowing

Again. 

But this isnt me waking up to a sprinkle of snow like a couple of days ago.  No, this is it's been snowing since I woke up at 7am and it's still coming down.  Hard.

But I can handle it.  I think.

I mean, right?

NO! No I can't handle it! 

Did you forget my reaction to having to give up summer for fall?  I am barely into my fall phase and it's already snowing!

No. Emily doesn't handle snow.  If anything, the snow handles me.

No more backyard BBQ's.  No more bonfires.  No more smores!  The agony!

I'm going to have to switch into winter driving mode. Leaving the house 15 minutes early.  Driving 35 mph in a 55. Holding up the traffic.  Stocking my truck with a winter safety kit.  Winter go away!

I can handle it, right?  I'm a big girl.  Its just a little snow..... **whaaaaaaaaaaaaa!**

Battling Aussies

Aussies can be strong willed when they feel like it.

They don't give up easily.

Especially when they are at war with each other.

And especially when they are battling for a toy that they both love.

In this case, it happens to be the torn, stringy, fabric casing of a once stuffed ball... The stuffing strewn about like guts.
And if you mention even once that I need to vacuum, I'll have something to say about it.

Oh hi Frankie.  See, normally if I am doing anything regarding her (ie; looking at her, speaking to her, etc) she will give up whatever she's doing and walk to me.  But not this time.  She is one determined Aussie. And she will not allow her younger bro to beat her.

But in the end, when all is said and done, the Aussie's are friends again. 

Not even stuffed dog toy carcass can come between these two kids.

Snow

Yeah, you heard me.  Snow.  Snoow.  Don't I look happy?

 

It snowed here last night.  First snowfall of the season.  It's going to be a looooong winter.

Red and I both woke up this morning around 5am.  Neither of us know why.  Maybe because the dogs were going nuts?  Why would the dogs be going nuts?  My dogs dont go nuts.  Oh yeah, unless it's snowing.  I forgot, Kirby is light reactive, and with the full moon, the shiny white stuff falling from the sky, and the fact that his bed is right under a window... Kirby had reason to wake us up.

It was snowing.

Snow on the grass.  Grass that Red had mowed just 48 hours before.

I'm not in the mood for snow.  It cramps my disc doggin style.

Who wants to play disc in the snow?

Guess Frankie does. 

Happy snow day.  Not.