Off To The Races

I like to run.  I’m not particularly good at it, but if I only stuck to what I was good at I would have to eat gummi bears all day. I have been called the Leonardo da Vinci of eating gummi bears. One of the reasons I decided to get a Rhodesian Ridgeback is because the breed is known for its endurance.  Trained Ridgebacks can run 30+ miles in a single day. Thirty miles is a bit ambitious for me, but just like his forebearers, Eko absolutely loves to run.  We both prefer to run on off leash trails – if I run five miles at my pace,    Eko usually runs ten miles by sprinting circles around me.  When we’re in the city though, I keep Eko on a six foot leash.  It’s the equivalent of attaching a cinder block to a Lamborghini.

I told you he’s fast…

Even though I slow him down, Eko is always happy to take me for a run.  When I don’t feel like running, Eko will pace around the house until I finally lace up my sneakers.  I may not like it at the time, but I appreciate him getting me out the door. In all his exuberance, Eko can sometimes pull on the leash or bound in front of me during the first part of our run.  A few weeks ago I might have complained about how tough it is to start a run with Eko, but I recently saw this incredible video about Sami, a blind cross-country athlete who races with her guide dog.  If Sami can learn to run blind, then I can certainly learn to run better with Eko.

You never know what kind of interesting people/frogs you will meet when out for a run

And the view always seems that much better when Eko and I have had to work for it

One of my bucket list goals this year is to run in a dog-friendly race together. We have been training a few days a week and we are looking for races to register for. If you are interested in running with your dog, you can find some good training tips here.  If you know of any pet-friendly races in the Chicago area, or if you just have any good dog-running advice from your own experience, be sure to share!