Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Winter has gotten in the way

Yes, it is an excuse but a real one.  My work hours change during the winter months and although I always make plans to spend Saturdays doing all the things that I miss the rest of the year, somehow it never quite comes to be.  I will also admit that Ivan and I have not been training but are barely maintaining.  Re-entry in March is going to be rough if we don't get to work.  Plus, last night we watched the Westminster Agility Championship.  Ivan and I gloried in the wonderful talents we saw both humans and canines exhibit as they raced through their courses. So it got me thinking about what we had been up to since our last post.

This post is not going to devolve into a rant on the weather.  I promise.  But SERIOUSLY what is with this winter stuff that just keeps coming?  I mean really!  OK rant over.  I started a new food and exercise plan in November 2013 and part of my regimen included running 2-3 miles every other day with equal length walks on the off days.  Ivan, of course, accompanied me.  At first, he thought these were Ivan-centric events but soon caught on to the fact that he had better eliminate during the warm up or cool down, cause otherwise we weren't stopping.  Smart dog figured it out and became quite the coach, waiting impatiently at the front door on those mornings I was moving more slowly.  Brown soulful eyes staring reproachfully at me when I tried to say, "Not this morning, boy."  And we were doing really well until January.  Mother Nature stepped in and did a number on us.



So, being the intrepid Northerner that I am, we changed format.  Ivan has added cross country skiing to his skill set, although he prefers to ride on the backs of my skis when the snow gets too deep.  This worked just fine until the ice started up.  I got a pair of Yak Trax and we did quite a bit of walking with them but I am a bit of a chicken about ice, so we did not run much.

We did participate in the 6th Annual Good Shepherd Run for the Gold, the first of the Frankfort Trifecta events.  I think we did pretty well.  There were lots of people, dogs, strollers, etc. and Ivan handled it like a champ.

Well March came in roaring like a lion but I am ready for spring.  Let's hope it goes out like a lamb soon.