Day 77: Jogging Dog

The return of heavy humidity, only one cup of coffee yesterday, and the visit to the audiologist  left me feeling a bit anxious about returning to a heavy schedule of classes at the end of this month, which is not at all helpful.  To counteract this, Gracie and I decided to try the long run this morning, which for me is a little less than two miles.  Up until now, Gracie and I have been running about 1/2 that distance together two or three times a week.  Her predominant breed, King Charles Cavelier Spaniel, is not noted for being a good dog to jog with according to a Web site on dog jogging that I located.  Nevertheless, Gracie is very enthusiastic about these runs.  She gets so excited when I try to put on my running shoes that she nips at my hands and makes the process of tying my laces last twice as long.  When we start out, she tries to run.  Gracie is small--17 pounds--but fast.  (She can also jump like Michael Jordan!)  I've been telling myself that running the shorter distance is for her--so her paws don't get sore.  I have not wanted to think the shorter distance is for me because I've gotten old.  Admittedly, I started running to tamp down excess energy.  In my twenties, this sometimes meant running around Lake of the Isles twice in one day or running around both Lake of the Isles and Lake Calhoun in a single outing.  Now I run my own neighborhood mostly to be able to keep running (use it or lose it)  and sometimes, like today, to combat anxiety. 

How did it go?  Great!  Gracie kept up with me without trying to race impatiently ahead.  She never tired to stop.  A couple squirrels tempted her into perking up a bit and looking sideways rather than straight ahead, but she didn't try to race off after them.  Best of all, my anxiety has been reduced enough for me to go on combing through my course delivery system class sites, updating assignments and putting current dates on the opening of quizzes and weekly assignment sheets for both my online classes and my face2face classes.  Is Gracie worn out?  Well, no.  When we came in, she made one of her spectacular leaps over the arm of the couch in pursuit of her nylon bone.  Maybe her youth will help keep me a bit younger for a while longer.