Back running in Ottawa!

Complements all round for Jack!

Jack and I ran 12 miles over the weekend (Jack 144.5, Caroline 155.5). Today we were asked by several people about Jack's pedigree with everyone commenting on what a handsome guy our Jumping Jack Flash is. Jack of course is always his charming self, not a peep just a big (and I mean big) wagging tail and a half smile.

Making our way slowly

Jack and I ran 3.5 miles tonight (Jack 122.5, Caroline 133.5). It was colder but actually a nice night for running. Jack enjoyed every minute of our run because he had been home alone the entire day. He came home and rested on the couch with Skender watching his favorite show, Sponge Bob.

A few more miles

Jack and I have been enjoying this wonderful weather. We have completed another 23 miles (Caroline 130 miles, Jack 119 miles). In the past couple weeks we have been to Prince Albert (work) and North Battleford (fun). Jack particularly enjoyed going to the farm in North Battleford where he played with Buddy, Skender and Ethan on the pond. Our running has been going slow but we are moving along toward our goal. The running path is drying up and there are a larger number of runners, walkers, bikers and dogs on the trail. Poor Jack has had a couple bad encounters with other dogs, one bit his nose and another got away from his owner and took after Jack. Jack is a big guy but very gentle so I've learnt that all of the new dogs on the trail may not all be dogs that we want to visit with. Despite the few problems we have had, Jack is enjoyed being on the trail. He is improving on the leash however once in awhile he still stops dead, sometimes with me not realizing until I'm flying backwards :)

And you thought we weren't running!

I'm back blogging! Life can only be described as moving at the speed of sound. Jack and I have been running, not as much as I had hoped, over the past two weeks to add another 26 miles (Caroline 107 miles, Jack 96 miles). Jack receives 2 extra miles for his runs in the dog park when I was walking rather than running, which means he is just short of his first 100 miles (98 miles). We are behind in mileage compared to where I was at this time last year, which was well over 200 miles by March 1st. I'm not worried as we now have extra sunlight and warmer temperatures to support our running.

Winter Running

Jack and I have run another 12 miles (Jack 70 miles, Caroline 81 miles) over the past few days. He love to run in this weather, particularly bounding through the snow. I am enjoying our winter running more than I expected. The biggest problem is getting out there when I feel either cold or tired, or both. However, so far I have never felt cold running. Once I get out there the problem is most often being over dressed and feeling too warm. The wind can also be a problem particularly in some of the off leash dog park where it is more open. Jack and I run trails to get to the park which are treed and keep the wind out. The great pleasure of winter running is to enjoy how beautiful it is in the winter along the river! I have decided that Jack and I need to try and pick up the pace now that we have more daylight to run in. Next week we'll try to reach our hundred mile mark, a big milestone in freezing temperatures.

Back running

Jack and I have not been running much the past couple weeks. I have had a severe muscle problem in my back and arm. It has improved significantly over the weekend. As you can see by the photos above when Jack isn't running he watches the runners go by our house. He was very unhappy that we were not running and I swear he was smiling when we finally went back on the trail Saturday. Jack and I ran 8 miles this weekend and Jack has put on another 3 miles on days that I walked the dog park (Jack 58, Caroline 69). We are now back on the trails and as the days become longer we have more time to get out for our runs.