The Best Coach I've Ever Had...

With the arrival of warmer weather I have been taking my training outside and running with my buddy, our black lab 'Balin'. Balin is a search and rescue dog and classifying him as "high energy" would be a colossal understatement. One of his favorite activities is to come running with me. Unlike other dogs, Balin is totally antisocial. While his older and more sedate brother Bhodi enjoys getting out to frolick in the coulees and sniff other dogs butts, Balin is all business. He rarely runs up to other dogs when we are out together and never ever stops to smell the roses (or dog pee). Balin so loves our runs that he insists that we stay together. For example if I slow down or stop to retie a shoe lace he faithfully comes bounding back and waits for me. Sometimes he gets exasperated with my slow human pace and barks joyfully to egg me on. During our runs together there are two things I try to do; 1) I try to run at least one mile at Balin's super fast doggie pace and 2) I try to give him at least a mile on our route off leash. Recently my runs with him have been leaving me utterly winded and feeling sick. I often have to slow down to a very slow jog or even a walk. Up until last night I have been blaming this on my recent nasty chest cold, but last night something incredible happened. I went to the gym and hopped on the treadmill. My mission was clear; get to the bottom of what's making me feel so icky and sluggish when I'm out with Balin. I had intended to start my run at what I considered a good pace for me, 6.2 mph. Well surprise surprise this felt incredibly easy and dare I say slow. After a mile I upped my speed to 6.7 mph. A little more work, but still totally manageable and fun. I then put on my brave face and upped the pace again to 6.9 mph. After about five minutes of this I was definitely starting to fatigue but still could have kept going. By the end of my run I had completed close to 4 miles in under 30 minutes. I was totally elated and wondered to myself how fast I have been running with Balin. His exuberance and joy while running is hard to resist and I am always sucked into his pace and his world when we are out together. It's because of this incredibly athletic little dog that I have been able to interval train and make significant gains without even noticing. Thanks Balin for making me a better runner. I owe you a belly rub and maybe an extra cookie!