Beauty On The Running Trail Comes In Different Forms

Hi folks! Thanks for stopping by!

Beautiful wild primrose on a local running trail.

I do enjoy running with our dogs, if only to see their enthusiasm for all the odors along the way. These are really run and sniff workouts. I just pretend that I’m doing speed work intervals, then stopping for their olfactory pleasure is not a problem. They seem to see the world through their noses, to a large extent at least. I, personally, have a bizarre sense of smell, detecting ketones better than anyone I know, whilst being completely blind to the apparently ghastly odor of some indoles, a key ingredient of dog poop. The former caused me to identify dairy cows with metabolic upsets, as if by magic, impressing many a farmer, whilst the latter has yielded some family problems in the past.

Willbe and Scooter just love to sniff.

Being human, my sensory awareness of the world is dominated by my visual field. I notice all sorts of plants and animals on our local running trails, whilst being blind to canine delights. But all of this makes for a great workout, as long as you are willing to accept the stop and go nature of the exercise. Just weave it into your plan, and have fun with the dogs, is what I say.

This is where a little flexibility in your workout schedule will permit time for your family, whilst allowing the training you need. Clearly, you cannot do this for your main run sets, which is the time to find family members and friends to pull you along.

Healthy endurance training is all about the careful integration of flexibility with discipline.

-k @FitOldDog