Uta's training week 3/25-3/31

Happy Easter!

Uta had a fun week of running, playing & hiking this week. Here's a little recap:

Monday: We woke before dawn and ran 3 miles around our neighborhood in 24:12. Uta napped most of the morning but was ready for a short walk at lunch. I ran sans Uta after work. She was tired today; we went for a very long hike on Sunday so she was not up for the double run today!

Tuesday: We ran a little longer today, 3.7 miles in 28:15. A big, friendly golden retriever left his yard to greet us as we ran by, and I think Uta would have been happy to stay and play with him! But we continued on our way. Uta also went on her usual lunchtime walk.

Wednesday: Another single, longer run for Uta, this time 4 miles along with her usual lunchtime walk. She was starting to show more energy by Wednesday evening so we planned a double for Thursday.

Thursday: Easy morning 3 mile run with Uta in 26:43. I had a meeting at work today, so we had our dog walker come at lunch to walk & play with Uta. Uta still had lots of energy when I got home from work so we went for another 3 mile run. This time Uta really pushed the pace, galloping out in front of me like a greyhound on a racetrack, and we covered the distance in 20:05!

Friday: Nate had Good Friday off from work so he ran with Uta later in the morning. They ran 4 miles with Uta throwing in lots of surges! When I got home from work, Uta was napping and I thought she might want to skip this run. I took out her booties and the buddy system leash, but she stayed in her crate. As soon as I put on my running shoes and headed to the door however, she leaped up and ran to meet me at the door. We ran 2.5 miles in 17:03, and you would have never known that Uta ran 4 miles in the morning! She was really pushing the pace and wanted to continue at the end, but we're careful with her mileage. We don't want to do too much too soon!

Saturday: Uta's long day! We started the day with a 4 mile run in 31:07. It was an absolutely gorgeous day; one of the first warm days we've had, so we went for a hike in the early afternoon and met many friendly dogs along the way. Uta had a great time smelling the fresh dirt while we explored the trails in the protected reservation land across the street from our home. In the afternoon we jogged easily in the PA bird sanctuary, about 3 miles in 27:48. Uta "smiled" the whole way and enjoyed a peanut butter filled Kong when we arrived home.

Sunday: Easter! Uta ran with me and my brother in the morning. We ran 4 miles in 31:26. Uta really 'dropped the hammer' on us in the third mile, running out in front and dropping a 7:15 mile! She got tired after that (it was a long week!) and we jogged it home. She then enjoyed extra attention and love from my family, who came to our house for Easter. She napped a bit, was petted extensively, and was given extra treats! Once everyone went home, Uta took a short nap but then "asked" to go out and went to the gate and sat; she was ready to go again! So we took her for a short hike in the reservation. She's since had a sleepy evening. :-)

We are so enjoying having Uta. She is such a joy and so much more than a running partner. She absolutely loves to run, but she also loves to cuddle up with us. We are so thankful to have our lovely little runner!

First Steps...

One of the great things about running is that it requires a minimal amount of gear compared to other sports. The same goes for running with your dog, though I have found a few necessities over the past six weeks. I am not sponsored by any of these companies, but I've found them to be integral to running with Uta.

* The Leash: While some people are really into letting their dogs go off leash, I like to obey local leash laws for several reasons. First, not everyone finds your little Fido adorable, and some people are downright terrified of dogs. Now just imagine how they feel when they see you walking or running towards them and Fido is off leash! That's just not fair to your fellow citizens. Even though I'm a dog lover, I don't like running into off leash dogs. I've been tripped and knocked over numerous times by friendly dogs that wanted to play while I was trying to run. Keeping my dog on leash is the responsible thing to do.

Perhaps more important to me now is the risk of something happening to my pup if she is off leash. A brittany is a bird dog, and chances are good she'll try to flush birds if given the opportunity, but that could mean running into traffic, getting lost, etc. I'm paranoid about losing my pup so having her on leash gives me peace of mind.

As a "serious" runner, however, I didn't want to carry a leash. I researched numerous "hands-free" leashes and settled on an inexpensive one called The Buddy System. I'm absolutely thrilled with it. It has a simple design that goes around my waist. The leash loops around the waist belt and has a quick release clip near the waist (so you could use the distal part as a traditional leash). The end of the leash attaches to the dog's collar or harness just like a traditional leash. I like that the leash "loops" onto the waist belt so if we're on a back road or trail Uta can move easily from my left to my right side, and the leash moves with her. It's also a sturdy, high quality belt/leash that feels like it will last, and you forget you're wearing it when you run. I like to wear it even during walks, because then I can use my hands! My husband, Nate, has used the buddy system to shovel out a family member's driveway while keeping Uta close to him. We also used it when we brought Uta to a snowshoe race and a road race; it's much easier to navigate crowded areas, stand around, and cheer when you know your dog is attached to you. My husband and I jokingly call it the umbilical cord, but it's a great leash system that gives me peace of mind.

* Running "Shoes" for Uta: I never thought my dog would need footwear. Never. I don't like the idea of dressing dogs up or putting any sort of "shoe" on them. I feel like they evolved into the perfect creatures they are today and are suited to their environments. That was, until I got Uta. When we first brought Uta home, her paws were as soft as the back of my hand. They were pink. When we tried to take her for even a short walk, she would sit on the ground, hold up a paw, and cry. I would carry her home worried that something was wrong, only to put her down inside and see her start running around! She doesn't like the cold ground and she doesn't like the salt and sand on the roads. I initially tried Musher's Secret, a product that a number of my friends who run with their dogs highly recommended. It is a great product that's all natural, non-toxic, and forms a wax "barrier" on your pup's paws, protecting them from a variety of outdoor irritants. I definitely plan on using Musher's Secret down the road, but currently it's not enough for Uta's paws. She's able to walk a little further, but her paws are still sensitive.

A trip to Petco solved the problem. We found 100% rubber, biodegradable, disposable/reusable dog booties! They're called Pawz and they are amazing! They look like little balloons, and you just pull them onto your pup's paw. At first they seemed like they would be difficult to put on, but I actually find them to be quite easy to put on Uta. I hold her like a baby and just pull each one onto her paw. Not only does she let me do this, but she seems to enjoy it as well. She quickly figured out that her paws feel much better walking or running in her booties. She doesn't try to chew them off and they stay on remarkably well. With her booties on, Uta's able to walk or run for several miles.

Because they're more like a sock than an actual shoe, the dog is able to feel the ground and calluses still form, so Uta's paws continue to get stronger. Plus they're absolutely adorable; Uta gets compliments whenever we're out and about with her in her booties. Another plus is they keep her paws clean, so there's less dirt tracked in the house.

As you can see in the above picture, Uta is enjoying the snow with in her booties and winter jacket. Yes, I bought her a winter jacket. Brittanys only have a single coat of fur, not a double coat like most dogs. While this means she sheds less than most breeds, she gets cold much easier too. Without her jacket, she'll actually shiver when she's outside in the cold, but with her jacket she is comfortable and wants to play.

These few items have been invaluable to Uta and have allowed her to enjoy walking, running, and playing outside.

The journey begins...

It's hard to believe that a skinny, 17 lb puppy could become a training partner & constant motivator for a competitive runner, but Uta has. For several years I wanted a dog. I spent countless hours researching breeds that love to run, and settled on the brittany. Though small in build, (brittanys grow to be 30-40 lbs), these hunting dogs are very high energy and one of the more intelligent breeds. Combined with their desire to please, the breed is a perfect fit for my personality and lifestyle. These dogs love to run, and are known to run for several hours at a time. In fact, the very first thing my vet said when my husband & I brought her in was, "I hope you guys like to run. This dog needs to run."

Uta came to the right place. My husband, Nate, is a former professional marathon runner turned middle school math teacher. I ran division I in college. Now that I've started my career, I've really struggled to balance my training and work schedules. In recent years, my athletic motivation was lacking but my desire to compete well was always there. Running with my husband helped, but he continues to compete himself, and therefore cannot always train with me since we run different paces. Week after week, month after month, it's difficult to drag yourself out of bed each morning to run in the dark alone, especially when you don't see the results in races that you want and expect.

So began my plan to combine my love of dogs with a breed that loves to run and could be my training partner. We decided to name the dog after one of our running heroes; "Deek" after Rob De Castella if the pup was a boy, and "Uta" after Uta Pippig, the three time Boston Marathon champ, if the pup was a girl.

When we met the 5 month old brittany puppies that were available for adoption, most of them were running around like crazy and avoided interaction with us. One puppy, though quite lively, calmly came up to me, put her little paw on my thigh, and lingered there. She looked into my eyes. I instantly knew this was my puppy. A skinny girl, this was our little Uta.

She immediately took after her namesake, but not in the way I expected. On the ride home, Uta started having diarrhea. This continued all night her first night with us. The next morning our vet tested a stool sample. It took several days to receive the results, and we spent those days cleaning up poop. Uta spent four hours each day in her crate; from 8AM to 12PM until I came home during lunch when she would be covered in diarrhea and need a bath. Then again at 3:30PM, when my husband came home from school and would need to give her another bath. When we were home she struggled to make it to the door to go out, and had frequent accidents. Finally the test results showed she had Giardia. A course of antibiotics and she was fine, but the humor of naming her Uta was not lost on us! (Uta Pippig famously won the 1996 Boston Marathon after struggling for miles with diarrhea and menstrual issues)

After the first couple of weeks, her running talent began to blossom. On walks she would leap and gallop, she would go to the back of her leash then sprint to the front. If someone ran past us, she would start to cry and try to follow them. Our vet gave us the green light to start running her, so we began adding running intervals to her walks. She loved this; her little tail like a lightning rod in the air. Before long, she easily ran a two mile loop around our neighborhood and would still want to play when she got home!

Now, about six weeks later, Uta runs either two sessions (one early morning, one evening) of 2.5 miles, or one session of 3.5-4 miles. Though it's obvious she wants to run more, we are cautious to increase her mileage slowly to avoid injury. Depending on the distance I have planned for the day, I usually start my run with Uta, drop her off at home, then continue on for the rest of my run. I look forward to the day in the not so distant future that Uta will be not only running the full distance with me, but will be pushing me to run further than I have before.

Though she is a dedicated running partner, she has quickly become my heart and soul. The love I have for this little pup is so much more than I ever imagined. When we're not running she's usually snuggling close to me, with part of her body always in contact with mine. If I get up and go into a different room, she follows me. She sleeps with us at night, and licks our faces in the morning. She has become part and parcel of our lives, and I already can't picture my life without her.