Go Run with a Dog
Numbers. Splits. Elevation gain. Miles. Number of calories. So often, these stats take up our brain space while running and training. These numbers are important, don’t get me wrong. You want to train correctly for your race or effort that you are preparing for. Some of us are trying to get faster, and splits sometimes matter. Despite the importance of these metrics, they can sometimes impact our enjoyment on running. It can be draining and it can be hard to get out of the negative head space we sometimes put ourselves in. Have you ever thought that you needed a break and needed to find the joy in running again? I definitely have and I think I have quite the suggestion for you.
You should definitely go run with a dog. I get it, I get it.You may be thinking this isn’t a feasible option for you, but I challenge you to get creative. Even if you don’t have your own dog, your family or friends may have a dog (that I am sure would be beyond grateful if you took them for a run), you could sign up to be a dog-walker on Rover, and a lot of shelters love dog walking volunteers so try reaching out to your local shelter! There may be an option for you!
Once you have secured your dog, the next part of this strategy is actually watching the dog run. Don’t go out for a walk or run and pull out your phone during it, and ya know, don’t even wear your watch on this run. Really pay attention to how the dog acts and what they do while on your run. You’ll notice their senses run rampant. They hear a bird and perk their ears to the south, then hear a squirrel and perk their ears to the north, then stick their nose back into the ground, and then remember you are there and run up to you like you are the absolute BEST thing in the world. They are focused on what is going on in that exact moment. Dogs are present in everything they do and that aids in the joy of whatever activity they are participating in! We can learn a lot from that.
A few other lessons you can take from dogs would be:
- Treat every run like an adventure. Like I just said, most dogs are just outside bouncing around like it is the best day ever!
Fuel up. If you have a dog that doesn’t always want food, your dog is weird and pay attention to the other dogs ha!
Take recovery seriously - dogs are sleeping hard after working hard!
Your size doesn’t matter! Get out there. It really doesn’t matter if you are a chihuahua, great dane, or a bull mastiff.
Most of these lessons, again, come from being present and not worrying about all of the other random things we humans worry about. Running and training can be hard, but if you have the opportunity to get out with a dog, do it and focus on it. Enjoy the ride and enjoy the adventure, they definitely will too.
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