Spring Shift

Spring is here, actually it feels like it has nearly slipped through our fingers unnoticed.  Two days this week we reached the low 80's and today we are pushing 80 degrees.  I finally got my routine down with the cool weather schedule and now I find myself watching and listening and feeling my dog on the end of the line with some degree of anxiety regarding temp and climate as we have gone from running between 40 and 50 degrees to 70 degrees within a short two week period.  Soon we'll be above 70 degrees and it won't be too much farther away that 70's will be our standard low temps of the day.

We debated about where to run today since we had some rain yesterday, overnight and the forecast called for more this morning.  We finallly decided to run in the neighborhood so we wouldn't feel as "rained out" if we got caught in a downpour.  The air was a little heavy, but at 64 degrees but it didn't seem too warm or muggy for the dogs so we headed out.

The loop we start on brings us back to our driveway in 1.3 miles.  As we took the final turn from Marsh onto Barrier Road (our road), Dave decided he was going to make the second loop.  It looked like Maddie was hanging in very well, so we passed the house and began the second climb up Barrier.  Maddie slowed enough that it created a jump rope effect on the lead between us.  I was gathering up the slack and Dave and I were discussing if she really ought to go another round when she turned into a neighbors yard and began to graze.  Both dogs do what we call "fly by's" when we pass a yard that has a patch of new and tasty grass in it, but they don't stop - thus the name "fly by's"; they simply stick their head out and grab some grass and munch while we go.  Maddie actually stopped.  So I checked her over as best I could, we turned around and I dropped her off at the house.

Dave passed Mira to me and we continued up the hill for the the second loop and finished with a half mile block giving us a total of 3.1 or 3.2 miles.  It was around 67 degrees by this time.  As we rounded the last block I told Dave I wanted to get in another mile so I passed Mira back to him thinking she had probably had enough.  He turned left at the corner toward the house and I turned right to head up the hill for the third time.  He and I laughed at Mira who didn't even notice I'd passed her off, or so we thought.  For whatever reason, she turned and realized I was going the other way and stopped.  She watched me go over the hill before she and Dave went on back to the house.  He said later, "she definitely is your dog..."

Once back at the house, Mira and Maddie were ready to be stretched.  I'm sure Mira could have easily finished that last mile.  She didn't indicate fatigue or heat or stress.  I am certain that bringing Maddie back to the house was the right thing to do for her.  I think at this point if we go to the river, she'll be fine for a few more weeks.  The path is softer and there are no hills.  I doubt she'll go much past 70 degrees at the river, but that will give us many weekend morning options into the warmer months.  They both hit their recovery phase and returned to normal respiration within their typical timeframes. 

As always, the routine is subject to adjustment and change as necessary.  It just felt so good to get in so much time on the road this morning.