Inspiration and Healing Time

I am a solitary person.  People tend to confuse solitary personalities with shy ones.  They are not the same - there is not a shy bone in my body.  I don't get lonesome easily and actually have to think about making time to be "social".  Having my career outside the home has created a super outlet for me to be around people and involved with them while keeping my personal space otherwise.  The dogs feed my need for space since they are relatively undemanding and don't tend to intrude when I need to fall into a book or writing.

Running is a great outlet for using my alone time in a productive way that benefits my body, mind and spirit.  Morning runs are my favorite.  The sight of the sun poking its' way through the horizon will always bring peace to my soul.  This morning was especially lovely because it was our first morning run since Stetson began a pretty strict "rest" while he recovered from the toe injury two weeks ago. 



The view from the patio after our run this morning. 
 

Stetson has been allowed to walk on leash this past week but Thursday was the first night we were cleared to run.  Naturally, "cleared" is a subjective term when dealing with being released to normal activity after a recovery period for an injury.  There were many good signs in our favor.  He hadn't had any swelling for several days.  There was no heat to the touch on the leg, shoulder or foot, and hadn't been for many days.  Lastly, he hadn't "bobbed" his head when he moved around the house and yard since last Friday.  The final great sign was the weather; clear skies surely meant we were ready to be back on the road together.

Anticipation, anticipation, anticipatioooonnnnn...

He and Maddie were very anxious to get going once I went out to the garage to get their harnesses and leads.  There was much whining and dancing as they were dressed for the run.  He pulled hard to start and didn't let up for most of the first quarter mile.  I normally lean on a cautious bone when it comes to the dogs (although I was a little lax on this injury in the beginning), so it was predetermined that we'd go slow and only take in a mile and a half.  I tried to focus on how his movement felt on my hand as it came up through the leash.  I need to know what "normal" feels like, so I'll be better in tune going forward with him.

His endurance took a hit during the time he's been resting.  He got slow on two of the hills that he'd only learned to blow through since January.  I shouldn't be surprised, I know from personal experience that the stronger you are when injury hits, the quicker your ability to recover and bounce back to normal once healed.  He's only been running for 4 months now, so it will take a little longer for him to get back to our "normal" than it would if he had been running with me for a couple of years.  I think we'll be able to work back up to the three mile weekday/evening runs in a couple of weeks and then hit a long run on the weekend. 

Glad to have him back, I missed the time together on the road as if we'd been together for all his years.  It's nice to be bonded so well, so quickly.  My inspiration comes from the bond between the dogs and I and the mutual love of the activity. 
 

Minor Toe Injury

 

 

 

 

 

Monday evening I took Stetson for a herding lesson. I was wired up from a crazy work day and he was wired up from having been crated for the day.  Between the two of us, we had a good deal to work out in the pen, but we were doing pretty well.  At some point, the rope was dropped and he began to chase.  It took a long time to catch him.  Thankfully he didn't harm any livestock, he gets over excited, but his intention is never harmful.  Once caught he happily went back to work and actually did some of the best work on sheep that he's ever done.

When we got home much later that evening, I noticed his right front foot was swollen.  I began to work over his legs and the foreleg behind his wrist was really hot to the touch.  I hoped a day of rest on Tuesday would give him time to fully restore but during our obedience class on Wednesday my good friend and Vet noted he was not fully weight bearing on the foot, so we agreed to have him checked out.

Dave took him for evaluation Friday.  Dr. Castle found the outside digit on the right foot to be very sore and it seems his nail is split.  Thankfully, the injury is minor, but it will keep him away from herding and running for most of this coming week.  He received some meds, a laser treatment and his first chiropractic adjustment.  I was told he was a very good dog.  I have been fortunate through the years of performance and running to have very few toe injuries, but know of others whose dogs have not fared so well.  I'm sighing with relief and making some adjustments to the way I pursue herding in the future.  I will focus on getting my adrenaline under control - that's going to be a huge challenge because I'm a junkie.  Probably the most important thing I'll do differently is make sure he has worked off that crazed, been crated and glad to see me energy before we head off to a lesson. 

Looking back, it really wasn't a fair situation and I should probably be grateful we just have a sore toe...I should have worked some of both of our energy off before we began, but I was rushing.   So I'm running solo this weekend and most of next week.  He is cleared to go for walks and work on his obedience exercises, but no herding and no running until Thursday.  Giving up time on the road with my best running partner is a pretty good trade in order to have a solid dog next to me for the long haul.

Catching some Z's with my slippers as a pillow

 

Madison the Surprise Partner

We've been partners in all kinds of adventures these past thirteen years

It was so tempting to stay inside today and not venture out in the wind.   But we bundled up and headed out for a jaunt around the neighborhood anyway.  I decided to take a hard fast walk instead of running today, hoping I could avoid the "frozen to the bone" feeling you get once you've worked up a sweat and then get slapped by a gust of cold wind.  Since we haven't been on the road regularly these past six weeks or so, Stetson and I are playing a little "catch up" in the endurance area, so it seemed like a good opportunity for a little conditioning instead of a hard workout.  It won't take long to get built back up, probably by the end of this week I'll hardly notice the time off. 



He's become an amazing partner and companion in such a short time together!

I planned on doing the typical three miles with Stetson and Dave was going to take Maddie home after a mile and a half.  After we split from Dave and Madison, Stetson kept looking over his shoulder and trying to circle behind me.  I was a little irritated with him as I tried without success to get him refocused.  We were almost to the top of the hill before I turned back to see what he was trying to investigate.  Jogging up the hill behind us was Dave and Maddie.  She was pulling like mad to catch up.  He said after they turned to head home, she stopped in the road and turned around watching us go away.  When given the choice of where to go, she took off up the hill after us.  She had this huge grin on her face that brought tears to my eyes. 

We cut the second lap a little shorter than normal because she looked a little fatigued, but we finished all together today.  My heart always sings when I'm on a hike, or run, or walk with the dogs and Dave, but the song today was filled with a little more gratitude.

She likes her privacy to unwind after a run