Background Pt 3: Penelope as a Runner

As I said before, one look at Penny and you know she's a runner. As an adorable mix of a Golden Retriever and a Collie (most likely Border Collie) she is sleek and lean and pure speed. I'm not sure why her super combo has not yet become the next Cockapoo or Labradoodle, but it should be because she's pretty ridiculously awesome.

Anyway, from day one at the de facto dog park near our house, she has run circles around all the other dogs and people often comment to me how fast she is. She is a great herder and has been known to interfere in many a game of fetch- she'd make a great cornerback. It became readily apparent that finally my childhood dream had come true- I had a dog I could run with.

I remember our very first run back in November. We went to Meadowood Park after work since it had lights and ran two miles and we FLEW! She pulled me along the whole way and after taking some time off and perhaps enjoying a few too many brews, I was out of breath and winded, but in love! It was amazing how through running we seemed to instantly find a deeper connection. I remember it was very windy and as the wind blew in our faces little Penelope looked up at me and she was smiling! Maybe it was just the wind blowing her lips back, but I prefer to believe that as she lept for joy and ran along that she was smiling.

I was hooked and Penny certainly seemed to love it....but alas there is always a setback...

The next day poor Penny was limping. She was stiff and had a hard time getting up. I was concerned, but thought that just like her person, she was a little out of shape. The next day she seemed back to normal and we ventured to the dog park so she could run with her dog friends. Well that night back to limping. This time it continued for a day or two. Then she'd be normal again.

I was beginning to panic that perhaps my running partner could not be my steadfast exercise companion after all. I had read about Hip Dysplasia in Golden Retrievers, but assured myself that mutts did not have such ailments. But her post-exercising limping continued and off to the vet we went. Wouldn't you figure that my mutt, of all mutts, has hip dysplasia? I almost had a meltdown that my precious pup who so clearly loved to run and play may be sidelined for life. The vet told me that I had to limit her play time and cut out runs for the time being. I tried not to cry, but she also said there was hope. There were surgical options, but first we should try a Glucosamine supplement- Dasuquin. I had to give her two a day for the first 4-6 weeks and take her for brief walks for 14 days, then back of to 1 tablet a day.

Then the vet delivered one piece of good news- running/jogging could help! She explained that it was the lateral movement of playing and cutting and turning with other dogs that really stressed her hip, but by slowing adding straight line running to our routine it could build muscle strength around the hip joint and limit the effects of her dysplasia.....YES!!!

The Dasuquin is a Godsend I'm convinced and I can't even begin to tell you what a different dog she is today! We slowly built back up to jogging 10 minutes together (I of course had to stop running in the interim as an act of solidarity & it was ridiculously cold out) and then 15, and then 20 and NO limping. None at all, not even the slightest sign of discomfort. We ventured back to the dog park for short intervals and she didn't even limp after that. We ran through the blizzards and we began to pick up time and speed. My Penelope was back!!

With the vet's OK, we both began to build up our training. The key being no sudden changes and just gradual mileage increases the way you would while training yourself. Today, I'm happy to say that Penny and I have done 6+ miles with no issue at all, except that she runs way too fast, and we are well on our way to being ready for the half marathon on May 2!!

That kind of brings us up to speed to today. There are plenty of funny excerpts along the past several months, but I'll sprinkle those in later! Hooray for running with Penelope!

Background Pt 2: Penelope Comes Home

Penelope, unlike me, is a natural athlete & runner. I have only become one through sheer determination and occasionally brazen stupidity.

But how did Penelope come into our lives? We moved from Baltimore city to a small neighborhood in Towson called Rodger's Forge. The Forge, as we super cool residents call it, is about the most dog/kid friendly place on earth. Literally every house on our block has a dog and the same for our neighbors across the alley. In fact, when we had bought our house a friend and former Forge resident said to me, "You're moving to the Forge- Congrats! Do you have a dog?" "Umm no..." I said quizzically to which he said, "Well if you live in Rodgers Forge, you HAVE to have a dog!" So what did we do? We got a dog.

After much discussion and one brief stint as fosters to a rescued Pug (with major issues) that almost required an appearance on the show "It's Me or the Dog" for Justin (as in I needed to choose one) we determined we were ready for a dog. Justin has always wanted a German Shepherd, but was also willing to go the Golden Retriever route. I was about about the Golden Retriever idea so we began to look. At first with breeders and then after thinking of the cost and the 1,000s of homeless dogs at rescues.

We found Penny on Petfinder through the rescue group K-9 Lifesavers and were intrigued. Actually we found her brother, but when we inquired about him they informed us that he wasn't available because he was so sweet the foster family had decided to keep him. The sister, Peaches, however was still available and had an equally kind temperment. She was being boarded at a facility just over the Chesapeake Bay bridge, but would be going to an adoption event Sunday and would surely be adopted.

Somehow that stoked my competitive instinct and I called Justin from work that Tuesday and said, we need to go to Kent Narrows tonight to see this 6 month old puppy. Justin said ok, but on the condition "We are NOT going to get the first dog we look at. This is just to look, we aren't bringing her home." I agreed whole-heartedly, while simultaneously lying through my teeth. If she was sweet, no shot I was going home without her.

We hauled ass across the Bay Bridge (well over an hour drive) and when we finally got there, the woman brought this timid pup from the back. She kind of slinked up to us. She was smaller than we expected (like you shrank a Golden Retriever), but so cute. As she got to my feet so rolled onto her back to have her belly rubbed- GAME OVER. Justin knew it too. After looking at my face as I fell to the ground to pet this adorable pup, he said "what time does Petsmart close? We better make sure we get there before it closes for a crate etc." Mind you we had nothing- no collar, leash, food, NADA. But I'll be damned if I'd go another night without her. Justin was equally smitten and so with a borrowed collar and leash we loaded her into the car and headed home.

On the drive home, we tried to figure out a name because neither of us could imagine screaming "PEACHES" in the middle of a field trying to get her to come back to us. I know she was a rescue from a Georgia farm so I get the name, but yea no shot. So Justin came up with Penelope from Homer's Illiad. Penelope was Odysseus's wife and remained loyal to him forever despite his prolonged absence. Penny for short- works well because she's kind of a light copper color too. PERFECT.

She was shy and timid, but such a lover right from the get-go. My kind of dog, she immediately took to my favorite "trick" - Snuggle - and was a joy to have in the house. Lucky for us, she was crate trained and house broken and she immediately added so much life and fun to our house (our cat feels otherwise). Justin and I battled for her love and affection, but turns out the key to her heart would be running.... victory Katharine!

Her first week with us, she scared us after coming down with pneumonia and cost us a pretty penny at the Pet ER. She was sick and sad and I was even more smitten, dutifully giving her antibiotics and steam baths to help remove her congestion. She recovered fully and as she settled into our house her inner puppy came back. She began to play and romp and had boundless energy.

What better outlet for an energetic pup than running?? And so it began.....

Background Pt 1: Me as a Runner

Although I'm just getting around to starting this blog, Penny and I have been running together for almost 6 months already, so I thought it might make sense to bring everyone up to speed on how we got to where we are now.

Me as a Runner:

This transformation began in late 2008-2009. I played D1 lacrosse in college and after graduation needed some time to decompress and step away from constantly training. But I also needed a way to get rid of the ridiculous excess amount of muscle I had from years of too much lifting that goes along with playing a sport in college. Well, how many really huge long distance runners do you know? Seemed like a promising route. BUT, two obstacles- 1. After years of sprints and track workouts and conditioning drills, I didn't particularly like running and I never considered myself a distance runner and 2. I have had 4 knee surgeries including two ACL reconstructions and I'm currently ACL-less in the same pesky left knee that simply cannot keep an ACL intact. After wrapping our senior season (which I had to play in a big 'ol DonJoy knee brace), we are required to have an exit physical to determine how much additional medical care our battered bodies can get for free before we get kicked to the curb. Mine went something like this-

Dr. G & Dr. D "Your knees are a disaster. Your ACL no longer works because the bone has deteriorated. We suggest that we first do a bone graph to repair the damaged bone then 7 months later we will do another ACL reconstruction. It'll be 18 months of rehab, but it will hopefully save you from a full knee replacement at a young age and maintain your ability to play sports actively."

Me- "Well I don't really want to play lacrosse anymore and my knees don't hurt now that the season is over. I just want to be a runner. Is that surgery really necessary?"

Drs.- "It is up do you, but it's our suggestion that you do it and by the way- yea running is out of the question, definitely not a good idea."

Well after rehabbing through 4 surgeries through highschool and college and spending probably a combined 12 months on crutches, I was not looking forward to beginning my adult life in the working world on crutches. Just not that sweet.

So instead I did the exact opposite. I've always had a bit of a defiant streak and I love it when people tell me things I can't do- WHAT A CHALLENGE!! After resting for a few months, I started jogging. Initially my knees hurt and then finally I went and bought running shoes for their functionality NOT their style. Lo and behold, GOODBYE KNEE PAIN!!

Without pain and without the stress of workouts and time trials etc, I began to find joy in running. It was an escape, a release and I finally didn't feel so much pressure. If I saw a great view or a cute puppy, no one would care if I stopped to take it in or pet the pup. I could enjoy being outdoors and just moving.

Justin got into running along with me and soon we tackled a half marathon and then signed up for marathons. In 2009, my goal was to do one of everything: 1 5k, 1 10k, 1 10 miler, 1 half marathon & 1 marathon and I'm proud to say I did it!

Of all my friends and teammates I'm probably the last anyone would have suspected would run a marathon, but I did it and I loved it! I felt like my running transformation was complete. I'm certainly no Kara Goucher and can't hold a candle to my friend and ultra-runner Alyssa Godesky, but I could at least hold my own as a semi-legit runner. And I had proved to myself that I could do something that no one (often including myself) thought I could do. 26.2 miles is a long way and despite all the games I've played it is probably my proudest athletic achievement because the victory was solely mine. I've never been the star of a team, but I was proud to have done something for myself.

I completed the Baltimore Marathon on October 10, 2009. We closed on our new house October 13 and moved that day. So much for resting after the marathon....

Running took a backseat due to moving, settling into a new house, school starting for Justin's little one and the just general rush of life.... and then came PENELOPE....

Post #1 - A Blog About Running with Your Dog??

Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted a dog to run with. I remember thinking each time I saw an impressive jogger with loyal companion by his/her side, "wow that must be so fun, maybe one day I'll do that!" Well years later, here I am with my faithful running partner. In fact the most faithful and dependable workout partner I've ever had, Penelope.

I can hear the skeptics now, a blog about running with your dog- lame, who wants to read that? Honestly, I'm not sure who would want to read it, but I know I will want to later....

There is a scene in Marley and Me (the movie) where Owen Wilson as John chronicles the passing of time in rapid fire succession..."wake up, walk Marley, go to work, clean up after Marley, lose Marley, come home to Jen dancing with Marley, write stories about Boca, move to Boca, chase Marely 15 blocks..." and so it continues.

This scene with brief snapshots of time passing has stuck with me and is largely my favorite scene. I can't discuss the end, which I watched while clutching Penelope bawling my eyes out and telling her "Please don't die" even though I'd already read the book and knew the ending. As a relatively new dog owner (we've had Penelope since November 2009), I've come to realize how our dog punctuates our life. She is the beginning and end of most days and our constant companion.

One day while running with Penny I started thinking about the scene from Marley and Me and how (with much less "bad dog" moments) one day I will look back and see how life flew by in much the same way. Penelope was 6 months old when we adopted her and so hopefully has many years left to grow old with us. I'm blown away by all that could happen in that time... Penny came into our life as a dating couple in a newly purchased home.....fast forward 12 years (although I hope she lives forever) and think of all that could change- marriage, kids, new house, new dog (we've already added a second), new jobs, on and on, but through it all- Penelope.

One day Penny will be too old to run with me and I will think back on the hundreds and thousands of miles we logged together and what those runs have given me. I will want to remember the runs where she knocked me over chasing a squirrel or the first time we made it 5 miles or just the way that each run gives me peace and it is our little escape, a time to be cherished in the mornings.

So largely this blog is for me. But maybe, just maybe, others will find something interesting in our escapades and enjoy following our runs and the lessons learned along the way. So here goes nothing.....

Welcome to Running with Penelope- enjoy the ride!!