Weekly recap and this week's goals

After sleeping roughly 24 hours between Friday and Saturday nights, I took my Cute But Stupid dog out for another run at the Springwater Corridor Trail.  I was aiming for somewhere between three and six miles, depending on how I felt.

The weather was absolutely beautiful. 

While I was struggling to breath for the first two miles or so, CBS did really, really well.  She stayed closer to my side or else went out in front of me, which was a Very Good Thing because during the whole time we were out there, only ONE bicyclist gave warning that he was passing.  ONE.  Everybody else just sped on by, and some cut it really close.

One kid had to skid to a stop to avoid crashing into me, the dog, and a woman coming in the opposite direction.  Idiot.

It was bright and sunny but not incredibly hot.  I got a good sweat going and CBS was a happy dog.

We ran out to what I call the beehives, these cool sculptures on the side of the trail.

It was just a great day to be out.  See how great CBS looks?

You'd just never guess that 30 minutes later, just past mile five, she collapsed on the side of the trail.

Dramatic re-enactment.

We were about a half mile from the car when she stopped.  I thought she was stopping to sniff at something, and when I turned around to look her back legs were crossed over each other funny.  I thought had just lost her balance or something, and then down she went.  For a second she was laying down but still with her head up and I wondered if she had something in her paw.  Then she really went down.  She got stiff all over first, then her head arched back and she made this straining sound.  I thought, leg cramp?  I started rubbing down her back and her legs, checking for swelling or hard spots but nothing.  I tried to give her water but she wouldn't take any.  For a good three minutes, it was as if she wasn't in there anymore.  I checked her heart but it wasn't fast (I realized a minute later that it should have been, after the exercise) and she wasn't panting either.  I kept stroking her and finally she started to pant a little bit and then she started to drink the water.  She sucked nearly 10 oz out of my Nathan bottle.  She got her head up a bit and coughed, then lay back down again.  I gave her the other bottle and she drank nearly all of that too.  She started to pant more and finally I was able to get her sitting and then standing.  Then it was as if none of it had happened.  She wanted to trot again and then run -- I wouldn't let her after all of that.  We walked slowly back to the car, where she drank a little more water and then she was ready to poke her head out the car window and go for a ride.

Scary!!!  There were long moments where I thought for sure I'd be carrying my dead dog back to my car.  Stroke?  Heart attack?  I'm pretty sure she just got overheated and more or less passed out from it.   I always stop for water breaks when I have my dogs with me but she wouldn't take more than a couple of drops if that.  It wasn't all that hot, but we were on asphalt.   We'd slept in late that day and left about a half hour after getting up, so she probably was a bit dehydrated to start.  She drank even more water when we got home, plus I fed her a bunch of biscuits to get her doggy blood sugar up.  But within an hour after it happened, you never would have known it.  She was completely back to normal, begging for bites of my lunch.

So, no more runs with the pup.  We were just starting to get the hang of it too.  Oh well, I'd rather have a live dog than a dead running partner.

Recapping last week:

Monday - rest.  Done!
Tuesday - 3 miles.  Done!  3.01, actually.
Wednesday - rest.  Done!
Thursday - 3 miles.  Not done!  The ick flared up and I didn't want to get sicker.
Friday - 3 miles or cross train.  Not done!  Still felt like crap, nearly fell asleep on the drive home. 
Saturday - rest.  Done!  I did nothing but rest on Saturday.
Sunday - 3 miles.  Done!  5.76 miles, actually.  I felt lousy the first half of the run, but a lot better the second half.  Until the dog passed out.

Total miles:  8.77 miles.

This week's goals:

Monday - rest.
Tuesday - 3.5 miles.
Wednesday - rest.
Thursday - 3 miles.
Friday - 3 miles or cross train.
Saturday - rest.
Sunday - Run Like Hell 10K. 

Remember:  Whether your running buddy has two legs or four, make sure they stay hydrated!!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl