During the spring of 1999 I started jogging
on a regular basis and discovered that the boxers make for enthusiastic
running partners, albeit a wee bit faster than I'd like. Currently
(March 2000) we run up to seven thirteen
twenty-two twenty-eight miles a week in a
variety of settings, including around
the neighborhood, on the park trails
(Lake
Needwood Regional Park) near my house, and at Centennial
Park in Columbia with my brother Ed.
When the weather is cool enough, Max
and Tatiana carry their own water (and poop bags) for the longer
runs. Surprisingly, they really seem to love their
"Wolf Packs"
- backpacks specially designed for the canine
crowd. Both dogs carry two recycled club-soda bottles filled with
tap water, balanced one in each side pouch. In addition, Max also
carries the house keys in the middle pocket over his back.
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Max
all suited up and ready to go (and not too happy about being
made to wait while these photos were taken).
July 3, 1999
Note the reflective silver "racing stripe,"
which illuminates brightly in the glare of headlights, making
evening jogs a little less hazardous.
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"... It
is not the running I love, thump
thump with my leaden feet that only
infrequently are winged and prancing,
but the light that glints off the cattails
as the wind furrows them, the rum cherries
reddening leaf and fruit, the way the pines
blacken the sunlight on their bristles,
the hawk circling, stooping, floating
low over beige grasses,
and your company
as we trot, two friendly dogs leaving
tracks in the sands. The geese call
on the river wandering lost in sedges
and we talk in the morning early and busy together."
-from Morning Athletes, a poem by Marge Piercy
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"Running with a dog provides the best
of both worlds-you get to run alone but with a friend. A dog
is both a faithful companion who will go anywhere anytime and
a loyal guardian who'll discourage anyone from harming you.
The optimal running dog is medium-sized with a bloodline bred
for endurance. An easy rule of thumb: Hunting breeds make the
best runners." -Runner's
World "40 Things Every Woman Runner
should Know about Running"
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Tatiana implores, "C'mon, let's
hit the road already."
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One of my human ;) running buddies, Janis, had a cartoon of my crew put on a coffee mug as a birthday
gift:
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Running
Links
Blueberry
- Jim Adams' wonderful account of running
a Baltimore Roadrunners Billy Goat Race with his dog, Blueberry.
Do's and Don'ts for Running with Your Pooch - from ActiveUSA
"34. Don't try to outrun dogs."
Joe Kelly from "The 53 Runner's Commandments"
Md/DC Area Trails
Capital Crescent Trail
The Rock Creek Trail
Centennial Lake
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Omnium
Gatherum
