a post long over due

I guess it would be a bit of an understatement to say that it's been awhile since I last posted anything. I was new to the whole blogging thing when I started writing here, and for a time I was really loving it. Life, however, has a tendency of sneaking up on you, and time plows forward whether you're ready or not. Between work, and trying to flip a house, and a million other things here and there, this little blog just sort of fell by the wayside. I unfortunately can't say for certain that it won't happen again, but at the very least, I can give you an update on what's been going on since my last post.

I had a few running goals for the year, and so far I've been cruising along quite nicely with all of them. I've managed to maintain a paper log for all of my runs and workouts, I'm already 75% of the way towards reaching 500 miles for the year, and I've kept up with the run streak that I started on Thanksgiving. At 230 days of running at least one mile every day, I've blown way past the 50 day mark at which I said I would reassess whether or not I was going to continue.

In other news, I ran the Peachtree Road Race this year for the first time, and posted a new 10K PR, besting my previous record by just over 3 minutes. With almost 60,000 participants each year, the Peachtree is the largest race in the country, and it is absolutely amazing in every way. The overwhelming number of enthusiastic spectators and bands along the course is incredibly motivating, and it is an indescribable spectacle to race with so many other runners. If you haven't ever run the Peachtree, definitely put it on your list of most do destination races. Not only is it an incredible race, but it occurs right in the heart of Atlanta, a place I've really come to appreciate as a truly great American city. Between having the opportunity to check out a Braves game or visit the World of Coca-Cola, it's hard to imagine a better, more classically American place to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Finally, Jinny, the little rescue dog who my wife and I picked up at the beginning of the year, has blossomed into an amazing running companion. She'll accompany me on any run shorter than three miles, and she's ready and waiting at the door before I even get my shoes on. Sure I might almost trip while trying to get my speed work in every once in awhile when she lounges for a squirrel, but really she's all that one could ever hope for in a dog. I couldn't have asked for a better first pet, and my wife and I are just so glad that she came into our lives.

So as you can see, a few things have happened here and there over the past few months, but in a lot of ways it's just the same old, same old. I'll try my best to stay consistent in posting though, and hopefully I'll start getting caught up on writing some reviews for the books I've finished.

a leash rarely pulled

Other than a fish or two at various points throughout my childhood, I didn't really have pets while I was growing up. Consequently, I ended up with this notion that I didn't really like animals, and I was more than content with the idea of never having to own one. Dogs always seemed so dependent and starved for attention; cats on the other hand, while they certainly could take better care of themselves than dogs, they rarely demonstrated the capability to do much else. When I married my wife though, a bonafide lover of all animals, I knew that it was only a matter of time before some sort of four-legged creature would work its way into our lives.

Now it has been exactly two weeks since my wife and I acquired Jinny, our wonderful little rescue dog, from the local animal shelter. She's nearly three years old, unbelievably calm, and markedly shy. Given her history, it took her a bit to warm up to us, but I think my wife and I both knew that with me already on the fence about animals, getting a puppy would have meant managing a level of hyperactivity that would have turned me off of dogs forever. Jinny is amazing though: she's a great, little runner, sometimes stubborn, but generally very willing to please.

It was clear that she hadn't had much training, but rather than working on general commands, we decided to prioritize getting her house-trained and good on a leash. The first came quickly, only a couple of accidents over the first few days we had her; now she has no problem waiting while we're both away at work during the day. The second proved a little trickier though.

Since I was the one who was primarily going to be walking and running Jinny, I did most of the leash training with her. I employed a number of different strategies to get her to stop pulling. Obviously the first, and the one that I still use periodically, was rewarding her with treats whenever she walked at my side. Aside from that though, I also worked on making sure she knew that I was in control. I made a point of stopping abruptly whenever she started to pull, only resuming our walk after she had stopped and given me her full attention, and whenever she was being particularly bad at staying by my side, I switched directions quickly and repeatedly to demonstrate that she needed to be paying attention to where I was going to move.

It feels like we've had Jinny for so much longer than the two weeks it's actually been. We've gotten into a routine where we go for a run in the morning and a long walk in the afternoon. She still tends to freak out when a truck rolls by or when we explore a new trail together, but it's amazing how much progress she's made in such a short amount of time. Dogs really are the perfect fitness companions, and I can't believe I've waited so long to have one.