National Run With Your Dog Day Virtual 5K + Giveaway Winners!

I absolutely love getting Molly out for a few miles with me - she's done a few 5Ks with me, but numerous miles around the block and neighborhood on some training runs with me. So when Lea announced her virtual 5K, National Run With Your Dog Day, I figured it was just another good excuse to get Molly out the door with me for some miles 'round the block. 

Miles after a full work day, on top of the 45-minute commute back home, are not always easy. This week has really got me down already (despite it only being Tuesday!), so I knew that I'd pretty much have to get through the door, change, and put shoes on before I even sat down so I could hold myself to actually getting out the door.

Thankfully the ride home was pretty quick and painless, so Molly and I were out the door by 6:20 for our 5K around the neighborhood. While I haven't been doing my weekday runs as much as I should be, I figured I'd see what felt easy enough but comfortable and what we could pull off together.

Miles knocked out in 9:20, 9:12, 8:59 and the final .11 stretch at an 8:44 pace. Pushed her a little more than me, so I'm glad that was comfortable enough for me any given Tuesday. She's a little wiped and already snoring at my feet. Happy puppy.

Lea has a ton of great dog-related and running-related giveaways that are open through next Tuesday, so be sure to check them out if you haven't already!

Speaking of giveaways.... I have a few winners, too!

Shannon and Kirsty, check your emails tonight for information on how to claim your winnings! Woo hoo! Congratulations! And even if you didn't win, check out some of their current sales going on here! You can still stock up.

Happy Wednesday, everybody!

Do you run with your dog? 

Gettin' Fit with Fido (or Molly)

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that (especially lately), Molly has become my go-to running buddy. It's good for her, it's good for me to slow down every now and again, and it's been fun having a furry sidekick on some of my #RWrunstreak runs these past few weeks.

Molly's first (and only) 5K - PetFest 5K, San Marcos, TX

Molly's done one 5K with me, ever, and I'd like to get her back up to a point that I can have her tag along again soon. But for now, she's killing these 1- and 2-milers with me, and I think will handle a 5K no problem. Lord knows this 5-year-old furball has enough energy to burn still, so I think it works out for her too!

Pre-run, Molly and I are all about the peanut butter. If I'm headed out on a long run, I usually eat a small PB sandwich, just enough to get the sugar and carbs, and enough in my stomach so I don't bonk halfway through. Molly... well, she's just a PB fiend anyway and will inhale it any chance she gets.

Molly, peanut butter fiend.

DogVacay.com worked with the amazing Julia Chan to create some exercises that are for humans, but are tailored after some natural dog movements - yes, even lifting a leg.

If I'm on a solo run, my favorite way to cool down is to grab the pup and head out for a good walk with her to allow my muscles to cool down enough without freaking out that I've stopped suddenly. If we're on a run together, we stop at least one block from home to walk and cool down and let the girl catch her breath - me, not her!

Do you work out with your pup? How do you cool down?

Dear Monday...

want to join in? link up!

Dear Monday, despite a rocky start to my work out plan for the day, thanks for cooperating and giving me semi-cool weather to run in outside. You helped it turn out okay.

Dear Ramsey, when I pull up your website on my phone, all I look for are Facility Hours. So putting your announcements about how the whole place is closed on the bottom of your page doesn't help me much. Especially when it takes driving to the gym at 5:53 am to discover that you're closed. #grumble 

Dear grad staff, welcome back! It's going to be so great having some liveliness around here again. Summer got too quiet and I am excited and ready for another year! Let's rock it! 

Dear Olympics, thanks for some truly incredible athletic moments and memories this last week. Women's soccer never disappoints, gymnastics has me more roped in than ever before, and Team USA is damn right beautiful this year, all across the board. Most of all, thanks for keeping me up until midnight when I really should be well and passed out by then. 

One of my faves.

Dear busy fall, bring it on. Lots of personal travel this semester, but am so excited and looking forward to each and every single trip. Truly. Lots of miles, lots of plane tickets, lots of fun! 

Dear beloved puppy dog, I'm glad that while I was productive this weekend and didn't sit still a whole bunch, you did all the lazing around for the both of us. Rough life you've got... rough... life.

Have a great week everyone!

Dear Monday...

want to join? link up!

dear monday, you came a little too quick this time.

dear zooma womens half marathon crew, thanks for a beautiful race! those hills were a little more 'rolling' than i anticipated, but gorgeous nonetheless. and what a perfect day!

zooma womens half -- half marathon #2!

dear hand/thigh/knee, i'm sorry. i still don't know what happened at mile 4, but thanks for working with me and allowing me to do all 13.1.

dear family, 51 days until we cruise! excitement ahead! (who am i kidding? excitement already!)

dear molly, i'm really enjoying that you're sleeping in my bed again. i've come to the conclusion that that's why i've slept better the last 5 nights than i have the last two months. please stay cuddly and loving for awhile... my sleep depends on it.

dear body, please stop hating me soon. again, i'm really really sorry.

dear runners everywhere, recommendations for a good half marathon in ga/sc/tn for june or july? yes, i self-impose torture.

dear all, have a wonderful day!

The Day We First Met

When I first moved to Texas, I knew I wanted a dog to keep me company - coming home to an empty apartment was just sad! I knew, however, that I wanted to give myself a semester to get settled, figured out where I was financially (grad school loans kicked in!) and let myself adjust before I brought a dog into my life. All my residents knew I was planning for January, and were, to say the least, disappointed when I didn't have a puppy in my arms when they got back from Winter Break.

I had a few requirements for the dog that I would eventually get to call mine:

• Dog had to be a breed, or young enough, that I could convince to like water (San Marcos, Texas, is the home to the most amazing rivers and water spots you'd ever find!)
• I kind of preferred a puppy, but didn't get set on it having to be a young pup.
• Shelter dog - no breeders, no buying designer dogs - I would only rescue one.

The week after break, I spent a (lot) of time looking online, going to local shelters and keeping my eyes and ears out for pups that needed a home. The first Saturday school was back in session, I made a random trip to the (saddest-looking) Humane Society shelter in Lockhart. This shelter broke my heart - it was January, mind you, and really cold. The "kennels" were chain-link fence, with nothing but a gazebo for a roof. I wanted to scoop them all up and take them home right then and there. Kittens were in a trailer inside, and puppies were outside, but in a more wind-proof corner. I walked around for awhile, saw lots of big dogs, but having some size restrictions made that a little difficult.

And then I saw them: five wriggly, black/tan/white/blonde puppies, all scrambling to the fence for my attention. The lady working opened the gate to let me see them all. Four were climbing all over each other, wanting to be the first to get my attention. Not one looked like the other - one fluffy like a husky puppy, one with long ears like a beagle, one that was blonde with spots on her skin... and one in the back, not really giving me the time day, who was black with some white and tan speckles. Eventually, this little girl turned her head and looked at me and I melted - those freckles! I grabbed her to pick her up and knew, right then and there, she was my girl. The woman said that the owner of the pup's mother said "mom was a golden retriever"; well, I tell ya what, not one ounce of these girls is a golden retriever! Or dog-mom got around and these pups had more than one dad, if you know what I mean!

I was in love. I went back on Sunday and claimed her as mine. She sat in my lap as I was filling out the paperwork and the lady was asking me some questions. "Do you have a name in mind for her?" I said that I wanted to test-run a few names, to see what fit, but that I liked the ideas of Riley, Molly, and a few others. She started laughing - was it weird to test-run dog names? I asked her why she was laughing: "Well, you know we give dogs names when they get brought here to give them an identity and something to go by. Those five girls were named yesterday when they were dropped off. Since they are all girls, we made it easy: Holly, Jolly, Lolly, Molly and Olly. That's technically Holly sitting in your lap!" Molly was meant to be, though I kind of test-ran it for the week. Molly stuck.

Meet my girl today!  She is anything but the shy dog who sits in back - if you aren't paying attention to her, she'll make sure you know she's not okay with it. Lover of peanut butter, all things water-related (yep, met that requirement!), and squeaky toys. And, thankfully, one of the things that makes moving easy to deal with: she adjusts so I know I have to, too.

(Writing prompt from Mama's Losing It)

Birthday!

(So like I said, I'm just going to catch you up on life... so sorry for all the severe back-dating) I'm officially past the quarter-of-a-century mark! Shenanigans, I tell ya. Being in a new town is difficult, especially having only been here for six weeks by the time my birthday rolled around. But, lucky for me, it turned out alright!

My actual birthday was Saturday, but we'll go in order of the weekend's events. Friday I invited some co-workers to go out to dinner, truthfully uncertain of how many and who would actually go, but there were about ten of us in total, which was awesome. We went to this awesome local pizza chain, Mellow Mushroom (yummm) and had a fabulous LASAGNA PIZZA. That's right, lasagna pizza. Amazing. This place is delicious and I will MOST certainly be back. So I had the intentions of hanging with a new friend, Roxy, and checking out the downtown Athens scene but by the time we got out of dinner (11:30!), I was already so tired that I didn't really care. Happy birthday to me, old lady!

Saturday was what turned out to be my sorority's local District Rally. Much like I did in Texas, I'm serving as a regional advisor, if you will, for the chapters of my sorority out here (at Auburn University, Kennesaw State, Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern). Each year, they're required to have a district retreat, which this year happened to be how I got to spend my birthday. Truth be told, it was great. We went camping up at Lake Lanier (feel free to MapQuest, or search Flowery Branch, Georgia; also home of the Atlanta Falcons' training center) and had a great afternoon and morning of s'mores, camping adventures, and sisterly fun. Molly came with me, for her first official camping trip (I mostly brought her because of the lake, truth be told) and we had a great time! I think Molly was really confused with all that was going on, but saw the water and felt right at home... you know how she is.

I mean.. you can't beat this for a birthday view, right?

Happy camper at the lake!

Cuddle time with the pupster.

She initially was VERY uncertain about this whole tent thing.

So all in all, had a great weekend. Met some new sisters, had some s'mores, and they had even made me a cake and sang happy birthday to me! Love. It was good times. Got home late Sunday morning, crashed, cleaned, grocery shopped... you know, the super exciting things 26-year-olds do on their birthday weekends!