Running Tricks: Hop to it

Gold star for me! I tricked myself into running today. It's true, I did.

When I walk with my husband and the dog, I usually carry weights to keep my heart rate up, because I don't walk as fast as I run. I figured the weights were working, because I keep gaining muscle and losing fat, which is great.

But, now I'm up to carrying two 15 pound dumbbells, which is dumb, dumb, dumb, because my wrists were starting to hurt. I know carrying 30 extra pounds in my hands, while walking 3 miles up hills, is not the best thing for my wrists and shoulders.

So this morning, when Pierre the Puppy started ringing his bell for his walk (there's a bell on the door that we taught him to ring when he has to go potty, but now he rings it when he's bored, and when it's time for a walk-pretty much all day-argh!) I decided I'd just walk, without weights. I'd just walk, leisurely, socially, for fun. I'd just walk, and enjoy the beautiful, but windy Autumn morning here in Bend.

Nothing wrong with a walk, I said to myself. Every outing doesn't have to be so intense. It's okay to relax and enjoy people and puppies and leaves that are turning scarlet and gold. Besides, you can run later, I said. It's better to get out than sitting in front of the computer, after all. Don't fret about running clothes. Just wear your jeans. Just go. Just go now.

So off we went, before I could talk myself right out of the mood.

The puppy runs. He runs for three miles. He could probably run six miles. But before he settles into real running, he hops. He hops like a bunny, actually, because he's so excited to get out and go.

I wish I could be like that. I thought about hopping. Hopping is harder than skipping, it turns out, and I wasn't in the mood to skip (although sometimes I am) so I just started to do a light jog to keep up with him. Just a little, to warm myself up.

And what do you know? I thought. Look at me, I'm running. I'm actually running, and it's not so bad, because I do run, after all, I am a runner, you know, I said. I mean, I even write a blog about running, I reminded myself.

So we ran. We ran up the hills and down the hills and over to the park, and back up the hills, through the woods. I stopped a few times to catch my breath, and the puppy stopped too, to wait for me. So I started running again, which made him happy.

Because running is so much easier on his wrists and shoulders than hopping.