Sick as a dog!

Well I kicked off my first week of training for the 10k with a 50% success rate. I made it through 3 runs (4 miles, 3.5 miles, 4 miles) with surprising ease and then got my one and only, worst ever, cold. I had a fever and am still sucking on cough drops and blowing my nose at least 35 times per day. The good news is I'm on the mend and feel confident that I can restart the running this week! Right now I'm hoping to do some yoga tomorrow to stretch out the muscles then either bike or run on Tuesday, depending on how I am feeling. Wednesday will be a fartlek workout, so it will be tough! What on earth is a fartlek? It's a 'speed game' where you change your speeds throughout your run. It helps with a lot of things, but I find it helps me the most with mental toughness.

Alfie, grabbing a drink during our run.

This week I also restarted running with Sabu and Alfie. For Sabu, I felt a happy medium where we can run part of the way on the leash and the other part off, so that worked out well. It just so happened I saw cheetah tracks that day and within a day the cheetah was collared and released for research purposes. Awesome!!

Big ole German Shepherd!

Today I also met the HUGEST German shepherd I have ever seen in my life. Also the sweetest. Very gentle creature, helping to take care of the kids of the household. When I got back from town, I dribbled some water on my fox who looked a little toasty and later that day experienced a very weird 10 minutes: wild baboons very close to the house, one baboon that was tame who came to visit, and then an orphaned animal dropped at the house by the owner of Naankuse. Everything is sorted now, but man it was weird! 

We've got some new designs today, check them out! You get 20% off until November 12th so it's a great deal. The savings don't affect how much Trot with Spot gets, in case that worried you.

It's time for me to go finish watching Indiana Jones and get ready for taking a baboon tonight. I'm moving back to the states for some new adventures in a few weeks and I want to get as much baboon time as possible. (Since my cold is on the mend it shouldn't affect the baboons.)

Tips for runners and dogs: 

• PEANUT BUTTER. Cheap, nutritious and filling.
• Positive reinforcement: Look at what you have accomplished in addition to what you still have to do. Make sure you acknowledge how much you've already done on the way to your goal!
• If you have a cold, sit out a round and let your body recover. :)