Since I've been "away," a good bit has happened.Evie and I ran the Mutt Strut last Saturday, and she absolutely rocked it! I couldn't be more proud of her. I did the Ice Bucket Challenge, which I actually donated to ALZ instead. I have also begun the process of tapering for Chicago (yay!).
As some of you may know, this was Evie's first race. Evie isn't normally an overly anxious dog, but I think she had a sensory overload as we made our way up to the front of the pack. She nearly vomited at the start line. I felt pretty helpless because I didn't know how to make her feel better. After putting her face bridle back on, she seemed to completely calm down. The negative to putting the bridle on is that she hates running with it, so literally 30 ft passed the start line, she laid down in the middle of the road trying to rub it off. It was horrifying, you know, having hundreds of people run at you while your dog is on the ground complaining about something that's on her face. We did a quick switch-ah-roo and we were back on. I realized that she's a lot like how I used to be in running. She goes hard in the beginning, and then kind of hits the wall towards the end. With 1/4th of a mile left, she started walking. I didn't get frustrated, or push her to keep running. It was hot, there was a lot going on, and honestly, I didn't want to burn her out. But when we got to the last corner, this happened:
I still get a little bit emotional watching this. It's a reminder of how far she has come from being a two-time rescue. It's also a reminder of how much she is loved. And finishing 23rd out of almost 1500 isn't too shabby.
Everything about the race itself was amazing. The course, the organization, the vendors, the free pizza, EVERYTHING. With about 1500 participants, $75,000 was raised for the Greenville Humane Society! If you live in the Upstate area and love animals, and maybe like to run or walk, I highly recommend this race.
Now on to Chicago. I completed my last long run on Tuesday. A total of 12.35 miles. The first two were done with Evie at the park, while the last 10 were on a treadmill. I was the grossest looking person at the gym. Completely drenched in sweat. That is, until I took a 15 minute ice bath. I'm a believer in those now. My recovery time was cut in half! That, to me, is worth the frigid water.
Another perk, I get to wear this beauty next week:
Gotta rep the club!
Until next time (and I'll seriously try to post in a couple of days instead of a week)!
What I'm listening to:
If you haven't heard of BANKS, it's about time that you do. Very rarely, if at all, do you hear someone sing and you actually hear and feel genuine emotion. The video for this song is absolutely stunning as well. I can't wait for this girl to go BIG! I also can't wait to see her in Atlanta for the Music Midtown Festival.
Chicago Countdown: 8 days!!
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