Back to My Old Running Buddy

Yesterday I wanted to go out for a run, but it was cold and drizzly.  I didn’t want to take Carter out with me so I asked Ty if he would mind watching Carter while I ran.  As I was getting dressed and ready to go Harper followed me from room to room like she normally does.  I looked down at her and suddenly missed running with her.  

She used to run with me every single day until we moved into our home.  Our neighborhood is rampant with loose dogs and the one time she did run with me, we made it out a quarter mile, got chased by a pack of dogs, and frantically dashed back home.  I started running at these amazing trails instead of running from home and would stop on my way home from work to save time, which meant no more running with Harper.

With fond memories in my head I decided to take her with me.  I leashed her up, grabbed poop bags, and off we went.  On the drive I was thinking about whether to run the 5k this coming weekend with Carter or to let my dad run with him.  My dad had offered, but I really love running with him.  On the other hand, it would be nice to see what I could run sans stroller.  As we arrived at the trails I looked around and decided what the heck, might as well run a trial 5k to see how it goes.

Harper was eager to run!

 There was another dog in the parking lot Harper was very interested in, so I tugged her along and took off.  Weatherbug had told me the temperature was 41 degrees and with the wind chill it felt like 31.  Boy it wasn’t kidding, the wind was frigid!  We made it through the first mile with one potty stop and one poop stop, first poo bag gone (I only packed 2).  I looked down at my watch, 7:21.  Woo hoo, better keep this up!

The second mile found us stopping again for a poop stop (no more poo bags left) and then again for a potty break.  This part of the run is where we always encounter the most wind because the trail goes down closer to the river.  Today the wind was strong enough a few droplets of water whipped up and landed on my lips.  I looked at my 2^nd mile split, 7:33.  Uh oh, better speed it up again!

I always try to make my last mile my fastest if I can, so we started slowly picking up the pace.  Harper luckily had everything out of her system and there were no more restroom breaks.  We finished the last mile in 7:17 and rounded the 5k out in 22:57.  That would put me 2 minutes faster than my 5k last weekend running with the stroller!  Between the wind, Harper’s restroom breaks, and running by myself I think I can probably run faster for our 5k this coming weekend.

So it’s decided, Carter will be rolling with his grampy for this race and I will be seeing what this momma still working off the final pounds of baby weight is capable of!  St. Patty’s Day 5k here we come!

Just for fun, Daddy Son Workout Time!

Linking up with Ashley at The Domestic Wannabe: