As a bit of a sideline, I work for twenty Saturdays of the year, coordinating a Science course that aims to encourage bright children from deprived backgrounds into continue studying science subjects to higher levels at school. It is a worthwhile and rewarding project, but it does make organising weekend training a bit harder, and managing weekends with events in, quite challenging (not least because many of the long distance events are scheduled for Saturdays).
This last weekend was a perfect example of where having that little extra on top of the working week only served to make life a touch too stressful. To be fair, Saturday was just one of those mornings where everything just seemed to go a little awry; from missing staff and incorrect equipment, to my husband's delayed football match (which meant we would be running late for the remainder of the day). It meant we were both doing pretty good impressions of headless chickens when it came to loading up the car for the journey up to the Lakes, with the intention of being in time to get me to the evening talks being given as part of the weekend recce experience. I guess I have a tendency to exhibit mild OCD characteristics when packing for races; making sure all my kit is just perfect and packed in a certain way, but for this recce I was less bothered. It wasn't a race, so I took less care, and also, I had Benny's kit to pack for the first time too. This lax attitude was to come back and bite me on the bottom later...
We drove up to Ambleside through driving rain and gale-force winds and I began to lose my faith in the weather report that had forecast calmer, sunnier weather for Sunday. I think I already knew at this point that it would be too much of a rush to try and make it to the lectures too, which was disappointing. When we arrived at our B and B (The Old Vicarage) on the edge of the town and I immediately recognised it as it is actually on the Lakeland 50 course and I had last seen it as I stumbled past around midnight on a warm night in July! We could not have wished for a warmer welcome; a pot of tea was put straight on for us, we were upgraded, free of charge, into a deluxe room and the hounds were appropriately fussed. It is a wonderful place and we are already contemplating making a booking for the weekend of the race, as I cannot think of a place I'd rather be, near to the finish in Coniston, where I will be able to get clean and dry and have a mighty breakfast. They also have a small swimming pool, hot tub and sauna - perfect for post-race relaxation (better than porta-showers and an airbed in a tent, anyhow).
Lectures abandoned, dogs fed and weather subsiding a bit, we decided to wander in to Ambleside in search of beer and food (we are avid fans of the local micro-breweries). However, wherever we found dog-friendly pubs, we were thwarted by lack either of seating or food service. This didn't stop us sampling a little bit of ale, and we headed back to the hotel, armed with fish and chips, and finally feeling relaxed. Nicely full, warm and sleepy, I did succumb to my OCD and started to lay kit out ready for the morning; rucksack with spare base layer and waterproofs, all required safety kit, water bladder, maltloaf, road book and map, Benny's harness and lead, favourite clothes to run in, best trail socks, water proof socks - all there, ready for our adventure. Trainers? Turn to dearest husband to ask why he's left my trainers in the car? Cue, only vaguely panicked, searching of the car. You must have them in your bag, dear? No, really, I put them on top of all the bags that were to be loaded into the car...you loaded them in to the car...didn't you? No, I didn't. Oh.
It was not a good room to be in at this point. Possible solutions? No purchase options before the recce start at 9am and though we tried, there was no way on earth I could have used my husbands Karrimors. Remaining options were simply - either not to run, or for someone to do the round trip back to Manchester to collect the trainers. I was resigned to option one, disappointment aside, it had just been 'that' kind of weekend, but my gallant husband couldn't bear the wasted opportunity/energy so off in the car he went, stumbling back, many pairs of trainers in hand (just in case, bless him) at 2am. And because of his efforts, the recce for Benny and I was on!
Tuesday 29 November 2011
Monday 28 November 2011
What a week!
Aren't there just periods of time that seem to somehow be elastic? Times where so much happens, so much is squeezed in that they seem to last both a lifetime and pass in a heartbeat, simultaneously? When I look back over this week, I realise that I've just passed through one of those manic weeks which has been so crammed full that I'm half convinced it's really been a month since I last posted.
I think one of the reasons that it has felt very full was that I expended a fair amount of nervous energy over various things. Some are to do with work, which is of little relevance here, but many are to do with Benny. We had been in ongoing contact with the RSPCA regarding the prosecution of Benny's previous owners as we always knew it was possible that he would have to be assessed again to provide further evidence for the case. And we were notified that a further assessment was required about ten days ago.
Unfortunately, one of the vets involved with producing the paperwork was based many miles away, in Shropshire. When he asked to meet Benny for his assessment, we ended up in an elaborate game of phone tennis that lasted nearly a week, trying to make vaguely convenient arrangements. However, we failed miserably to make a time where we could take Benny to meet the vet, either up here or down south, and in the end, the only solution was for the RSPCA to collect Benny from our home, drive him on the four hour round trip to Shropshire for his fifteen minute assessment.
I was really unhappy about it; I didn't want him going back in the van, for such a prolonged period, with neither of us there, to be poked and prodded by strangers. I do realise I may be sounding a tad melodramatic here, but I really do have a profound sense of needing to protect him, above and beyond anything I have felt before for one of my dogs.
Needless to say, the day of the assessment passed without any major hiccups, and though Benny was W.I.R.E.D when he got back (a touch on the manic side), he hasn't suffered any ill effects from the experience, so I probably just sound like a neurotic owner!
The case was then in court on Friday, and though I naively expected to have some kind of report on it's conclusion, it is ongoing and we will have to wait to hear the final outcome at some point in the future.
And all of that was before we even got up to the Lake District for our big test of running together, which had also been weighing on my mind all week. That, of course is a whole story of its own, and I shall tell you all about it in my next post.
I think one of the reasons that it has felt very full was that I expended a fair amount of nervous energy over various things. Some are to do with work, which is of little relevance here, but many are to do with Benny. We had been in ongoing contact with the RSPCA regarding the prosecution of Benny's previous owners as we always knew it was possible that he would have to be assessed again to provide further evidence for the case. And we were notified that a further assessment was required about ten days ago.
Unfortunately, one of the vets involved with producing the paperwork was based many miles away, in Shropshire. When he asked to meet Benny for his assessment, we ended up in an elaborate game of phone tennis that lasted nearly a week, trying to make vaguely convenient arrangements. However, we failed miserably to make a time where we could take Benny to meet the vet, either up here or down south, and in the end, the only solution was for the RSPCA to collect Benny from our home, drive him on the four hour round trip to Shropshire for his fifteen minute assessment.
I was really unhappy about it; I didn't want him going back in the van, for such a prolonged period, with neither of us there, to be poked and prodded by strangers. I do realise I may be sounding a tad melodramatic here, but I really do have a profound sense of needing to protect him, above and beyond anything I have felt before for one of my dogs.
Needless to say, the day of the assessment passed without any major hiccups, and though Benny was W.I.R.E.D when he got back (a touch on the manic side), he hasn't suffered any ill effects from the experience, so I probably just sound like a neurotic owner!
The case was then in court on Friday, and though I naively expected to have some kind of report on it's conclusion, it is ongoing and we will have to wait to hear the final outcome at some point in the future.
And all of that was before we even got up to the Lake District for our big test of running together, which had also been weighing on my mind all week. That, of course is a whole story of its own, and I shall tell you all about it in my next post.
Sunday 20 November 2011
Benny makes some new friends
I have to be honest, I've been a bit lazy about my running training recently. After the Lakeland 50 in July, though I was back in light training a few days after the event, as the summer progressed the number, frequency and quality of my runs just seemed to peter out. No excuses, no injuries, I just became distracted by other things.
I still had enough miles in the legs to turn up for a jog around the Great North Run (though I had no real speed and finished ten minutes slower than the previous year) and I still had enough fitness to potter around the Manchester 100 mile bike ride without any specific training. I had also started swimming lessons, twice weekly, in the vain hope of mastering front crawl so I could one day enter triathlons.
By the end of September I was doing very little other than cycle to and from work, go swimming and head out for the odd four or five mile run in an evening. Then Benny arrived and the time I would have used for training was no longer my own.
However, the plan had always been that as Benny got better and stronger that I would have to take him out running; otherwise, as a collie-x, he could get frustrated and bored with too much energy, so I knew that things would change and I would be back out training like I used to soon enough. As he has put on weight and looked healthier we keep changing our mind as to what he might be crossed with, (which might effect his endurance ability). He has, at times, looked part Staffordshire bull terrier, or springer or cocker spaniel, or chocolate labrador, or red setter, or flat coat retriever - so your guess is as good as ours as to what his genetics might really be! And until we start running longer distances, I don't know what his endurance capabilities will be - but that is all in the future and today was all about introducing Benny to running in a group.
After a really good night's sleep, Benny and I faffed about this morning getting ourselves suited and booted for a run. OK, so I faffed and he just circled me, adding to the general confusion, while Flash looked on with her guilt-trip eyes, looking pained at being left behind. Because we were going to be out for longer than usual, I needed to load up my trusty running rucksack with water and treats for Benny and it would be the first time I had run with both the harness and the backpack. We headed out, late as usual, to meet up with Sale's Run England group at the Sale Water Park.
I had met with the group a couple of times before over the summer after being introduced to them through a fellow internet poster on the Runners World website forums; I had moaned about some of the abuse I was getting from local youths when I was out training, and she had suggested joining the group for a bit of company/added security. Unfortunately, I can't make many of their training runs (which are usually Sunday mornings when I am racing or they just haven't fitted in with my training needs) but I have really enjoyed chatting to members of the group when I have been able to go. Earlier in the week, I had asked whether anyone minded a dog coming along on one of their runs as the last thing I would want to do would be to make anyone uncomfortable, especially anyone who was a regular runner in the group when I was such a peripheral member. But no one had seemed to have any objections, so here we were.
I wanted Benny to arrive in a calm frame of mind, so ran him for about a mile and half before heading to the meeting place. And even when we did arrive, he was a little bit distracted and keen to keep moving, which presented in the hallmark collie circling of the group while we waited for everyone to turn up. But I needn't have worried, my Little Bear was a little star - running both on and off harness, with the group, ahead and behind, but nearly always with perfect recall and responsive to all instructions. Of course, they were some occasions where he got under people's feet, or we tangled the lunge lead, and I cannot thank the ladies enough for their patience with us when we did get it wrong. But my mind is at rest - we will be able to head up to Ambleside next weekend and attempt the first recce of the course with the other runners. Result!
When we had finished the group run and headed off for our mile trot home, I suddenly felt overwhelmed with pride at our little dog, his ability to adapt to new situations and his seemingly blind faith in me. He has every reason to be unsure and reserved, but he isn't and I think he's pretty awesome for showing such resilience. Whatever I saw in that belly-flopping bundle of bones is coming out more and more, every day he is with us, and it is so much fun to be around. I still have my reservations about next week; the longer distance, the new, challenging terrain and so many more people than there were today. But I think it is time I repaid Benny's trust in me and put my faith in him - we'll give it a go and see what happens. And then we'll post the report here.
(There's more information about Run England groups online: http://www.runengland.org)
I still had enough miles in the legs to turn up for a jog around the Great North Run (though I had no real speed and finished ten minutes slower than the previous year) and I still had enough fitness to potter around the Manchester 100 mile bike ride without any specific training. I had also started swimming lessons, twice weekly, in the vain hope of mastering front crawl so I could one day enter triathlons.
By the end of September I was doing very little other than cycle to and from work, go swimming and head out for the odd four or five mile run in an evening. Then Benny arrived and the time I would have used for training was no longer my own.
However, the plan had always been that as Benny got better and stronger that I would have to take him out running; otherwise, as a collie-x, he could get frustrated and bored with too much energy, so I knew that things would change and I would be back out training like I used to soon enough. As he has put on weight and looked healthier we keep changing our mind as to what he might be crossed with, (which might effect his endurance ability). He has, at times, looked part Staffordshire bull terrier, or springer or cocker spaniel, or chocolate labrador, or red setter, or flat coat retriever - so your guess is as good as ours as to what his genetics might really be! And until we start running longer distances, I don't know what his endurance capabilities will be - but that is all in the future and today was all about introducing Benny to running in a group.
After a really good night's sleep, Benny and I faffed about this morning getting ourselves suited and booted for a run. OK, so I faffed and he just circled me, adding to the general confusion, while Flash looked on with her guilt-trip eyes, looking pained at being left behind. Because we were going to be out for longer than usual, I needed to load up my trusty running rucksack with water and treats for Benny and it would be the first time I had run with both the harness and the backpack. We headed out, late as usual, to meet up with Sale's Run England group at the Sale Water Park.
I had met with the group a couple of times before over the summer after being introduced to them through a fellow internet poster on the Runners World website forums; I had moaned about some of the abuse I was getting from local youths when I was out training, and she had suggested joining the group for a bit of company/added security. Unfortunately, I can't make many of their training runs (which are usually Sunday mornings when I am racing or they just haven't fitted in with my training needs) but I have really enjoyed chatting to members of the group when I have been able to go. Earlier in the week, I had asked whether anyone minded a dog coming along on one of their runs as the last thing I would want to do would be to make anyone uncomfortable, especially anyone who was a regular runner in the group when I was such a peripheral member. But no one had seemed to have any objections, so here we were.
I wanted Benny to arrive in a calm frame of mind, so ran him for about a mile and half before heading to the meeting place. And even when we did arrive, he was a little bit distracted and keen to keep moving, which presented in the hallmark collie circling of the group while we waited for everyone to turn up. But I needn't have worried, my Little Bear was a little star - running both on and off harness, with the group, ahead and behind, but nearly always with perfect recall and responsive to all instructions. Of course, they were some occasions where he got under people's feet, or we tangled the lunge lead, and I cannot thank the ladies enough for their patience with us when we did get it wrong. But my mind is at rest - we will be able to head up to Ambleside next weekend and attempt the first recce of the course with the other runners. Result!
When we had finished the group run and headed off for our mile trot home, I suddenly felt overwhelmed with pride at our little dog, his ability to adapt to new situations and his seemingly blind faith in me. He has every reason to be unsure and reserved, but he isn't and I think he's pretty awesome for showing such resilience. Whatever I saw in that belly-flopping bundle of bones is coming out more and more, every day he is with us, and it is so much fun to be around. I still have my reservations about next week; the longer distance, the new, challenging terrain and so many more people than there were today. But I think it is time I repaid Benny's trust in me and put my faith in him - we'll give it a go and see what happens. And then we'll post the report here.
(There's more information about Run England groups online: http://www.runengland.org)
Saturday 19 November 2011
We have to start somewhere...
I honestly thought I'd never be a blogger. But I'm sure I once thought I'd never be a runner. And then, when I did start running with serious intent, I never thought I would run or race distances in excess of ten miles, or twenty miles, thirty, forty, fifty... and yet I have.
Equally, as a life-long dog owner, though I much admired people who kept high energy/working breeds like collies, I never thought I would be able to have one, (especially as my lazy, but gorgeous couch-potato loving greyhound had fitted so well in my life). But then, a few months ago, I saw a video clip of a little collie-x in a hydrotherapy session on an RSPCA webpage; his story was heartbreaking and he was in quite a state, but I could see beyond the scrawny little bag of bones covered in brown fuzz, and I liked what I saw as he belly-flopped into the pool with such joyful abandonment. So started the dripping tap convincing campaign, (sorry, I mean reasoned discussions with my husband), and before the week was out we had arranged to meet with the RSPCA and be introduced to Benny.
Benny had been rescued earlier in the year as a serious case of long-term neglect; when the RSPCA collected him, he weighed little more than 9kg and was a matted mess. The state of his starvation was so extreme that he could barely walk as his body had begun breaking down all his muscles in a desperate bid for survival and it was because of this muscle atrophy that he needed the hydrotherapy; to build his muscle back up by swimming. While it had taken many weeks to nurse him back to anything near approaching good health, he was still underweight when we met him (at 15kg) and was beginning to lose weight, despite the care he was receiving, as he was getting too stressed in kennels. Because of this, the RSPCA were desperate to find Benny some kind of home, though they did not know what he would be like in a home environment, whether he was house trained or would settle. So after managing introductions between Benny and our greyhound, Flash, and passing an RSPCA home-check, we became his official foster-carers.
I think it is fair to say, even with all best intentions and the support of the lovely people at the RSPCA, we really did not fully appreciate what we were letting ourselves in for. Benny's lovely, friendly nature and desire to be loved were always, always apparent, but he had been so badly treated, we soon realised we had brought one damaged little soul into our lives. Having said that, however, many things really did run suprisingly smoothly right from the start; even the first evening he was with us, after manically exploring every inch of the house, he hopped up onto an armchair, curled up and fell fast asleep - snoring and farting like a trooper! I suspect that in the kennels, he probably had any quality sleep for sometime and he was sure going to catch up now he was in this comfortable and quiet lounge.
So began Benny's rehabilitation and inevitable journey into becoming a permanent fixture in our lives.
Fast forward two months - we have adopted Benny and have a very happy, shiny-coated little fellow who has brought us so much joy. And he and I are about to start our own adventure, which is the real reason I have started this blog. Benny is not just our dog, he is my new running partner and we have some exciting jollies awaiting us in the near future as we work towards our main event for next year - completing the Lakeland50 together in July. (I ran it this year and can honestly say it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and can't wait to get back to do it again.)
As his muscle-tone has improved and he has gained weight I have been taking Benny out running, with him spending an increasing amount of time running in a harness that attaches, via a lunge lead, to my waist belt. Tomorrow, we will hopefully be heading out for our first run with a group of other people in preparation for our first trip up to the Lakes next weekend to recce the last 12 miles of the course.
I have no idea if Benny will cope with running with large numbers of other people, I have no idea if he will cope with the challenging (and sometimes brutal) terrain in the Lake District. I have no idea if he (or I) will be able to complete the L50 in the summer, so much can happen in ten months. But we're going to give it our best shot and I'll let you know how we get on, maybe not every step of the way, but as often as possible.
And while I'm at it, for the first time in a very long time, I will be trying to raise money with my running - the RSPCA do an incredible job in difficult circumstances anything I raise will be going to them. I have no targets in mind, but I know every penny will make a difference, and maybe help another little lost soul like our Benny.
Equally, as a life-long dog owner, though I much admired people who kept high energy/working breeds like collies, I never thought I would be able to have one, (especially as my lazy, but gorgeous couch-potato loving greyhound had fitted so well in my life). But then, a few months ago, I saw a video clip of a little collie-x in a hydrotherapy session on an RSPCA webpage; his story was heartbreaking and he was in quite a state, but I could see beyond the scrawny little bag of bones covered in brown fuzz, and I liked what I saw as he belly-flopped into the pool with such joyful abandonment. So started the dripping tap convincing campaign, (sorry, I mean reasoned discussions with my husband), and before the week was out we had arranged to meet with the RSPCA and be introduced to Benny.
Benny had been rescued earlier in the year as a serious case of long-term neglect; when the RSPCA collected him, he weighed little more than 9kg and was a matted mess. The state of his starvation was so extreme that he could barely walk as his body had begun breaking down all his muscles in a desperate bid for survival and it was because of this muscle atrophy that he needed the hydrotherapy; to build his muscle back up by swimming. While it had taken many weeks to nurse him back to anything near approaching good health, he was still underweight when we met him (at 15kg) and was beginning to lose weight, despite the care he was receiving, as he was getting too stressed in kennels. Because of this, the RSPCA were desperate to find Benny some kind of home, though they did not know what he would be like in a home environment, whether he was house trained or would settle. So after managing introductions between Benny and our greyhound, Flash, and passing an RSPCA home-check, we became his official foster-carers.
I think it is fair to say, even with all best intentions and the support of the lovely people at the RSPCA, we really did not fully appreciate what we were letting ourselves in for. Benny's lovely, friendly nature and desire to be loved were always, always apparent, but he had been so badly treated, we soon realised we had brought one damaged little soul into our lives. Having said that, however, many things really did run suprisingly smoothly right from the start; even the first evening he was with us, after manically exploring every inch of the house, he hopped up onto an armchair, curled up and fell fast asleep - snoring and farting like a trooper! I suspect that in the kennels, he probably had any quality sleep for sometime and he was sure going to catch up now he was in this comfortable and quiet lounge.
So began Benny's rehabilitation and inevitable journey into becoming a permanent fixture in our lives.
Fast forward two months - we have adopted Benny and have a very happy, shiny-coated little fellow who has brought us so much joy. And he and I are about to start our own adventure, which is the real reason I have started this blog. Benny is not just our dog, he is my new running partner and we have some exciting jollies awaiting us in the near future as we work towards our main event for next year - completing the Lakeland50 together in July. (I ran it this year and can honestly say it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and can't wait to get back to do it again.)
As his muscle-tone has improved and he has gained weight I have been taking Benny out running, with him spending an increasing amount of time running in a harness that attaches, via a lunge lead, to my waist belt. Tomorrow, we will hopefully be heading out for our first run with a group of other people in preparation for our first trip up to the Lakes next weekend to recce the last 12 miles of the course.
I have no idea if Benny will cope with running with large numbers of other people, I have no idea if he will cope with the challenging (and sometimes brutal) terrain in the Lake District. I have no idea if he (or I) will be able to complete the L50 in the summer, so much can happen in ten months. But we're going to give it our best shot and I'll let you know how we get on, maybe not every step of the way, but as often as possible.
And while I'm at it, for the first time in a very long time, I will be trying to raise money with my running - the RSPCA do an incredible job in difficult circumstances anything I raise will be going to them. I have no targets in mind, but I know every penny will make a difference, and maybe help another little lost soul like our Benny.
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