Run With It Navarre | The Jog Blog

Whoa!  What a difference a couple of weeks makes!  Two weeks ago I was still running in gloves and my sweatshirt – still freezing as I had been since November.   This week I was in running shorts again, sweating, and loving it!Even better, this week I was running with the Tuesday night Run With It group.  What fun!  I usually run alone, although I have had running partners.  I had forgotten what fun it is to run with others.  I felt like I have run out of the cold into a warm and fun group.

If you haven’t visited Run With It in the new Ft. Walton Beach location yet – go!  And go prepared to run when you’re done checking out the new store.  The new place is great – much larger, a lot more neat clothes and stuff.  But the neighborhood can’t be beat.  Lots of shops around, the Indian Mound across the street.  The back door opens up to the park and the water- beautiful!  Great karma and feng shui! 

The Tuesday night running route from the new location is awesome.  You run under the bridge, by the water and through beautiful residential neighborhoods.  You can peak views of the water as you run or walk.  You smell dinner grilling as you pass by neighborhoods – a great summer-is-here smell.  There are huge live oak trees all along the way to admire.  The sights, the sounds, the smells – makes the run a pleasure.  

There is a 5K and a 10K route, and some of the group doesn’t even go that far.  You will feel comfortable whatever your pace and difficulty.  There is a run-walk group just starting out training.  There’s something for everyone. 

And when you’re done, you can cool off by walking through the park behind, by the water.  And when you’re done cooling off – a cold brew awaits. 

Or like me, you can bring your own wine and stick it in the fridge to cool down.  Many of the runners have been running together for awhile, and it’s a supportive, fun group.  The night I ran, we even celebrated with birthday cake. 

And as always, there’s Jeff and Donna to help you with whatever your running needs, and to enjoy the brew with you.  A great way to spend a Tuesday evening!  Come enjoy the great camaraderie, and a great run.

            This time of year, unfortunately, the question of the day is:  Should you run when you’re sick?  Having bronchitis in October, and now a terrible cold (I don’t know why we were all scared of the swine flu when there’s this terrible cold going around), I’ve asked myself this way too many days lately.  And I’ll bet a lot of other runners face this same dilemma.

            According to www.mayoclinic.com, the Mayo Clinic website, “mild to moderate physical activity is usually OK if you have a cold but no fever.  Exercise may even help you feel better by temporarily relieving nasal congestion.”

            That’s great news!  At the beginning of my cold a couple of weeks ago, I tried to knock off running for awhile.  This was terrible as I got the cold the day after Thanksgiving…the very time I needed EXTRA exercise, not to slack off.  The weather was cold and rainy…I didn’t feel good…so I went for several days without running, and by early the next week, I felt like a blob.  At that point, I couldn’t help it…I just got out and ran. 

            And boy did it feel good!  When I started out, I was all congested and could hardly breathe.  But it just felt so good to move!  After about five minutes, I was breathing fine and feeling great.  The cold air, the fresh, non-diseased oxygen going through my blood made me feel so much better.

            I felt great all day.  Unfortunately, I woke up the next day feeling like a tank had run over me.  I don’t think it was the running…I think just the on-again, off-again cold.  But at least I had one good day in there.

            The Mayo Clinic site says that as a rule of thumb you can proceed with your workout if your symptoms are “above the neck” – nasal congestion, sneezing, sore throat, runny nose.  You might reduce the intensity of your workout when you’re sick, however.

            The site says you should not work out if your signs are “below the neck” – chest congestion, hacking cough, upset stomach.  You should also not work out with a fever, if you’re tired or have muscle aches.

            If you do workout when you’re not well, take your cues from your body.  If your symptoms get worse when you’re running, stop and rest.  Or if you’re like me, you can run DOWN the hills, and walk UP them for a break.   

            It’s so easy to pamper yourself when you’re not feeling well, and just hit the sofa instead of the street.  I find when I do this, I tend to feel sorry for myself and feel worse.  If I’m out and about, it makes me feel better.  It’s a cycle – whichever way you choose it.  I choose the active cycle.  I’d rather have my body feel alive even if my head is shut down, rather than to have a slug body and a slug head too.  Running helps my mental outlook so much that it’s worth the effort – even when it is extra effort – to just get out there and do it anyway.

            And besides, I have a big puppy running partner who doesn’t understand sick at all.  If it’s morning…he lets me know it’s time to run, and there are no excuses!  Even if it’s raining cats and dogs…or you feel like a dog yourself.

            As new pet owners, we are reading everything we can about dogs these days.  Kingsley is a big, active puppy – about a year old, Australian Shephard, collie, lab mix.  He is very active.

            Everything we read says that a “tired pet is a happy pet.”  Pet experts all stress that you need to exercise your dog every day.  We found this to be true the hard way.

            Kingsley and I run every day, and also spend some time in the dog park so he can play and romp with other dogs.  The one day a couple of weeks after we got him that we didn’t do this (we thought rain was an excuse at the time) we lived to regret it.  He was bounding around the house all day, pouncing at the cat, wanting to play.  We did play with him a lot.  However, late afternoon as we were all watching TV and not him, we found him chewing on the side of the wall.  Not a good thing to find your dog doing.  He does have sharp teeth.

            So since then, we go early mornings to run and to the dog park.  Even in the rain.  And with winter coming, we will go even in the snow, sleet or freezing weather.

            He starts out bounding down the paths to get to the dog park.  Once there, if there are other dogs there, they run full-out as fast as they can go around the park.  They chase each other.  They chase the balls and Frisbees.  It is a pleasure to behold.  Especially when the greyhounds are there – to watch them run is artwork in motion.  I chase them – they chase me.

            If it’s raining, we just do a 3-mile run around the meadows.  Kingsley runs at a great pace for me – about an 8-minute mile.  This is much faster than my 10-minute mile, so he challenges me.  My legs are burning, sore in places they have never been before.  It’s good for him and good for me.

            The same is true for the whole “exercise every day” philosophy that all the dog experts recommend.  It’s not just good for dogs – it’s good for people too.  To get out in the fresh air, running, moving, feels great.  To play.  And not just every now and then – every day.  It’s been so long since I haven’t run every day that my body craves it.  I feel like a slug when I don’t run every day.  It’s my body telling me that it’s ready to go!  Just like Kingsley,  missing a day of running makes me want to chew the walls.

            And then, like the dogs, when done running , I am ready to come back and take it easy.  Maybe chew a bone or two.  And I definitely have earned the ultimate people treat – that glass of wine at happy hour!

I’ve run for years by myself.  Oh, I’ve had running partners come and go over the years.  And that’s been great – it made it a lot easier to get out of bed at 5 a.m. on cold winter mornings if you knew someone was waiting for you out there.

            But now I’ve entered a whole new chapter of running in my life.  We recently got a dog.  When deciding what kind of dog we wanted, we took into consideration that I wanted a dog who could run with me.  We figured it would be a lot easier to get the dog the exercise it needed if it could just tag along with me, putting in a few miles every day. 

            That was the plan…and amazingly, it worked!  We have had Kingsley for about a month, and from day one, he was a great running buddy for me.  He is a year-old collie, Australian shepherd, and lab mix, full of energy when he gets outside.  That first day, I put him on a leash, opened the door…and out we bounded!  And it’s been that way every morning since.

            Running takes on a whole new direction and meaning when you are running with a dog. It’s not the same as a 45-minute, continuous, steady run.  It’s like running with a little kid who keeps getting distracted, and keeps getting you distracted.  It is a lot of fun.

            We start out bounding full-out at 8 a.m. as fast as we both can go.  We do that for about a quarter mile, until he stops abruptly to…well, you know what dogs stop to do.  As soon as that’s over, he REALLY feels light and energetic, and the pace speeds up even more. This is a little like flying, as we are bounding through the mountains.

            We are at full-speed for about a half mile until we get to the dog park.  Then, off-leash, with other mates to play with, Kingsley REALLY speeds up.  The dogs rough-house, bark, chase each other around, and just generally have a great time.  I throw them balls…and chase the balls with them.  This means several sprints for me, as it very hard to keep up with labs, retrievers and shepherds when they are chasing balls. I chase them around, trying to steal their balls and Frisbees, also fast sprints and fun for all. I have never done sprints before, so I think this is great for me.

            After about 10 minutes of sprints, the dogs’ tongues are hanging out and they are panting in the shade.  That’s when I start my laps around the dog park.  Six laps are a mile.  I do this for 10-15 minutes and feel like a rat in a cage.  But I get in the good, steady (if shorter) run that I am used to.

            Both Kingsley and I fairly well warmed-up, we leave the dog park for the trails.  We do a couple of more miles on the trails.  We are a great match – Kingsley likes to RUN DOWN the hills and WALK UP the mountains, just like me! I guess this just makes sense to dogs and to people too.  So we run-walk for awhile longer.  The closer we get to home, the more apt Kingsley is to just plop down in the middle of the trail, unable (or unwilling) to go another step until he has rested a little.  This is a good exercise for me as well – it’s good for someone to say it’s break time.  Gives me time to notice how blue the sky is, or how mellow the morning air.

            I am never bored with my routine morning run anymore, to say the least.  It’s fun to have a new running style and pace, and probably really good for me too. And through the eyes of my new running partner, everything is a new experience, every corner a new adventure awaiting us. I highly recommend a dog-trot!