#43 and 44 - From Boarder to Boarder and RUNNING WITH YOUR CANINE

Well, not quite boarder to boarder. Saturday's race was in Bellingham, near the Canadian boarder. And Sunday's race was in Battle Ground, near the Oregon boarder. I only have 8 more half marathons to go! I noticed I am counting down instead of up now! I do that during every race, too. After about 8 miles, I stop counting up and start counting down--5 more miles, then 4, then 3. At this point, I start counting laps around a track--12 more laps, then 8, then 4. It's the accountant in me that likes to work the numbers in my head while I am running.

#43 Wind Horse Half Marathon (7/19/14) - I drove to Bellingham with my family Friday night. Actually, my husband started at noon and road his bike, and I drove. He took the ferry to Whidbey Island and did a nice 100 mile tour. We spent the night at Christine's house. She was the volunteer coordinator for this race! My family was part of the volunteer corp and they directed runners at a road crossing.

There are several reasons why I enjoyed this race:
1) It was put on by the Bellingham Sister Cities Assoc and all of the proceeds went to Blue Sky Education Project, a nonprofit organization that sponsors elementary students in Mongolia who would not otherwise be able to attend school. They also provide funding to send students to teacher college. I think education is so important, all the way around the world.
2) The course was amazing! It was an out-and-back from Fairhaven Park all on trails including the Interurban Trial. The scenery was beautiful. I forgot to carry my camera with to take pictures, darn it!
3) The weather has cooled off, finally. We've had some hot weather lately but on race day the temp dropped and it even drizzled some rain on us. I was able to take my dog with me!
3) I love the horse logo and the finisher's medal. The Mongolian phrase for the “Wind Horse” is pronounced Khiimori and it refers to one’s spirit or soul.
4) It was a small race and was well organized. There were aid stations with water every couple of miles. Volunteers at corners and crossings. The trail was very well marked with chalk. Mile markers every mile. Barbecued beef skewers at the finish!

 

 

I took this picture, and the 2 below, the following weekend when I was running the Chuckanut Mountain Half Marathon (both races shared some of the same trails). This bridge is in Arroyo Park.

 

This trail was also in Arroyo Park.

 

I also took this picture during the Chuckanut Mountain Half. This was a view of Chuckanut Bay from the Interurban Trail.

 

 

#44 Harvest Hay Half Marathon (7/20/14) - After returning home from Bellingham, I showered and then packed up again. I drove to Vancouver, WA and stayed overnight at a friend's house. I was up early the next day because I had a half hour drive to the race and the start was at 7:30am. I was so impressed at how quiet it was in the neighborhood where I spent the night. It was completely silent. I wanted to just stay in bed and rest, and skip the race. But then I thought about how I had driven so far for this race and I had better not miss it.

 

The weather was cool and overcast. I thought it was perfect for running. The course was a big loop on the road. It had some big hills and the scenery was rural. I made some small talk early in the race with a few folks. I met a couple who is trying to run 50 halfs in 50 states. They are heading to Oregon for their next run. Somewhere in the middle of the race, I met Don. We ran the rest of the race together. He was very encouraging and our pace was looking good for finishing at 2hrs. I really wanted to do a sub 2 hr, so we worked pretty hard those last few miles. I finished in 2:00:31. Bummer.

 

I saw a few pennies on the road during the race. Maybe I should have stopped and picked them up.

 



Not the best picture, but this is me and Don finishing together.

 

I carried my camera with me for this race but didn't use it.

 

RUNNING WITH YOUR CANINE: I love to run with my dog. I grew up with a dog on a farm, but I am not an expert on dogs. Maybe I should give my dog more credit, but I worry about pushing him too far. I worry about his feet hurting if the ground has crushed gravel. I worry if his feet will be too cold on frozen ground. I worry that he hasn't taken in enough water, or that he is too hot. All worrying aside, once Hero does a little sniffing and poops, he gets into a nice stride next to me and he can run and run and run.

I always bring a poop bag with me. I'd rather pick it up and carry it during a race than leave it behind with bad manners. I also keep a bowl and big bottle of water in my car to offer to him after the run.

 

I use a "Wonder Walker" harness and a Spindrift nylon leash with elastic similar to this one. It goes around my waste and leaves my hands free to hold my water bottle, etc. There is a loop about 12 inches away from the snap that allows me to grab and pull him close when needed.

Harness with leash attached to top of harness. I find that Hero is less likely to get the leash between his legs when I attach the leash on top.

You can also attach the lease to the front of the harness. If Hero catches a scent, he wants to go after it. It is easier to bring him back to me when the leash is attached this way.

Lease attached to my husband's waist.