"Run" at the Dog Park

The weather here in Oregon took us by surprise today...it started snowing!  We knew that it was going to be cold, but the snow was a bit of a surprise.  It certainly wasn't anything dramatic like the East coast has been getting, it snowed consistently on and off throughout the day,  but nothing stuck.  Instead of staying inside with a hot drink like normal people, we decided to take Molly out to a dog park that we passed by yesterday so that she could be off leash and get some runs in.  We have been looking for a closed in place to take her so that she can be by herself, since she gets grumpy around other dogs sometimes.  This dog park caught our eye yesterday because it was in the middle of nowhere, and not a single soul was in it.  So we made the trek out there, and to our surprise the park was empty again and I assumed Molly would be stoked to be off leash and run.  Um, not so much.

I look at Molly sometimes and wonder how the hell she ever raced professionally.  Besides the fact that she is incredibly stubborn and has the attention span of a hummingbird on meth, she seems to like the idea of going for outings more than the actual outings.  When you get her somewhere, she seems content to walk for about 15 minutes and then she's done, even though she acts completely insane in the house when she thinks she's going out.

When we got her in the dog park and enthusiastically told her to go run, she looked at us like we were complete morons.  Eric and I started sprinting back and forth in the field to try to encourage her to run, but the most we could get out of her was a reluctant trot.  And it's like, I know it's colder than Frosty's b-hole, but Molly you are a GREYHOUND for God's sake!  She kept going to the gate to try to see if she could leave, so Eric and I devised a scheme to get her to run.  One of us would take her to the opposite end of the field and hold her, while the other person would sprint to the gate and then yell "Bye Molly!"  Whoever was holding her at the end of the field would let her go, and she would haul ass to the other person since she thought she was going to go back to the car.  I am quite sure we both looked like complete idiots to anyone passing by.  We did that back and forth for about 30 minutes, and even in the 32 degree, snowy weather I was getting sweaty!  I'm pretty sure I got more exercise than Molly, though of the 3 of us I need it the most!

NOT impressed...

After about 45 minutes (clearly) Molly was ready to get the hell out of there, but we took her for two laps on the path that circled the entire park after putting her leash back on.  I figured we drove all the way out to the country so the old witch could get some exercise, so we might as well keep going.  It was actually fun and relaxing to go for a walk in the snow, though again I think we enjoyed it more than Molly did.

I have been concerned this week about my knee.  Ever since our run Sunday, I've had this painful pinching sensation in my right knee.  It really hurts during bending motions like walking up the stairs, or going into a squat mode to sit down.  It was definitely pinching and hurting when we were horsing around at the dog park today, and I am hoping that it rights itself before my half marathon in a couple of weeks.  I'm sure it will, but it's definitely worrisome.  I honestly think it has more to do with my yard projects last week more than it did our short run, especially since I was using the shovel a lot and digging up dead rose bushes/planting apple trees.  Ah well.

The next few days are going to be quite cold!  We're supposed to get down in the teens, but hopefully Eric and I will be able to keep getting out for some walks and exercise!  It really has been nice going for so many outdoor walks and runs!