And, We're Off!!

And, we're back at it!! I really thought this morning was going to be a terrible run after not only having Rest Week, but I enjoyed the heck out of Rest Week so much that I didn't rest at all! The up side of that was not only all of the wonderful activities I was able to do, but it also kept me active to the point* that I could hit the ground running today without much issue. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ready to run double digits, but it was good to start off the week feeling strong!

*I might add, though, that given the lack of rest, when I sit down to schedule the Half training on the calendar, I'm going to keep an eye out for one 3-day break along the way. Just being real.

For today, I was up early enough that it seemed okay to take Elly with me! I was really glad that I could because (a) I've missed our running time together especially since this summer's extreme heat has meant our outings together have been at a premium, and (b) unlike the rest of us, she was so lazy and inactive this past week that she wouldn't even finish her food by the end of it! I figured a trot with her mama should rev up her appetite (which, by evening, it most certainly did, and she polished off her dinner with no problem!).

To get to that dining experience, though, we first had to work:

Look at her go, look at her go!!

Truth be told, the temperature number was deceiving. I'd even walked outside before getting Elly's leash on to feel the temp, and it seemed okay. But, it didn't take long to realize it was going to be a really hot one, so I slowed way down to keep at Elly's pace without pushing her at all.

"I'm a'comin', mama! I'm a'comin'!!"

As happens to me all the time, right before Elly hit Mile 1, out of nowhere, she picked up her pace and motored along! I guess she warmed up and her muscle memory kicked in because she was her usual self at that point heat and all. I had to stop and get a closer pic of that tongue, though:

Outstanding!

My focus this run was split between listening to Elly's breathing to make sure she wasn't getting too hot and keeping my eyes peeled for ... you guessed it ... road prizes! (which is very different from road kill ... saw none of that, thank goodness) The first day back plentifully rewarded us:

Sha-zam!!! That's a great haul for one 3-mile run!

Elly and I soldiered on, and I was increasingly pleased that the run didn't hurt. The only real part of the experience that hurt was getting up way earlier than I wanted to. But, that comes with the territory. It was a great restart for sure!

With four-tenths of a mile to go, Elly's breathing was louder which tells me she's getting hot. We slowed it down some more and finished up. She was very compliant for a finish shot ...

"Cheeeeeeeese!"

... and then made it her business to hit the water!

"Ahhhhhhh ..."

Tomorrow's another day out there! I'm glad to be back to it! I'll see you after the morning run!