Bigger boat

The Glacial Trail 50k was another great run event.  This was my 5th in a row, so needless to say it is on the schedule annually.  I went out comfortable and actually hit the turn a couple minutes faster than last year.  Just past Butler on the way back I was finding a good groove and suddenly turned my right ankle.  I turned it hard, not a tweak.  I still ran okay the next mile or so because it is in field.  After that I had to watch it on the rocky trail.  Sure enough, already compromised it went over again.  I had to really go slow on the downs and any rocky area.  If it was uphill or fairly even turf I opened it up.  I finished 15th in 5:18 so I was good with that.  The ankle didn't look good for about a week, but I am back running.

The last couple weeks I have been jogging the dog for about 35 minutes or so about 3-4 times in a week.  The whole house dynamic has changed as I am now highly favored.  Basically the dog bugs the heck out of me.  Now that I am jogging 10+ times a week she is locked in.  I have not been running her for years as my wife has been walking her.  It's cold, there is snow on the ground, it is dark at 4:45pm, and my wife gets up by 3am for work.  On paper it is a good deal.  The dog gets exercise, I get a few easy miles in, and the wife is happy.  The problem is the more you do for her (dog) the more she wants to do.  Buddies for life.  The dog is a cattle dog.  She is over 12 years old.  I made the wrong assumption that a couple easy miles would be enough.  And she could care less what the circumstances are.  She is in the be all you can be mode.  It's like the bit in Jaws.  They shoot the third barrel attachment and claim he can't go down with three, "Not with THREE he can't."  There are a few other dynamics about the dog that go along with this and they aren't all bad.  In some ways I admire how this dog just wills herself to believe we are equals. 

I'm thinking about going metric in 2019.  A mile seems like forever.  Kilometers seem more reasonable as I'll be able to run numbers more often.  It will be something new.