Running Partners

This morning I went running for the first time in a while.

It was cold (22 degrees/felt like 12) and I hate the cold, but I got dressed just the same as part of a New Year's Goal.

I used to be a marathon runner. Then, in 2007, I got a serious stress fracture training for the Chicago Marathon. I've never really recovered.

Oh sure, the bone has healed, but I was out of the running game for 3 months and I've never managed to really get back into the game. At the same time I got hurt, my running partner of 10 years decided to retire. Her name is Zoe and she's my chocolate lab.

So it's been a tough road since then. In 2008, I moved and subsequently became a sort of "stray whisperer". It's a long story, one that's sure to be told in these pages in the future, but the long and short of it is in 2.5 years I have rescued 12 dogs. TWELVE. And a kitten.

Of the 12, 4 are still living with me and Zoe. They're an odd pack, but I love them.

Two of them I hope to make my new running partners. Stella is a pit/boxer mix and is . . . unenthusiastic. She HATES the cold, and I'm not really convinced she likes running except when playing. She manages well enough for about 2 miles, but after that would rather walk.

Jake is another matter. He's a giant rat terrier and LOVES to run. I'm setting my hopes on him to be my next great running partner. Zoe ran as far as 15 with me in the mid-Atlantic heat so she'll be hard to beat, but Jake has the spirit of a runner in him. I just wish he didn't need to mark every tree, sign-post, and clump of grass along the way!

Regardless, I'm grateful for these two canine running partners. Without them, I wouldn't go at all. So thank you Jake and Stella for finding me. May we share many miles together.