Unintentional short break was unintentional

[Maddee_6333]

I ran with one of my Canicross groups on Halloween and then nothing until last night.

A few of you know that my own doggy jogging buddy is having a few health issues at the moment, so last week saw me at my own vet’s with her, and Monday saw us driving to Surrey for - what turned out to be - an overnight stay at a super duper veterinary hospital. Followed by me driving back the next day to fetch her. Which in turn was followed by us having to adjust to a totally different food - designed not to upset her stomach* - as well as meds to take before she can even eat.

I should have had time to run. I kept meaning to run. But... it just didn’t happen. And then I fell over with a migraine/stress headache.

Last night I was due to take part in an after dark event with Taylor Beagle (my daughter’s dog) so as I already had a lift to the venue arranged with a friend, off we went. There were maybe about 30 or so Canicrossers there, and about a dozen of them were members of groups I belong to/know from other events. I actually started out running with one of our newer members, but she and her awesome Pointer soon outpaced me and Taylor.

It was a Maverick event and the atmosphere at the start ‘village’ was lovely, and increasingly very twinkly in the growing darkness as more runners turned up and donned the glow stick bangles that were handed out at registration and put their head torches on. It was also really cold, so I had a pre-run coffee - not normally something I’d do - and very damp underfoot. So damp that I actually changed socks just before the start!

The - oh so very muddy - course was well marked with reflective arrows along with more of the glow sticks in trees as back up - though I had a few problems with reading the signs myself, I think that was more because I was wearing a chest torch so the angle the light was hitting it at wasn’t right. Everyone followed the same route for much of the time, with the middle and long route runners having extra loop(s) to complete somewhere in the middle before rejoining is short route people. There weren’t many marshals but the places the routes split were manned, which was the most important thing. I haven’t heard that anyone got lost, though I did run most of the second half with a lady called Kim who had gone a few hundred yards down the longer route path before being turned back by an eagle eyed marshal.

Taylor did really well running without doggy company, right up until the last few hundred yards. At which point she needed a comfort break and then got a bit distracted. Not even one of our regular running buddies zooming past had much of an effect, so we just ran/walked up the path to the finish and then ran over the line with one of her Pointer pals.

*Long term, but she’s a dog and it’s a major change of diet, even though we did introduce it over a few days, so short term it’s been a bit disgusting 🤢

[misswobble Graduate10]

Well done! You hope not to be left running alone, and always have sight of at least one other runner, so you don’t stray off the route if they are short of Marshall’s, or rely on markers. It makes you quicker 😃

I hope your doggy pal will soon be back in harness, bless her 🙂

[Maddee_6333 Graduate10 in reply to misswobble]

There were a couple of sections whereTaylor and I were pretty much alone, but I could still hear people exclaiming when a bit of nature caught them unawares - the puddles were devious blighters, lying in wait round corners at every opportunity.

Kim, who I mentioned, was the 'hiviz jacket person' that I needed to catch up to for quite a while, though I'm glad it was after she'd gone wrong 😀

I think Bella is on a slow route back to proper good health, but I think we'll get there.

[Sandraj39 Graduate10]

I do hope your dog will soon be better and that her new diet and meds help her. Well done on your run though - I have not done an organised night run, sounds fun, if you don't get lost! 😮

[Maddee_6333 Graduate10 in reply to Sandraj39]

Thank you!🐶

It was a lot of fun. I think the òrganisers did a really great job.

[skysue16 Graduate10]

Oh dear, poor Bella and you of course with all the worry I do hope things improve with the special diet and tablets. I was wondering how things were because you hadn't posted for a while.

The run sounds very exciting! Trying to dodge puddles in the dark sounds impossible. I think I might have got a bit worried if I couldn't see any other runners. Your time was brilliant especially considering the conditions and darkness. Very well done. Any photos?

[Maddee_6333 Graduate10 in reply to skysue16]

The run was so much fun though many of the puddles were the full width of the path, and I wasn’t the only one who came close to losing a shoe in the mud 😆 I left my phone in the car and carried my trusty whistle in case of emergency, so no photos. If some surface online I’ll share.

Bella is very worrying. Definitely better than she was but also definitely not Better either.

[skysue16 Graduate10 in reply to Maddee_6333]

I would really love to do a Canicross event with Squiggs he loves it! I need to look online to see what is coming up in the New Year. Hope Bella improves soon.

[Maddee_6333 Graduate10 in reply to skysue16]

Brilliant idea. And if you see an event that you’d really like to do, but it doesn’t say it’s dog friendly, then ask anyway - you might be surprised.

[misswobble Graduate10]

I don’t the route for this weekends race, so,keeping sight of other runners will make me hurry up. Don’t leave meeeeeee 😢

I was talking to,my friend yesterday and she’s worried about her very young dog that has a long standing health issue that is proving difficult to sort. Very worrying time and it gets you down when you see your pal not at their best and can’t do anything other than hope the vets can get top side of things

Good luck 🙂

[Maddee_6333 Graduate10 in reply to misswobble]

I hope your route is as well marked as ours was. Good luck!

Thank you. I hope your friend’s dog can be sorted.