Bedgebury 5k

[Maddee_6333]

First Canicross race i.e. no humans without dogs that's I've done with the girls. It was quite warm, but the organisers had made sure that a lot of the route was in shade and that there was plenty of water after. Lots of ups and downs, but none were very steep, except the one to the finish line!

Ran all the route at a steady pace, except for slowing down so the girls could wade through a couple of puddles to cool off/drink. We finished in just under 30 minutes.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Great photo!!! Wow! You...( and the girls) did brilliantly) ! Wow!!!!

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

Thanks Oldfloss 😀 I was melting after (even though I thought I was just taking it easy). I think the girls cooled down quicker than I did!

[Hidden]

Fab photo! 😄😄

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thanks 😀 It was taken by one of the ladies in the club I belong to. She took some really good ones of all of us.

[Gabby08 Graduate]

Brilliant! Love the pic. Long term, I really want to be able to do Canicross with my German Shepherd but she's in need of even more training than I am! Would love to hear more about your Canicross experiences.

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to Gabby08]

The dogs pick it up really quickly when they see other dogs do it. It's the end of the Canicross season now, it picks up again when the weather gets cooler. But I'll try and run them (not necessarily in harness) once a week, maybe really early in the morning.

[Nervousnewbie Graduate]

Looks lovely. Well done 🙂

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to Nervousnewbie]

Thanks. It was a lovely event. Last one with the dogs, now though, till the weather gets cooler.

[Nervousnewbie Graduate in reply to Maddee_6333]

Who sets the pace, you or the dogs?

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to Nervousnewbie]

Good question. The Beagle is the only one of mine that pulls (and having had a go with a pointer that really does PULL! I know what that feels like) so I think it's mostly me. It's definitely me going uphill 😀

[skysue16 Graduate]

What a great photo - looking good! Wow, fantastic time considering the hilly parts and paddling the dogs are really going for it, how do you keep up?! Very well done.

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to skysue16]

I was incredibly surprised when I got to a marker that said 4K, and even more surprised when I saw the time - though everyone agreed that our tracking apps made it more like 4.5k in total - really wasn't trying to rush or anything. I was melting afterwards; ended up pouring a beaker of water over my head. 😀

[Rignold]

Excellent! A friend of mine is about yo start a 'Dogfit' training course for wannabe canicrossers. I am thinking of going, now that Daisy's leg is recovered.

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to Rignold]

Just be careful in the heat, won't you? There's a rough calculation:

If

Temperature (C) x Humidity (%) > 1000

it's too hot to run for them. Generally speaking. If you have a thick coated breed you should be even more careful.

And um... if you have a club local to you, you can probably learn everything you need to know for free. They won't be insured etc. - as most of them are purely social groups, no subs or anything like that, but the majority of them are very keen on helping newbies.

[Rignold in reply to Maddee_6333]

Yes, I'm always very cautious. I have a French Bulldog too and they are very prone to overheating so always have water (and obvs don't do distance running with him). Daisy (the lab) and I used to run 6-7 milers together before her leg injury and my heart incident. We're just working our way back gradually now. Early mornings are our fave time, and I think my friend is planning 6AM runs with her group. Which is still early-ish.

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to Rignold]

👍 I'm aiming to be out 6am -ish over the weekend, as I've not got any other commitments for once!

[Rignold in reply to Maddee_6333]

The mind boggles at what commitments you normally have at 6AM

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to Rignold]

I provide childcare for grandchildren. For one of them that involves an overnight stay. For the other it means being out of the house before 7 if possible. 😆