Run Training, race organization, and local elections have taken up my time most recently.
I appreciate all of you who continue to follow my blog even during my lapses! But I always come back…eventually. December is looking promising for blog time to fill you all in on what’s been happening lately. Until then, I am just busting my tail preparing for a 25K trail race and organizing a 5K and 8 Miler.
I hope everyone out there is well! I’m watching your blogs too and maybe not responding quickly but will when I get the time to!!!
In an effort to keep me going with my regular blogging, I do have a few topics I want to talk about. However, I’m just not in that focused mindset tonight. Instead, I choose to ramble on about what I’ve been doing lately.
The majority of my free time has been devoted to running or training my puppy (who’s no longer a puppy) and spending time with my senior puppy. It’s been too hot outside to bring any of the dogs along with me during my runs, but I do let them join me for my post-run cool-down walks. They seem content with that. My mileage is beginning to pick up, with my midweek short runs being anywhere from 3-5 miles. It’s getting tough squeezing them in with my already full weekly schedule. So far I am managing. Something’s going to have to give though IF I DO get in to the Laugavegur Ultramarathon for next year!
Today I enjoyed a little over 6 miles on foot with 3 great people! Holy cow, was it humid! It was apparently only about 77 degrees, but the humidity was 88%+ and it didn’t take long for us to get drenched! My hands actually started to get pruny around mile 3.
The rest of my day has been devoted to getting stuff together for round #2 of the Run for the Toilets. Our first attempt was very lackluster, but I blame myself. I didn’t have the time to prepare well, and it was in July. There is SO MUCH going on in July for everyone. If you have kids, you’re likely at the peak of your summer vacation. If you’re a runner (not like me) you likely don’t want to run in 80 degree weather at 8AM with 78% humidity. I am a rarity. I love to run when it’s hot and steamy outside! Granted, I tend to keep my distances short, or I take several breaks.
The Run For the Toilets 5K & 8 Miler will take place on Saturday November 30, 2019 at the Onancock Elks Lodge #1766 located in Accomac, VA. The following are links to the downloadable forms for the Run For the Toilets 5K & 8 Miler.
On Tuesdays I teach SoulBody Barre Unhitched early in the morning and later in the evening. In between those two classes I work at my regular job. It makes for a very long day, yes, but I do enjoy it. I would have to work on a Tuesday anyway, and if I wasn’t teaching I’d be doing a workout at home or running. So why not make it a party and invite others to join me, and get paid for it?! I do love my job, if I didn’t I wouldn’t still be in the same field after this many (>20) years. However, leading a group exercise class is my favorite!
If I could teach group exercise, run with friends, do yoga on the beach, and play with my dogs (and invite others’ dogs over for play dates) all day every day, I’d be in heaven. I need to find a way to make a living out of all of these things combined, and still find time to blog because I enjoy that as well!
I have not run at all in over a month, and not regularly since May. I kind-of trained earlier this year for the 8th Annual Run for the Animals Half Marathon, but nothing else. I signed up for a 25K trail race earlier this year (it was peer pressure!) which is to take place the first weekend in November. I figured it was time to start training as this trail race will be the determining factor as to whether or not I am going to sign up for the Laugavegur Ultra Marathon in 2020. If I can’t finish a 15.5 mile trail race in the “hills” of the DelMarVa Peninsula, there’s no chance in hell I’m going to survive 34.2 miles in the volcanic mountains of Iceland! And I really, really, REALLY want to do Laugavegur.
My training officially started yesterday, August 1st. I did a mile after work. It was a slow walk/run interval mile but I figured I’d wean myself back into it. Today I did a 3.5 mile 2/1 Run/Walk and have to say that it felt pretty darn good. Tomorrow I will do some HIIT training and weight training, and plan to get in at least 4-5 miles on Sunday.
I’m planning on sticking with the Galloway Method of running ever since my achilles injury. I feel so much better when I finish a run using the run/walk/run method. I don’t get as painful, especially in the hips, and I just feel better overall during the workout. I will also incorporate a lot more yoga while I am training. I’ve been learning more and more every day about the practice and it just makes me feel so good! It helps clear my mind, relaxes my body, and I feel stronger and more flexible when I’m finished with a session. There’s so much truth to the “it’s all in your head” mentality when it comes to difficult tasks, and running a long distance, or any distance when you’re just not feeling it, can be a very difficult task. I am trying to learn meditation while running.
Esme joined me for a post-run cool down walk off-leash today. She did AWESOME! She’ll be running with me in no time, once the weather cools off a bit.
Working on running manners with Esme off-leash
I am looking forward to getting back into the running groove. I’ve been out of it for so long now, it seems, that I’ve forgotten just how great it makes me feel. Also, I am looking forward to getting Esme trained to run with me! I let her join me for my cool down walk this evening where we worked on her not crossing in front of me, and especially her slowing down/stopping in front of me. I think she’ll get it in no time. She’s proven to be a very quick learner. Her off-leash training is going very well, so we’ll work on off-leash running down our Neck when the weather cools down a bit.
Now I must spend the rest of my free-time working on my training schedule! I have to manage every minute of my day if I’m going to successfully complete this training AND continue to blog… 😉
Exactly one week ago today I relearned a valuable lesson at work. No matter how friendly a dog is or seems to be, never EVER let your face be the closest thing to its mouth when you’re about to do something that might hurt. As a matter of fact, keep any and all body parts away from the mouth in such a case. You can have a barrier between you and the dog’s teeth, a wise choice being a muzzle.
There was a dog that came in last week that was self-mutilating its tail. We had seen it once before and he was coming back for a reassessment. The dog was very docile and friendly at his first visit, and was just as much when I saw him last week. He just laid on the floor as I talked to his owner about what was going on and how things were progressing. I then went to inspect his tail. The owner had it bandaged. I leaned over the dog (not a smart move in hindsight) and removed the bandage (my face was directly above his) to check out what was going on. As I peeled the bandage away from the wound, the dog jerked his head toward me and gave me a warning snap…right to my face because that is what was closest to his mouth.
As I was going through the motions in the room with the client, I was not even considering my safety. Not one bit. The dog was a gentle giant! However, I know better when it comes to an animal in pain. I know how they react to pain, and the way this dog responded was totally and completely normal. I just let my guard down, I was too complacent.
Thankfully the only physical injuries that I suffered were a few minor scrapes from the dog’s teeth on my upper lip and a small puncture under my chin. The most painful part of the experience was the damage to my pride.
I had only ever been truly bitten one time before and it was over 17 years ago, and that dog was vicious. That was a case of owner negligence. The owners knew the dog was dangerous and failed to inform any of our staff. That dog attacked my hand as I tried to take it out of its kennel. He latched on and kept on clenching his teeth into my hand, as I cringed and waited for him to take a break from clenching so I could get my hand back! That’s one of the primary differences between a bite from a dangerous animal versus a friendly animal that is reacting to something scary or painful. The latter will just do a quick bite and release. The former will keep attacking or latch on.
My incident last week was a great wake-up call for me. I don’t believe that I will suffer any PTSD from it. I know exactly what I did wrong and will train and educate other people in hopes that they will avoid a similar situation. I might have a small scar on the right side of my upper lip once it fully heals, and I kind of hope that I do so that I am reminded regularly to not be so careless.
People keep telling me how lucky I am that the injury was as minor as it is. They are right. BUT, I also know that if the dog showed any signs of aggression or potential aggression, or even anxiety, my face would have been nowhere near his. I would have either muzzled the dog before inspecting his wound, or, and most likely, I would have just waited until the doctor was ready to examine the pet and I would have gone in with the doctor to help them safely inspect the injury.
No matter, I am thankful and grateful that I had that experience and am able to share it with others so that they might avoid a similar incident.
Hello all! I’ve been on a roll with blog posts lately, and now it’s been a week or more since my last post. I’ve had a lot going on and haven’t had a chance to sit down for more than 5 minutes to write. I’m blogging from my phone tonight…
I promise to post something about the happenings over the past two weeks, which encompasses our becoming homeowners on the Eastern Shore of Virginia! I also re-learned a valuable lesson in my field last week and am grateful to be able to forward this to you tonight.
In the meantime, check out my older posts if you haven’t read them yet! Leave me some feedback and/or send me some topics you’d like to hear my opinion on. Is there a dog, cat, or running-related product you’d like me to look into, test or review? Let me know!
Stay cool, enjoy nature, and be grateful and thankful for all that surrounds you.
I want to open up a discussion about Flea prevention. All too often I run into clients that don’t use any flea prevention at all, or they only use it during certain months of the year (most often spring/summer), or they’ll use it when they “see signs of fleas.” That latter one really makes my head spin.
Some of the common excuses I get for not using flea prevention are:
My pet never goes outdoors.
I don’t want to put chemicals on my pet.
My pet is allergic to or sensitive to it.
Let me address each of these, one at a time.
My pet never goes outdoors.
This excuse is most commonly used with cat owners, but I have heard it from my fair share of dog owners too. If your dog or cat never sets a paw outside of the confines of your home, she is still not immune to fleas. Unless you live in the middle of the desert or frozen tundra, there are fleas everywhere in the environment. Those fleas will do whatever it takes to get to your pet too. They will hitchhike on your pant leg as you walk from your car into the house after work. They will hide in your folded pant cuff while you’re out mowing the lawn or gardening, just waiting for you to take them to their next blood meal (ie: your dog or cat, or ferret, or hamster/gerbil/guinea pig). They will come into your house on a mouse, or just crawl through the tiniest little crack in your doorway or floor or wall. The fleas will find a way into your home.
10 times out of 10 when an anti-flea prevention pet owner comes to us with a skin irritation complaint, fleas are the primary culprit. They always seem surprised when we comb off flea “dirt” (flea excrement) from their cat that doesn’t have fleas. Or if we happen to find a live flea on their dog, it must have picked it up on its way into the veterinary office.
Easy way to tell if it’s just dirt or if it’s “flea dirt:” Place on a white paper towel and get it wet. If it turns brown or red, it is “flea dirt.” If it stays the same color, it’s just dirt.
I don’t want to put chemicals on my pet.
I don’t want to put unnecessary chemicals on my pet, on me or around my house ever! The key word there was unnecessary. I will use necessary, safe chemicals around me, on me and, if needed, in me if it’s better than the alternative.
Think about this people. Start with what you consume on a daily basis. Do you eat processed foods? Do you wear lotions, sunscreens, perfumes, anti-perspirants/deodorants? Do you wash and condition your hair? Do you use hair products for styling? Do you launder your clothes? Do you wear insect repellent? Do you take medications for any reason, over-the-counter or prescription?
If you answered yes to any of the above, why wouldn’t you do the same for your pet if it could improve their overall wellbeing and health? Prior to the introduction of topical flea preventives, flea dips were commonplace. Flea dips consisted of dousing your pet in a pyrethrin. Pyrethrins have been deemed safe for the environment because they degrade rapidly, but they can be toxic to humans and other mammals. Pyrethrin toxicity occurs most quickly through respiration, but can also happen more slowly through skin absorption. Geez. If you are the person bathing your pet in a pyrethrin, both you and your pet are going to be victim to the aerosolizing of the pyrethrin as you hose your dog or cat down. The skin absorption is going to be a given for your pet, and a possibility for you, unless you’re wearing gloves during the bathing.
Frontline Top Spot was one of the first true flea preventives on the market. It’s active ingredient is fipronil. Fipronil has been proven safe in the environment and to mammals for decades prior to it’s evolution into topical flea preventives for pets. It has been used in agriculture for decades, and if you’ve ever had your home treated by an exterminator for termites or fleas, I guarantee you they used fipronil!
Now, let me ask you this. You don’t want to put chemicals on or in your pet, but you are okay with your pet contracting a blood-borne parasite, intestinal parasites (tapeworms), and/or having to live with constant and chronic skin disease? And then there is the potential for your pet to transmit disease to YOU. Have you ever heard of Bubonic Plague? It is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which is spread by fleas. So please think again about flea prevention if this is your excuse for not using it.
My pet is allergic or sensitive to it.
Sure, this is definitely something that could happen. If you use a topical product, there is the possibility that your pet might have a skin sensitivity to the carrier or the chemical itself. Then try something different. Try an oral preventive if you pet is sensitive to topicals in general. The number one carrier used in topical products is isopropyl alcohol. Some people are sensitive to isopropyl alcohol, but it doesn’t mean it is a dangerous product. If your pet reacts poorly to an oral preventive, then use a topical. There are several different preventives on the market, oral and topical and some injectable. Keep trying until you find the product that your pet tolerates well!
Bottom Line.
Fleas are disgusting! They are annoying pests to us, but especially to our pets. Imagine living with thousands of little bitey bugs covering your body, biting you for a blood meal several times every second, causing the most uncomfortable itch you could ever imagine from head to toe. Every damn day.
If you are using something that is over the counter (Hartz, Sargents, Pet Armor, Flea Shampoo, etc.) and your pet is still suffering from a flea infestation and/or flea allergy dermatitis, talk to your vet about appropriate flea prevention, please. Owning pets does not come without cost. Either pay for flea prevention that works, or continue to pay your veterinarian for regular exam fees, skin cytologies, steroids, antibiotics, and other skin care medications (tell me again about how you don’t want to put chemicals on or in your pet?). The former is the best option, and the safest and most comfortable option for your pet.
I love my dogs and my cats. I would never EVER think about using anything on them that I thought would be even the least bit harmful. I have seen what “homeopathic flea remedies” look like. They don’t work. I have witnessed the agony of a cat nearly hairless with moist dermatitis from head to toe that would go into a seizure if you touched it because it itched that bad. I have experienced it all folks. Lemon doesn’t work. If it did the lemon industry would be making bank. Diatomaceous earth doesn’t work. If it did we’d see a lot more of it on the market being advertised as such. Essential oils (tea tree oil, lavender, etc.) don’t work! They might help by deterring some fleas from jumping onto your pet, but most fleas aren’t phased by it.
And now the floor is open. Share your opinion(s) on the matter in the comments. This is how we all learn and grow. If you agree or disagree, have something to add or comment about, please share!
AnimalWhiz 