Running, a new baby, Emmy

This has been a good week so far. Monday we did a dog run, meaning we took the dog(s) with us. We were aiming for 5 miles divided into 1 mile for Dickson (he has some arthritis) and 2 each for Tanner and Fiona. It was in the upper 70's and humid, and by the time it was Fiona's turn, Richard and I were both ready to call it quits. We walked her 1 mile, finishing up with 3 miles jogged, 1 walked, and 1 punked out on. Tuesday I did 3 miles while Rich was working. I decided to try some speedwork (fartleks? not exactly sure the term). I took each dog for a mile and picked a couple times each mile to really push it for a few seconds, like to the tree or the next trashcan, that sort of thing. Wow, it was fun and much tougher than I anticipated. The dogs were in hog heaven though, running fast with their ears and tongues flapping. Yesterday was 5 miles again, and it was one of those days where all morning I had the internal mental battle of whether or not I was going to do it. When it came time, I had about 3 hours to kill and was torn between going to a movie and sitting on my butt eating popcorn, or going running. I reluctantly chose running and of course was so glad I did. I chose to run on the beach this time instead of just on the roads near the beach. It was low tide so I had plenty of hard sand, and it was a little misty and gray out so the beach was deserted except for a couple windsurfers. It was so enjoyable to jog along the water line and watch the waves come in and get the sea breeze in your face. I jogged for an easy hour and never once wished I was somewhere else, so I consider that a hugely successful run!

Our great friends Erin and Brian just welcomed their first baby into the world yesterday, his name is Keegan Matthew and he is a doll. We got to see Brian's mom meet her first grandbaby, it was so sweet. I'm looking forward to toting the little bugger around the beach this summer. He is a handsome little thing, and a future heartbreaker I'm sure:)

In doggy-land, we took Emmy to the vet yesterday and today to get her 2nd and 3rd (final) shots of her heartworm treatment. She takes the shot like a trooper, but you can tell she is in pain from it all day. It is 3cc of fluid injected deep into the muscles around her spine, and it makes them really really sore. It make me sad to see her hurting, but I know that she'll be back to her feisty self soon and then in a few weeks she will finally be able to run and play and go on long walks since she will be heartworm free!