I know this may sound asinine, but my favorite part of half marathon training is the long runs. Each one feels like a mini accomplishment and I love pushing myself to run a little farther than I thought I could.
Around 7:30 a.m., Ryan, Sadie and I set out for a family fun run to tackle the seven miles on our half marathon training plan.
Right from the beginning Ryan and I said we felt much better running this week than we did last week. Hopefully we’re getting in the groove!
About two miles into our run, we gained another running buddy.
(Source)
A black lab! The dog was big and sturdy and at first it just looked at us from a distance.
As we kept running (we run in and out of cul-de-sacs so we passed the area of the road where he was walking a few times), his interest increased and he started jogging slowing behind us.
We were a little apprehensive (he was a big boy!) but we could quickly tell that he was super friendly and just wanted to say hi. We pet him and let him sniff Sadie (she rolled over like the little pansy that she is) and soon enough he was part of our running pack.
His owners were nowhere in sight and when we first saw him it looked like he was wandering around aimlessly. We tried to find tags on the big boy, but we just saw what looked like the collar to an electric fence (that clearly failed miserably).
We didn’t really know what to do and were hoping he’d just wander off and find his way home.
He ran behind and beside us for a good two miles, in and out of cul-de-sacs in our neighborhood.
Eventually we ran down one long cul-de-sac and he started running enthusiastically. He ran ahead and sprinted up the driveway and into the garage at the end of the cul-de-sac. He found his home!
With our original running pack remaining, we finished the seven miles we set out to complete.
Right when we arrived home, Ryan and I dove into our freezing cold pool!
It felt so good but I didn’t last long in the chilly water.
Breakfast
The best part of a long run? Refueling, of course!
Last night I prepped a bowl of overnight oats to enjoy and scarfed that down in no time.
Last night I combined:
- 1 c. Greek yogurt
- 1/2 c. old fashioned oats
- 1/4 c. almond milk
- 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
I let it soak in the fridge overnight and in the morning I had a bowl of thick and creamy overnight oats!
It was good, but I found myself hungry less than an hour later and made myself another bowl of hot oats with cinnamon protein powder and honey for sweetness.
Double the oats = Double the fun
Off to enjoy my Saturday!
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Haha love that you ran him to his home– what a goober 🙂
Great job on your run!!
i laughed when you said the lad had the electric collar, the power must have been out, I have a great yummy recipe for homemade Larabars you should try for before your run,, I’m going to try that overnight oatmeal.
http://www.losetheshoes.net/2011/09/homdemade-larabars-recipe.html
I have had that happen to me before!! There was a Jack Russell Terrier loose in our neighborhood and he ran about 2 miles with me. It was kind of nice since I was alone 🙂
I didn’t know anyone else used cinnamon protein powder! I blend my own so it’s whatever I want it to be, but the cinnamon one is really great!! I love that your pack was temporarily increased by one, such a handsome pup <3
Wow Congrats on 7 miles!! 🙂 Those oats look delicious!
Congrats on the 7 miles!! There is a dog in my neighborhood that is so friendly and loves following me when I run by. One time he followed me all the way home and I had to drive him back to his address, when we got there the owner told me that if it ever happened again just say, “Go home Radar” and he would turn around and go home. Pretty cool 🙂
I feel the same way about long runs! I LOVE THEM and how they make me feel! I may struggle with my shorter runs all weeek but after I do my long run i’m happy 🙂 Im running a half marathon NEXT SUNDAY and yesterday I ran 12 miles!