I also really like stuffed animals. I own several. Now, don't get me wrong, they're not the same as a having your very own live squirrel but those buggers are hard to catch. Let's see, there's Peter (a rabbit wannabe), Wee Beastie (a sort of Frankensteinish cross between a squirrel and a ferret), Green Man (what can I say, he's green and sort of human-shaped), and Green Dog (self-explanatory I hope). I'm very fond of carrying these guys around in my mouth, especially when I greet my friends.
Well, yesterday morning a person from something called the Geek Squad came to our house to work on the upstairs TV. I've told you how much I dislike the lady who comes in the afternoons and sticks papers in the front door slot. Well, those same dangerous feelings were bubbling near the surface of my consciousness when this guy approached our home. I just didn't like how he so casually walked down the steps, swaggered to the front door, and touched our house. My BIG bark burst from between my teeth even before I realized what I was doing. And I kept barking, trying to make myself sound as mean and intimidating as possible.
The Geek just laughed at me. How infuriating. I kept barking. He kept laughing.
I guess its hard to be taken seriously as a ferocious guard dog with Wee Beastie firmly gripped in your mouth. A lesson learned.
However, everyone was amazed how well I could bark with a stuffed animal in my mouth.
Enough of that. Let's talk running.
My Best Friend, Drew, and I have visited the Montour Trail twice in the last couple of days to run. This isn't our first venture into running, but I think its going to lead us both to well beyond where we have been.
When we ran in Kosice (Slovakia) it was always on the streets and sidewalks of the old town area. Very congested with traffic and folk, cobblestones, concrete, asphalt, and distractions. But the Montour Trail is way different.
On Thursday we ran four miles (more than six kilometers for my highly intelligent and metric savvy European readers). Today we ran five miles!
The trail is great. I'm a dog so I don't normally wear footwear, even for running long distances. I like it when I can get a grip with my toenails. Heck, that's why I have them, right? On hard surfaces I never feel totally secure, but on the Montour Trail, WOW. It's made or some kind of dirt/stone mixture and feels GREAT to my feet. My Best Friend did a lousy job of taking pictures today so I can't really show you how great the Trail is. I told him about it and he promised to do better next time. Let me just tell you that in our run today we crossed three bridges, went through a dark tunnel, saw a beautiful green area that I was informed is a golf course, and met several other runners AND their dogs. I'm hooked.
My Best Friend tries to tell me that he used to be a pretty good runner, but he runs upright and on only two feet! How good could he ever have really been? Now he runs at a pace that keeps me at a slow trot (OK, maybe a fast walk). No complaints though. If we can keep it up I think he may speed up.
Let's consider our differences in the appreciation of running. As already reported, he is bi-pedal (ugh!). His real feet never make contact with that great trail surface since he wears socks and shoes (ugh!). His nose is about five and half feet off the ground where the beauty and wonder of interestingly earthy smells are diffuse and unappreciated (Ugh!). Actually, I don't think his nose is a good enough apparatus to appreciate those wonderful trail smells no matter where he puts it. And, his eyes are up there above his nose. How can he begin to see all the flutterings and details at the trail's edge? And, have you ever watched a human run? What's all this bobbing up and down about? The arms churn at his sides, he huffs and puffs, and his head goes up and down.
Now let's take me in comparison. At fifty pounds (compared to his 199) I glide effortlessly along the trail. With four legs and four wonderful feet I trot with a steady gait that keeps my head on a swivel where I can turn my attention to anything of interest at a moment's notice. My nose drifts just 18 inches off the trail surface and leads me everywhere I go. Oh, that nose! I know that I can't possibly explain to humans how much better my nose works than yours. Just take my word for it that my sensory experience of five miles on the Montour Trail far surpasses anything that a human could possibly imagine.
I'm a running fan! I hope we make this a habit for along time to come.
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