What a difference one weekend can make…
On Thursday evening my mind went into meltdown as a result
of lack of sleep, pain management and too much to do. Spike was struggling and I could not help
him, or so I thought….
A very busy week, concerns about Spike’s progress and the
discovery of further medical problems had prompted me to make the decision to
severely restrict Spike’s physical activity, i.e. no running. There were walks/ trots twice every day, but
nothing faster than a very slow jog.
On Friday I travelled to London fearful of the future for
Spike. A life of pain and struggling is
no life for a Siberian Husky - a creature that is bred to run. As I travelled to London I was also fearful
of my future, I know I am on “borrowed” time as far as my running career is
concerned. Imminent surgery for me is a
scary prospect, a future unknown. Managing
chronic ankle pain for most of my life has caused me other issues, one of which
is a severely deformed and arthritic big toe.
My “good” leg has had so much to cope with over the years and finally it
wants some “down time”….
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| Caught in the act of ignoring house rules... |
On Friday I travelled back from London with fire in my belly
and a determination that Spike and I were going to succeed, whatever it takes…
Spending time with Ian, friends and GBR Athletes reminded me
of a few things and of how exciting the future is… 2014 is going to be a very
special year as is 2015, 2016……. Now is tough, but it is not forever. Pain can be managed, both physical and
emotional.
And so, on Saturday morning I awoke with optimism and
excitement… a relaxing weekend lay ahead, one that would involve running, beer
and fun….
First step, Spike’s hydro therapy session. It went well, we took all four huskies to “spectate”
and Spike showed off to everyone….
And then embarrassed himself by screaming at
the top of his voice when the other huskies went towards the exit door…
Next up was a trip to Greenham Common and the Newbury Parkrun course where Kez, Kroi and I run our 15 minute 5ks. It was nearly mid-day by the time we reached the “start line” and with temperatures approaching 20 degrees, I knew a fast training session was out of the question…
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| Apple scrumping with Kroi.. |
Finally in full flow, we fast approached the ¾ mile point to
discover off lead and out of control dogs all over the track. We slowed down and deviated onto the grass to
avoid them and by the time we reached the full mile mark we were totally
lacking motivation and overheating – both huskies and I.
We jogged the remainder of the course, stopping to splash
around in all the big puddles en-route.
By the time we reached Ian and the other huskies I was
feeling a little despondent, but accepting of the conditions which were way too
hot for huskies – fine for trotting with them, but not galloping or making them
“work”. For some reason I chose to
ignore the fact that our first mile was just over 5 minutes, even with two stops
and a severe “slow down”…
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| Playing with the "main man" of the pack.. |
Ian had been struggling with Spike’s “enthusiasm” when
walking him as I ran the others. Frustrated
and with too much energy to burn…… So, I
decided to “have a go” with Kroi and Spike, run them together in harness. Just for a few hundred yards or so, a
distance too short to cause any overheating issues but long enough for them to
have fun.
It worked. Spike and
Kroi ran like a little dream team and for the first time ever Spike displayed a
“working attitude”. Finally his Siberian
Husky genes were winning through….
Spike was a little stiff in the evening and completely
exhausted, but a very contented exhaustion – he cuddled up to all the other
huskies, trying to be as close as possible to Kroi.
In the morning my intention was for Spike to have a “rest”
day while the others ran. His enthusiasm
when I went to put on his collar to take him for a walk made me hesitate in my
decision. I swapped his collar for a harness
and headed out the door….
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| Born to run... |
I never regretted that decision. Spike ran in a way I have never before seen
him run. He did not want to stop and he
did not stop “working”. We only ran a
short distance, but it was a breakthrough.
A definite sign that Spike is improving and wants to run.
I then went out running for a couple of hours with the two
brothers and when I returned Spike came charging over to me expecting to go out
for another run…..
This evening Spike looks stiff in his fore legs each time he
rises, but is clearly very content. He
has a big smile across his face when either Ian or I talk to him.
Next week I am going to try running him again with
Kroi. We are a long way from 15 minute
5Ks or sub 4 minute miles, but there is no reason why we cannot start the
journey now..
