dog – Page 6 – Blue Green Gold Grey, Awyr Maes Tywod Aarreg

Weather patterns

Its been quite the week of weather, we’ve had the lot. been out for a few runs in it and many more walks. One of the best things about owning a dog is that it forces you out no matter how you feel you have to go (I’ve had the lurgi all week). And if we dont go and do the miles every day Murph turns into a raving lunatic. Run-wise I just got back from an 8 miler in the pissing down rain and it was great. Everything feels spot on – well apart from the usual foot problems which I have decided simply just to ignore. It doesnt matter if I run or not things hurt simply because of the walking mileage too. I literally cant rest cos of the dog so hey ho its suck it up and keep moving time.

20180919_074639 — Are you this happy? if not then why not? Be the dog!

20180919_163059 — Timing is everything – Tide going out and just enough sand to get along

20180920_164822 — Can you lick your own nose like this? If not why not? No wait ….

20180921_163414 — Sun and wind make some beautiful conditions

20180921_163615 — Froth sea under a shiny sun

20180922_105728 — Pissy rain has its own beauty – mainly keeping people indoors

20180922_111103 — Why? Why take a lovely natural path and build fucking steps on it. I know it probably makes life easier for hikers or something but for the love of god please stop sanitising nature in the name of convenience and safety. Argghghghghghghgh

Splendid Isolation

Once again I haven’t blogged in weeks. It’s not like I have nothing to blog about I just never seem to sit down to do it these days. Doesn’t help being back in work after the summer off, having a cold, a mental dog etc etc All excuses of course. Luckily I always have time to get out with Murph. usually two big walks or runs a day, usually to the beach. I calculated last week I was up in the 60 mile range of walk/run so it’s no wonder my feet and ankles are feeling pretty battered. Theres not much I can do about it though.

Take rest everyone screams in the running world when you feel injuries and those niggles. Rest it! Rest it! I can’t, not out of stubborness and stupidity (Been there seen it done it) but because I have aforesaid mental dog who needs the exercise. So I really have no option but to hope things hold together! Im sure they will, I stretch and roll my feet (Got a great foot massage roller thingy that looks a bit like a sex toy)

So splendid isolation? Its that time of the year again which I love, I love Autumn not just for the season itself but because the beach empties and I have it pretty much to myself again until spring. Being a rescue Murph has some difficulties with people and as his confidence has grown his defence mechanism has switched from running away from people to barking at them. I know he’s fine and wont hurt people hes just saying “stay the fuck away from me” but hes quite large and scary if you dont know him so I almost (almost) feel sorry for people when he charges up to them baring his teeth and barking. He is responding better to commands though and I can usually haul him off before kids cry.

So here are the latest batch of photos. A random mix of walks, runs and ….. well just see

20180903_070039 — Dawn at the beach is always special

20180906_071048 — Sunrise in the fields (awful photo technically but i like it)

20180907_065407 — Little fluffy (pink) clouds – for you SRG

20180907_070337 — Sunlight through the woods

20180903_173940 — Splendid isolation in full swing

20180905_174125 — If you’re digging a hole then i’m digging a hole

20180907_165218 — Random cat in a pot in neighbours garden

Still running (and walking)

Ok so I fully admit my post rate is poor, its currently at around 5 runs to a post or similar. Cant be helped more time running and less time writing is fine for this time of year. Autumns coming too – In fact i do believe its here and its always a pleasure to be out and about this time of year. So much to see and cooler weather to do it in.

20180829_122047 — Looking handsome as ever

So this week we have mainly beach run with a trip back to West Wales to see the people at the sanctuary Murph came from. he was good as gold there no sign of freaking out at being back and it was lovely for them to see him.

While we were there we took the chance to pop back to Pembrey Country park to have a walk on the huuuuuge beach there.

20180829_134002 — Oh yeah he had his therapy dog with him too

20180829_122105 — Standing on things is always better with friends

20180829_134424 — Murph dug himself this pit in the dunes and then pro0mptly lay in it

20180829_152536 — Tilly getting confused by a mirror image – The other dog was even called Tilly, was the same breed and the sme age give or take a few months – small world (if youre a small dog)

Back to running and I had an idea – I sewed my old garmin watch to one of Murphs collars – I want to see hwo much extra milage he does – sods law he decided to stuck to me like glue on this run so whereas i did 7 he did only a quarter mile more. When he chases skyrats I want to see big numbers Murph!

Rain and shine (and mist and stuff)

I’ve run everyday for the past week (except friday which was actually a rest day) but havent blogged any. Cos im lazy and its summer and Im not at the PC so much and a million reasons so you can have a smorgasbord of photos from the last week. Ive looked at my movescount stats and Im still a abit scared but nothings broken or hurting too bad. This morning it was beautiful out and we just kept purring along feeling good which turned into 12 and a half miles some of which was even tempo (which is around 7 min/mile pace these days which is shocking me). Murph loves it as much as I do thankfully.

20180822_075613 — Much of the week has been proper murk – rain too. I dont care really as it just means its more likely I get the whole beach to myself

20180822_080829 — The face in the cliffs – Found it works both ways as long as you get the angles right

20180823_084310 — Derp dog derping along derpily

20180824_130818 — Different beach, we ended up in ogmore and so I took Murph to where I used to throw stones for Soak a lot when she was getting on a bit

20180825_092403 — Returning from yet another unsuccessful skyrat chase

20180825_092404(1) — Having fun? I think you might be

20180825_092441 — Returning from unsuccessful skyrat chase number 293

20180825_100107 — Just a beautiful morning, n o reason to go home so tack on some extra miles

Finds!

Well im finding that a days rest everynow and again helps. Well I knew that anyway but for once I actually listened to my body when on wednesday night my legs were just saying no just don’t do it tomorrow. Then on thursday morning I thought “hey they’re ok I could run” and common sense kicked in people! I actually thought about it and gave it a day off. I looked at my stats which I rarely seem to do these days and realised I had run a 50 mile week with 30 miles in the last 3 days which is is maybe overdoing it, truth is im enjoying being out with murph so much I dont really notcie the miles. If you add on the miles we walk too its no wonder the legs protest.

So a few runs since and today i made a find. A find find.

20180818_082000 — Surfboard with leash and fins intact just washing in overnight. Not sure what I’m gonna do with it as I dont surf (though i could learn) but a find is a find – So I ran back 3 miles with it

20180815_135429 — Hide and seek – spot the dog?

Everyones got a talent

Even sheep, one of the stupidest animals alive and always looking for a new way to die. But they have one talent that I dont have and im jealous.

20180814_122546 — They have absolutley no fear of heights – I could barely watch them pass along a tiny gap between the fencepost and cliffedge to get from one field to another. They didnt even need to do this as the fence ends a few feet inland and they could have walked around it safely. But thats sheep for ya, always looking for a novel way to expire

20180814_122547 — Murph watching them, utterly mystified

Another 7 miles or so and came home in a lovely rainshower kicking out silly pace as we were having fun

Milestones? He doesnt even care

Well I know one thing – Murph can run a half marathon because he did yesterday. We were just enjoying being out and as we had waited for the tide and it was midday I took a running pack with food and water. And when you’re out and having fun just ticking over you just keep going.

So we did the run to Witches and then up and over the top, back to the beach and then a full length run back to Atlantic College which meant that was around 9 in total so by the time we hit up the cliff path for a strecth (variation for Murph as we’d been on rocks for a while) and then the beach back to monknash and home. Making it 13 and a half. He wasnt even tired, I was hurting in various places though holding up better than I thought I would on my first “longer” run again.

20180813_120533 — The lads were out in force today, they like to follow us for a while. No harm in them just curious

20180813_135013 — Past the ligthouse on the rocky stretch

20180813_135820 — Found the painted rocks – Cant remember how they used to be arrange so no idea if they’ve moved, half of them are missing though

20180813_140506 — Murph approaching Atlantic College

20180813_142548 — Sandbank in the distance from the cliffs at marcross

20180813_145251 — Now I figured perhaps he would be getting tired – nope thats him sprinting off ahead while I play catch-up. It’s a new kind of training im developing in which you have to maintain a suicidal pace just to keep up with your rapidly disappearing dog

20180813_150930 — Thats 13 miles Murph – Half marathon complete. Note position of lead – Thats as I’m virtually on my hand and knees from catching up to him before he reached the road.

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