A Dog's Perspective

Sometimes I wonder what the world looks like through Tahoe's and Ashley's eyes. During our walks those two bounce around the trail, leaping left to right and right to left, over streams, and up and down hills. I came across a video today that gave me an idea...

Now, if I could only figure out a way to secure a video camera on to Tahoe and Ashley ; )

National Puppy Day!

Today is National Puppy Day! To celebrate, Tahoe and Ashley spent the afternoon outside with Brian, sunbathing and getting some r & r. We also gave them jumbo Greenies and new squeaky toys. They both agreed that they like National Puppy Day.

Mr. Tahoe, enjoying the sunshine

What's left of the "new" squeaky toy

First Day of Spring

Today is the first day of Spring. In our area, the appearance of cherry blossoms always announces the start of spring. This year marks the 100 year anniversary of the planting of the cherry blossom trees around the Tidal Basin and in East Potomac Park in Washington, DC - a number of events are planned throughout the area to celebrate the beautiful cherry trees and our friendship with Japan.

This past Sunday, Brian and I went out with my mum to catch a glimpse of the cherry blossoms. To avoid the crowds at the Tidal Basin, we hopped on a boat tour and admired the cherry blossoms from the Potomac. It was a little cool and overcast but it was definitely a great way to enjoy the sights and beautiful blossoms.

Cherry Blossoms - a springtime celebration

Close-up of the blossoms

Posing with our GU attire in front of the boat

Brrr... Brian was cold!

Cherry blossoms and the Washington Monument

1/2 Marathon & Leprechaun Spirit

This morning was the Rock 'n' Roll USA 1/2 marathon in Washington, DC. As I mentioned in my last post, I've been struggling with some sort of sore throat bug. I knew this wouldn't be a record breaking race for me but luckily, I was feeling about 80% healthy when I woke up at 5:00am. Once up, I got dressed, got my gear bag together, and I headed to the metro to catch a train to the race. When I got on the train at 6:20am, the car that I was in was about half full. After only three stops the train was packed! There were so many people - not only on the metro but at RFK Stadium and on the race course. It felt a bit like the madness I experienced back in December in Las Vegas.

6:00am - Headed to DC, waiting for the train

Runners making their way to the starting line

Someone told me that there were 21,000 participants. I'm not sure if that's accurate - there were crowds of people everywhere! Most people were wearing green and shamrocks too, to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. My attire was selected by "Anonymous." (Thanks Anonymous!) The blue Dodgers t-shirt was perfect because when people on the sidelines would yell "Go Dodgers!," I knew that they were cheering for me.

The race course was scenic and took runners on a special DC site-seeing tour. We ran past the Capital Building, the Washington Monument, and the White House. There were also some interesting people throughout the race including: Elvis, the Incredibles, a leprechaun, and lots of drunk spectators wearing green.

Although I didn't set a PR, I'm satisfied with my finish time of 1:54:51. I had a number of challenges going into this race (illness, inconsistent training, etc) so considering, I'm cutting myself some slack. It's early in the season too so I think (barring any injuries) that it can only get better from here - I'm looking forward to it!

After the race, posing with my medal

A t-shirt I saw on the race course - Happy St. Patty's Day!

Let the Healing Begin

Let the healing begin... puhleeese!!!
A few weeks ago, I came down with the flu. It really wiped me out and even caused me to miss two and half days of work.  I was feeling about 80% better at the time of my 10 mile race.  And then last weekend, after my Sunday bike ride and run, my throat began to get sore. As of today, my throat still hurts, I'm coughing, and I'm losing my voice. Ugh!

Generally speaking, I'm pretty healthy and I don't get sick that often. These two bouts of illness have been quite frustrating, particularly because I've been trying to prepare for a running race on Saturday - the USA Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon in Washington, DC. Basically, being sick has really thrown the past few weeks of my training plan out the window. I'm not as prepared as I would like to be for the race (and I'm not expecting any PR's) but, I'm hoping that I can at least get close to healthy by Saturday. My fingers and toes are crossed...

RFK stadium - the start and finish for Saturday's race

DC is getting ready to Rock!

I stopped by the Race Expo at the DC Armory (near RFK Stadium) this afternoon to pick up my race number and packet. As I walked around the Expo, I realized that I haven't decided what I'm going to wear for the race. (O.k., you can roll your eyes - as a girl, it's only natural for me to worry about race-day fashion). Race morning will be clear and mild, with temps in the 60's, so I'm planning to wear shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. But what shirt should I wear?

Hmm... which shirt should I wear for the race?

Play Time

Daylight Savings Time began yesterday. We took advantage of the "extended daylight" by taking Tahoe and Ashley out for a walk and a romp in the field this evening.  Tahoe was really excited to have a chance to try out his new birthday toy and Ashley... well, she was thrilled to find a stick.

Always making silly faces!

Tahoe, happy to be playing in the field

Ashley found (and devoured) a stick

Tuckered out from all of the fun

Update: Do you remember my post about the 2012 Iditarod race? The race is winding down to an end. It is predicted that a winner will cross the finish line tomorrow. Dallas Seavey is currently in the lead with Ally Zirkle following close behind. If Zirkle and her team can pass Seavey, she'll be the first woman to win the race since 1990.

Brushing off the Cobwebs

Today, I decided to switch up my work-out and put some miles in at Babu's old *top-secret* stomping ground. I did 35k on the bike and an 8k run. It was my first time on the road bike since last fall - I can assure you that any cobwebs that had formed over the winter were blown away today.

Post work-out glow

Big fish

Bumper sticker (on car parked in front of mine)

Babu: The big fish told me that he misses you circling his swimming hole.

Paw-ty Time!

Today is Tahoe's and Ashley's birthdays. We celebrated the special occasion with presents and cake - lots of tail wagging was had by all!

Cake and presents!

Tahoe loves his new toy and treats

Birthday boy

Birthday girl

In the Company of Weims

On our afternoon walk today, we met a lady who stopped us and asked if she could pet Tahoe and Ashley. She told us that she had a dog just like them, a weim named Tonic. We could tell that she really loved that dog. She lost the dog in a divorce - she got the kids and her ex got the dog. It's amazing what complete strangers will share with us because they see Tahoe and Ashley.

Tahoe and Ashley on the trail

Posing for a picture

Dog TV

Tahoe wants to know, "where's the remote?"

April 1st is just around the corner but I can assure you, this is no April Fool's joke. Apparently, two major television/cable networks have teamed up and decided to launch Dog TV, a television channel created exclusively for dogs. According to Forbes, there will be no "doggy procedurals," like a canine version of CSI on Dog TV. This is not because dogs wouldn't be able to understand a narrative on television, but rather, that they might get hooked! (Hmm... can someone explain to my why television executives wouldn't want to hook dogs [or people] to their channel programming?)

Dr. Nick Dodman, a professor of animal behavior at Tufts University, is an advisor and consultant for the channel. Hear his explanation about how the new television channel will work in the video below: (Tip: look for the sculler at the 3:50 mark in the video... all dogs can relate to rowing!)

Age

In just a few short days, we will be celebrating birthdays - Tahoe's and Ashley's, that is. Tahoe's official date of birth is March 10, 2000. Ashley's is unknown (sometime in 2004 we guess) so we celebrate her birthday on the same day as Tahoe's. Tahoe will be turning 12 years old this year. But, how old is he in "people years?" Most people believe that to get a calculation of how old a dog is in people years, you must multiply the dog's age by 7. I recently read an article that presented a different formula:

"If your dog is five years old, that means he is the same physiologic age as a 35-year-old person, right? Well, actually not. The theory that every year in a dog's life is the same as seven years in ours is commonly known but unfortunately not very accurate.... Large and giant breed dogs initially age slower but then age quickly. At one year of age, he is about the same physiologically as a 12-year-old child. After that, each year follows the standard seven human years."(Petplace.com)

So, on Tahoe's birthday, he will be the same age physiologically as an 89 year old man. No matter what his age, he'll always be my little puppy.

How old is Mr. Tahoe?

89 years old and still acting like a pup!

Toughest Race in the World

This morning, I woke up bright and early to participate in the Reston 10-miler. The race started at 8:00am and the conditions were clear and cool. I always get butterflies before races - this race was no different. I wasn't focused on achieving a PR necessarily but, I did want to have a "feel good" run.

All in all, it went o.k. I encountered a slight hiccup at mile marker 6... I had planned to take water from the water station at mile 6 but the two runners in front of me swiped all of the cups so by the time I reached the station, I would have had to stop and wait to be served water. I certainly wasn't going to stop for water! The slight deviation to my hydration plan created a little bit of a mental hurdle for me. The difficulty was short-lived though... by mile marker 8, I was running on auto pilot. (I also managed to PR.)

Posing after the race

Runners racing to the finish line

Since I'm on the topic of racing...
Yesterday was the start of what many consider to be the toughest race in the world... the 2012 Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race began March 3 at 10:00am (Alaskan Standard Time) in Anchorage, Alaska. 66 mushers, or dog sled racers, crossed the starting line to embark on the 1,112 mile race. Each sled team has an average of 16 dogs and all teams must traverse through 26 checkpoints throughout the trail. The fastest finishing time on record for the Iditarod is 8 days 22:46:02 (set in 2002) while the slowest time is 20 days 15:02:07 (set in 1974).

Start of Iditarod 2012

Photo Opportunity

I haven't been taking many pictures of Tahoe and Ashley during our walks lately because it's been rainy and/or dark when we've been out - not the best conditions for picture taking.  Today though, the rain stopped and the sun came out after lunchtime, providing a perfect opportunity for me to take my camera out with us on our afternoon walk.

Ashley at the lake

Tahoe sniffing mini-daffodils

Blue sky and clouds

Two geese

Poop bag?

Tahoe and Ashley enjoyed the walk - they were also very well behaved.  I was so excited to be able to take pictures that after I snapped the picture of the geese above, I inadvertently left our poop bag behind on the path. I realized this about a block from home... I was thinking, "wow, it's easy to handle two leashes when you don't have to carry other things in your hands." Yep, it sure is. (Don't worry - I went back to the lake and collected the poop bag).

Oink Oink

Did you know that today is National Pig Day?

Oink oink!

While National Pig Day is not an official holiday recognized by Congress, it is a day where we should all stop and take a few minutes to thank and celebrate domesticated pigs. Apparently, some people go all out and celebrate by wearing pink and throwing "pig parties." If Tahoe and Ashley still had their flying pig toy, we would have definitely played with it during today's walk, in honor of the special day. Sadly, the flying pig bit the dust a long time ago so... Tahoe and Ashley had to settle on a Greenie treat instead.