Run to Win

It was a light week this week last year.

• I began the week by discussing how effective body weight exercises are when traveling. This was the final article of the month on training and travel in collaboration with Scott.
• I collected my best tips as well as what other people with the article about what to do when a dog wants to chase you. Once you use these tips and are safely away, I really recommend that you call animal services or your local warden. It may seem like a harsh thing to do and it will definitely upset the owner, but it is in the dog’s best interest for their owner to be aware of what they are doing and making sure that the animal stays safe and doesn’t put itself or anybody else in danger.
• This week last year, the marathon world record was broken by Haile Gebrselassie with a time of 2:04:26. That ain’t walkin’…
• In local racing news, Kay West finished the Eliot 5k in 1:28:53, which was below the USATF age group guidelines for the distance. She was 97 years old! I wonder if she’ll be running again later this morning?
• This week 2 years ago, I made the front page of the local newspaper. The story didn’t have a whole lot to do with me, but it involved a giant picture so I won’t complain! I pointed out how easy it is to make new friends while you are running, and discussed how important a flexible training schedule can be.
• This week 3 years ago, I discussed DNA tests that determine what sports you may have better success at than others. I also spoke about running through illnesses and a good swiss ball routine.

This week last year used a few anecdotes to get some points across and commented on some recent news.

• Sometimes (usually) it is not such a bad thing to get lost on a run; it can help you learn new routes.
• When you have trouble with dogs, it will usually because the owner neglects them in some way, shape or form. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to come after you. Sometimes, though, a leash just isn’t enough. Ice can play a part in that too.
• I found a website that helped you to determine what you needed more to qualify for Boston, speed or endurance.
• On the news front, the USATF extended their drug policy to coaches, which I think was a good move.
• Are you having trouble losing weight? Perhaps you are doing too much aerobic exercise. An Alwyn Cosgrove inspired article.
• This week two years ago, I continued my series on animated exercises by demonstrating how to do a prone leg curl, and gave a great tip for how to warm up cold bars in your home gym when you are exercising. I also reviewed stabilicers, which are great for maintaining traction in icy conditions when you don’t want to put screws directly into your shoes.

Photo by boxercabDogs and runners have a love/hate relationship (usually hate.) As a runner, we are invading their turf, putting their owners in danger, moving fast enough to look interesting and tasty, or just have some bright colors on that makes the dog think that we are a toy. There are a lot of reasons for a dog to chase us, and for the most part they are valid reasons. Sometimes the dog just wants to play with us, or to come over and say hi, and sometimes the dog wants to hunt and maim us.

I was recently asked what do you do when a dog is not on a leash, and it looks like it may want to chase you?

I have had mostly good luck following the steps below, but I will also be the first to admit that I have also been bitten before. I have not been bitten very many times, and I plan on continuing to follow these steps as being the least intrusive to my run, the least danger to both myself and to the dog, and from my own experience has the highest success rate.

What to do when a dog chases you:

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As the temperature has been plummetting recently (it was below zero fahrenheit last night when I got home from work) and the wind and dark and traffic are not a good combination when you have ice and snow covering the sides of the road, I have started running my lunch loop again. It is a loop that is just over 5 miles long near where I work. The problem I had today, of course, came from having to share the sidewalk with a man and his dog.
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Russian terrier Ringo Tsar is learning how to box from his owner, Russ Williams.

“I decided to teach him to jump up on command and kick with his two front legs. I have been training him for weeks now and he will jump and kick on command to either punch bags or someone holding a kick pad. He hasn’t got great power at the moment but is improving day by day.”

I find this humorous for some reason. A boxing dog. Pretty soon there’ll be a dozen of them, fighting at venues all across Europe and the Americas, bringing in tons of money for their promoters…okay, I am getting ahead of myself. I still find the concept funny.