U da Dawg

There is a beautiful Irish Setter who lives on the BLD route. The BLD is Big Lap Deuce, referenced Friday. I have been running the 8.8 miles of relentless hills for almost two decades and know most of its nuance. If memory serves, my canine buddy has been around for at least ten of the twenty. So he (I assume it's a he) has been around a while. He lives on a fenced stretch of property that runs for over 200 yards. There is a well trod path that parallels that entire distance where he runs. Today as I tried to focus on my form cresting the hill, he came charging and sprinted the entire distance with me, giving an occasional glance to make sure I was having as much fun as he. We went hard for the entire 200 and I gave him a little 'you the dawg' finger point when we reached the end of the sprint (the end of his domain). He acknowledged my compliment with a single woof.

And then he did something I never noticed before. Glancing back over my shoulder he was already on the porch, next to the front door, fully curled up and looking back towards where we started.

He was resting. Taking a blow. Lying in wait for the next runner, car, cyclist, or dog walker.

He was doing intervals. Work, rest, recover, repeat. Go hard, get to max, take a sip, take a break.

By the time I made the complete circuit and returned to his turf, forty minutes had passed and I was dealing with some lower back pain and thermal discomfort from the cloud cover. As soon as I put one foot on the corner signifying the start of his dirt, there he was going even harder than the first lap, tongue hanging, red hair and ears pinned back, eyes on fire.

He was challenging me to a negative split, I could feel it. Let's go faster than the first time. And we were off.

200 yards isn't a great distance. But by the time we traveled it, my lungs were pounding and my legs felt like Douglass Firs. I gave him the usual salute and this time he responded with a pair of barks. Geeze, now he's counting laps, too, I laughed looking back one last time. There will be no third lap today, my friend, see you next week.

But he was already curled on the porch, in full-on recovery mode, waiting.

Pic is the tea-house on the duck pond at Battle Point Park at sunset last night. It is one of the few flat sections of the BLD. I really need a camera a touch smarter than my iPhone, however.