 DISTANCE: 9.16 km DURATION: 59:43
A blast from the past! How exciting to get a last minute opportunity to run with Yellow Lab Desi. I was definitely keen to take one of my favourite dogs to one of my favourite places: Griffin Woods. Desi is a great athlete and easy dog to be around. It was quite windy and sunny out but we swiftly got blown towards the woods. Once there, Desi was super keen to take me in the water with her. In true Lab fashion, Desi loves to swim. I think she is a good off-leash pup but it has been awhile since we saw each other so I did not let her off-leash. My shoes got a bit wet but it was worth the joy it brought her to cool off in the pond. The Scoop: 1 poo and 3 pees. Thanks again sweet Desi for this lovely reunion; it was a blast! DGR's last run with Desi was November 2018 and I last saw her November 2016. Runner: Ruth
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   DISTANCE: 8.69 km DURATION: 1:05:08
I was really determined this morning to run at least 9K with Desi today since she usually goes pretty far and this is her first day back, but the stars just did not align. Unfortunately, it started snowing pretty heavily so visibility was poor and the ice made the bike paths hard to manage. We started off trying to find some sort of woodsy back trails and after going down a couple of neat pathways where we actually saw this small chapel, Desi and I headed for the bike paths again. There were a few surprise paths and staircases that made the run a little more interesting than if we had stuck to the sidewalks. It was lovely to meet you Desi, and I hope you had a fun time out today! Enjoy the snow. The Scoop: 2 pees, no poops. Runner: Sarah 
 DISTANCE: 11.21 km DURATION: 1:23:02
One of the many great things about dogs is they get you out on days when you think it is too cold. Today was a glorious day. Yes, it was a bit cold at -12C but with the sun shining and reflecting off the the bright white snow, it was very comfortable. And yes, there is a lot of snow left in Griffith Woods. Desi had a wonderful run on the trails. She is really enjoying her opportunity to run off-leash. Desi especially loves to slide on her side and then roll on her back. When she is off-leash, her slides with a running start are much longer. Scoop: 2 pees. Runner: Mario 
DISTANCE: 10.71 km DURATION: 1:23:05
Another lovely day in Griffith Woods with Desi. But this time Desi was in for a new treat - we experimented with her off-leash on some of the quieter trails. She was very well behaved. Her pattern was to run just ahead of me until she caught an interesting scent. I would get about 20 to 30 meters ahead of her before she came tearing down the trail to catch up. I called her back a couple of time and rewarded her with treats. Her favourite part was a splash in a creek for two reasons. Desi loves the water and enjoys getting dried off at the end of the run. Scoop: 1 pee. Runner: Mario  
DISTANCE: 11;87 km DURATION: 1:29:47
Boy was Desi eager and full of energy today. I always know she is extra eager when she holds the leash in her mouth for the first part of the run. We headed down to Griffith Woods and had a great time. The sun was shining and the snow was soft and fluffy. Given the nice day, I was surprised how few dogs we met - but then, we did stick mainly to the narrow trails. Desi likes those trails better since she can easily sniff both sides of the trail. On the way back, Desi cooled off with several rolls in the snow. Scoop: 1 poo and 1 pee. Runner: Mario 
DISTANCE: 8.68 KM DURATION: 1:15:02
Another pleasant run with Desi. She liked the fresh layer of bright white snow. I think she likes that the smells are hidden and she has to dig for them. And of course she always enjoys rolls in the fresh snow. We are getting into our little routines. She patiently waits while I dry her off. And her patience is always rewarded with a couple of snacks. Scoop: 1 poo and 1 pee. Runner: Mario 
 DISTANCE: 9.73 km DURATION: 1:13:13
Another warm welcome from Desi. Yes, it has been a couple of days. We took a different route today and we found the best of both worlds. I found bare pathways and Desi found snowbanks. A dog's sense of smell is as strong or stronger than our sense of sight and hearing combined. So a new route for Desi can be the same as a person running in an entirely new city. We had a fun snack time in the park. Scoop: 1 poop and 1 pee. Runner: Mario   DISTANCE: 6.16 km DURATION: 1:11:27
Desi is such a good girl! I could tell right away she just loves life and is happy about everything. She was so excited to get started she put her leash in her mouth like she was going to run me. She is quite the runner! Although for a moment she reminded me of a penguin the way she would wiggle on her belly through the snow, but penguins certainly can't run like Desi. We had a great time exploring her neighbourhood. Desi seemed really excited about having some grass to run on with all the snow melting, all the more for her to smell! She certainly didn't mind the puddles, I'm sure she would have went swimming if they were big enough. Down to business: one poop and one pee. Good job Desi! Runner: Sloane 
 DISTANCE: 11.33 DURATION: 1:41:45
On Monday, it felt like spring. Today, it felt like summer. While the sidewalks were all puddles, Desi and I headed to Griffith Woods where we found lovely snow covered trails and warm sunshine. All the dogs in Calgary had the same idea. Desi met a record number of dogs. A couple of dogs were not interested in meeting Desi. And Desi was fine with that; she just moved on with the thought, "there are plenty of fish in the sea". When we left the park to head home, Desi was most interested in sitting in snow banks and cooling off. In one snowbank, Desi just looked at me as if to say, I am not leaving. I took the opportunity to take a few photos and give her some treats. For her if was like a picnic. When we got home, there was a longer than usual drying off session which Desi thoroughly enjoyed. Scoop: 2 pees. Runner: Mario 
 DISTANCE: 10.62 km DURATION:1:35:11
What a warm greeting I received when I arrived at Desi's place. She knew it was a great weather day and was eager to get going. Or to quote Bob Dylan - "Desi don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows". We headed to Griffith Woods and enjoyed the lovely snow covered trails. We met a lot of other dogs and saw a couple of flocks of Canadian Geese flying over head. All the animals know spring is just around the corner; they do not need a groundhog to tell them. On the way back, Desi laid in the snow to get cooled off and rest a bit. Scoop: 1 poop and 2 pees. Runner: Mario    DISTANCE: 9.61 km DURATION: 1:32:34
Another bright sunny day. The pathway to Discovery Ridge was plowed, so Desi and I headed back to Griffith Woods. We took a different route and headed to the east end of the park. At first it was slow going on a single track trail with lots of loose snow. Allow me to clarify. Slow going for me; it is never slow going for Desi. Then we reached a plowed pathway and the pace picked up. Desi like this section and adopted an "S" pattern of running as she crossed back and forth sniffing both banks. It was worth it as she dove into a couple of banks looking for treasures. We found a short path with access to the Elbow River. This will be a great spot for a summer time swim. Scoop: 1 poop and 2 pees. Runner: Mario 
 DISTANCE: 7.83 km
DURATION: 1:15:49 I thought last week was cold but hat was nothing compared to today's -20C. Despite my dedication to running, I would not have gone out today if Desi was not waiting for me. I am glad I did. Not only did it not feel that cold but Desi's enthusiasm always lifts one's mood for running. I thought it might be too cold for photos outdoors, so I tried a few selfies with Desi before the run. Lesson learned; do not expect Desi to stay still when she is anxiously waiting to get out and play in the snow. Twenty photos later and only one passable for posting. It was far easier to take her photo at the end as she patiently waited for her treats. I did get a nice outdoor shot with her muzzle all covered in frost. We altered our usual route because of the deep snow and explored some new pathways. At one point we had to cut across a field of deep snow. Desi loved that part. The deeper the snow, the better she likes it. She will sometimes run in the snowbank that parallels a completely bare pathway. Scoop: 1 pee. Runner: Mario    DISTANCE: 10.88 km
DURATION: 1:33:48 A cold but quick run. It was -13C so this was by far one of the colder runs. I do not mind the cold since it is easy to dress for and the ice is not as slippery. But for Desi it was a different story; she LOVED it. There was a definite quickness to her step and just as many rolls in the snow. I took advantage of her liveliness and did some faster running. Desi was keen on that idea. But being the smart dog that she is, she also knew the faster sections just meant we had more time to stop and smell "the roses". It was the classic interval training session. Desi could certainly teach a thing or two to my track athletes. And best of all, we were able to go back to Griffith Woods. The light snow fall the other day covered up most of the ice. Scoop: 1 poop and 1 pee. Runner: Mario 
 DISTANCE: 6.20 KM DURATION: 55:46
Why hello Desi! Meet Jayne, one of DGR's newest runners. We decided to stick to neighbourhood sidewalks today, given how icy it was out there. The fresh snow was hiding those slick ice patches. But it didn't hide all the snacks Desi found today! I think Desi may have found all four food groups to gobble up today. She definitely had some fruit (an old apple core) and veggies (dead grass). And maybe she thought the poop (eww!) had some protein. And the fresh snow that was milky white must have been refreshing for her. She did have a lot of sniff breaks today, but both Jayne and I appreciated that. Thanks Desi for another fun run! The scoop: one poop and one pee. Runner: Tammy    DISTANCE: 10.06 km DURATION: 1:24:20
This was my third run with Desi and now I think she trusts me. She did not have to take the leash in her mouth and lead me to Griffith Woods. She knew that was where we were heading. When we got to the park, I saw what I had expected. Yesterday's warm winds and last night's cold temperature turned all the trails to ice. We took to the pathways in Discovery Ridge instead and I was able to discover some new options with nice views of the mountains. Desi did not enjoy the views though. She was too busy keeping her nose close to the ground reading all the text messages from her friends. The pathways climbed up and down the ridge giving us a total of 133 meters of elevation gain. As you can see in the photos, she took a well deserved rest on the way back to cool off in the snow. Scoop: 1 poop and 1 pee. Runner: Mario |
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