DISTANCE:  13.5 km DURATION:  1 hour 7 minutes

Today was actually nap day, according to Ella. Usually, when I show up there’s some movement by Ella whether it’s running up to the door or peaking around the couch like ‘what?’ Today, I honestly thought that she wasn’t there.  She was lying very quietly and very still on her bed, and once I found her she just looked at me like, ‘oh, ok, I guess I’ve been found’ haha. Once she got out of bed and stretched and ran around for a minute, she was ready to go! I wasn’t sure where to take her today so I decided that we’d loop around the zoo and see where the path takes us. We found that it actually crosses Deerfoot Trail and connects with the canal pathway on the east side. Ella seemed to enjoy the new scenery, but once we got back to her usual routes she definitely picked up the pace. She was all over the place today, there were so many birds out! Not too many other critters, but the birds were more than enough for her pointing-on-the-run skills. She also tried a couple of different strategies to get her Haltie off. The first was the usual torpedoing her face through the snow trick, and the second was to vigorously shake her head after the snow scrub didn’t work. These were unsuccessful but made for great photos and a great rest for both of us to cool down. She ended the run steaming again, and bounded around her yard with wild abandon pointing at birds and sniffing the Christmas tree. She almost didn’t want to come inside! We ended our time with lots of pets and water, and I’m sure she went right back to bed  Thanks for the great run Ella! I can’t wait for Tuesday!   Peed once, may have pooped but was hiding in bushes and I’m not sure if she was pointing or pooping. 

​Runner: Laura

DISTANCE: 13.5 km DURATION: 1 hour 9 minutes

Today was a test run for Ella and cold weather, and I'm pleased to report that she took it like a champ! There were several things that went into this test. First, we stayed within 10-15 minutes of home. Since Ella's so fast that meant we had about a 2.5-3 km range. Second, she held back a little bit so that the cold air wouldn't bother her lungs. Third, I had a ears/toes/tail test. The tail was the happy meter - if it went below straight out, we were going to turn home. It started straight up and stayed pretty happy, so I knew she was still good to go. The ears were checked to make sure they weren't getting too cold. Even after a little stretch where we ran into the wind, they felt warm. The toes were more of a foot or gait test. She didn't show any signs of limping or favouring any feet, so while I know they were cold, they were good to go! While I did all of this, Ella had a great time pointing out all the birds and squirrels we saw, and enjoyed the cleared pathways. She also really enjoyed her giant stuffed hedgehog.  Thanks for the awesome run girl! She pooped twice more once we got home and I'm sure she peed but it was too quick for me to see.

​Runner: Laura

DISTANCE:  12 km DURATION: 1 hour  10 minutes

Ok, now onto the run! Ella had a plan today. Last week we went to the zoo, today she wanted to go to the bird sanctuary! Very appropriate for a Pointer. We headed out in a 6km out and back along the river and by the bird sanctuary where there was a disappointing amount of birds, then skirted around the rail yards until the path ended at the river again. Ella showed herself to be quite the snow dog today, and delighted in torpedoing face first through the snow banks.  She also loved the natural little parks we went through, and wanted to explore every snow-covered trail. All too soon, we had to turn back though, and just like last week she bounded around her yard as if we hadn't run a step. She's going to make me earn my keep! Thanks for another lovely run Ella! The Scoop: 
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Runner: Laura

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DISTANCE:12.2 km  DURATION: 1 hour 4 minutes

​Today, I feel I was a little misled by Ella’s owners description of her opinion on running. They said she ‘loves’ to run. I found out that she LOVES to run!! It was an all caps RUN today with this absolutely lovely girl! We took off around the zoo and to downtown and back, and it seemed like the kms just flew by! I started calling her ‘Ella 4%’ because like the super fancy Nike shoes, I think she made me run 4% faster! She is wonderful on the leash, and luckily, there weren’t that many people out and about anyway. There were lots of squirrels though, but in true Pointer fashion, she pointed them out but didn’t take off after them. She also loves her yard, and bounded around it with absolute glee before and after our 12km. I made a judgement call on her jacket today, and we went without it with the intention of turning back for it within the first km if she started feeling cold or looking unhappy, but pretty quickly I discovered that unless we stopped for a long period of time, being cold won’t be an issue. In fact, once we got back home and were hanging out in her yard, she was literally steaming! I made sure she cooled off and got a big drink of water and a water bowl refill before leaving. I really enjoyed our hour together - she’s a great dog! Thanks for the run Ella! After I turned the app off she pooped once. 

​Runner: Laura

DISTANCE: 11.1 km  DURATION: 1 hour 7 minutes

Big heavy snow-covered trees 🌲, bright blue sky and a keen running dog 🐕 (Ella) were the ingredients for a fantastic Wednesday run. I was glad I had my Icebug runners on so we could enjoy the icy ❄️ pathway towards Eau Claire Market. I thought today we might hit the 12k mark but I think we both held back a bit of speed in order to stay upright. We both were just in the moment and enjoying the fresh crisp air and the drifting snow that occasionally sprinkled down on us. Once again, the roads were quiet with only one other dog out and about! Ella loved when went off-course through deep snow. We crossed one small bridge and she did great as I am told she is not a fan. I am looking forward to prancing in the snow on Friday with her and maybe getting in 12k. I accidentally hit the poop 💩 icon but she did not do her business while on the run.  Thanks Ella for once again showing me the joy of winter running!  P.S.  I also took a photo of fur family member Maya as she is such a cutie!

Runner: Ruth