DISTANCE: 10.1 km DURATION: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ella was sleeping when I got there but as soon as I had the harness on she was shaking with anticipation for her run. The sidewalks were very quiet and we went through a little snowstorm in one section. She was impatient for pictures but I did manage to get some.  She never looked at me and was always looking in the direction of the run! Haha! She had a pee in the backyard before we said goodbye. Thanks for the run today!
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Runner: Jessica

DISTANCE: 10 km DURATION: 56 minutes

​Today felt like the perfect spring day! The pathways were actually quiet and we weaved around as many of the puddles as we could but getting a little muddy was inevitable. Ella was happy for a quick stop so that she could have some fresh running water and led the pack the whole way. She had a pee in the backyard when we got back and we ran 10km total.

​Runner: Jessica

DISTANCE: 13 km  DURATION: 1 hour 10 minutes

Today was a chilly one! Spring isn’t quite here yet, even though technically it is. Ella and I decided that we would try to get over to her favourite out and back path - the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary path.  However, based on previous runs this week, I worried that the usual fish hatchery loop would be crowded with people. So, after a little bit of convincing (she’s a dog of habit!) we turned right where we usually go straight, and took a less fun short-cut into Inglewood. Once we got back into a residential area, she was more than happy to blast down some sidewalks, and we even found a little bit of single track trail! We then looped around and hopped on our usually route with lots of time and distance to spare, so we went a little further south than usual. It was a good call because I think in our whole 13 km, we maybe saw 4 people - 2 of which were in residential areas closer to her home. Ella LOVES exploring further south,  She is really intent and alert when we stop for photos at our turn-around point. I think next time we can go a little further because we made it back to her house with about a km to spare so we weaved around her neighbourhood checking things out to run out the distance. A big highlight (other than going further south past Calf Robe Bridge) was a squirrel that she saw in Inglewood! It was pretty brave, it must have known that she was just going to stare at it. Once we got back, I popped her into her yard and texted her owners to let them know we were home, and as I went to drive away, she was standing at the fence closest to my car staring first at me, then at the house, over and over like she was sure I was forgetting something  No worries Ella! You could never be forgotten! Thanks for the great run girl!

​Runner: Laura

DISTANCE: 12.6 km  DURATION: 1 hour 7 minute

​Today was another wonderful run with Ella! It was a little cold, so we bundled up and headed west. This wasn’t ideal as the wind was strangely from the East, but going downtown offered the best chance of cleared paths and even then there were lots of icy patches that even Ella had trouble with. The gloomy moodiness of the day seemed to reflect the feelings of Calgarians, so Ella and I decided to celebrate the first day of Spring instead! We found a rainbow, had about 4 minutes of sunlight, saw a tiny bit of blue sky, and enjoyed being healthy and fit and outside together. We didn’t see too many people out and about, but I think that’s more due to the weather than to social distancing. That being said, we gave everyone we came across a smile, a wave, and a very wide berth. Ella was definitely in Pointer mode, so we ended up taking more breaks than usual in the first half of the run. She was taunted by a jackrabbit on McHugh Bluff that paced us for about 50m through the trees, and was on high alert for squirrels but saw none. We found a new loop that was really nice, and it offered a nice change of pace for both of us. Sunnyside was full of dogs and people, but there was plenty of room to scoot around and keep on trucking. Ella really loved all of the soft fresh snow and spent more of the run with snow on her head  we finished right at 13km (the app froze for a bit), and she went inside and was DELIGHTED to find her owners still home! She’s one lucky girl! And so am I for getting to run with her. Thanks for the great hour Ella! See you next week! The Scoop: 12 pees. 2 poos.

​Runner: Laura

DISTANCE: 13.8 km. DURATION: 1 hour 2 minutes

Today Ella and I went Strava segment hunting on the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary out and back. The clear paths and cool but not cold weather made it the perfect day for a successful hunt as we finally got the course record for women for the park that loops around the Fish Hatchery and the rapids in the Bow River! I usually stop to try to get some pictures in this area but today we just ran through it and hold the record by 1 second! We also were able to do a little loop in the park South of Calf Robe Bridge because we had more time and distance than usual. Ella REALLY wants to go further into this park as it has her favourite paths - flat and fast! We still made time for lots of snow face diving, and had lots of pets once we got back home. One of the things I love about Ella is that even though we were going pretty fast, she's so good on the leash that never once did I feel out of control. Thanks for being such an awesome running partner Ella! I hope you had fun today! 2 poops, no pee.
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Runner: Laura

DISTANCE: 13.5 km DURATION:  1 hour 6 minutes

​Today Ella and I had a very special guest - my Boston Marathon coach Simon Ong! I think having Ella is the only way I'm able to keep up to him on a run  Ella was awake but yawning when I showed up so I let her run around her yard for a minute and then gave her lots of 'warm- up' pets. We decided to try a new variation of our hilly ridge route by running it backwards, and Ella seemed to like the change of pace and the new paths we ended up finding. One thing she did NOT like were the flights and flights of stairs we had to go up! Sorry Ella! I can promise you 100% that I also didn't like them so we'll never (hopefully) do them again! We stopped a few times to cool off, and had enough time and distance to finish with a loop of St Patrick's Island Park. There were lots of birds, dogs, and bikes out but Ella was a cool as a cucumber and just ran on by. As Simon said in a message afterwards, she is an awesome dog! I agree! Thanks for the great run Ella!  1 poop and 1 pee. 

Runner: Laura

DISTANCE: 13.4 km  DURATION: 1 hour 7 minutes

Today was a perfect day to go skyline hunting, aka, run a bunch of hills to get good views for majestic Ella pictures. It was one of our most fun runs yet with a cool breeze, warm sunshine, and clear paths.  It was all good news today! Ella was literally squirming out of her skin in excitement when I got there, so we suited up and got going ASAP. She wasn't sure what my plan was today, so there were a lot of path intersections where I had to convince her that I had a plan. Trust me!  She loves running hills, and we found some really cool little pathways along the ridge that I want to return to when they're dry. She wasn't super into photos or selfies, but she just looked so majestic with the mountains and skyline in the background that I couldn't resist. We also found a lion! She was more impressed with the melted snow than the statue though.  We finished with a fast run along the Bow and through St Patrick's Island Park (setting a Strava course record!) and then had lots of time cooling off in her yard. She had a great time with her hedgehog too! It was an awesome run, as always. Thanks Ella! I can't wait until Tuesday! 1 pee and 1 poop. 

Runner: Laura

:DISTANCE: 13.4 km DURATION: 1 hour 1 minute

Today was a perfect day to test how fast Ella and I are on the flat, so we did a big out and back just past 14th Street. But first, I had to wake her up again!  The photo is blurry because she woke up in a hurry! For our route, if we didn't include the parks, I'm sure we could have been almost to Crowchild, but Ella loves the parks so much they are a must. She immediately spotted some deer which were so camouflaged that it took me a minute to spot (they are in a picture, promise!).  And she loves running past the flocks of ducks and geese in the river. I think she enjoyed our faster pace too, but we did also stop more often for snow breaks to compensate - we were both pretty warm! Her least favourite part of runs like this is when I stop her (for no reason she can think of) and we turn around and head back the way we came. However, she loves running so much that once we get our stride back, she's good to go! I also learned that she loves running through puddles! Luckily she's really easy to clean! Overall, our speed test was a success, and next week we'll go back to more interesting and hilly routes. Thanks for the great run Ella! 2 pees and 1 poop.

​Runner; Laura

DISTANCE:  13.5 km . DURATION: 1 hour 9 minutes

​Today’s run is brought to you by the unexpected! First, it was forecasted to be much warmer out than it was, but it was still warm enough that Ella didn’t need a coat. Second, Ella definitely was not expecting a new route, and I didn’t expect us to only make it to Mission before having to turn around. Third, I wasn’t expecting all the bunnies and ducks along the path! Ella wasn’t either, but she LOVED it and, even though I feel I’m getting to know her, I wasn’t expecting her to start acting like a puppy when confronted with all the bunnies. True to her nature, she pointed them out very clearly to me, and it took some coaxing to get her to break her concentration and run by them. Once I got her moving, she pranced and danced by them very happily, and then ZOOMED off down the path until we saw the next bunny, and then the whole thing started over again. She really loved the Elbow River pathways, and I can’t wait until the CN construction is done and we can get a little further down them. Judging by how Ella’s pace picked up the further we went, I don’t think she was expecting to like it so much! Her favourite route (Inglewood Bird Sanctuary path) is hard to beat, but I think we have a contender! Her smiling face in not one, but TWO photos is proof! Thanks for the great run Ella! I’m glad you had a blast!  She pooped twice and peed once when we got back home. 

Runner: Laura

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