DGR RUN OF THE DAY #2 ![]() DISTANCE: 10.3 km DURATION: 1 hour 21 minutes I was not sure what to expect after last night's weird storm that had a mix of hail, lightning and snow. I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the early morning run with Ollie. We actually got some sunshine glistening on freshly snow-covered branches. We also had fresh tracks on the pathway. Well, enough about the magical weather. Ollie was a champ on this run. He was in full bunny hunting mode and had his sniffer lowered to the ground as we went through prime rabbit turf by the Repsol Centre. I have had a sore toe lately that I am getting looked at today but I did not even think about it as running 10K with Ollie makes me happy. I think he feels the same way. He also enjoyed that I brought some liver treats for his photo session. The Scoop: 1 poop, 2 pees. Runner: Ruth
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DGR RUN OF THE DAY #2 ![]() DISTANCE: 9.5 km DURATION: 1 hour 12 minutes It was hard not to wake up today with a big smile knowing that the thermometer was not going to be in the -20's but warmer. Ollie and his family greeted me at the door and Ollie was pretty happy with the weather and upcoming run. We hit the pathway and saw so many more dogs and people out enjoying the day. Even the bunnies were out and about which sure made Ollie excited! I felt like I could look up and enjoy the surroundings instead of being covered head to toe to keep shielded from the cold. We saw this cool area where someone had made an ice skating rink on the Bow. Well, knock on wood, I think we survived the deep freeze! I think we both even got warm as Ollie wanted to play in the snow and I contemplated taking my jacket off. The Scoop: 1 poop, 2 pees. Runner: Ruth DGR RUN OF THE DAY #1 ![]() DISTANCE: 7.8 km DURATION: 1 hour 5 minutes There has been a lot of complaining about the weather so I want to tell you why I feel like it was a blessing to run with Ollie in -25C. First, Ollie can't read the thermometer so he is always keen to run. Second, Ollie and I both wore appropriate clothing. Ollie had booties and his winter fur. I wore my winter parka and had little to no exposed skin. We were not cold! Third, Ollie likes to run and he was so excited that I picked a route through River Park. I seriously have never seen him so happy to frolic in the snow and greet the few dogs we saw at the park. Fourth, we are blessed to be in good health to run outside and enjoy the blue sky, sun and glorious winter landscape! That is a privilege! Fifth and final, Ollie just makes me happy; no matter the weather. We got in a great workout which is good as I tried a new hot chocolate that was like drinking chocolate syrup so I am sure it was a bazillion calories! Thanks again Ollie! The Scoop: 1 poop, 2 pees. Runner: Ruth DGR RUN OF THE DAY #1 ![]() DISTANCE: 4.6 km DURATION: 1 hour 5 minutes I was wondering if Jasper's mom would wonder why there was a photo of a decadent hot chocolate with the photos of today's walk with Jasper and Teddy. Well, I am participating in a Calgary event called YYC Hot Chocolate so despite the cold weather, I kept warm thinking of my post-walk cocoa. Jasper and Teddy were pretty happy with their off-leash time along the ridge as we found a 2nd ball to play with. Jasper also enjoyed finding a stick. The bigger the stick the better! He was hoping to see his Boxer friend but luckily, the Boxer was not outside and there was no Boxer face in the bubble window in his fence. We finished our outing with a longer route through the alley and close to the school. Besides hot cocoa on my mind, I was thinking about Groundhog's Day and how Teddy and Jasper would probably scare the groundhog back into it's hole. That said, I am prepared for more winter and more hot chocolate. The Scoop: 4-5 pees only. Runner: Ruth DGR RUN OF THE DAY #2 ![]() DISTANCE: 9.3 km DURATION: 1 hour 10 minutes On chilly days like to day, it is important to look at the upside to running a dog in the cold. First, I get to run Ollie who clearly enjoys his time outside. Second, the colder temps keep it nice and quiet on the pathways. Today, we did a different route and went past Stanley Park. There were few other folks outside but everyone we passed was super friendly. We also saw a lot of geese. Third, we both got fresh air and a workout. It felt almost felt like I was sucking on strong cold mint. Ollie, of course, also started to sport his frosty whiskers look which is adorable. Fourth, we went from freezing to nice and toasty. All in all, the upsides outweighed the down on this frosty January day with Ollie. The Scoop: 1 poop, 2 pees. Runner: Ruth DGR RUN OF THE DAY #2 ![]() DISTANCE: 9.6 k DURATION: 1 hour 13 minutes No dove was safe today as Ollie enjoyed chasing them along the pathway system by the Repsol Centre. I kept thing of the the song by Prince, "When Doves Cry." We also saw ducks and geese but they were in the water with their heads buried into their bodies to keep warm. It was a really zen-like run at a decent clip and we almost got in our 10K in. Another highlight was a photo session by an inukshuk made of ice by the river. Thanks again Ollie. I am excited to try the perogies we got from your family from Christmas. The Scoop: 2-3 pees and 1 poop. Runner: Ruth DGR RUN OF THE DAY #1 ![]() DISTANCE: 12.4 km DURATION: 1 hour 30 minutes Today is January 12th and believe it or not but this is my first run of the year. I was even a tad nervous about my fitness though I have been x-country skiing and cycling. My nerves turned into excitement when I saw Ollie who was keen to get outside. We were in such a groove today that I lost track of time and we went longer than I anticipated. I took Ollie to his favourite bunny spots but alas, there were no rabbits. Our fun sightings today were groups of schoolchildren on a walk, ducks, a few dogs, and a movie being shot by the Stampede grounds called Tribal Outing. We also took photos by snowmen, sculptures and Calgary's pretty skyline. Ollie has so many cute looks! We packed a lot of fun and kilometres into this first run. What a way to start 2021! Thanks Ollie! The Scoop: 1 poo, 2 pees. Runner: Ruth DGR RUN OF THE DAY #1 ![]() DISTANCE: 9.9 km DURATION: 1 hour 13 minutes Hello Ollie! There are only 10 days before Christmas. Are you ready? It is our last run of 2020 so let's make it a good one and take you to Bunny Central a.k.a. Repsol Centre. Ollie always picks up his speed when he has bunnies and squirrels to chase. On this run, we also encountered lots of small dogs. Ollie was the biggest dog out there which is kind of rare. He was very sweet despite all the dogs that yapped at him. On the way home, we made a small detour to see Santa. I think Ollie wants his own bunny for Christmas. We were just shy of a 10K on this gorgeous day and we sure ended our last 2020 run on a good note. Many thanks to his family for the lovely gift and here's to a bright 2021. The Scoop: 1 poo, 3 pees. Runner: Ruth DGR RUN OF THE DAY #2 ![]() DISTANCE: 10.3 km DURATION: 1 hour 20 minutes Ollie - today is Day 9 of my 12k's of Christmas Challenge. Are you ready to help me get a majority of 12 kilometres in? Truthfully, I think Ollie was thinking today was a good day to cuddle at home. I felt like Santa pulling a sleigh of toys. I decided we should once again switch our route and we headed towards the Rockyview Hospital. This was a good call because as we got into deeper snow along the pathways, Ollie perked right up and pranced like a reindeer through that snow. There were moments when he would scoop snow in his mouth and leap in the air. It seems that Ollie just needed a longer warm-up until he hit his stride. I ran home from his house to reach my 12K goal but could not have done it without sweet Ollie! The Scoop: 1 poop, 3 pees. Runner: Ruth DGR RUN OF THE DAY #2 ![]() DISTANCE: 12K DURATION: 1 hour 28 minutes Did everyone start their advent calendar today? I had a surprise for Ollie today as instead of Ruth running him it was Cindy Lou Who. Yes, today is the start of the 12K's of Christmas so I donned my ugly technical sweater and race bib with Cindy Lou Who's name on it and I headed out with Ollie along the pathway. We were on a mission to find Christmas decor and cheer. Well, right away we ran into 2 reindeer. They were actually deer but boy were they close to us. We continued our run at an even steady pace as I was hoping to get 12K in with my steady companion Ollie. He was really happy with this decision and we got to go by bunnies, squirrels and birds. The pathway by Stampede is now finally open so we could do an out and back course. The funny thing is we did not see much holiday decor until we were at Ollie's home so we did our photo shoot there. Thanks for going the distance Ollie. You definitely will be on Santa's list for good boys! The Scoop: 3 pees, 1 poo. Runner: Ruth DGR RUN OF THE DAY #2 ![]() DISTANCE: 8.8 km. DURATION: 1 hour 2 minutes Sometimes we get into a rut doing the same routines over and over again so Ollie and I shook it up a bit today and veered off our usual course to explore the Mission District. I took that as an opportunity to get photos of handsome Ollie next to painted city waste bins. I must say that these efforts to beautify and add art to the city are much appreciated (at least at my end). Once the photo session was done, I could not help taking Ollie back on some of his favourite bunny routes. He was pleased with this decision! We ran steady from that point on and enjoyed the quiet pathways. The Scoop: 2 poops, 2 pees. Runner: Ruth DGR RUN OF THE DAY #3 ![]() DISTANCE: 9.3 km DURATION: 1 hour Today's workout included about 30 crunches with our 9K. I took Ollie to Bunny Central and Ollie did these mini sprints towards the rabbits while I strengthened my abs to brace him. I think at last count we saw 15 bunnies on the way out and back. The other interesting sight in the fog was a guy by the river who took his shoe off and threw it in the river. He was screaming loudly when we first passed him so think this may not have been his best day. We hope things improve for him. On a lighter note... With the damp fog, Ollie started to sport a snow beard and snow eyebrows. He is the cutest pup! The Scoop: 1 poop, 2 pees. Runner: Ruth DGR RUN OF THE DAY #2 ![]() DISTANCE: 8.2 km DURATION: 1 hour 5 minutes Snow = 1 Energized Ollie! Although Ollie and I did not get in a 10K today, he did a lot of prancing and playing in the snow along with his 8K. I do like the warmer temps though the sidewalks can be a bit treacherous when not shovelled. Ollie and I admired the tenacious ducks on the Elbow River who were floating in the cool water. There were not many doggies out so we enjoyed the quiet of the drifting snowflakes. I only got one photo of Ollie looking at me and boy was that a close-up. Thanks for getting me out Ollie. It was nice to enjoy a guilt-free gingerbread latte post run. The Scoop: 1 poop, 1 pee. Runner: Ruth DGR RUN OF THE DAY #2 ![]() DISTANCE: 9.2 km DURATION: 1 hour 2 minutes Today is the U.S. Election so I think I needed this run with Ollie even more than he did with me. That said, he was all smiles as we headed toward's his favourite rabbit viewing spot. We found 4 bunnies and one bunny even made Ollie pull me in a 360 circle. It was fun spinning! The rest of the run was almost zen-like as Ollie and I matched each other stride for stride (at least when there were no squirrels or rabbits in sight). We soaked in the balmy day along the clear pathway as we heard through the grapevine that SNOW is on its way. Thanks for providing me with joy and some distraction. Ollie definitely gets my vote for being an awesome doggy! The Scoop: 1 poop and 3 pees. Runner: Ruth DGR RUN OF THE DAY #4 ![]() DISTANCE: 9.27 km DURATION: 1 hour Today, we had a special treat as our friend, Teddy, joined us. As the weather continued to warm up, I was soon wishing I could cool myself down with a Slushie. I would later come to regret this wish as it came true in the form of slush on the ground. We were all granted wet and cold feet/paws. Out of the three us, Teddy enjoyed the snow the most as Ollie and I watched him scoop snowballs into his mouth and roll around. It seemed like the dogs were practicing their social distancing as I could barely get them in a photo together and any sniff breaks we took, they both went opposite ways stretching me in the middle. We got a photo at the end with my mom. Although the weather was warming up, the parks and paths were pretty empty and it allowed a calm, quiet run. The Scoop: 1 poop, lots of small pees. Runner: Eli |
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