The Running Monster

It's cold here and has been for about the past two weeks. An Arctic blast has griped most of the nation but the brunt seems to have settled over the top of us, or maybe that's just the way I feel. The highs during the days have been the high teens with the lows reaching below zero in many areas around us.

Because it's winter and it's harder to go outside and exercise, my husband and I decided it was time to get a treadmill. My husband has a bad back and walking seems to be the best thing for it, but with the temperatures we've been having it's hard to get out.

Well, last week I decided to start a regular exercise program using the treadmill. So the first time I used it my six year old daughter sat there during the whole work out ask "how much more time?", "how much more time, NOW?". With that sort of question every minute it can sure make a work out drag on FOREVER! So the next day I worked out early in the morning while she was asleep and I would have enjoyed the workout, but we have two dogs that know when I put my running clothes on and they get all excited because they want to go too. So since I left them upstairs the puppy (Daxter) barked and barked because he was so upset....so much for a quiet workout.

I guess I should explain a little bit about the dogs. Winston is the oldest and he is 4 1/2 years old. I've been taking Winston running with me since he was just a pup. And because of this every time I put on my running clothes he goes crazy looking for his leash. He is well mannered on a leash and I love taking him with me; however, Daxter is another story. Daxter is ten months old and taking him running is kind of the equivalent of lassoing a train engine and then running with it! We even bought a choke chain for Daxter thinking that it would tame his wild abandonment but all that happens is he pulls until he can't breath, his blue tongue hanging out and eyes bulging to the point I can't stand it any more so I reign him in and loosen the collar only to let him go and he does it all over again. One day my husband and I went running with Nicole (the six year old) in the jog stroller and the two dogs. I figured with the two of us running we could handle the brood. Well, as usual, Daxter took off at break neck speed with me being drug behind. That was when I came up with the great idea of harnessing his energy and I tied him to Nicole's jog stroller. I was so proud of myself, it seem to be working like a charm. The dog was trotting along instead of running helter-skelter. We were coming to an incline and I had to adjust something so I let go of the stroller leash and the dog must have sensed free reign so off he went. I took off on a sprint to try and catch them but it was Nicole's smarts that saved the day, she reached down and tugged with all her might on Daxter's leash and he finally stopped. When I reached them Nicole was cussing him out, and he was a solemn repentant dog....at least for a moment!

So yesterday I thought I would bring the dogs downstairs so that they could see that I was just running on a treadmill and I wasn't going anywhere. Well, needless to say the dogs were intrigued and they both kept trying to get on the treadmill with me. At one point the older dog (Winston) jumped on from the front. It was a good thing I saw him because I just stepped wide and he went sailing on through my legs and off the back. He wasn't exactly sure what to think of it then. I decided I would see how they would like running on it and so I stood on the side rails while I grabbed each of them one at a time and boosted them from the back of the treadmill. I thought it would be a one time thing and that they would decide it wasn't all it was cracked up to be....boy, was I wrong! Winston went first, but it didn't take him long to realize this wasn't for him. Daxter, however, was another story. Daxter got on and loved it. No matter the speed or the incline he kept right up.

Today I went downstairs to run and Daxter kept barking until I let him get on and run. This time he ran for six minutes without me even holding onto his collar. I finally had to stop his running so that he would slide off the back and I could finish my workout. This didn't stop him from trying to get back on. I fear I have created a monster named Daxter!