Walkies

This morning when my alarm went off and I rolled out of bed I realised that my body was just not up for a run. I'd had one of "those" nights with the girls and in the last couple of day's I seem to have exploded a little more. Instead of throwing the sheets back on and going back to sleep I decided to go for a walk instead. Due to the slower pace I decided to take Jessy with me.

She appeared to hear her leash before I even touched it and started jumping around like a puppy and not like the nearly 9 year old dog (who had a VERY tough start) that she is. I'd decided after our last attempted run that ended up with me literally throwing Jessy in a creek to cool down that her running days were over but a surely a 5km walk couldn't be that bad and she'd surely be able to keep up with my 27 plus week waddle.

As we walked down the street, me waddling, her wagging, she dashed all over the place in the still dewy grass.  500m down and it was time for the lead to go on as we approach a couple of other four legged walkers.  There was no way at this stage that Jessy was interested in healing. Another 500m down the road and the bounce in her had diminished and she was ready to heal and walk beside me without any tension on the leash. Across the train line we go and I notice that our pace as slowed and needs to be picked up again.

Past the train station and about 2km from home but home is visible and Jessy wants to cross back over the line. I don't pay any attention that she has now dropped off my shoulder and is trailing behind me. We follow the train line towards the next station, which is all up hill and by the 3.5km mark I'm almost pulling her along and I've had to slow down to less than 5km/hr. She's not limping or anything like that, she's just buggered but at least its (mainly) downhill.

Down the hill we go, which when I first started running made me grind to a halt, and Jess picks up a little pace. Back onto the main road and the truck that goes past seems to give Jessy a second wind but we've still got 1km to get home.  If anyone was around they would have thought I was nuts as I was talking to a dog about being nearly home now. I dared not mention the last little hill to her.

Up the last hill I dragged her and past the train station once again. It's all down hill now and no more roads to cross, and no pedestrians or dogs in sight so off comes the leash. One last little spurt of energy comes through for all of 10m. We round the corner and home is only 100m away. I'm sick of urging her on by this stage and leave her to follow after me.  Even my DH comments on how buggered she looks as I walk up the driveway while she's still another good 25m away. It taken us 55 minutes to walk a tad over 5km.

Jess walks (actually more likes drags herself) in the front door and heads out the back for a well deserved drink. I start doing the morning chores while the girls drag themselves out of bed and sit at their table for breakfast. Its then that I realise that Jessy isn't near the table watching for dropped food.  I call her and there's no sound. I walk back towards the kitchen and spot her, spread out on the floor with a look of "I'm not moving another inch" on her face. Her wag has even slowed - I've got one tired puppy on my hands.

Somehow I think someone may have slept rather soundly in her kennel today.