Minor illness and Dogs....a blessing in disguise?

Random thoughts as I sit here at home, recovering from a seemingly minor URTI.

Illness - The best 100 mile race I ever did followed 2 weeks of strep throat. I was miserable. I ran almost nothing, got a ton of sleep, tried a different craft brew pub every night in Bend, Oregon (there are lots); then killed it at the Cascade Crest 100 miler that I wasn't even sure I could finish......coincidence - who knows?

As I lounge here, 10 days out from Moab Run The Rocks 3 day race, off work today as the sneezing and sniffing isn't a great look in a Physician's Office in these post-pandemic times, I muse as to whether it's a blessing in disguise. Enforced rest. Cascade Crest 2.0. We'll find out I guess. Let's hope so! It's also cold. -20C outside today, so that helps...

Dogs - I often spend the first few kms of my harder workouts running with Mojo - he likes to stop, sniff, pee - an inordinate amount of peeing for someone with an apparently tiny bladder. And it usually takes a lot of hunting to find that perfect no. 2 spot. I'm not sure why it matters so much to him but it seems to. Look at my Strava and you'll see the fartlek-style build up to many of these runs. But an easy, relaxed build into a hard workout allows the aerobic system to come online. I'm primed for the harder stuff. The warm up is slower, longer and a lot more sedate than I'd typically do. Likely a good thing.

The same goes for my longer trail runs. Mojo often joins me for 20+ km longer and easier trail runs. The stop/start dance of those first few miles certainly slows me down. Boom, aerobic system online. Another blessing in disguise - I think so, and as they say - "Dogs - we don't deserve them." Thanks Mojo....