some of you guys probably know it's luc's job to run and hike with me.

i posted about nutrition for dogs during long training sessions. i ended up giving him a piece of pork chop w/water every 3-4 hours and he was fine, full of energy (he got water more regularly than that, i should say).

for training for ultramarathons, i need to practice being on trails at night and going without sleep, and figuring out how i function under those conditions. i decided to do my first all-night hike this weekend (i figure experience it at hiking pace to figure out details before trying it at running pace, and i'm glad i did, since i learned a lot about sighting in the dark, etc). unfortunately, mid-way through the hike, i changed the distance from 86.8k to 61.1k, b/c last sunday i pulled a ligament in my ankle and while it's been fine trail and road running this week, it bothered me periodically throughout the hike, and got worse each time. i basically cut out the daytime portion of sunday, so i still got to practise being on trail all night, which was the point. my ankle, which feels fine now, was pretty sore the last 20k so i'm glad i made that decision, as i don't want to have it get worse.

anyways, luc of course came with me, and i couldn't ask for a better training partner! he's cheerful, upbeat, having fun (tail constantly wagging), and great company, especially when it gets dark at 6.30 so you're hiking in the dark for hours.

i must say, i really enjoyed the night hiking. we kept the pace slow to maximize time on the trail, and actually i slowed down more than anticipated in the dark (about 1k/hr slower than i thought, so something to work on). the trail conditions were a bit treacherous, as it was extremely wet (rain and snow) and there was a tonne of mud. lots of fun river crossings.

luc did great, i was so proud of him. he was practically running the last 5k....he was a bit sore post-hike b/c i stepped on his paw with 3k to go (it's been ages since i did that, poor guy). he hiked fine, i watched his gait closely, but as soon as we got to the car he started limping. he's been bouncing around the yard now and not favouring it, but i'll probably not run him for a couple of days just in case he comes up sore (what happened last time i stepped on his paw during a hike....3k into our run the next day. then i ended up carrying him part of the way home b/c i felt bad, though he doesn't really like being carried).

oh, and b/c we were out on the trail for so long, and the forecast was rain, rain, rain, i broke down friday, and bought him a raincoat.

i was a bit embarrassed....a GSD in a raincoat? but i figured wolves wouldn't wander around in the rain that long, they'd go somewhere dry, plus he does tend to get cold with his body fat being so low. he actually had no problems with it, go figure. though, i broke my rule about having him off-leash on trail, b/c there was only 2 cars at the trailhead (and it's a fairly large trail system), so until dusk, he was off-leash. he never went more than 30M from me, and was next to me for most of it. though, a few hours into it (still light) we going up a hill, and he was 15M ahead of me, when 2 guys (the only people we saw) crested the hill and stopped dead. luc came back to me right away, and the guys were like 'no, it's okay, we like dogs....but....is that a rainjacket?' heh.

i was really proud of luc, and since he'll never be titled in anything exciting, i decided to boast about how great he was. he's a goof, and not the most german shepherd-y german shepherd, but he's a great partner all the same.

Wow! How great for you and Luc! I can attest for the rain...livin' in Hamilton. We had a very freakish hail storm today too.
Who cares about the raincoat? It's all about the dog...and a very manly looking dog he is!

luc? manly? ....the dog in my sig pic is neb....or are you thinking of other pics? oh i will be so excited if you mean luc!!!

randy may be the only person who remembers my ceaseless quest to have people stop calling luc a girl, LOL. he got a manly collar and everything! mostly now people tell me that he's going to be a big dog when he's grown up and fills out (he's 5.5 years old). i did accidentally exercise him out of standard though, so he's a very small GSD.

we were up in algonquin, doing the western uplands trail. as prov. parks go, i prefer killarney, but wandering around ridges in the dark with only a headlamp to find cairns was unappealing the first time out. western uplands is far better marked, though at least 1/3rd was underwater (sigh). we still got misplaced a couple of times in the night but nothing major, just a few minutes here and there.

Of course I mean Luc! He's the black shepherd!!! Look at my sig pic...my now deceased standard Max. Try explaining to people that standard poodles are great versatile dogs. My Max was a manly poodle

oh wow, that's seriously the best compliment ever! i was so excited last night, i was talking to my bf and said 'someone on the dog forum called luc manly!!' and he said 'they must have only seen pictures of him then.'

i love standard poodles, but yeah, i guess there are those associations with poodles.

i'm happy to say luc's paw seems fine (the one i stepped on). no reaction when i press down all over it, and he's been running and bouncing around the yard.

 Quote: jennifer mullen

training for ultramarathons, i need to practice being on trails at night and going without sleep, and figuring out how i function under those conditions...luc of course came with me, and i couldn't ask for a better training partner! he's cheerful, upbeat, having fun (tail constantly wagging), and great company, especially when it gets dark at 6.30 so you're hiking in the dark for hours.

I, on the other hand, would have been a psychotic, whining, miserable PITA. Actually, I would have just died right there on the trail. Good thing you had Luc along instead of me.

 Quote:

unfortunately, mid-way through the hike, i changed the distance from 86.8k to 61.1k, b/c last sunday i pulled a ligament in my ankle...

Clearly I was born without an athletic gene because that would have given me the perfect excuse to say "The heck with it!" and nurse my injury...indoors on something soft and comfy.

 Quote:

i was really proud of luc, and since he'll never be titled in anything exciting, i decided to boast about how great he was. he's a goof, and not the most german shepherd-y german shepherd, but he's a great partner all the same.

Kudos to both you and Luc...that is quite an accomplishment and you have every reason to be proud!

And next time you really have to get a pic of him in his rain coat...

Jennifer, I admire your and Luc's dedication to this training. You are both amazing!

LOL Everthing Sarah said.... heh heh

My foster, Rusty, would LOVE to go to a home like Luc has. Although he will tolerate a certain amount of TV watching (my favourite thing), he makes it clear that he would MUCH rather be doing something fun. He will mutter/mumble to me and pace around. Just don't ask him what he wants to do, because he will answer ("WOOOOF!"). It's funny how 2 different species can communicate. Rusty is SO clear that he wants to do something with mommy. Not play in the backyard with the other dogs. Not lay quietly and chew his bone. Play BALL! Go for a WALK! Although Rusty has turned me into more of a walker (somewhat against my will), I don't think I will ever do (Good Lord) 61.1K.

It sounds like Luc is the PERFECT companion to you and he loves his life. Sounds like he is not the skittish fraidy cat he once was (same with Rusty). Good work!

I assume Teagan didn't go because her hips can't take it, and Neb is too young yet. When Neb gets old enough will he be accompanying you and Luc on your adventures?

thanks guys

sarah, i was a bit nervous about being out all night, and in the dark, so it was really comforting to have luc, but once it got dark, it actually ended up being a lot of fun, which was great. and i might not have ideal conditions during races, so i can't use them as an excuse not to train

i do have some pics of him in his raincoat, but on my phone, i need to find the cable to take them off (my camera is broken....i don't know how teagan did it, she was standing over it, didn't touch it, and suddenly....broken!). when i do i'll post a link.

angela, he still has his moments (one reason why i often hesitate to allow him off-leash), though they're pretty few and far between at this point. other than defensively barking once at nothing (that i could see), he did great off-leash for the first part of the hike. i'll doubt i'll make it a habit, but it was nice for him. i trust him outside off-leash all the time, he mostly sticks with me anyhow.

he actually is a very relaxed dog. he loves to run and hike, b/c he is good at them and i've made them his job, so he gets lots of enjoyment out of that (you should see how excited he gets when he knows we're going out, especially trail stuff). that said, when i was injured and not able to walk the dogs for a few months, he was fine - it's weird, b/c he's so active b/c i've made it his job, but he'd actually be an excellent couch potato. teagan, on the other hand....yes, she has hip issues, but she does not make an excellent couch potato.

but that's actually one reason why i am so proud of him, that he's not hugely driven, but he still enjoys being out so much, and brings such a great happy attitude to it. he's not going to be doing any races, he doesn't see an end goal or payoff to the training, he's just out there having fun, and that's really cool to see.

yeah, teagan hikes, but with her hips i don't think it would be appropriate to have her do that kind of distance. neb will, once he's old enough, but for now we're still doing puppy stuff, and some hiking, but i'm really being careful that he doesn't get too much structured exercise.

Jennifer, my standard was like Luc. He could go all day if you wanted, had great stamina (though we did nothing like what you're doing :crazy but was not a high energy dog. In fact he could lay around all day and be a very good rug, or couch potatoe. Don't know if my next pup will be like that...but that's what I'm aiming for and most standards are supposed to be like that temperament wise. Any dog I have must have an off switch. I don't care if they're high energy outside...but inside, that's another story.