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I hate being sick. But at least I have this dog to keep me company and this ginger mint smoothie. Winner.

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Really excited about the new houndstooth design for the Summer 2016 Rescue Project kits. Designed by Straydog Branding. Made by Castelli Cycling. 25-45% of purchases go to support your local animal rescue organization of choice. Order will open 12/15-01/16 at http://www.rescue-project.org/shop

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I’ve been thinking about starting a blog again. Not in the same way as before, though some of those bike racing-obsessive blog posts are fun to go back and read every once in awhile. So much has changed since the last time I wrote anything but a research article and even though I wouldn’t really consider myself a good “blog writer”, I’d like to try. 

Yesterday I went trail running without Miles, my German Shorthaired Pointer. I felt a little guilty because that’s what we do together. We run in the woods. He has his usual trail offshoots that he routinely checks out. He always does so in a full sprint so he can meet me further up the trail without disrupting my flow. He always returns with a big smile on his face. My previous dog Jackson would never take his eye off me so I never worried about him running away. Generally, Miles is the same way, and we always come home from the trail happier than we left. Together. 

A few months ago, I took Miles on a new trail. For the first half of the run it was business as usual. But there were new scents, new opportunities. As his eyes widened and his focus zeroed in on the rustling in the distance, I felt my slight anxiety turn into panic. He ran. Fast. Just like that he was out of sight, leaving me screaming at the top of my lungs alone in the woods. I’ve really never felt so helpless and angry (at myself). Why did I trust him? He’s a dog. That’s what they do.  My number was on his collar but I didn’t have my phone. Dumb. If I left to get the car which was over four miles away, he wouldn’t know what to do. He trusted me to be there when he came back, up the trail, just like we usually do. He took a long time to come back, long enough that I began to think he wasn’t going to. I vowed never to take him to that place again until I have him trained on a remote collar. 

Which is why, when I returned to that trail again yesterday, I didn’t bring Miles with me. While I ran the same trails, I thought more about the day he ran away. I’m not sure how dogs feel about love. I think Miles knows two things, though. Freedom and Trust. That feeling of running free. It’s what he lives for, it’s what he dreams about at night. I can tell by the look on his face when he’s running..forward lean, mouth wide and tongue flying, ears pinned back. In those moments he is fast and free. He also trusts. He trusts that I’ll be there up the trail when he returns from his adventures, however short or long. He trusts that I will always be there for him. 

It got me thinking about life and love. I appreciate that I have the ability to trust and be trusted and that, to me, is a big part of love. I appreciate that I have the opportunity to be free, but I also think I could do better. Looking at Miles, he knows how to savor that freedom. Most of us have no excuse, the thing that slows us down or holds us back is usually ourselves. So, from now on I’m going to practice not holding back, not just while I’m running or riding my bike, but always. There’s still so much more to learn and to be reminded of from these short tailed loves of mine.

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Reddit credit

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This combo though

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He is so awkward

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Basic. 

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Homemade burgers with spinach, mushrooms, Parmesan, and sweet potato “fries”

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Roasted sweet potatoes with feta, parsley, and magic unicorn salt. Missing from the photo is the essential sriracha mayo!

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One of my favorite places