A bit of a catch up…

The weekend after Bagshot CaniX we were up north for the 3 day Hare n Hounds show. I’ve not done any of their outdoor shows before, but I love their winter series and I really like the amount of thought and effort they put into their shows; they’re always friendly, welcoming and have a great atmosphere. It was a very all or nothing weekend. Inca won out of Grade 5, Blaze won out of Grade 2 (winning a C1-4 jumping and a c1-3 agility), D had a very close 3rd in G6 agility (he and Inca were leading both G5 and G6 for ¾ of the class!), Pip had a 4th in C5-7 jumping and got a 3rd in pairs with Si and Blaze. The dogs were running well….my handler skills not so much, lol. I think Blaze needs a special mention for coming 5th in a C1-7 agility class. The only non G6/7 dog in the placings, beaten only by G7/Agility Champions.

The first weekend in October was hot. We were over in Wales at Pembry for 2 days of CaniX. Due to the heat they thankfully brought the start forward by an hour and a half so we were out running by 9am. With Rex still out on injury and Diesel not going to appreciate the manic mass starts, I decided to run Blaze and Pippa both days. They ran their socks off. I tried to stop at each water station to let them drink but Blaze hates people being in front of him and was adamant he didn’t need a drink. It was a quick course and we finished in a time of 25:53.98 on day 1 and 26:04.35 on day 2, ending up 6th overall. It was close racing. I loved this venue; I loved the uppy downy forest trails and it was right next to the beach – perfect for beach walks afterwards.

The following weekend I took part in my first Parkrun (http://www.parkrun.com/home) with a friend and her beagle, Lola . These are free 5km events held all round the country. They’re free to enter, but in return you are expected to help occasionally – that’s what keeps these events running. The site states they welcome dog runners and links to the CaniX site. I emailed the Kings Lynn event organisers to check and they said they did, as long as we started right at the back and ideally runners should be running under their own steam with the dogs next to them…not quite CaniX where they should ideally pull! But if I can run better on my own then I should be able to run better as I team too. So I decided to run just one dog. Originally I was going to take Pip, but then I decided that perhaps running on his own would do Blazes confidence a favour if he is distracted by the running then the kids and people in the park shouldn’t be quite so scary. Hopefully. Hes never run on his own, and I’ve never run with just one dog. It was fast 3 laps of the park, including a bit where you ran round a lamp-post and then ran back on yourself. He was a bit baffled by it all at the start, but once we started running the screaming started and he wanted to be at the front. He was a little unsure when doubling back past other runners, and equally slowed down a little on the last lap when everyone upped the pace simply because he was a little unsure of people passing him – I’m not used to him not raring almost as much when he finishes as when he started. We finished 26:56 which wasn’t too bad for a first attempt.

The day after we headed up to fineshades to do a 10km run there, with Si on the bike. We had a few navigational issues (we got lost!) so we didn’t quite make 10km but we did do 9.29km in 57mins 56 secs with plenty of energy to spare. I was determined to do 10km so later in the week I dusted off the treadmill and ran at a steady pace of 6.2mph for an hour. Running was starting to feel easier and as each run finished I was already looking forward to the next one.

Then we were over to Shrewsbury for the TAG agility show; Incas last G5 and Blazes last G2. A lovely weekend with good company, some great weather and some hard but fun courses that had everyone giggling and cheering (or for some G6+7 handlers moaning!). I love running Pip over those kind of courses and we had so much fun. She went clear in both the hard courses, but was just one out of the places in both. Blaze ran his socks off going clear in all but one class the entire weekend, and winning all 3 of his classes on Saturday. Its not the wins we’re most proud of but the fact hes coming out of his shell at agility competitions much more consistently, the fact that he might spook at something, but instead of shutting down hes bouncing back quicker. Inca waited all weekend for her one clear round, ending up 2nd in a fast C3-5 jumping class. That’s Inca for you, lol.

Last weekend I had planned to do Parkrun again, but I came down with a dreaded cold and was feeling rotten. I was determined to make Grizedale CaniX so I was good and rested. Grizedale was 6.1km each day and I still had Rex out on injury. And it was wet on Saturday so I decided to give Paddy a go with Blaze. He was a bit excitable when dogs were overtaking and desperately wanted to catch them up. On Sunday he was much better, and much more settled, although he did manage to “pull” a boyfriend part way round the course…in the form of Vickis dog Draven, a ridgeback. She said it’s the only course hes ever a) actually pulled round and b ) been out of breath at the end. LOL. I wont lie. I found it exceedingly tough. I ran round with my poo bag pouch stuffed with poo bags and tissues!

Last weekend we had just a one day CaniX event over at Beacon Hill. It was run by Innerwolf and they did a rally good event for their first organised CaniX event. Hopefully they’ll run some more in this direction now. Donna has her first CaniX event, but Lola wasn’t quite 100% so I loaned her Rex to run with. Not the greatest puller (he is 9 and a half!) but he is steady and easy to run with. I was running Paddy and Blaze and was still suffering with the after effects of my cold. I’ve definitely not felt on form since Pembry. The first mile of the course was uphill. I’ll freely admit I’m rubbish at pushing myself. Paddy was also a little unsure of all the general public on the course and slowed each time we approached people head on, especially the bikers! Still, great venue and really enjoyed it..especially the little coffee van. He had a proper coffee machine and the warm pain au chocolat was greatly appreciated at the end!

Meanwhile Pippa was off with Steph and Betsy at the TD Rally Trial down in Bury St Edmunds. She got TWO aces and got awarded her Award of Excellent. What a great team those two are proving to be..but as always I miss my little mischief maker!