The Dog Fartleked

Although that is also an issue with Casey boy, I mean fartleked in terms of running.  Fartlek means speed play in Swedish and is a training technique that blends continuous running with intervals.  Casey, though, appears to have the fartlek down pat.  Whenever we run, he breaks up the run with speed play.  First, he is excited by the mere premise of going for a run and appears to like the orange stripe on my Saucony shorts, nipping at it for the first few strides.  Then it is "eat the leash" time.  It is only a 24 inch leash so there is not much there to nibble on, but he thinks he has to control his human by taking it in his mouth like he is running me!  "Leave it" works well with him and with only 50 yards into the run he gets into his running pace, stops nipping and leaves the leash alone.  He then realizes that he is going to have to run a couple of miles and throttles back a bit to tell me that we are going to fartlek if he is going to make it a few miles.  I'm sure he believes that a slower pace will allow him a few sniffs that every dog deserves.  "OK, have a few sniffs but then you will have to run!"  I quicken my shuffle to a stride and he propels himself into a sprint.  It is actually a sprint that I am on the edge of not being able to do.  When was the last time you sprinted a marathon!?  But, I keep up the best I can but it is only short-lived because dogs can't sprint (or even run) long distances.  So we sprint about 30 yards or so and slow to a crawl, a few more sniffs, then a normal pace and then he sees a person that he needs to stop for and look at.  OK, stop, smell the roses, people watch and then we are going to sprint again.  This continues for two miles - speed play - fartlek.  What I find though, is that it helps me too.  I was feeling a little twinge in my calf and after we slowed and had a few sniffs, I was good to go and didn't feel it again.  There is so much to learn from a dog, not only in running but in life.  We need to fartlek more in life too.  There are times to sprint and times to sniff, times to take notice of people and times to avoid other angry dogs.  They are all just jealous anyway because they can't fartlek with their human or even say it without laugh-barking - adolescents!  Have you farleked today?

Days 287-294: 36 miles, 2014: 1,395 miles