Anne K. in L.A.: Dogs

I'm still fighting the good fight. I have blogged previously that my sessions with the personal trainer did not go so hot. Not to be defeated, I've found a new trainer.

Meet Piper the Shiba Inu.

Piper belongs to our good friend Kevin.

Cute isn't she? I know that looking at her evokes this kind of imagery.
I'm sure if she could surf the net and see this, Piper would be angry.

This is probably a better representation of Piper and her "preferred image"

With a perfectly wonderful and athletic dog of my own, why would I be using someone else's dog as my personal trainer? The answer is quite simple. I can't keep up with Dottie. Once we start running, my overexuberant 65lb. dog becomes a force to be reckoned with. Instead of getting a nice paced run, I am DRAGGED. It makes for a very poorly paced workout and very sore arms. This is not exactly the workout I was thinking of.

This past week ~~I was told~~ it was suggested that I take Dottie out for her daily walks. Dottie always goes for a walk with Piper. It was Kevin's brilliant idea that we trade dogs for these walks. Dottie runs at a pace that he likes and Piper, in theory, was a better pace for me. The walk isn't the right term. They are most definitely runs. I thought I was off the hook with Piper, but she is definitely a little powerhouse. She does not like to be left behind. This means that I have to keep up a nice jog lest she nip my ankles. Trust me when I say this is not pleasant. Piper has sharp little teeth. In a week, we've started to build a nice cadence and pace.

With a week under my belt, this isn't so bad. The first 3 days were rough --not want to vomit and die rough, but definitely challenging. I was cramped and sore, but I've kept moving. I'm also still going to the gym to lift weights. The goal is to eventually be able to run with my own dog. It sounds simple, but if you've seen Dottie in action you'd understand.