Run Bailey, run!

It's been awhile since my last post, so I thought I would start with today's Woofstock 3K to get my feet wet again!

When I started this blog, I knew that I wanted to showcase the most important parts of my life. Well, today I thought I would chat a little about the main male in my life. He's short, has black fur and snores more in one night than the average person does in a year. He's Bailey the Pug. After today, he's earned an additional title- Bailey the Wonder Pug.





That's right, Bailey was my running buddy for the Woofstock 3K this morning. Being that that the event is geared towards all things that Woof!, I thought he was the only appropriate choice!

Now that you know the name of the event, you can probably guess that there were some crazy human and pooch styles amongst us. With me in my black capri's and grey top and Bailey without any tie-dye painted fur, we just looked boring! It wasn't only the Standard Poodles this year either. Goldens, Labs, Great Danes and even some Bull Dogs were walking around in their '60's best. The man in front of us for most of the course, ran in a purple velour suit. Now, he MUST have been hot and not in a good way, ha! I might have to go for a more fun top next year...




So, the 5Kers were starting to trickle in as we were waiting eagerly for our race. Bailey was the only pug amongst the little dogs and I knew that a 5K would have been too much. But at this point, he was right in there with the rest, chomping at the bit to start. The cool breezy morning was starting to fade; here's hoping to an earlier start next year!

Finally as the clock struck 9:30, it was our turn to go. Bailey and I were towards the back of the crowd, wanting to have our own space as the route went on. Not wanting him to over heat, I wanted room to stop as needed without causing a pooch collision. I felt the adrenaline flowing through me and before I knew it, we were jogging down the first hill in the front of the pack. Everyone has told me that the addiction will soon set in- well it has! Running at the front of the pack continued to push me and Bailey. We got to the first rest stop a mile in and Bailey took full advantage of the gigantic water bowls. It was at this point that I thought his adrenaline might have slowed. But he perked up and we ran the loop around the soccer field. We hit the water once more at the end of the loop, before heading back out onto the trail. My earlier suspicions were now confirmed.

Those of you that know my pug, know that he is not a water/pool fan. At the rest stop, they also had a kiddie pool and like the dog I have never known him to be, he jumped right in! It was at this point that I knew there would be more walking than running in our future. After his dip, we headed out on the trail to take over the remaining .86 of a mile facing us. While there was some light jogging here and there, the last bit was mostly a slow walk with several pug breaks. I was so happy to run the first mile- a great kick off towards my goal of 13.1!


Bailey's health is number one, so we just enjoyed the last stretch. To be honest, the rolling hills kicked my butt- I was just as eager to stroll into the finish! It was a morning of new experiences which showed me that I am just in the beginning of my running journey. Working on my pacing and getting out of the gym for more trail runs is what's next on my list!

About 50 feet from the finish line, I could tell that Bailey was done. They never said that a dog could not be carried over the finish line- and carried he was. We strolled in at 29 flat- slower than I had hoped, but man am I proud of my Bailey - aka the Wonder Pug.