Raw Food Diet, Day 212- Marathon Training

My dad is training me to be a 2012 Olympic marathoner. 

Watching the 2008 Olympic Marathon.  Taking notes.

Stanislaw, representing the red, white and blue!  We've started training now, since I figure that 4 years in human time is really only about 7 months in my time so the year 2012 should be sneaking up rather quickly.  So far we've been out twice - once last Thursday and again this morning.  We're slated to up the routine to two times per week but due to my peach pit incident I wasn't allowed to attend the last training session.  I'm so behind!!  Every second counts!

Awesome dad and I, (and stinky slow-poke mom and Big Pupi too), all rolled out of our crates first thing in the morning and hit the pavement.  We ran a hard and fast 2 miles past Squirrel Country and Vegetable Garden Rabbitville, until we got to our half-way point with a nice water fountain right there waiting for me.  Mom kept a collapsable water bowl in her belt pouch and Pupi and I took turns feasting on water and getting soaked with the coolness.  Pupi and I run like rabid animals and since we're not good at pacing ourselves we wound up a little too hot and had to walk for a bit on our way home.  Plus mom spent extra time getting us nice and dripping wet. 

While at the fountain a fellow morning fast-hunting human stopped for a sip and said that mom shouldn't soak Pupi and me all over since it will actually hold the heat in - she should just wet our paws and bellies.  Has anyone heard of this before?  We're new to the fountain-wetting circuit as we used to run alongside a river in our old home and us dogs would just go for a dip every mile.  We know that if we get super hot that running cool (not cold!) water in the groin area is a good way to bring body temperature down as there are some major, superficial arteries running through there.  Cooling down that blood will cool the entire body, but if you're dealing with heat stroke you need to be super careful... bringing body temperature down too quickly can send dogs into shock.

Heat stroke is a very dangerous thing as it can get out of control very easily.  Gums will begin to look a muddy red, panting will be extremely rapid, vomiting and diarrhea will often occur, and sometimes dogs will lose leg function and some even become blind.  If it's not treated by a vet immediately it can cause death, permanent blindness, paralysis, brain damage and all sorts of terrible things.  So make sure your humans know how to help you and check on the signs, especially if you're a short-schnozzled breed since that makes you more predisposed to the condition.  Our humans are always stopping to check on our gums to make sure our color is okay.  If you need your exercise in the summer months like we do, kick your humans out of bed early in the morning or late in the evening - once the ground has cooled a bit and the sun is no longer beating down.  In Texas it used to get so hot the moment the sun peeked over the horizon that the only time Pupi and I could run was before sunrise in the dark!  Our humans wore little lights on their hats to make it work.  If you're determined enough you can always find a way.

Anyway, I finished my 4 mile training run/squirrel hunt and I just know that I will blow past everyone at the Olympic trials.  I bet no one trains as much as I do or feasts as hard afterwards.  I run marathons before breakfast!  (Marathons are 4 miles, right?)  The best part of all of this is that when I got home this morning I feasted on a massive meal of ground whole chicken, immune and green blends, fish oil pills, yogurt and huge scoops of cottage cheese.  Then I got to thrash my wet stinky body on the sofa and will be passing out on the rug at any moment.

Later guys.  This athlete's got to get his beauty rest.

Go hard or go home,

Stanislaw