Thursday, August 28, 2008

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

11 comments:

Toffee said...

Wow! Good job on your training runs! I just lounged around on the couch...snoring.

My mom and dad applied to do the London marathon next April - maybe you could run that with them?

Mack said...

Since it is 800 degrees & 278% humidity here in Texas, mom usually exercises us inside. My favorite toy is the laser light pen (AKA R.L.B. - red light bug). I can chase it for hours! (Until Miss Paris tries to tackle me!)

Niamh said...

I am sure that you will be an outstanding marathoner Stanislaw! And the more you train the more you can feast. I'm glad your people are keeping you cool and hydrated

Your friend,
Niamh

the many Bs said...

hey Stanislaw, you are pretty smart on staying cool when exercising. we know that we can only cool our bodies through our paws and panting, so that's why walking in cool water is so refreshing. but if you are hot and you go swimming, then your entire hair gets cool which makes your entire body get cool. right? if we swim in the winter, we would freeze! eek! so we don't. we think cooling down in water is a great idea, drinking it, walking in it and soaking in it. yay for cool refreshing water!

woofs.

Agatha and Archie said...

Well it seems if you are hot cold water will help make you cold..but what do we know after all?? not much... Love and kisses A+A

Hero said...

Hey, Stan. My mom has never heard about completely soaked puppies overheating. When I get soaked to the bone I'm usually completely dry in a matter of minutes, because water tends to slide off my coat than soak in. I'm sure you're coat would be the same way. To keep cool during hikes and long walks my mom usually only soakes my belly, pads, and head, but I think she does that more to conserve water for me to drink than anything else. Good luck with your olympic training!

Petra said...

Stanislaw, you are a star! Keep hydrated and eat those carbs while you're in training.

Go hard or go home, I like that!

Fenway said...

Ms. Alpha just ran across some info about agility dogs and overheating. She tried hard to find the facts online but couldn't. Here's what she remembers:

If your dog exhibits signs of overheating, DO NOT submerge them in water because wet fur retains heat. She believes this to be true because after I'm bathed, I get kind of steamy hot. The facts are that since we perspire through our paws, wetting them would be a GOOD thing. Also, if it's a little more serious, wiping down the belly and paws with alcohol will cool a very hot dog.

Stan...I admire your training regimen. Maybe we'll meet up at the startng blocks in 2012. Ms. Alpha is cross training me with LOTS of swimming, which is basically stick retrieval in deep water. I also get run in the shallow water so my leg and thigh muscles get built up. Then it's rounded out with a few dozen frisbee tosses a day for my wind sprints and fast twitch jumping muscles.

Oy vey...the life of an athlete. I wish I had Dana Torres' masseuse team!

Scottie the 'Cutie' said...

Hi Stan!

Wow,you all have been training hard! I don't know if I (or even my Mom!) can run 4 miles at one go! My hiking trip proved it...haha!

Not very sure about soaking a hot puppy in water, but my instructor had a student that was a heatstroke survivor! He told us that whenever we go out for training or walks, we should bring a bottle for spraying (you know, the ones that sprays out mists of water for plants or ironing?) and places we should definitely spray are the belly area, paws, and armpits(all sides) every now and then.

IF (which I hope it doesn't!) a heatstroke occurs, pour cool water over the whole body, and try to get as much water into the mouth as possible, and rush to the vet. Hope that helps!

Scottie

River said...

I'm with Toffee (in a virtual sense). I'm on the footrest of my mom's chair. Jumping down for a drink of water is enough exercise in the heat here in Georgia. Humidity is close to 278% here, too.

Great workout Stan. Please stay cool!

love & wags,
River

Amber-Mae said...

Sorry to hear about your peach pit accident. Hope you're okay now. Well, good to know you're training up for the marathon run! You'll be in fit shape soon for the race. Oh but always becareful not to over do it especially on a very hot day & especially when you're all black. No offense Stan! You know anything black tends to absorb heat so it can become dangerous. Anytime you have a heatstroke, your hoomans should pour water (not ice cold water like what my Hooman M did on me on Dogathon Day! It can be fatal.) all over your body, find a shady area & just cool down. Drink loads of cool water & rest. And immediately go to the Vet. If it's a minor heatstroke like mine on Dogathon Day, then it's not really necessary to go to the Vet. Just rest with lots of water being poured on to you & lots of fresh water for you to drink... Just my 2 cents.

Butt wiggles,
Solid Gold Dancer