One day last fall, a variety of things brought me to where I am today. The first was with the death of my dog, Marshmallow. She was my trusted and loyal companion of 17 years. A portly, white Miniature poodle, she was devoted to me and me alone. The sad day came, after several years of battling a variety of ailments and the misery of old age, that I had to make a decision. “She is dying. There is nothing more to be done” were the words I heard from our wonderful vet, who had given me many years with Marshmallow, that I might not have had without his excellent care and management of Marshmallow’s condition. The time had come. My beloved Marshmallow died on September 25th, 2008. I have missed her everyday since she passed.
Another turn of unfortunate events came to visit our home two short months after Marshmallow’s death. Our oldest Boxer, Parker, was put to sleep. She had a malignant growth on the roof of her mouth. The vet removed it about a month or so prior (my memory fails me a bit). He warned us that this was really just buying us some more time with our friend. He stated it was likely an aggressive growing tumor, and that it would return. It did. With a vengeance. After the Thanksgiving holiday, Parker was released from her failing body. She was 9 years old. She was the kindest, sweetest dog. I also think of her everyday. I miss her, too.
What does all of this have to do with running? It initially began as a way to help my Boxer, Bear, recover from his recent losses. He was missing Marshmallow. He really missed Parker, his best friend. We had adopted a little male Shih-Tzu, Eddie, whom Bear was beginning to bond with, but, Bear seemed so lost and distracted. I began to search for ways to help him. To keep him busy, so his loss wasn’t so heavy on him. I wondered what I could do to help him. The weather was not yet terrible yet, and so, decided that we would begin to walk. And…walk we did. A LOT. First went Bear, then, went Eddie. And, so on and so forth, day after day.
As the days passed, and the weather worsened, I knew I couldn’t keep up with the outdoor walking. The walks were ceasing to be fun for Bear and Eddie. They were both so cold and miserable! Eddie, well…he was just too small to get through the huge snow drifts on the sidewalks. I ,also, was not quite as fond of the walks once the weather turned for the worse. By the time this occurred, Bear and Eddie were well bonded, and Bear seemed to be more his old self.
This left me in a predicament. I knew that I was in bad shape. I had gained 30 pounds since quitting smoking. I knew that I was out of breath going for a walk with my dogs. Those first blocks, then, miles of walking my dogs left me with shin splints, and tired me out. I knew that at age 40, I shouldn’t be feeling quite THAT
My girl.
Beautiful Boxer girl.
old. I wanted to do something about it, and was ready to make a change. I knew that I wanted to improve my diet. I knew that I wanted to get in shape and get more toned up. I knew i wanted to lose weight. But…there was one more thing I wanted to do, but, was hardly ready to dare think about it. I felt crazy for even thinking about it…but…what I really wanted to do…was to RUN. To be continued…
Marshmallowrunner's Blog 