Exhausted

Hello loyal followers. It's been a few days since I last posted my "Training Day" blog. All I can say is that my paws are in so much pain that it's begun to be hard to walk. The last two days Dad has taken it upon himself to make Dave's dream come true. At 5 a.m., like clockwork, I get a wake up call: "Lola!" Dad yells from the top of the stairs, "come here, girl." I run up the stairs, happy as can be, forgetting what the day has in store for me (short-term memory, it's a dog thing). Dad's already got his track suit on and the leash ready. We start by walking a mile and a half to the preserve, then he lets me loose. Oh oops, did I forget to mention that Dad was also an amazing athlete in high school and college? Unlike Dave, he was on the cross-country team, and by that I mean he can run 5 miles without so much as a heave of the chest. He's always been a runner, even though he's now 35 and has a full-time profession, which means he has no sympathy for those not in shape, a.k.a. ME. You may think, "she's a dog, how is she not in shape?" Well, I don't have opposable thumbs, therefore I cannot escape the house except when someone takes me, and let me tell you, my family is very busy so my needs don't necessarily come first. Don't feel bad for me, my family is wonderful. More than exercise, I need love and attention, and my family gives me plenty of that.

Anyhow, back to the tentative training schedule (I apologize for getting off topic, being scatterbrained is a dog thing, too). So after our 1 and 1/2 mile walk, we run the 8 mile loop around the preserve. You'd think as a three-year-old dog, I'd have the stamina for anything- not for an almost 10 mile trek before 7 a.m. I don't. I'm one of those pups who loves their sleep and being rudely interrupted during the REM cycle every morning is starting to get to me, I'll admit. After the loop, we go home and I eat my breakfast and Dad showers and is off to work. At night, Mom, who is also very athletic, runs the same course with me. By 8 p.m. I'm as unconscious as a stuffed animal. Lily and Jack, who are only 5 years old, have begun to go to bed later than me. Usually I stay up to watch my favorite shows, either American Idol or 24, with my parents but even that's begun to be too much. I'm having a hard time believing I'll be able to do this whole race thing. T-minus 27 days. What would Jack Bauer do?

Loyally,
Lola