I've always been a fairly active person, and to be honest I really like running. I'm just terrible at it. Really, really terrible. In my defense, I have a whole lot working against me.
My knees are genetically horrible in a way that wasn't fixed by surgery, so they balloon up if I run in sneakers on pavement like a normal person.
Last year my pulmonologist decided I don't actually have asthma after all, and instead I have something called "restrictive lung disease" that is probably related to my autoimmune issues. This means my lungs are operating at about 60% capacity.
I also have exercise-induced acid reflux, which is without a doubt the stupidest health problem ever. Instead of getting massive heartburn and reflux symptoms when I lay down, I get them when I move around. Sometimes it gets bad enough that I end up puking stomach acid. There are not enough antacids in the world to mitigate this, and none of the other meds I've tried have helped.
At the age of ten, Brisbane needs to stay active in order to remain as comfortable as possible for as long as possible. Light jogging on unpaved surfaces is really good for conditioning, but most surfaces tear up his feet. The paw pad issue is part of the reason he has gained so much weight, waiting for them to heal made for some very sedentary weeks.
The only surface that doesn't damage Brisbane's paws or offend my touchy knee cartilage is deep, dry sand. Coincidentally, this is also the most labor intensive running surface ever. Hence the Couch to 5K plan. Ideally we should be running three days a week for longer intervals each time.
Last week we did Week 1: Day 1, which consists of a five minute warm up walk and then alternating 60 seconds of running with 90 seconds of walking. This set off my reflux so bad I started to wonder if I was actually having a heart attack (I do have medical clearance to run around on the beach like a total dork in case anyone was wondering. Brisbane does, too.) Then we took a few days off for various reasons, and today we did...Week 1: Day 1 again. Briz seemed to enjoy it more this time. Ru ran circles around us and flitted across the sand like a little pixie because he has almost no bodyweight to move around. I am slightly less refluxy than I was last time, so I think we'll move up to Week 1: Day 2 for our next run.
I don't know if we'll ever run marathons, but I'm going to celebrate any sign of improvement because I have a lot I'm working against. We may not ne running 5K in nine weeks, but we'll definitely have made some progress by then.
What sort of activities do you do with your dog?
