Couch to 5K

Brisbane and I started the Couch to 5K running program last week. For those unaware, this is a fitness training program designed to gently ease the most sedentary person into the world of exercise. The idea is to go from "running makes me feel like I'm going to die" to "I can run for 30 minutes straight without passing out" in 9 weeks. In theory.

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?

Green Beans to the Rescue!

Brisbane is what horse people call an "easy keeper". Every so often I attempt to use this term with non-horse people and get puzzled expressions and strange looks. An easy keeper is a horse that keeps weight on with zero effort on the part of the owner. He doesn't need to be fed extra supplements or fussed over in the winter, you barely have to feed him and he stays fat and happy. Sometimes I think Brisbane photosynthesizes extra calories, he plumps up so easily.

Chubby puppy.

When he was a baby, I fed Brisbane as much as he would eat. I had thought this would teach him to self-limit his food intake, but instead it just made him fat. I know better now. I used to argue that Brisbane was not fat. I could feel his ribs if I really pushed, and he kind of had an abdominal tuck if I pushed his fur against his belly. When it became obvious that Briz had spinal issues, I decided to put him on a diet.

A slim dog has it easier.

The less weight Brisbane has to carry, the less stress there will be on his joint. His back already has some issues, he certainly doesn't need to be carrying extra pounds. In the top picture he was nearly 50 pounds, in the second he was down to 45 pounds or less. These days I keep him at a trim 40 pounds. I can easily feel his ribs just under his skin, with no fat covering them. He has a nice abdominal tuck, with proper definition between his ribcage and waist. Brisbane's disc issues have improved with time.

There's kibble under there, I swear.

Brisbane lost all that weight through potion control, and he eats very small portions. There was a time when I counted out exactly 25 pieces of low-calorie kibble for him every day. I used to do whole-prey-model raw feeding, but Briz is allergic to poultry. I haven't figured out yet how to do minuscule portions of non-poultry raw meaty bones. Ground frozen raw food is out of my price range in this town.

Every day, Brisbane gets 1/4-cup of kibble with a pile of green beans on top. I get the no-salt added canned ones, usually store brand. Right now the small cans are the cheapest, so he gets an entire can drained and unceremoniously dumped on top of his food. The entire heap of green beans is only 40 calories, but fills him up enough to keep him from inventing new ways to steal food. The tiny portion of kibble helps compensate for all the training treats Briz gets, along with the occasional half package of Oreos he eats off the counter.

My husband wants to know how I can keep the dog so skinny, but not him. I offered to replace most of his food with green beans, but he wouldn't go for it.