Running buddy

I've been running off and on since college.  Of the many reasons I was excited to bring Filo home, one of them was the prospect of running with him.  The breeder told us to wait until Filo was 18 months old before running with him, to give his hips the chance to fully develop first.  On the very day that he turned 18 months old, Adam and I took him for a run.  He loved it!  Filo is fast and he loves to race along most any surface.  When he and I run, he often looks back at me with a little grin, as if to say, "This is the best!"

Filo is a great running buddy.  He is always ready, no matter the weather or time of day.  He helps me to notice all of the squirrels in our path, as well as people, other dogs, and hidden treasures like the half-eaten cupcake he found this weekend.  Sadly, I took it right out of his mouth.

Lately, Filo and I have had company on our runs.  My neighbor is training for a half-marathon and asked me if I wanted to run with her.  I said that I did, so we run together several times a week, and we bring our dogs.  On Saturday morning, we ran 4 miles around Duke's East and West campuses, and I thought about how I was living a dream.  I was running on Duke's campus on a gorgeously cool  morning--a long held wish, helping a friend achieve her goal, and my beloved Filo was with me.

I just might register for this half-marathon.  It's never really been a goal of mine, but why not?  If I'm going to train for one, I may as well run in it.  It isn't something that I would do on my own, but with the support of human and canine running buddies, I'm part of a tiny community.  It is great.

Has a friend ever encouraged you to do something that you hadn't considered before?  Did you do it?  If so, did you have a "running buddy"?