Today I made a terrible mistake.
Fortunately the error of my misjudgement did not have disastrous consequences. I have a very bruised and battered body, but nothing that will not heal within a few days. I will however learn the lessons well, and do something different the next time...
“The Brutal Race” - the very name conjures up an image of a race that may well be quite hard. Having had a look at the pre race photographs I accepted this. There were huge bogs and puddles (up to one's armpits) en route. Not a fast course, but one which could be run with dogs and at 10k, was a little bit more of a test than the normal Saturday morning speed training session achieved at parkrun.
Having never run through bogs or large puddles with Kez and Kroi I was fully aware that it would be a test for us all, a true test of their trust in me. My gut feeling told me that all would be well and they would do exactly as I asked.
It was also Kroi's first ever race in the company of several other dogs, and a very excitable mass started.
We started 10 minutes before the mass “human only” runners. On the start line I made the decision to start from the front, something (in a dog running race) we have never done before. I worked well and we started as expected, immediately stepping clear of all the other runners. Both dogs running well and instantly responded when I asked them to slow down – they are used to running 5 minute mile pace from the line, which was completely unnecessary for this run.
All went well, until we reached the first downhill section.....
A sharp steep descent, down a sandy gully, before opening up to a further downhill section with loose rocks underfoot. It was at this moment in time that I realised my huge mistake.....
Kroi has been trained to pull when he wears a harness. When on collar and lead he knows to run free and either up front or by my side. He has been trained to “race” when wearing a neckline. He does not know any differently. He does not understand what happens to me when I am forced to recklessly run down hill. Does not know that every out of control stride could cause damage to my ankle that could ultimately end my life as a runner. He does not know this and never will. He will learn to understand what my fear means and react to it, just as Kez has learned, but that will take time.
Had I fully appreciated the danger of today's run I would have run solo with Kez. We would have finished significantly quicker as we would have been able to run down all the hills, Kez would have run by my side whenever I needed him to.
I did manage to stay upright for the full 10k, and I have not done any permanent damage to my ankle. I admit that I do have bruises and cuts on legs and arms, from where I learned to hug trees. Hugging trees is almost as effective as having brakes on a nitrous oxide fuelled Supra...
It was my slowest ever 10k and the first time I have run the dogs in harness when they have not been focused and bounding. They were confused and I was scared. We slowed to a trot, and even walked large sections. They became distracted and unfocussed, unsure of what was expected of them.
However, I also learned today that I already have an amazing bond with Kroi and also saw further evidence of the close connection that the two brothers have.......
When we reached the bogs and the puddles, Kroi listened to my every word and did exactly as I asked. Kez offered assistance when he hesitated, and Kroi responded by following his big brother's lead. They ran through all the puddles, until we reached the one that was to deep to find the bottom....
I stumbled into the murky depths and felt resistance around my leg. Kroi had suddenly panicked, having never been in water where his feet could not touch the ground and had wrapped his front legs around my right leg, holding on and becoming very fearful. I grabbed his harness and lifted him up, giving him support and confidence to kick his legs. And kick he did, and suddenly he was swimming. I only had to temporarily offer him help and guidance and he knew what to do.
After that, Kroi grew more confident and surged forward into every puddle. The second to last puddle was the most impressive as I did not think it was possible for a human and two dogs to pass through such a deep watery section at the speed we did. The cheer from the banks was recognition enough of our achievement, and I am optimistic that the official photographer managed to capture it on film.
I also noticed that on the second lap of this two lap course, Kroi responded better to me on the downhill sections, easing his pulling power and looking back at me frequently. This was particularly noticeable as I had slowed further more due to an overwhelming fear for the safety of my ankle. He also responded well to my requests to go past the distraction of other dogs and people with cameras! In such a short time he had already learned more than would have been achievable through several weeks of training.
After today's run, my bond with Kroi has now deepened further more. As I write he has just walked up to me and “handed” me the remains of his bone, which he no longer wants. His great, great, great, great grandfather used to do this as he wanted me to protect his bone from the other dogs. I am delighted to help him, it is the least that I can do. And when we went on our evening run an “on by” from me was all that was needed for him to pass several dogs without even breaking stride.
I am grateful to Sam for her tolerance to my incessant shouting “no”, “steady”, “stay”, “leave” and to Chilli for his acceptance of Kroi's naughty behaviour.
And also to Ian for his never ending support, mostly to the detriment of his own plans and thoughts.
Not forgetting my fellow runners and the organisers of the Brutal Race.
I would love to say that I will return for more, but for now I have some work to do with a puppy that has two very special missions in the next 6 months. And watching my video footage from our run, there are several things that I have learned about both dogs and how I can work better with them when we are running together as a team......
