Doggy Dash

Piper ran her first 5k this past Saturday! Our local city park was hosting a "Bark in the Park" weekend to raise money for the humane society and Saturday evening was the kick off with a puppy trot 2k and a doggy dash 5k. Saturday was forecasted to be beautiful so we signed up last minute (as in, 10pm Friday night) and decided to have a fun family afternoon/evening at the park!

We got there early and spent an hour or so playing in a big field...

Her hair and her face. Love.

She wore her cute poodle shirt that was handed down to her from her cousin in the spirit of the doggy love that was happening at the park!

Taking her to the park is so much fun now that she can walk on her own. Not only is it fun seeing her walk around and explore, but I'll admit it makes the park visit a little more relaxing for mama and dada as we sit and watch and take pictures. ; )

Gotta get a pre-race picture! 

Piper could not believe her good luck. Not only did she get to leave the house and get a car ride, but she ended up at the park and was going to get to go for a run!

She must've thought it was her birthday or something.

We watched the puppy trot first. I was so sad I didn't have a costume for Piper! I have plans to buy one when they go on sale next week and keep it for next year!

Here she is waiting for the race to start. I think she was a little nervous. There was definitely some panting and whimpering going on. Maybe she was just intimidated by the fine German Shepherds that were keeping a close eye on their competition.

Things were a little crazy when we first started. Piper was pulling me all over the place! She didn't have a clue why all of these dogs and people just all of a sudden took off in the same direction. I couldn't stop laughing. Her excitement was hilarious.

But she settled in nicely after a few minutes and we had a great race! 

She'll be 3 years old this November, and let me tell you, the first year or so was quite the challenge trying to train her to walk and run without pulling. We stuck with it though, and while she still has her moments, she is actually really well behaved on her leash now. Even amidst all those other dogs! Consistency pays off people - even when its hard!

Honestly, I should take Piper with me to all of my 5k's! We got a great time. We finished in 25:57. Hello! That was an 8:21 minute mile! Way faster than I normally run when we just go out with the stroller around the neighborhood. Maybe it was just the freedom from the stroller that made us go faster! Either way, I was super excited about our good time and it was motivation to keep up the work for the next race I want to do in December.

 Also...Piper got 5th place in the large dog category.

Not too shabby for her first race. ; )