Lmst

#RunningWithDogs

With yet another storm hitting Spain this winter, we were looking for shelter and I dropped the idea of running up to 1100m. Wouldn't have been wise to be up there this morning, yellow warning, 70km/h gusts and a bitterly cold wind. This afternoon the wind died down, it will pick up again this evening, yup another front coming through with high wind.

Me and Paddy the Irish mutt, grabbed this lull and set out on a "Cami De Footing" around a spot field. But after 2.5km Paddy was asking me to stop and was looking back towards the HQ. He wasn't limping when walking or running at my speed, but he didn't let me touch his right paw.

I think he might have hurt it more than he let me know yesterday. As he stopped and lifted his paw while looking at me. He wasn't too happy with me checking it, but was very happy when I removed a small torny twig from the paw and he continued running along like nothing was wrong.

So a few rest days for the wee lad coming up.

#TrailRunning #RunnersOfMastodon #RunningWithDogs #Running #BarefootRunning

Paddy the Irish mutt's painted front paws, his left got more white that his right that just got a little dap on his toes, standing in some nice white spring flowers, sorry no clue what they are, and you can see one of my red go faster running shoes next to his paws.

My running stats imprinted on top

Set off a bit too early after lunch on today's route, but after a km or two, wind changed direction, if you get what I mean, and it was more comfortable to run.

Forgot to take a snap on the run because I was "Dig(ging) That Groove Baby" with the awesome band Toy Dolls, much air guitar and drums were done. While singing along to to bangers like Fiery Jack, Glenda and the Test Tube Baby, Spiders in the Dressing Room, Stay Mellow, Nellie the Elephant and more. You should go and have a listen, if you don't like it, play it until morale improves, and I tell you it will, especially if you turn the volume to 11.

#RAAAD #TrailRunning #BarefootRunning #Running #RunnersOfMastodon #RunningWithDogs #ToyDolls #Music

A photo of the Toy Dolls album cover for their album called dig that groove baby, red background with the letter ina nearly 3D block effect where the sides/shades are green. My running stats imprinted on top

Detours was today's theme. First one was just a few fallen trees that send us on to a path that went straight around two big hunting dog kennels. Detour two was picked, which ended here, see attached picture. Google Satellite and OpenSteetMap had nothing about this, looked like the rest of the area. Which was a spiders web of trails on the ground, some marked with posts/arrows and few of them on the maps. So detour three was picked while I was singing along to Talking Head's (Nothing but) Flowers and having a good old time. It also got me thinking about the brilliant movie The Emerald Forest (1985) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emerald_Forest Shorter run than planned but what a nice area to run in.

#TrailRunning #RunnersOfMastodon #RunningWithDogs #BarefootRunning #Running

Erm where did the forest go, this should have been a continuation of the mountain bike and running trails in a forest, but now just a big old hole in the ground with heavy machinery digging and breaking down big rocks. Paddy was not sure about these loud machines either. My running stats imprinted on top

Today's run had a nice refreshing footbath. Lucky for you, you don't get to see the face I made when my foot slipped and I nearly dropped mid crossing.

#Running #RunnersOfMastodon #RunningWithDogs #BarefootRunning

Paddy the Irish mutt is having drink just betwe crossed a river via a Ford. It was about foot deep and slippery in the middle. On the other side of the river you can see a "wall" of bamboo and the road going up a small hill to a house. My running stats imprinted on top

Back on this auqa duct, didn't see the wild goats this time and only with one mutt, which made it a bit easier to run along. Though the often steep drop to one side, holes in the "floor" and bushes overgrowing the "trail" didn't make it a fast run, but it was fun ;)

#TrailRunning #RunnersOfMastodon #RunningWithDogs #Running #BarefootRunning

Paddy the Irish mutt standing inside an concrete auqa duct. Running along the said if a mountain with the sea in the far distance and and flat lands between the next mountain sticking up. Blue skies with some clouds. My running stats imprinted on top

While out running today I realised that I've passed my second year since I started to run. Even I, find it hard to believe that I would take up running. Hated the idea never saw anyone with a smile on their face, just miserable, that might be because I've only seen runner in towns before. Along with the knowledge that in the past if I ran for the ice cream van or the night bus, I would have had a knee moaning at me for a week afterwards.

Now I booked myself into a trail marathon and been running 3-6 times a week, anything up to 22km. The only two injuries I've had was a dream where I kicked a monster, I was protecting Doctor Who you see, and really hurt my big toe again the wall, and Paddy headbutting my knee in rough play. Other than that it's been bee stings, nettle burns and bramble cuts, which is just part of the fun ;)

And with a run like today it just couldn't get any better, brilliant trail and that view. See you out there on the trails.

#TrailRunning #BarefootRunning #Running #RunnersOfMastodon #RunningWithDogs

Paddy the Irish mutt enjoying the view from a rocky outcrop looking down the valley we just climbed up, to the left and the right we have small mountains tops sticking up with trees growing on the sides. In the distance we can see the flat lands below and some low clouds now bye skies today. My running stats imprinted on top

No photo from today's run, so you get one from when the storm was here. According to Strava there was a second fastest 5km, just under 30min, within today's run. Flat roads and Rammstein clearly takes the blame for that. Cause I still had to wait for Paddy the Irish mutt when he was reading and commenting on weeMail and even had to get a kibble out of my shoe only felt it 1.5km into the run.

#Running #RunnersOfMastodon #RunningWithDogs #BarefootRunning

Dark blue skies with a faint rainbow as the sun was setting during storm Harry, waves closed the the shoreline and promanade, there used to be a wide stony beach but it got washed away. My running stats imprinted on top

Not the best of sleep last night because the quarry starting up at 4:30-5am. Must be hard for the nearby town to have this noise going from early morning to late at night. Reversing beeps from lorries, big rocks getting dumped onto metal and other machine/factory noices. But the run was good up on a hillside over looking the town and quarry.

#TrailRunning #RunnersOfMastodon #Running #BarefootRunning #RunningWithDogs #Running

Paddy the Irish mutt looking across the valley towards the two and quarry that woke us up and silly'o'clock. Blue skies and a valley fully of Olive and pine trees in the sun. In the distance you can see a town with a big hole in the hill/mountain side where the quarry is

Run not found ... get it, get it? Short run today for two reasons yesterday's feast the lass knocked up, still stat heavy. She had made it too spicy for herself, so I had to eat her share, didn't I, well I couldn't resist as it was NOM!.

Also it's caterpillar season here already, if you have a sharp eye you can see two nests in the tree. One is nearly cooked and the other got a few more days before, the wee buggers come out. The good old days of few areas in Spain and a short season in April, where you avoid walking in some forest areas are long gone. Nearly two seasons now Jan/Feb and October and for longer periods too and so many areas of Spain, feck they have even spread up to middle France and Denmark.

(Yes they are cute but they are definitely Do Not Touch, at best a severe allergic reaction and a trip to A&E/ER for a human, for dogs it's quite often much worse ;( )

#BarefootRunning #TrailRunning #Running #RunnersOfMastodon #RunningWithDogs

A somewhat close up of a fur tree where there's two caterpillar nests, dark brown (new nest are fluffy white) which means to they are ready to climb out (cooked as I call it). With blue skies as a background and farmland valley behind the trees. My running stats imprinted on top and the reason for not found is that I ran 4.04km, get it?

Happiness is a running buddy!

Pup is a keen runner. The second I start getting ready, she’s on me. The sadness when it’s too cold or too far for her (she’s still in single digit distances) would break your heart. She’s really good at locking into a pace and holding steady. She loves the “zoom, zoom” of intervals. So much fun!

#RunningWithDogs #GetOutside #TrailRun #Run #SeenOnMyRun #DogsOfMastodon

Pup, mid-run, on a snowy trail.. Pup is stopped, looking off to the left. She has a short caramel coat and button ears with white socks. Pup is wearing a pink collar, harness, and leash. The leash is attached to her person out of frame. The trail is lined with evergreens and bare deciduous trees and there is a well trodden path down the middle. Pup looks very majestic despite her medium size.

As much as I hate tarmac I was glad for it today. We had a spot of rain over night and Spanish soil doesn't half stick when it is just a bit moist. It's nearly to the ratio of 2 steps to 100g of mud. And trying to stomp it off only glues it more to your shoes. The choice to stay on tarmac were also "helped" by the bangs and barking dogs coming from the direction the trails would take us.

#Running #RunnersOfMastodon #RunningWithDogs #TrailRunning #BarefootRunning

Paddy in the middle of a innocent looking gravel track but the soil is gluemud. The track leads towards the mountains in the background with olive trees and other fruits trees on both sides blue skies above. My running stats imprinted on top

On today's run I had a good giggle and a trip down memory lane. Many moons ago I was backpacking around Australia and was having a beer in a massive beer garden with another traveler. Other than us two, there were just a family, 5-6 in total, way over in the other side of the garden. Suddenly I was tapped on my shoulder by a 5-6 years old wee kid. Asking me if I wanted to her a joke. Yes, I said.

Kid: Why did the toad cross the road?
Me, still confused as I had not spoken to anyone from the family at all and could see them over the head of the wee lad, starting to crack up: I don't know, why? I answered.
Kid: It wanted to visit its flat mate.

As we sat blinking at each other, the kid was gone, legging it back over the the family who were struggling to stay seated on their chairs while they were roaring with laughter ;)

#TrailRunning #RunnersOfMastodon #Running #BarefootRunning #RunningWithDogs

A photo of a frog that is squished into the dried up mud, flat as a pancake. My running stats imprinted on top

I should have taken heed to what we saw last night and this morning, but did I? Heck nooooo ;)

Arrived at sunset and all of Spain, it felt like, were either running or walking past for a good few hours still. Then at 6am they started up again dog walkers, Nordic walkers, abuelas/abuelos out for their daily constitution and runners; everyone speaking loudly, fast and all doing so while they were doing their activities at speed.

This should have let me think about the routes vs times I saw on Suunto and WikiLoc. But nope I plotted a 10k with 500m up. Guessing that I should do that in 1h30m to 2 hours. But nooooo

Nearly 3 hours later I staggered in HQ rather spent. 500m became 600m up was mostly done climbing and scrambling. You can see that in one place, there was even a rope to help you. It was only the last 3km was really run-able as the rest was really rocky trails that went steeply down/up, in places I had to duck because of low branches.

First "run" where I come back with my arms and shoulders as tired as my legs.

Edited to add my shoes lace broke on one shoe, which made running interesting ;)

#TrailRunning #Running #RunnersOfMastodon #RunningWithDogs #Barefoot

Paddy the Irish mutt standing and few "steps" up a rocky wall, I had planned to climb and lift him up step by step but he just went mountain goat on me. The wall was about 10m high and had a rope to help you up and down. Each step was about a meter high and took an effort from me who is nearly 2m tall. My "running" stats imprinted on top

Pup and I got in an interval run. Above 0C temps and good air quality! Woot! So much fun! So much mud! Pup rocks the 'zoom, zoom' part!

#Run #Running #GetOutside #RunningWithDogs #Dogs #DogsOfMastodon

A pup is seated on a wet sidewalk looking up at the photographer. She is wearing a pink harness and lead attached to her person whose black running shoes are at the bottom of the frame. Pup has a short caramel jacket and button ears, white socks and ruff, with big brown eyes. She is very cute!

This time of year we do get some good views, fog in rolling valleys. But in rural Spain this often includes men in hi-viz orange with boom sticks and loose packs of dogs, shooting at anything that moves by the sound we woke up too. When it had calmed down, I ventured out into the olive groves, with my ears and eyes on high alert. Any sound we stopped, looked for orange and listening out for barking. Lucky the most we encountered was a 4x4 with a trailer full of barking dogs, a few tracks over going away from us.

#TrailRunning #Running #RunnersOfMastodon #RunningWithDogs #Barefoot

A view out over a valley where the left overs of the frosty morning fog still lingers in the olive trees here and above there's some high clouds that still have a bit of the morning sunrise colors. My running stats imprinted on top

Perfect day out with a warm down wandering around this old fort/church. Set of into a forest that turned into a vineyard that opened up to give a view of this. Then steep down into a gorge and back up to the church or a look see.

#Running #RunnersOfMastodon #RunningWithDogs #TrailRunning #Barefoot

A view of an old church and fort on a little hill top. Behind in the far distance you can see rolling hills come mountains with morning clouds still hanging on. My running stats imprinted on top

Woke up, took the mutts for their morning constitution in beautiful blue skies and sunshine. Put the kettle on for my breakfast looked out the window and couldn't see more that a few meters through the fog. Started to get ready for a run as the fog cleared to reveal that some hunters had rocked up with about 12 lose dogs ...

So after a small relocation I managed to run around an area where early humans have lived in caves and Paddy wasn't too sure about running through a waterfall that was flowing over the path.

#TrailRunning #Running #RunnersOfMastodon #RunningWithDogs #Barefoot

Paddy the Irish mutt sitting on a path in a wood, just before a small bridge which is now halfway covered in a waterfall which gave us both wet feet as we crossed.. My running stats imprinted on top

Merry Ba Humbug to everyone who celebrate. Because it's today and not tomorrow, Tru fact.

Anywhooo managed to get a run in today in the Pyrenees, not the highest parts. Because we don't have snow chains with us and the weather forecast just looked miserable up there. I'm sure we will be back in the spring after we have had a look at Spain for few weeks.

#Crimbo #BaHumbug #Running #RunnersOfMastodon #RunningWithDogs #TrailRunning #Barefoot #SalukiLove #DogsOfMastodon #RescueDogs

Paddy the Irish mutt posing on a path above a river, with a small French village, that you can just about see in the trees on the other side of the river, behind him and some low mountains in the background nearly covered in low clouds. My running stats imprinted on top

7km around the rural French rurals. The journey here was delayed by the left overs from the latest farmer strikes. Day's later haybales are still burning and roads still blocked by big piles of solid and manure. The French famers do go all in when striking.

#Running #RunnersOfMastodon #RunningwithDogs #Barefoot #TrailRunning

#RunningWithDogs

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