Our dog, Ronin (aka fluff-head, muffin-top, puppy, and the "woochy-wooch").

On a long run with my dog through Clough State Park (about 2 hours, distance unknown), I experienced something remarkable about functional human capacities. It was a warm day, and I was running barefoot on a trail loop that is comprised of asphalt, sand, gravel, stone, and packed dirt. Ronin was off-leash running at his own pace and I was maintaining what felt like a 10 minute mile pace – slow and easy.

When we go for an off-leash run, Ronin likes to take the lead until he finds something interesting to smell. So, he often charges ahead, trots for a bit, and then stops to investigate anything and everything. It’s a beautiful display of the balance between working hard and resting just enough to keep going. Ronin knows when we’re going to be out for awhile, so he paces himself accordingly for a longer run.

Here’s where it gets interesting. After about 90 minutes into the run, I noticed that Ronin was no longer charging ahead of me. Rather, he was staying closer to me and maintaining a trot for much longer than before. Eventually, he fell behind and the distance between Ronin and I began steadily increasing. He simply couldn’t keep up with my pace anymore – even though I was maintaining speed and not running fast by anyone’s standards (a 10 minute mile, c’mon!). Granted, Ronin is an akita, which were bred for two purposes, 1) hunting bears, and 2) guarding a home or property. Sure, he’s a northern breed, with some of the most ancient lines of heritage of any type of canine, but he’s not a sled dog, if you know what I mean. He wasn’t bred to have exceptional physical endurance levels like a Siberian husky or any type of herding dog. In all the dog breed books, akitas are described as athletic with moderate physical activity needs.

But still, this is an animal, a strong and athletic animal in his prime (still has all that puppy energy). And here I was outrunning him into significant fatigue. Had we continued for another hour or two, he would have been run to utter exhaustion just trying to keep up with his pack.

This got me thinking about human capacities, especially when it comes to running. Last year and for the first time in my life, I had conditioned myself to the point where running was almost effortless (do note that I’ve never run for more than 3 hours straight). More specifically, I was running with absolutely no pain or discomfort, and my level of exertion was very low. My breathing wasn’t elevated when I ran, and when I stopped I didn’t have to slow my breathing or catch my breath. Of course, an increase in speed would change that altogether! However, running didn’t feel like work at all, and sometimes it was just as comfortable as walking. More often than not, I would finish a run refreshed, revitalized, and with seemingly more energy than when I started. Today, I’m finally able to relax while I run – something that would shock the doctors who told me I would never be able to run again.
Continue reading Persistence Hunting and Endurance Running: 5 Ways to Run Effortlessly