Not Gracie's Day

I love to run with my dog....and the feeling is reciprocated by her. She knows the sound of my shoes as I tie the laces and comes trotting into my closet, ready to hit the roads again. She is joyful in her anticipation, barking, whining and running around my feet. I only wish I had half her excitement when it came to running ...motivation would not be a problem!

On Monday, however, it just wasn't Gracie's day. I had a very busy afternoon and was trying to squeeze in a three miler before my two o'clock appointment. I got out my standard winter running wardrobe and started the chore of suiting up. The temperature wasn't supposed to break out of the teens, so I knew I really needed to bundle for this run.

Gracie heard the swish of my wind pants and came running down the hall. "Yeah!!! We're going for a run," was her bark of glee. Her tail thumped the carpet with the anticipation of hitting the streets. It took about five minutes to get ready, with Gracie nipping at my heals the entire time. She whined with excitement as she followed me to the mud room for my windbreaker, hat and gloves.

I just needed to check my email to make sure my appointment was not cancelled. I took a quick trip downstairs, with Gracie right behind me, and then back up to the kitchen for a Kleenex (although boogers freeze, they eventually thaw). It was then that I noticed the clock. Already 12:55, I only had an hour to run, eat, shower and get to my appointment, which was 15 minutes away.

My run would have to wait. I started to take off my hat and mittens and unzip the windbreaker. Gracie's little button eyes gave me the "wait a minute...I thought we were about to do something fun...." look. It was as if someone had taken the squeaky part out of her favorite toy. You could see confusion and disappointment all over her face. Her ears laid back as if to say "I promise I'll be good, just take me for a run."

But alas it just wasn't meant to be. She followed me to the bathroom and cocked her head to the side as I turned on the shower, then slowly, tail hung low, she turned around and walked out. The picture above is how I found her as I was getting ready to leave the house. As if to say, "never mind, I didn't want to run with you anyway!"