Koda, the Running Dog

The great thing about 4-legged furry running partners, is they are always ready to go when you are, they are great motivators for when you don't feel like running, and they never complain about the pace or the weather. And doggies are just great company. I love how happy my Koda looks when we're out romping in the woods.

But we didn't always run on forest trails... we did road races, too...

In sunny SoCal, Koda was not only my faithful weekday running partner, he also did 5ks, 10ks and half marathons! That's 13.1 miles. Here we are getting ready for his FIRST HALF MARATHON, the Pacific Shoreline Half in Huntington Beach, CA. I even made him his own bib—D3302—he's in the "dog" division.

Koda running strong at mile 10.
Click here for more pictures of Koda's FIRST MARATHON,
as he tells it in his own words.

Here we are after Koda's 2nd Half Marathon, at Pacific Shoreline, the following year. The kids at the finish line even gave him his own finisher medal for completing the distance. I think we finished in about 2:10.

Koda relaxing on the beach with his finisher medal,
after completing his 2nd half marathon.

Koda around mile 8 of his 3rd Half Marathon - again at Pacific Shoreline. We ran with one of his favorite running buddies, Aileen. The kids loved giving him water to drink from the little cups. But he also knows how to let me know he needs water from my bottle, as well.

Now in Portland, OR - Koda enjoys the cool, shady trails of Forest Park. Here, Koda joined me for 6 miles of my first 50k run on Wildwood Trail in October 2009.

Another Saturday, another trail run. Koda doesn't mind the mud at all - feels soft and squishy under his paws.

I don't want you to get the wrong idea, that all this running is what caused his torn ligament. When Koda first started running with me, we started gradually and built up his mileage, just like a person. So after nearly 7 years of running, he has a great base and is well-conditioned for running. And since we moved to Portland, a lot of his running is on the joint-friendly trails - which is good for both of us.

His torn CCL was most likely a result of tweaking it while running willy-nilly at the dog park. But I'll write more about that in another post.

After Koda recovers from his TPLO surgery, we hope to get back out on the trails again. He is so happy when we're out there together, just enjoying the fresh air and dirt beneath our feet.