Dog Grumbles, Early Mornings and My First Runstreak
By Marnie Kunz
When it comes to long distances, I’ve never been exceptional. Sure, I ran the New York Marathon (shuffling the last 10 miles), and I was a cross country and track athlete growing up, but I’ve never been an impressive long-distance achiever. I don’t log 100-mile weeks or even 100-mile months. I do love a good speed workout — tracks are my workout spirit animals — and I tend to get bored and injured on runs over 13 miles. This is why I love Art Runs (banish boredom and get in a 5K run). But last month, with the help of my furry, grumbling rescue dog, I accomplished my first runstreak (1 month straight of running!) and ran over 100 miles. And it was all unintentional. Running helped me get through the stress of pandemic life while satisfying my bossy Akita’s grumbling to go out every morning — who knew it was a recipe for runstreak success!
It all started during a long, snowy, isolated winter, where my pandemic pup Kita Kiyoshi came to life. I was getting really down and listless being trapped inside during quarantine life, with no gym access and none of my usual workout partners nearby. And then with the first snow, my normally lackadaisical, nap-loving Akita came to life. She would wake up early every morning and nudge me to go outside, springing around in the snow and getting the zoomies. She would go from 0 to 100 real quick on snow days. Long summer days of napping when I got her (probably also partly due to her medical conditions, now treated) had given way to a wild winter of furry fury. So I decided to run with my now cancer-free, energetic pup more regularly.
I was already trying to stay fit and sane during quarantine, and I decided with all the snow, it would be helpful to have trail running shoes for my runs with tumbleweed, (aka Kiyoshi). So I invested in the Nike Pegasus Trail running shoes, which are my first waterproof pair of running shoes (thanks, Gore-tex!), and the answer to one of my life-long dreams of having dry feet on any run (why did this take so long to make waterproof running shoes, or am I just late to the game on this?).
We started running every day and Kiyoshi loved it so much, she started nudging me to go run every morning. Like clockwork, between 6:50 and 7 am every morning, a big, furry head would appear next to me, nudging my elbow and grumbling, in true Akita fashion (Akitas rarely bark but make a wide range of grumbles, moans, huffs, sighs, and other sounds). For not talking, Kiyoshi is the most vocal and bossy dog I’ve ever met. If I did not get out of bed right away, on a particularly cold or sleepy morning, she would grumble even louder and I’d wake to see a curly tail waving extra hard at me. Sometimes she would go as far as standing up on the bed, a large furry mass towering over me and staring. I’ve never been a morning person, much less extra motivated on solitary, cold pandemic mornings. But Kiyoshi’s waving tail, her nudges, and grumbles would always get me out of bed.
Even when it was 10 degrees in a particularly brutal winter, her double coat would keep her warm, and I’d bundle up in extra layers, rolling down the street feeling like a marshmallow being pulled along by a large, curly-tailed sled dog. I was so happy at running with dry feet even in the snow that this fueled me as well. And seeing tumbelweed’s curly tail wagging and her big grin on each run would make me smile.
As the weather warmed up in March, Kiyoshi did not let up on her morning wake-up calls, and we have run at least 1 mile every morning of the month. Some days I would add an extra 3-5 mile run with a track workout or speed work in the afternoons, but I never missed a morning run with tumbleweed.
As the month approached an end, I realized that I was almost at 100 miles, and that I’d run every day of the month. Before this, every time I tried to do a runstreak, I got injured or burned out after more than 10 days of running. But with tumbleweed nudging me onward, and easy-paced, 1-mile runs for my “rest days,” I was able to run many more days in a row than I’d realized. I also ran a virtual 8K - the Shamrock Shuffle - my first race of the year, which was faster than I’d anticipated.
Next up, tumbleweed and I have a virtual 5K Run for the Rescues and I will be running the virtual Brooklyn Half Marathon in May, but most importantly, we will keep this morning run routine going. Because, who can resist a big, furry head and waving tail every morning?
Marnie Kunz is a USATF and RRCA-certified running coach and the creator of Runstreet Art Runs, which bring together communities through running and street art. She is a Brooklyn resident, running coach, Akita mom, and writer. She enjoys running coaching, traveling, art, and eating messily.
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