Day 21 – 21.2 km (total – 368.8 km)

Koona and I on the TCT

I HAD SO MUCH FUN TODAY!!

I started running this morning, and my legs felt completely back to normal (relatively speaking for trying to run 7300 km) and I was able to get in about 15 km before the snow started coming.  I’m not sure if it’s always like this in Newfoundland, but it doesn’t just snow for an hour or two and then stop.  It just keeps snowing and snowing.  I debated calling it a day, as the highways were getting messy, but it was only around noon and my legs felt good.  After some good lunch, I ducked off the TCH and started running along the TCT (Trans Canada Trail) with Koona.  The snow was accumulating quite quickly, but we were having a blast!  It was my hope to share some of this run across the country with my husky, but the highway just isn’t a fitting place all the time… so having her with me on the trail felt great!

Koona afterwards

Many of the students we’ve chatted with enjoy walking their dogs – those who have one.  In a way, having a dog forces you to get outside… and as much as you may sometimes begrudge having to go out in the cold or the rain or the bugs, that walk with your pup usually brings a sense of joy – not only for the four-legged walker, but the two-legged one as well.  I just finished reading “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein, and it’s a great story written from the perspective of a dog.  Some may roll their eyes, but I know I’m not the only one who tries to get inside my husky’s head in an attempt to figure out what she’s thinking!  And although there may be that gap in communication, one thing is for certain – the time that dogs spend outside are some of the happiest moments of their lives.  There are few things more satisfying than walking a trail with your pooch, your best friend, and seeing the excitement they exude for being in the great outdoors.  Chasing squirrels, picking up a scent, bounding over puddles (or through them) – a great day in the life of a dog.  A hard claim to say that dogs smile, but after a good walk in the forest or in a park, I could swear Koona is grinning ear to ear!

Next time you’re trying to get in the head of your dog, just remember there’s a pretty good chance they’re saying “Take me outside!!”.