Bad Dog!

Well it was back to the head torch today after two weeks of being able to run in daylight. Is it just me or does anybody else find it really hard work to get out the door for a solo head torch run? I’m really not keen, probably because my mind starts playing tricks on me and, in my head, all those glowing sheep eyes are actually goblins waiting to eat me.

Speaking of sheep, this brings me to the reason for today’s title. We set off from home down towards Rivington and Blackrod School and then did the Pike Race route up to the Pike. The farm fields were full of sheep and Ruby was going mental trying to get at them. I had her on the lead an no matter how many times I yanked her back, yelled at her, got hold of her face and yelled at her eye to eye, she just would not stop trying to go after them. It’s so infuriating. You’d think that being yanked about and yelled at so much she would get the hint that it’s not OK to attack sheep. It’s for her own good - I don’t want her being shot by an angry farmer! If only I could speak dog and tell her that.

After leaving the Pike we headed along to the Pigeon Tower and then turned left straight after it, down the steep muddy slope. When I’m not running with Ruby I love going down this hill as downhill running is what I’m best at. However, with Ruby there are two problems with going down a steep hill at speed, namely:

1. She stops dead right in front of me, causing me to trip over her and go face first down the hill.

2. She does the exact opposite and runs really fast, causing me to lunge forward when the extension lead reaches its maximum length, making me fall onto either my backside or my face and slide down the hill.

Still I suppose falling down the hill might be a quicker way of getting to the bottom?

From the bottom of the slippery slope we climbed back up, zig-zagging back to the Pigeon Tower. We then ran back home along Georges Lane and down Factory Hill in a desperate attempt to get Ruby to dry off and run off some of the mud she had accumulated so I wouldn’t have to get her in the shower again when we got home.

This didn’t happen – she was filthy.

Total distance – 5.05miles.