Dog stop, the big one

Last night after stopping at the running store to collect half marathon entries I stopped at Ali’s place on the way home.  She was stuck working late and asked if I could let the girls out.  Of course I said I would, I hate the idea of the dogs sitting around with bursting bladders.

As soon as I opened the door from the garage the dogs came charging out, thinking it was time for a ride.  I had to calm them down and direct them around the side of Ali’s place to take a leak.  Ali wasn’t getting home until later so I prepared their supper as well which they both chowed down rapidly.  I was going to head out but decided to leash both of them up to take an extended walk since they were cooped up all day.

Walking Nicki and Sadie on leash at the same time is challenging.  Sadie wants to constantly plow ahead while Nicki is constantly lagging behind investigating and smelling anything of interest.  As the leash anchor I wind up spending much of the walk with my arms in a T position.

There is actually a nice walking trail in front of the development that the three of us meandered on for a little while before heading back.  I was glad I took the time to take them out.  When I was ready to leave my heart broke a little bit as Nicki rushed the door, trying to follow me out.

This weekend will of course be mostly consumed by the demands of the half marathon which takes place Sunday morning.  The first day of race packet pick up went smoothly from a logistical stand point.  Unfortunately there has been a lot of negative feedback about this years race shirt which is not what has been advertised on the web site.  Some complaints have been quite loud directed unfortunately at the volunteers handing out the shirts as well as additional commentary coming in via social media and email.  Obviously there is nothing that can be done about it at this point except use it as a fulcrum to make sure the situation never occurs again.

The race giveaway is one of those things that are out of my control but I still feel badly when race participants are disappointed with any aspect of a race.  I simply imagine myself in their shoes and then think about how I would feel in them.  That attitude is what keeps me pleasant when dealing with race participants if they have an issue.  Do things you would want done for yourself, it isn’t rocket science.

Half marathon weekend is one of those times I am quite grateful for having a government job that allows me to have Monday off as a federal holiday.  If there is ever a Monday I need off it is this upcoming one.  I will be bringing and utilizing the most tech ever at this weekends event.  Here is to hoping that I can keep the short circuits to a minimum.