When I was younger (and… quite frankly, until about 3 weeks ago) I didn’t know that “normal” dogs went to school or training.  I thought doggie school was only for either:  1.  Really, really bad dogs, or 2.  Dogs that competed in competitions, contests, or dog shows. 

However, as soon as I got a dog of my own I realized how important doggie school is for every dog, or at least for ones that are very energetic and enthusiastic like Tessa.  I was surprised how many people I ran into on the street walking their dogs who, when I asked them, told me about the dog school they had used and whether or not they recommended it. 

There is so much that goes into owning a dog that I didn’t know about. 

Breakfast was a mini Larabar, a yogurt, and a big bowl of strawberries.

I’m never that impressed with Dannon Light’n’Fit.  Whenever I buy it, I remember that I don’t love it and then I don’t buy it again for a while.  But every once in a while I see it on sale and give it another go, like I did today.  It’s not terrible, but it can’t compare to my beloved Fage.

Lunch was a big salad with tuna.  See that pretty piece of tuna that looks like a teardrop?

Either that or something slightly inappropriate.

For a snack, I had one of these Power Crunch wafers that I picked up on sale at CVS.

I really like the Peanut Butter flavor.  I also got a chocolate flavor, which I ate the other day.  That one wasn’t so good.  It wasn’t really sweet and tasted a bit off… more protein-y and not quite chocolate-y enough.  This one was had the perfect peanut butter and sweetness mix, though.

I think it’s because peanut butter flavored things don’t have to be quite as sweet as chocolate flavored things?  Not sure. 

I had to fuel up, because we had session #2 of doggie training this evening.  We got switched from our weekend class to a Wednesday evening class.  They actually turned the weekend class into a small dog class…. so Tessa, S and I walked in to find two Chihuahuas and a teeny baby sheltie.  Tessa was very out of place.

Kind of like this:

Except Tessa was much more spastic and excited then the dog in that picture.  She just wants to PLAY!

Before we went, I had a Barney butter and superfruit spread sammy.

I also had some snap pea crisps.  And by some, I mean the whole bag that I got at the store.  Note to self:  No more buying snapea crisps.  Cannot control self around them.

Training class was ok.  For some reason, when Tessa walks through the door of that place she just goes nutso.  I guess it’s a combination of getting out of the car, going some place new, and the fact that the place is filled with animal smells, sights, and sounds – as well as other dogs.  I swear, it’s like doggie crack or something.

We practiced walking tonight.  Tessa is tough to walk, because she is constantly pulling.  She is curious about everything, and it’s almost impossible to actually walk because she pulls in this direction, that direction, sniffs here, stops there…

After class, the teacher recommended a new type of harness leash to us.  She said it was for “excessive pullers” like Tessa.  Ha!  So we got it and we’ll see if it helps.  I feel kind of bad putting a harness on her, and I don’t think she really likes it, but I guess it’s better than trying to pull her back into walking from the leash around her neck. 

When we got home, I made burgers for dinner.  I don’t really have a specific recipe I use for burgers, but rather I kind of just mix things together depending on my mood.  Today, I mixed:

• 1lb ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• garlic salt
• paprika
• cumin
• chili
• salt and pepper

Mix together, form into balls:

And cook!

Burgers are so easy and so tasty.  I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture of my finished masterpiece, but I had a cheeseburger with baby carrots and some zucchini slices.

For dessert, I had some swiss chocolate eggs that S’s dad brought me.  I had one of each flavor.

My favorites are the white and the caramel.  YUM!

We also had a Tessa and Mendy play session.  Tessa is getting better and better at behaving herself when the cats are around.  That laser pointer works wonders!

If you have a dog, did you take it to doggie school?

Here are some pictures from the race this weekend.

Before the race:

S half asleep?

Some brightroom photos taken during the race:

After the race:

Happy, but tired and cold.  And the three of us:

Isn’t S’s dad cute?

Breakfast this morning was a friend I haven’t seen for a while.  A nutella sammy.

Lunch was some leftover chinese food that I brought home when we went out to eat with S and his grandma over the weekend. 

For dinner, I finally got to use my….. new egg poacher!  I

have been looking for a stupid egg poacher for so long.  Who knew they were so hard to find in stores?  I could have ordered it online, but I was determined to actually find it in a store.  Am I the only one who grew up eating poached eggs?  I ended up finding it in Bed, Bath and Beyond, which surprised me.  Actually, S was the one who found it…. that surprised me even more!

So dinner was the final remainder of the chinese leftovers, with some extra veggies thrown in and a poached egg.  All doused in soy sauce. 

There was also way too much snackage and dessertage today, all of which went undocumented.  But I did document this:

Tessa exhausted after a walk and 10 minutes of laser pointer play. 

I officially love the laser pointer – it has become my saving grace!

I read this article today about junk food addiction.  The article says that a study of rats found that

Bingeing on high-calorie foods may be as addictive as cocaine or nicotine, and could cause compulsive eating and obesity…

The study found that overconsumption of high-calorie food can trigger addiction-like responses in the brain and that high-calorie food can turn rats into compulsive eaters in a laboratory setting.  The scientists also found decreased levels of a specific dopamine receptor — a brain chemical that allows a feeling of reward — in overweight rats, as has been reported in humans addicted to drugs.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the first comment someone left on the article… “As Buddha would say, it is better to deny the battle…”

However, these findings are not a surprise to me.  As someone who has dealt with binge eating and food issues, I totally believe that food can cause the same kind of chemical responses in the brain as drugs or other more typical items we associate with addictions.  I even think things like shopping can be addictive to some people. 

Speaking of things you can get addicted to, did you know that today is National Deep Dish Pizza Day?  Too bad I read about that when it was too late to celebrate it…

Check out these giveaways!

Now I’m off to head upstairs.  S’s dad is here and I am going to give them some quality father/son time.  And I have some Biggest Loser to watch!  Goodnight, peeps!

Sometimes a little trail run does a lot of good.  Before this weekend, I hadn’t done a race since the marathon in October, and I didn’t realize how much I missed it. 

Saturday morning, we woke up at 5:30 in order to have time to take Tessa out, get ready, eat breakfast, and pick up S’s dad from his hotel and drive the 1.5 hrs to Sausalito for the 9am start.  Breakfast for both S and I was protein oats:

1/2 cup oats, 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, raisins, walnuts and peanuts. 

I skipped my morning coffee (boo!) since it was a trail race and I wasn’t exactly sure what the bathroom situation was going to be. 

We actually got on the road in time.  Luckily, Friday’s rain had cleared and the skies were blue and sunny. 

We got to the starting point at Rodeo beach.  I had never been here before, it was beautiful!

It was also muddy, from the rain the day before, and cold.  We all waited in the car until the very last second.

Sometimes small races are really fun.  We all gathered at the start line, where a man welcomed us, spoke for a while, and then led everybody in singing “America the Beautiful”. Then he said “Go!” and we were off!

The best thing about this race?  Besides doing it together with S and his dad, which was really special, was the fact that we were encouraged to enjoy it.  Sure, it was a race.  But it was one where you take the time to look at the beautiful scenery – the amazing overlooks at the top and the incredible views of the beach when you are on it.  The hills were unbelievable and tough.  There was mud, there was wind.  And the last quarter mile was on sand, which was really tough.  And it was AWESOME.

I was really proud because the three of us stuck together the whole time.  S’s father had some knee pain around mile 2.5, and we all stopped to walk for a while.  When he was feeling better, we started running again together.  Toward the end of the seven miles, S needed to go very slowly.  So we all slowed down together.  And in the end, in the sand… we all struggled through together.  We did it as a team. 

And it really meant a lot to S’s father.  First of all, to be able to run such a difficult 7-mile race when he couldn’t even run a mile a few months ago.  Second of all, to be able to do it with his son, who is now grown up and living in another country, and his girlfriend.  He was almost in tears, he was so happy and proud.  It was so nice to be able to share that.  He was adorable, he couldn’t wait to sport the t-shirt

After the race, we chowed down on the grub they had.  I finally tried the peanut butter-filled pretzels that I have seen so many people raving about on blogs… I didn’t think I would particularly like them, because I’m not a huge pretzel fan.  But man, I was wrong.  I guess I should have known… put peanut butter on anything and it will taste amazing, right?  I also had a larabar (PB&J flavor, my favorite!), a banana and a handful of twizzlers. 

By the time we got home, I was starving again.  I made a monster salad with turkey and goat cheese on top.

In the afternoon, we finally made a trip to Costco, where I got another monster container of Jelly Belly’s!  Any bets on how long this one will last me?

We had about an hour to relax when we got home.  I chilled on the couch with my laptop and Tessa.

Then we had our first training class for Tessa.  It was great… we learned a number of helpful hints and tips and got our “homework”.  And we also learned a new, very valuable secret….

The LASER POINTER!!!

This thing is incredible.  The girl who taught the training class said that if we played with the laser pointer with Tessa for a while, she would be less inclined and excited to chase the cats.  So we bought one.  S played with her with it for about a half hour… and she went NUTS.  She was absolutely exhausted by the time they were done.  It was amazing!!!

This weekend, one of the biggest things that I learned (or rather, remembered) was how much I love racing.  The second I started the race, all my stress and exhaustion from work, the dog, family, etc… melted away.  I was so, so happy.  It was exactly what I needed, and I didn’t even know it.

So… from now on I am always going to try to have at least one race either that I am registered for, training for, or in mind that I want to do next.  It does wonders for my mental state. 

One of the next ones up?  The Pittsburgh half-marathon on May 2!!!  What actually happened… last week I went online to register for the race and it was full!  I was really upset.  After a helpful hint from Abby, who is also doing the marathon, I was able to find someone who had signed up for the half marathon and gotten a number, but could no longer do the race and was selling their spot.  And it was totally lucky because April 1st was the last day to have a transfer – you can pay $20 and transfer your number to someone else.  So the girl transferred hers to me and I bought it from her.  We officially completed the transfer today!  So to make a long story short, I am running the half-marathon.  Yippee!!!

Things with Tessa have been a bit better.  I am still feeling overwhelmed, but I’m learning to deal with it a little bit better and have been understanding that everything this is happening (and everything that I am feeling) is normal. 

For breakfast this morning, I had an omelette (two eggs and cheese)

And some strawberries.  Which were red, even though they look orange in this picture. 

One major benefit of having a dog?  I’m spending more time outside.  Short breaks during the day, one or two walks.  And we even took Tessa for her first hike. 

Before we went, I had a big salad for lunch:

The highlight of this salad was the goat cheese.  I heart goat cheese. 

Then it was hike time.  On our way into the park, Tessa met a cat.  At first there was some tension…

But then she was a very well-behaved puppy and sat and looked.

We only went halfway up (about a mile) because Tessa was getting tired and we knew we had the whole way back to go.  It was fun watching her because she got excited about every little thing.  Even her own shadow!

I love seeing the world through a puppy’s eyes.  Everything is new and exciting.  Kind of like seeing things through a child’s eyes. 

Dinner after the hike?  Good old protein french toast.

Nothing beats breakfast for dinner.

Ta ta for now.  Tomorrow morning we are doing a 7 mile trail race in Golden Gate Headlands.  S, his father, and I.  I can’t wait, I haven’t done a race since the marathon in October!