The Perfect Combination: Running and Dogs from runningwithruby.com

My name is Rachel and my favorite running buddy of all time is my tree walker hound who I rescued back in 2016. She was just as crazy as any other puppy with as much desire to walk properly as I had to run. Previously being a track and field athlete in middle school and then taking a break during high school and college, I wasn’t feeling the motivation to start back up my running career.

Quickly, I realized that Ruby burned a lot more energy when we jogged vs walked together. At the same time, I became attracted to the RunDisney runs that I witnessed one of my close friends participating in each year. In 2018, my friend and I decided to take on not only the Disney Princess Half Marathon but also the challenge which included running a 10k the day prior. We were too tempted by the bonus medal!

Thus began my rejuvenated interest in running! Ruby and I would run together several times per week, long and short runs, building endurance and mileage gradually to avoid injuries and pace ourselves. Since then, I have been running with Ruby consistently several times per week, ran multiple half marathons as well as the Big Sur International Marathon. I just signed up for another half marathon today!

I am creating this blog to help other runners who are starting from scratch, looking for better ways to train or just some fun tips! My husband who was never a runner, ran his first half marathon last year and ran under a 13 minute average pace following my training tips so let me help you be successful in your new running venture!