"I'd rather be seen on my bicycle than on a park run" - Quote from the dark side

Monday 26 July 2010

Dog with a seizure and an amazing LSD trail run.

I had to cut my Sunday long run from 28.5km to 22.5km this weekend. Our one dog had some type of seizure in the early morning hours and this was actually quite scary. Needless to say my nine year old son got the fright of his life and didn’t sleep again after this. We were worried about poison as there have been reports of dogs being poisoned by would-be burglars in the local news papers.

Glad to say the little guy is fine again, although I have no idea what caused the seizure.

I had a 28.5km LSD trail run planned, but in the end I shortened this to 22.5km as it was getting very late. On the up side, I had a wonderful run! I ran at my favorite local nature reserve and got a good workout from the trails. My run included some tough climbs and very technical trails. My legs felt a bit tired as this was the 6th day of my 6 day running week. The splendid views and wildlife made me forget the tired legs very quickly.

Some tough technical climbs.

Winter is our dry season so fires are about as common as waking up every morning. Some parts of the trails were burnt, so I was really happy when I came across some Zebra about 9km into my run!



I also saw two Springbok here, but they ran off before I could take a photo…next time. From the zebras I ran for about 4km when I came across some Black Wildebeest and Blesbok. The picture below shows the Blesbok at the front with the Wildebeest further back. There was also some Springbok right at the back. You'll have to click the photo to enlarge it for a slightly better view...my running camera is not made for wildlife photography!


This lifted my spirits high and I enjoyed my run even more. I was heading towards some serious climbs and on my way there I saw some mongoose and Dassies (Hyrax). They were too fast for me and my camera. I also saw and heard numerous birds.

The next climb was tough but there were some beautiful aloes that kept me positive.


I was heading towards the top of a beautiful ridge. I realized I wasn’t drinking enough and decided to take a break once I reached the trees below the ridge. I had some water and a gel here. It was very peaceful and the sun was just perfect. I wanted to stay there a while longer but had to push on.

I was heading to the top of this ridge.

Trees where I had a lovely water and gel break.

After the final climb the views from the top made the hard work so worth it. Looking North I was reminded I was still in Johannesburg. The views to the South was stunning as well.

Johannesburg visible to the North.

Looking South.

Then it was time to head down again and the descent was hard on my legs. Going up is certainly tough, but going down certainly hurts more.

The descent was sore at times.

Once I joined the main trail below it was about 1km to my car. I felt great and would easily have done the extra 6km I planned, but it was late and I decided to go home to check on the dog. I’ll be back in two weeks for the 28.5km run.

I seriously have to invest in some brown/beige running socks!

20 comments:

Andrew Opala said...

Excellent story - right out of national geographic! I hope your dog is alright

I'll have to post some of the places I run. The only wildlife is the raccoons, jack rabbits, and the neighbors! But I am part of the merchant class and not the landed gentry.

Giorgio said...

I'm sorry to hear about your dog. And as a consequence your nine year old son didn't sleep.
All's well that ends well!

The photos show that you had a wonderful run through the local nature reserve!

Anne said...

Glad the dog is doing okay now...

What great photos...the idea of seeing such amazing animals on a run just seems unreal! Wow!

Mark said...

Wow!! What an awesome place to run! I was wondering; are there any predators around? Glad the dog is okay!

HappyTrails said...

So glad your dog seems ok. We had a mini schnauzer who had seizures periodically over the years - very hard and scary to watch. Wonderful trail pictures - boy, they look tough. LOVED the photos of the zebras, Blesbok, and Wildebeast. We regularly see deer, coyotes, and foxes - your wildlife seems so exotic to us! Thanks for sharing!

Molly said...

sorry to hear about your dog's seizure, hope he's okay now.

I still can't get over how cool it is that you get to run in that nature preserve!!!

Black Knight said...

Glad that the dog feels good now. Thanks for sharing the pictures of your beautiful country. 22.5 km on that ground is a tough workout. Sorry for the 3Nations, where are the "old" Springboks?
Anyway NZ and Australia at the moment are very competitive.

Pahla said...

Beautiful pics of your run - I certainly don't see wildlife like that on my morning runs!
Our dog used to have seizures and was finally diagnosed with epilepsy. Scary stuff. If he continues to have them, there are meds he can take.

ajh said...

Thanks so much for sharing the pictures of the animals. I love how blogs make our world a little smaller and we can vicariously live through others to hear about and see things we ordinarily wouldn't see.


Hope your dog is okay. That would be very scary.

Jennifer said...

Zebras! Holy cow I can't even imagine! Happy your dog is better, I am pretty freaked out about sad dog stories at this point. Maybe it's time to buy some black running socks!

Julie said...

Hi Johann,
I am so sorry to hear about your dog. I am glad that he seems to be doing better now and that your son can relax again:)

Oh my goodness, I can't believe all of the animals that you saw on this amazing run of your's! My little guy loves zebras!

Yes, I would say that you had a few technical climbs:) I don't know how you do it but if I ever travel to South Africa and go on a trail run...I want you as my guide:)

Middle Name Marie said...

Wow! How cool to see Zebras on the run! I never get to see those in the U.S. (obviously).

I hope you pup turns out alright. My childhood dog started betting those when she got older. The vet said we could put her on meds, but they didn't work. We just had to ride out the seizures when they showed up.

Char said...

Don't buy brown socks - buy brown dye! Love the pics of all the wildlife.

Sherri said...

This is so amazing! ZEBRA....How cool is that? The only thing I run into on my trails, is a deer, or possum! I love your pictures!

Unknown said...

Oh no, I hope your dog is okay!! That is so scary for us and our kids to witness, I'll be hoping for the best! Zebra?? Watch out for lions...that is SO cool! It's a safari.
THE DIRTY sock picture rocks, I always love when that happens. It shows us that you had a FUN run!

The Green Girl said...

I'm so glad your dog is okay. How scary.

Those photos were amazing, as always. I cannot believe you get to see zebra on your run.

I have the same sock problem - I always say my socks look like they belong to a homeless person.

judy said...

I just started bringing a camera with me on my long runs along the winding country roads of new hampshire. I certainly don't see zebra, but i glimpse a lot of cows, horses, deer and wild turkey.
I look forward to following your blog :)

Leah B. said...

These pics are awesome!!

Lesley Looper said...

You get to run in a nature reserve!?! Zebras and wildebeasts?! No wonder you never run on a treadmill! :)

Sorry to hear about your dog. Scary, indeed! Hope he continues to be okay.

Christina said...

Poor puppy. Glad he's doing better.

Its so cool that you get to see zebra's on a run.