New gear and chilblains!

I haven't been out since our CaniX run on Monday. It's hard to fit a run in during the week, especially in the winter when it's dark and icy. I'd fancied an 8-10 miler after work today, as Ruby was going to her Granny's straight from school, but I'd forgotten our cat Cuba was due a visit to the vet. By the time I got back there was only a bit of light in the sky so I got changed, put together all the new CaniX gear that had arrived today and set off with the mutt...

The route is one I do a lot when I don't have a lot of time. It combines trail with road and as we run out of the town the street lights disappear so I need my headtorch. The route is shown below so I won't go into much detail other than to say I was flying! I'm not sure if it's cause I've been doing a fair amount of running recently (albeit quite short runs) or if it has something to do with me enjoying the dark, but whatever it is I'm not complaining!

The thing I really didn't enjoy was getting home and having throbbing, painful toes. I have been getting mild chilblains on and off for the past few months and they are really painful. I believe it's to do with poor circulation and despite the fact that I wear a couple of pairs of socks and mostly wear my goretex shoes when it's cold I don't seem to be able to avoid them. Need to investigate further as it's becoming a regular occurrence :(

Anyhoo...onto the new gear. I knew I had to return the stuff I borrowed at the weekend, so I decided to get a couple of harnesses and a line of our own. It's money well spent as not only will it inspire me to go out more with Nethy, but the harness and line can be used by Matt too.

I did a fair bit of research, and for Nethy I chose this shoulder harness in red.

Shoulder harnesses are becoming more popular than the X back type as they use all the power from the dog's front end and don't put any pressure on the back. They are especially good for dogs with back injuries, so I figured that since Nethy's back end is all pinned together it would be the best type for her. It fit really well around the neck and chest and the reflective strips were great when she was off the line at the end of our run.

The lines all looked pretty similar to me, so I decided to go for one with a cool design! The other difference from the one I borrowed is it's very light and as it's a flat fabric strap with a bungee it's very comfortable to hold when not fully extended.

Lastly a harness for me, and as I really liked the one I'd borrowed I decided just to get the same one. I love the fact that the force is exerted through your bum and hips rather than your back. It's also super light and has leg straps and the mains padded strap which lies at the top of your bum is held in place by a very thin and lightweight strap which fastens around your waist. This is much better for me than the bulky waist bands, especially as I have quite a short body and a less than flat belly!

I'll post a better review of the gear once we've tried them out a few times.

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