Hello and welcome to the KexP Runcast. I am John Richards host of this podcast and also host of the morning show. You can check out live at kexp.org or on the KXP app if you want to go back to the archive, you can run to that. But this one is very focused on your training, on your racing, on you getting outside, on you taking care of your mental and your physical health. You can reach out to us, Runcast at K-E-X-P.org. Just as Kim did, I just got this message. I don't know if I've read this one before, but I just wanted to send it out to everybody out there who runs with a pup. Just dogs, we just don't deserve them. She wrote in and said, I just had one of the hardest runs at a very long time. I had to say goodbye to my forever running partner two weeks ago. My dog, Muddy. Muddy was a born runner, a lab pointer mix, happiest when I ran with her at least twice a week. I was not born a runner and didn't start running regularly until I rescued Muddy over 10 years ago. Since then, Muddy has set the pace and

helped me train for countless races. She would force me to run after a long night shift,

run during a grueling pediatric residency training, run while pregnant, run in the pouring

Seattle rain during our long and dreary winters. While giving my loss, I realized that I also

needed running for myself and my mental health. I've been avoiding

it until today when I just couldn't any longer. I cried for a good part of the run, feeling a bit

naked and lost without a dog leash in my hand or the jingle of the dog collar setting the pace.

Today the run cast helped. I know that somewhere, someone was listening and having a hard run too.

You are not alone really held true today.

That's from Kim.

And for anyone out there running right now who is struggling with grief.

Catherine Weber said in the music lesson,

Life seems sometimes like nothing more than a series of losses from beginning to end.

That's the given.

How you respond to these losses, what you make of what's left,

that's the part you have to make up as you go.

I can't think of a better quote as we go running.

Let's go.

One day just came home to me.

So the last taste's green from red

I realized that nothing would stop with me

I just have to push her hair

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