Endurance athlete 聽specializes in type-two fun, and so does her border collie, Otto. Together, Borsuk and Otto have run ultramarathons, climbed and skied volcanoes in the Cascades, and fastpacked through the Pacific Northwest. Borsuk鈥檚 previous pup, Peanut, helped her explore Oregon鈥檚 trails when she was new to the state. In 2015, Borsuk shifted to running and began taking on bigger challenges in the mountains; in 2018, she ran her first 100-miler, the Cloudsplitter 100. She credits her dogs with keeping her motivated when the training intensifies. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e always happy, which pushes me through these tough endeavors,鈥 Borsuk says.
We asked her what to keep in mind when including your pooch in outdoor adventures.听
Talk to your vet about when you can start bringing your puppy on long runs. Otto is active and medium size, so I was able to start him off a little younger than a year. A bigger dog might not be able to run until much later.
Active dogs need to eat more. Otto weighs 35 pounds, and he eats as much as a German shepherd. I don鈥檛 pay much attention to what the food bag recommends for a dog his size. We run 50 to 70 miles a week, so he鈥檚 burning a lot of calories.
Make your dog鈥攁nd other people鈥攁s comfortable as possible with good leash and recall training. Your dog should be able to run well on-leash without pulling you. Off-leash it should stick by your side, so it doesn鈥檛 end up running double or triple your mileage.
Dogs get tired when they鈥檙e out of shape. You can鈥檛 expect yours to keep up if it鈥檚 active only on weekends. Make sure it鈥檚 training during the week, too. Then it can hang on for longer trips.
Humans might walk or give up if they鈥檙e tired. Dogs will not stop. They want to please their owners, and they might need a rest even if they don鈥檛 look like they do. Be sure to always bring enough water and food for them.
Choose your activities wisely. Dogs make some things harder, like ice climbing, so I don鈥檛 bring them on those trips. But they can be a perfect fit for skiing. It鈥檚 give and take.