Training for Life
Today was Ringo’s 25th training ride since we began the Ringo on the Go weekly trips earlier this year. Rocky reached the same milestone last week. What began as preparation for a cross-country road trip has turned into so much more, and I’ve learned that we’re not just training for that highly anticipated ride, we are training for life.
Looking back, I see so many valuable lessons from the road that can be applied to everyday life. Our rain or shine policy is at the core of these training rides, and we haven’t missed a trip. Having a program that we stick to makes these rides a priority, eliminates procrastination, and ensures they happen each week as planned.
We’ve learned the power of pushing through disappointments and obstacles too. Not only do we go out when it’s raining, we don’t let the rain ruin our fun. The right attitude and a great partner make all of the difference here, just as these things do in everyday life. Speaking of attitudes, my attitude almost derailed one of our trips, but I pushed through it and we had a great time. That trip’s lesson further underscored the beauty of our rain or shine policy and the importance of a great partner.
By our fifteenth practice ride, the progress was clear and I saw the growth from repetitive practice. I’m no stranger to the benefits of repetition as this is a core principle in strength training, but I was still surprised at the incredible progress we made after fifteen rides.
The following week we had a huge win when I scored a great photo of me with Ringo in his signature pose looking out the back window of my FJ Cruiser. This was such a difficult shot to take in so many ways and I was thrilled to capture it. The best part? We made it look easy! And when you get to that point, you know you’re making progress.
A couple of weeks ago, it became obvious that it was time to crank up the volume on these practice rides. Ringo performed so flawlessly on this particular trip, I knew he was ready to take it to the next level. And that’s exactly what we did today by adding in some retail store visits to his practice ride.
After a perfect performance at Sterling State Park, we headed into town and hit a few dog-friendly locations. I’ve never taken Ringo into a retail establishment until today and was feeling a bit anxious about it. But it was finally go-time and Ringo didn’t disappoint.
I had three stops in mind, with increasing levels of difficulty, and we made our stops from easiest to hardest. Ringo aced the first two stops at Tractor Supply and Lowe’s, politely walking through the stores as if we did this everyday. I admit, I was stunned at his stellar performance in these stores, and apologized for underestimating him.
We found our limitations in the PetSmart parking lot, when Ringo lost his composure. He’s an excitement barker and gets overly excited when he encounters other dogs. While we didn’t make it inside PetSmart, today was a huge success.
We learned how important it is to keep challenging ourselves rather than resting on our wins. How rewarding it is to try something new, even if it makes us uncomfortable. And that failure is just a part of the process, and motivation to keep trying.
Not only did we hit a big PR with two successful retail stops, we also learned our limits and now have a very clear goal to work towards. I’m confident that one day I’ll be walking through PetSmart with a composed Ringo by my side. We just need to work up to it.
I noticed the Cinnabon food truck in the parking lot and figured Ringo had earned a celebration treat. I got a pack of four mini Cinnabons, one for Ringo to have on the spot, and then one each for Ringo, Rocky and Moose once we got home. And that was something else we learned today - dogs love Cinnabons! ❤️
