My dog's last tempo run

Possibly.  Perhaps it was too early for him.  Perhaps he didn't like leaving my husband behind.  Perhaps his nails have gotten a bit too long.  And tempo runs aren't his favourite.  He's much better with slower and longer runs, or shorter and faster intervals.  The middle ground is uncomfortable for both of us, but especially him.  Four legs dictate more defined quanta of pace, and there is a range that's fast to trot and too slow to canter comfortably.

However, he is nearly eight and a relatively large dog, and the inevitable might be starting to happen.  I've been keeping him at a healthy weight and giving him glucosamine and massages, as well as fresh vegetables, soup bones, eggs, and so forth to augment performance dog food, and I'd thought that we'd have at least another year or two before issues arose.

Maybe it was just an off-day for him, but he wasn't a happy camper during last week's tempo run either, and today was worse.  He was an anchor.  At times, my leash arm and shoulder were pulled back, making already uncomfortable moments especially so.  Mostly he stayed a few paces behind me, instead of beside me.  He hauled me back on downhills.  The only time he rejoined my side was during the second large hill.  I was already burnt before I got to it, and I felt new aches in my quads. I pushed past the usual level of lactic acid, just one more mailbox, just one more mailbox; the thought of stopping and then having to restart was repugnant enough to force me on, and discomfort turned to burning and then into a more acute pain as though my muscles were being stripped from bone.  And then they became exhausted and useless, my pace plummeted, and the dog caught up with me. 

Perhaps convincing my husband to join us the next time will put more of a ping into the dog's pace.  Otherwise, he's staying at home for this particular run next time, and he'll get a nail trimming and a soup bone later today.

Pace-wise, I think it was a bit slower than last week.  4.75 miles in about 42 minutes.  8:50/mile.  Slow for a tempo runs, but it's nearly twice as long as my past tempo runs, plus I'm getting back into them, and those hills!  And raw guts don't help, although they're already much better than they were yesterday.

And then I did leg exercises and weights, and the daily double.  Being lazy about taking plates off between the deadlifts and squats was not optimal.  I'm really tired now.