A Man of Many Straps

It seems like the more I get into this dog running stuff, the more weighed down I get.  Don't get me wrong though, nothing is better at taking your mind off actually running while running, than a dog.  While you'd normally be thinking about smooth breathing, landing under your center of mass, quick cadence, etc, I find myself focusing on things like where Tucker is, are there squirrels anywhere nearby that I need to brace for, what about any dogs, or if he is dragging behind or pulling way out front.  All these things take a lot of extra effort, but it seriously makes the time fly by.  Before I know it, my time is up and we're done!

But over the course of figuring out how to run with a dog, I've noticed that I carry a lot more stuff than I used to.  Mostly in the form of straps.  No, not quite like this.  For a normal run without a dog, I'd just head out the door with my Garmin and heart rate strap.  For longer runs or in the heat, I bring some water.  But for dog running, I bring a storage belt to hold my cell phone (just in case of emergency), I have my heart rate strap on, AND we just got a dog running belt, which is pretty cool if I do say so.  It slides around so if Tucker decides to change his position, it generally slides with him.  This is much better than having to move from one side of the trail to the other, depending on where he wants to be.  Instead, I am hands free!  But it does come at a cost - it is yet another piece of equipment I am dragging out the door and the clips are pretty heavy duty, so it adds some extra weight.  Nothing like a little weight training! 

In any case, it makes dog running much easier and more fun for both of us, which is what it's all about anyways, right?

Anyone have any other dog running tips?