WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- Hello there! My name is Bunce, and I'm a service dog in training. I'm spending two years with WUSA9 reporter Andrea McCarren. Thanks so much for stopping by my puppy blog.
You can read about my adventures with Andrea here, and follow me on Instagram at @BunceOn9.
Jan 11
Oh happy Monday! Reunited with Andrea yesterday, on the day my litter mates and I turned nine months! Andrea went wild when she saw me, which is understandable. We've never been apart this long.
Andrea had been out of town for a few days, which allowed me to spend some quality "guy time" with Bill. I took him on long walks, helped him make some meals and enjoyed discussing sports and current events. Bill picked me up from Warrior Canine Connection Trainer Danielle Young's place on Friday night. Although I had an awesome time with Danielle and her Lab/my new BFF Kiefer, it sure was nice to come home. Cody, the lovable longhaired Dachshund, and I were ecstatic to be back together. Still waiting for Huck, the cat, to welcome me home but truth be told, I'm not holding my dog breath.
As some of you plan your fitness goals for 2016, Andrea gave me permission to share her brief history as a runner. (She's not proud.) Back in 2011, Andrea covered a devastating crime: the murder of a beautiful young woman named Jayna Murray. As is often the case when you're a reporter and you get to know the people you're covering on a daily basis, Andrea came to admire and adore the entire Murray family. Andrea tells me they're "a blast" and remarkably, share her wicked sense of humor. Anyway, the Murrays encouraged her to "train" for a 5k race held in 2012 in honor of Jayna. Andrea said yes, but had not run AT ALL in about 25 years. What was she thinking?!
The first time her husband and daughter (both excellent runners) took Andrea on a 5k run, she struggled to finish. She gasped for air, her chest burned and everything hurt. She barely averaged 15 minutes per mile. That's like walking briskly with me, Bunce. Like you, Andrea is not a quitter. So she ran again. And again. And by the time she finished the Jayna Murray 5k, she was hooked on running. Andrea has battled injuries old and new, and been forced to take a few weeks off at a time. Unlike me, she's no spring chicken. But she keeps an online log of how much she's exercised and rewards herself with new running shoes every few hundred miles. When she's not able to run, she walks.
Today, Andrea drinks water like a fish and averages an 8-minute mile on her regular four mile run! Will she be an Olympian? No. Is she proud of her speed? Not particularly. But is she happy to have reached a fitness goal? You bet!
So please keep that in mind as 2016 unfolds. Don't worry if you have a setback. But we do hope you'll set a goal with us as we train for the Marine Corps 10k this fall. As many of Andrea's marathon-running friends have told her, it's as much about your mental preparedness as it is your physical fitness. To this very day, when Andrea is running and feels like she can't keep going, she thinks about Jayna Murray, as well as Marine Cpl. Justin Bunce, my namesake. She runs for them and for those who cannot. When she thinks of real-life heroes like Jayna and Justin, somehow she flies.
Have a wonderful week. Whatever you decide to do, just know that I, Bunce, and my sidekick Andrea support you!