Some enouragement needed....

JD - Hi everyone! Now, a few days ago the wonderful and wise Oliver published a post about how the elephant he had got as a little puppy appears to have shrunk as he's got older.

Max - We have noticed this phenomenon with our toys too and also with male human....

JD - .... but strangely not with female human. She seems to have remained the same size!

Max - She admitted to us recently that before we turned up she was quite a sporty person. She used to enjoy cycling....

Female human looks happy after completing the London to Brighton bike ride in aid of the British Heart Foundation!

JD - .... the odd bit of abseiling....

Female human steps off the ledge....

.... and glides gracefully to the bottom - don't let go!!

Max - .... and she even took part in the odd triathlon - but only ever as part of a team as she's admitted to us that she's a bit scared of swimming!

Female human and her triathlon team mates - female human looks extremely relieved that it's all over!

JD - She doesn't like swimming? After all that effort she's made this year to get US into the sea? The NERVE of the woman!!

Max - He he he! But what she loved to do most of all was to run!

JD - She sure did! She's run a few half marathons....

Female human (front middle) looking very happy after completing her first ever half marathon. We apologise for the quality of this photo - it was taken before she had a digital camera (THAT'S how old she is....he he he!)

Max - And she's even completed the London Marathon before too!

Female human poses with her gorgeous pal W - we've been told that she just kept muttering 'never again!!' whilst this photo was being taken, he he he!

JD - But since we've been around the most energetic thing that female human has done is take us for walks.

Max - Whilst we appreciate the walks that she takes us on - some of them over 2 hours long as she just enjoys being outside so much - she's told us that she's put on quite a bit of weight as a result.

JD - Nearly two stone apparently - good grief!! This obviously explains why she doesn't appear any smaller now that we're bigger!

Female Human - Hey!!

Max - He he he! But we hear that she's signed up to do another half marathon in January next year and she'll be going to Spain to do it - very nice!

JD - She did actually take part in this half marathon earlier this year - it was the last athletic thing she did with us around.

Female human (kneeling front left) posing with her pals prior to the Santa Pola half marathon.

Max - So she needs a bit of encouragement to get back out there - she says that she's so used to 'just' walking us now (cheeky human!!) that she needs more than a little push to 'get back into it'!

JD - Well - I LIKE her cuddly....

Female Human - Aw - thanks JD!

JD - ....because she makes an EXCELLENT cushion - all squidgy, soft and comfy, he he he!

Max - So, we just thought we'd ask all our pals in the blogosphere to encourage female human to get those trainers on and get out there pounding those streets again!

JD - Come on female human - if we can do it then you can too!!

Gotta run, gotta run, gotta run....!