Week of Firsts

I am combining two days of running into one post today.

My First First - Getting Chased by a Dog: Friday night I ran by myself. It was quite the experience. I had run about a quarter of a mile when all of a sudden a dog started chasing me. It was a huge Alaskan Husky. Not only did it chase me, but it also started running around me in circles and jumping up at me. It scared me half to death. I kept running and tried to think of what I could do. Being closer to my neighbor's house, I decided to run there. I stopped fast and the dog looked at me. I picked up a big rock and threw it at him and he kind of backed off for a minute then I sprinted like the devil was chasing me. When I got to my neighbors yard her "bark brigade" chased him back down the street. Thanks to my great neighbors I got to finish my run! I think I should carry mace or something when I run by myself.

My Second First - The 2 Mile Trail Run: Saturday morning Running Buddy and I took an alternate route. We went on a trail run. I have been on this trail several times, but have never run the whole thing without stopping. However, Saturday morning we made it the whole 2 miles. It took us a little longer because of the difference in the terrain. I can't wait to do that one again.

A Slight Phobia

Those of you who know me know that I am a Dr. Pepper fanatic. I love it. Some of you would also know that I have a phobia of water unless it is bottled or comes from my house. Because of that, I have drunk a lot of soda. However, I have noticed that I run slower when running under the influence of Dr. Pepper. This being the case, I have quit drinking it and have experienced a definite change in my running performance. I do have to talk myself into getting water at restaurants now, but so far I have survived. Running Buddy and I ran 2 miles last night. We did pretty well. So far our time is staying consistent every time. I am so thankful to have such a great friend to run with. It makes running not so hard.

Sunrise

Having been sick last night, I didn't make it out to run. Running buddy and I decided to pull an early morning run. I'm just going to say that I did not know 6:30 in the morning existed! I had my alarm set for 6 and slept through it. Luckily, I woke up when it went off again at 6:30. Today both of us felt especially slow. However, we made our run, 2 miles, in a few seconds less than the last time. Although I was tired and my legs felt like dead-weights, I got to watch the sun rise, it was absolutely magnificent. I think I could get used to the early morning in order to see beauty like that again.

Its "Go" Time

I love Sundays because they are different from any other day of the week. Today was especially different. I had a run planned with my running buddy tonight after church (around 8:30). However, my phone rang at 7:52 and when I answered it all I heard was, "its 'Go' time, how fast can you get here?" You see, several weeks ago I had promised my friend (not running buddy) that when she went into labor I would come to her house to watch her son. Being already dressed in my running clothes, I grabbed my purse, toothbrush, and shoes and sprinted out the door to my car. I sped down the road praying I wouldn't get stopped and thinking up what I was going to say if I did! I made it to their house in record time. I knocked on the door and when they answered, I held up my shoes and said, "This is what I call dedication. I didn't even put on my shoes!" We got a good laugh out of that one!
Needless to say, my run was pushed back a few hours which was fine. I was very privileged to be a part of such a special night. Instead of "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" it was more like the Midnight run of Summer and her running buddy (the title is still a work in progress). Anyways, we ran 2.1 miles in 22 minutes. We were both pleased with that. All in all it was a fantastic day.

Great News

Last night made night 3 of running and it was fantastic. My running buddy has a GPS watch, it is the neatest thing. It ranks right up there with the hand warmers from the night before. We were able to see exactly how far we ran. Great news, we found out we actually ran farther the previous night than we thought. We ran 1.4 miles two nights in a row. Tonight we made it in 16 minutes. It was still a little cold, but not to bad. I have changed some of my eating habits...note to self: pomegranate juice helps kick muscle soreness!

A Little Encouragement

Last night I ran with my running buddy and it was a great run. She is a great encourager and it made a lot of difference. Hearing words like "great job" or "we are half way done, you can do it" made me want to run harder. She is a Dentist, I told her she had great "bedside manner" at which we both laughed. We ran at night and it was cold, but running with someone made me push harder to finish. I kept thinking, "my legs are so sore, but I can't stop because she is still running!" I did become a fan of hand warmers last night! We ran a mile and made it in about 15 minutes. We also picked our first race...its a 5k on March 20th.....

Run to Win

"If you are going to run, then run to win." These were the words I recited to myself as I trekked down the road, my feet keeping time with my breathing as they hit the pavement. I run in a national park and the scenery is spectacular. I don't prefer to listen to music while I run because I enjoy listening to the sounds around me and concentrating on my goal. My goal for now is to make a mile in 7 minutes. I have long way to go, but I know I can do it. So, with the cold winter air in my face I keep going. I believe that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. I did make it a mile today, it was my first time to run in 6 months. My time was 22 minutes. It can only get better from here and tomorrow is a new day.