I've ran 3 times since I've last posted. My wife pointed out to me that there was a neighborhood directly behind our apartments with little traffic that I could run in, so I tried it and it's been great. I don't have to drive there and the distance is longer than the path at Highview Park. It is about 0.9 miles around, but if I go down a different road I think I can make it a longer loop, 1.5 miles. Anyways, it is nice because the scenery gives me other things to keep my mind on while I run. Like cars, dogs, birds, houses, buses, garbage trucks, and the occasional person. It also offers a wide variety of smells, such as trash that has been sitting out too long, wet dog, even when there are no visible signs of a dog being near, and exhaust. It's quite an experience.
Today a dog was out on the driveway with their owner and it got away and started chasing me. I could tell it was getting closer as the sound of it's yelp-like bark became more distinct. It was a small dog. The owner took off running after it and started yelling, "BRUNO! STOP! BRUNO!" I tried to ignore it and kept running, not looking behind my shoulder, but when it got close enough to possibly reach out for a early morning taste of ankle bits, I turned my head. It was looking up at me with an expression like he meant no harm. He just wanted to run along with me. The owner yelled, "He won't bite." But I wasn't taking any chances, so I turned and kicked it just enough to scare him. No, not really. I didn't believe her, but as soon as he began to back off I replied, "He's okay," when I really meant, "Please keep your dog away from me lady." I'll be looking forward to meeting up with Bruno again.
I ended up running 3.6 miles in 29:54. Not all that great, but I think that my mile time should go down quite a lot during the race. At the end of this week I'm going to time a 3.1 mile run just to see where I'm at. Until next time...
"I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs." -Jesse Owens
I had a little dog chase me one time too. kind freaks you out for a second. we have a ton of dogs in our neighborhood and they all bark when you pass their house. therefore i don't like to run in my neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteYeah, you have no idea what a dog might do. I don't blame you for not running in a neighborhood with all those dogs. It's distracting, scary, and I feel bad for causing all of that noise.
ReplyDeleteThis made me laugh. Was it a small, cute dog? If you would have stopped running he might have stopped chasing you.
ReplyDeleteYeah it was small and cute. You're right, he may have stopped if I stopped. Who knows? I just hate when dogs chase you while you are running.
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