The Dog Days of Running …

Monday – Strength Training Rest
Tuesday – 3 miles

• 3.83 miles, 44’ 00” minutes, 11’ 30” min/mile average pace, 168 BPM average heart rate

So yesterday was the first day of vacation and most  of it was spent in the car (as I predicted). That’s ok though because the end result was well worth the 10 hour drive. We left my place at about 4:45 AM and headed north. We stopped in Lake City, Florida for gas and breakfast around 7:15. Now I promised myself that I would try my best to continue to eat healthy while on vacation. We stopped at Subway for breakfast and I had an Egg White Flatbread Sandwich with turkey, cheese, spinach, tomatoes and onions. It was actually very delicious. (I have never had Subway for breakfast before.) We didn’t stop again until after we got near Atlanta and we needed more gas. For the most part, the drive up was fairly uneventful and went really smooth. We did drive through two rough patched of weather, one when we hit Helen, Georgia and the other one near Hiawassee, Georgia. The weather near Hiawassee was the worst one because at one point it was a total “white out” of rain and hail! After almost 10 hours in the car, we safely made it to my boyfriend’s mother’s house. We didn’t really do anything after we got there. Of course, there isn’t a whole lot to do in the town she lives in. I know that I don’t live in a thriving metropolitan area but I don’t think I could ever live in a rural community.

This morning I woke up still a little tired but I went ahead and got ready for my run. I will be completely honest with you. I 1as nervous about running an area that I am unfamiliar with. Apparently I wasn’t the only one concerned. My boyfriend’s mom and her friends insisted that he take me out and drive the route before I start running. They even warned him that there were loose dogs, which of course made him nervous. After I ate my yogurt and granola and got dressed for my run, my boyfriend and I drove my chosen running route. We used the odometer in the car to make sure the route would be at least 3 miles. We also found the loose dogs. They were cute little things and not anything at all like what we were led believe they were.

Once we were reassured I would not be attacked by vicious, rabid dogs running wild on the side of the road, I started my run. Right around the first half mile mark, the dogs saw me. I guess I was running within their property limits because they literally chased me and barked at me until I left their property. They were completely harmless though. Not only did I find the loose dogs at this point but I also hit the first hill. I took it slow and steady and even shortened my stride so that I could maintain my pace. The downhill was much longer than I expected but I focused on not increasing my pace. It was actually a really enjoyable run for me. I came across another dog about a quarter mile before the turnaround point. This one didn’t chase me but it did bark at me. On the way back to the house, the dog was actually waiting for me on the other side of the road and was still barking. It actually made me laugh. I think I was laughing up until I hit the first uphill segment on the way back, which didn’t even come close to the the hills I am used to on the treadmill. The second uphill wasn’t as long but it was very steep. Halfway up, I couldn’t run anymore so I walked. Once I crested the hill, I started running again and continued to run until I made it back to the starting point. I was quite surprised that the other group of dogs didn’t meet me at the beginning of their property limits. I guess the owner didn’t want them chasing someone who is running in the road. I will say that I was pleasantly surprised with the temperature outside. I don’t think it got higher than 75 degrees and I didn’t finish my run until after 10 AM. All in all it was a really good run.