Nine miler - the good and the bad.

Up and out the door by 6:45 a.m. I was a little reluctant to get out of bed because my bedroom was so nice and so cold and it feels so good to be in bed. Nonetheless, I know there will be a few of you out running this morning and I just want to get the run done so I can do nothing but sit pretty all day.

Mile 1 and 2 were warm-up runs. It was a little slow. I was about 3/4 awake. But I was kinda glad to be out.

Mile 3 and 4 were good. I've some pep in my steps. I was happy to be out running. The air was crisp. It was cool. The shade from big, old oak trees made the run even better. I laughed twice just because I was tickled pink about how perfect this run was going.

Mile 5 was still good. I actually entertained the thought of running 10 miles today. I know I can do it. The temps are cooperating. My legs were cooperating.  I laughed some more. My belly made some noises. I wanted pancakes. Then, I heard more low frequency noises. Seriously that can't be my belly. It turned out to be a lawnmower. Ladies were outside watering their plants, changing out the wreaths on the door.

At around Mile 6.2, I spotted a dog, running loose. A medium-large sized dog. I did some thinking on my feet, changed direction, hoping to avoid that dog. I continued running, happily, thinking that I have dodged the dog until I heard some scuffling behind me. Dang! It's the dog! I knew it! I was displeased actually because I was having a good run out in the open.  This dog has a collar so it belongs to someone. This dog ran around me in circles and jumped at me, multiple times. I saw a young lady across the street and talked to her and I actually asked her what am I supposed to do because I was kinda scared of this dog. She said the dog doesn't bite, but the dog also scares her, and that the owner lives further down the street. Now, I still have at least 3 miles to go and this was not going well.  So, I walked a little, the dog ran past me, and I ran another direction, hoping to shake this dog off my back. He came back. How do I know it is a HE dog? His has some big, low hanging balls and he was marking his territory at every possible spot. Yes. I was not exactly a happy camper at this point.  I am all about letting animals run freely and letting them explore and poke their noises into stuff and smell the roses. I don't put Buttercup on a leash (quite frankly, she won't let me), but I am always by her side/a few steps ahead/behind of her, and we are usually out in the country and not within the city limits. So, if you are going to let your dog run wild, it is fine by me. But please be sure that you are around to take control of your dog.  I don't like laws that restrict this and that. Just be considerate. A lot of times, a little consideration and a little common-sense really help take care of stuff and prevent bad things from happening without the need to enact laws. 
Anyway, I walked to the Y and ran the remaining few miles on the treadmill. It was an uninspiring run after that on the treadmill.  

I was glad the run was done. I drove to Mcdonalds and got a thing of pancakes and a large diet Coke.
Now, I am going to work on another post and just chillax!
What are your thoughts about loose running dogs? Was I overreacting?

Ran 9 miles in 1 hr 44 minutes.
Weekly Miles: 21 miles.