Runs From Dogs

I started doing my official TNT training this week; we received the first 3 months of our schedule at the kick-off on Saturday. I had to add one more day of running to the schedule I was already doing, so 4 days of running along with two days of cross-training and a day of rest. I was totally amped and ready to begin.

At 5:15 AM on Monday morning I’m out the door, planning on one of my usual routes to get 3.5 miles logged. Frequently in the past there has been a little chihuahua that comes running out of a house, nipping at my heels and being generally annoying. But on this morning, the little chihuahua had a friend… a german shepherd. And the german shepherd launched itself through the air at me, managing to bite my right thigh. Fortunately I was wearing a pair of running shorts that have a loose outer layer and a compression short on the inside, so there were two layers of clothing and the dog didn’t get a really good grasp on me. So aside from a couple small holes in my shorts and a small scratch on my leg, I came through relatively unscathed.

Physically, that is.

Mentally, it shook me up. For the remainder of the day I felt jittery and anxious. I was nervous as I thought about my run the next morning; what I would do and where I would go. But most of all, I think I just had a hard time because I came home to an empty house, since Kevin is in Oklahoma for work this week. My mind started racing about all the “horrible” possibilities that could have happened, and how nobody would have even thought to go looking for me because I just show up for work “virtually”. When you’re left all alone and the brain goes into overdrive, all sorts of negative scenarios can play through the mind.

I think I just needed a hug.

This morning I got up and ran on the treadmill. And it was a good run, without any worries about dogs. Whew…