Nice doggie

My heart wanted to dig a hole through my chest with a spoon and escape from its rib prison, as I made my way up to the lake. Running uphill is not the greatest way to warm up. I should probably cut back on my coffein intake, too. It makes my pulse skyrocket.

When I got to the forest, I switched to my VFF and, as always, it immediately made me feel better. No matter what my sidekick, mr Garmin, says, it suddenly felt easier, even if data showed a slight increase in my heartbeat.

Hey bud

I ran my usual trail. Some rain drops found their way to my body past the tree foliage, but they weren't many. I met a lady walking her two dogs. The dogs were loose. Not a month goes by when a topic doesn't come up in some running forum with regards to loose dogs. A lot of runners have a problem with this, and a lot of them are afraid of dogs. Even though I am not afraid of dogs myself, I can understand why this is a problem for many. There is no way of knowing if a dog is friendly or not, if they only want to play with you or if they want to tear you to pieces. I find the small ones particularly annoying. They always seem to be in a world of their own, as they absent-mindedly head directly towards you. I am afraid I might trip on them. Or step on them and squash them.

This lady, however, was a shining example of a good dog owner. She held on to one dog's collar as I approached and informed me that there was another dog behind her, but that she was nice. I thanked her. It's not every day you meet a responsible dog owner, one who is aware that their dog can be perceived as a threat by runners. One who talks to you in order to ease any potential discomfort.

Once again, when I got home after my run, I wondered why I hadn't just kept on running. I don't have any pressing matters to attend to, J won't be home until 4 and the forest was almost deserted. I was enjoying this too much to go home. There is of course the little detail that I'm running a race on Saturday, so I should content myself with my 7 km...