running???

I'm very good at the "starting" to run phase. I know the process, I know how I'll be very hungry the first three days. I know that I'll be sore after the first .5 mile. What I'm lacking is the will to keep going after 4-5 months of running hard. Something always happens to set me back. This time around...I was chased by wild dogs. It was sometime in December and I was on a great streak of running and doing really great with it. The wild things came up behind me and started closing in on me. I ran faster than I've ever run and believe me, I'm not a fast runner. I crossed HWY 9 in a blazing flash of blonde highlights. Luckily, the beasts did not cross the highway. The only problem...I have to double back to get home. I was stuck in subdivision hell with a one-eye dog and his evil friend guarding the gate and they weren't budging (I must have looked tasty to them). I tried to call a couple of friends to come pick me up but it was too early and they were still in bed. I pondered a bit then realized that if I cut through the woods, 4 chicken houses, and a gravel road I could make it home. I did just that and haven't been back out for a run in 4 months.

So…I have resolved to get out and try again but on Friday morning it was like they had been waiting for me this whole time. At least this time I knew the way home and was out of the way before they got too close.

I know what you're thinking - and what others have told me to do. Pepper spray, bleach, just kick them...and while I appreciate the input I just can't run with the thought of them sneaking up behind me (although it does make for a fast tempo run). And when my head is on the pillow every am trying to decide weather to stay put or go face the beast it’s pretty obvious which one I’ll choose.

Take three, I’m meeting my sister at the park. Central park in Cumming has become my runner’s safety zone. But even this new spot has issues. One being the fact that I can’t stand to run alongside anyone else, don’t judge me – I’m special. I’m such a slow runner I feel like even the walking grandma’s are laughing at me. Ok, it might not be that dramatic but I’m a work in progress and slowly overcoming my fears of the grandma club.

My goal is to keep running. That’s it. Obstacles will get in the way but I cannot let injuries, dogs, and even grandmothers slow me down. I want to lose weight, get in better shape, and I know if I keep running the rest will follow…literally. This is for me.