Run #4 - Later and Longer Than I Expected

With one hit of the snooze button, I was up at 5:55 AM. I just love the early morning! Even Saturdays, when I could be sleeping in, seem to be better when I start them before the roosters, so to speak. I decided to simply enjoy the morning from home for a while. I headed out just a bit before 7 AM. I thought I had printed a 7-mile route from my favorite website, http://www.usatf.com/routes/. It's the USA Track and Field website. I map out routes in my area and print them. They print very small, like 3"x5" - the perfect size for your pocket or to carry in your hand. As it turned out, I did not have a 7-mile route. I did get overzealous one day and print out an 8-mile route, so I decided to give that one a whirl - a modified whirl. It required driving somewhere, as some of my routes do. It was to be an out-and-back course. I really like those because they leave no choice but to finish. Off I went!

It is a good thing I decided to check out the route first. The road that was supposed to connect all the way from the starting point (a safe elementary school parking lot) turned out NOT to connect to the turnaround point, to which I drove first. So, I had to modify my plan. It all turned out OK. I did a quiet street out-and-back, then crossed a busier street and did another quiet street out and back. Overall, I ran on asphalt, gravel and dirt.

I do not normally check out the routes first... I just kinda show up and run. Well, I am new to my area, and simple street names don't mean much to me. One recent route ended up being through a NOT-SO-GREAT neighborhood. I will NEVER go there again. That particular run made me decide to always check first. The only hesitation I had about today's route was the traffic level, and that turned out fine. The moral of the story is this: always have an idea of where you are going! I was listening to an old edition of Phedippedations yesterday (www.steverunner.com) and it was all about running safety. After that one particular run, plus listening to the podcast, I now intend to ALWAYS run with my cel phone (unless I'm in MY neighborhood -- a girl's gotta have some freedom somewhere!)

I ended up running 7.5 miles. I can't resist going down interesting-looking side roads. There are beautiful homes and beautiful yards out there. My tip for avoiding barking, chasing-you dogs is this: ignore them. Don't look them in the eye, don't speak to them... just keep on going. That has worked for me thus far. There's another podcast I enjoy that had a show about running with (and without) dogs. It's called The Dump Runners Club (www.dumprunnersclub.com) and is hosted by a fellow Architect in Colorado named Matt.

Now it's time for my favorite post-longrun activity: napping.