I love running. I absolutely do. And I'm super pumped to finally be training for something again. "Official" training for the Ann Arbor half has began. I'm getting excited, and I keep talking about it to continue to stay pumped up. Getting up in the morning before work, when it's 13° F with a windchill of -85° (ok, that last part might've been exaggerated a bit), is soooo haaaard when I'm all cozy next to a warm man and a cuddly cat. I've toughed it out though and feel good about it. Today, Ann Arbor was so icy, I had to cut off a chunk of my run because it was slowing me down so much, I was going to be late for work if I didn't wrap it up. I had to walk a handful of times because I was slipping, and my pace was waaay slow. A little disappointed, but I'm gonna go a different route tomorrow. I used to have those yak trak things that went on the bottom of your shoes for grip, but I think I only have a single one? I want it to be less icy because Isabel keeps asking to run, and I miss running with her, but worry-wort mom over here doesn't want her to fall. If all else fails.. I may have to cave and use the treadmill at work. I even own a treadmill, but it's in storage and I think I've used it less than 10 times. I used to think, back in high-school, that I was just clumsy because I would not have my balance on a treadmill, but I read in a book about singular vision that people with one eye have a really hard time on treadmills. SO I didn't make it up! That just reminded me that back when I was 12, and going for my very first Cross Country physical, the doctor told me I should play "an easier activity" because I only had vision in one eye and he refused to write up my clearance! Obviously my mom took me somewhere else, and the rest is history, but I still laugh every time I remember that.What if I listened? I never would've ran.My whole life would be completely different. This doesn't mean I haven't ran into my share of things on my left side because I don't see.. but I'm generally pretty safe to run. haha. (ps it was Dr Aftab for all you Clio natives.)
I think I'm going to treat myself to a new pair of kicks soon. I think I'm the only person I know who has 5 pairs of running shoes, but they're all the same, just different colors. I race in them, I train in them, I do trails in them, city running, and I've done short distances all the way up to a marathon in that exact shoe. Don't mess with a good thing... right?
I really hope we move when our lease is up so we have a bigger yard. I have a dog, Matilda, who is 5 and I've had since she was 8 weeks old, but she is the laziest, least active dog ever. And she's afraid to be outside. I don't know why she's such a pansy. I had another dog, Roxy, for four years who I ran with all the time. I miss that so much. I always had a companion to hit the road with but I didn't have to worry about talking. And I could fart when I run (which seems to happen often, don't judge me) and not be embarrassed. And she was speedy! And, when you're a dog owner, seeing the joy on a dog's face after a run is priceless. We went to the Humane Society on Saturday because I thought I saw Roxy on their website (she is with a family who can take care of her since I moved in June and my yard is a lot smaller, as well as having 2 more people in our house) and I was going to get her back. It wasn't her, though, and then I fell in love with a different dog. (Ryan said no, even though he keeps talking about said dog...)
I keep seeing articles about runners getting killed by cars. It's awful. I know I'm not the all-knower of the world, but my whole life I've been so scared running, that I'm extra cautious. I think the absolute only time I've ever ran with headphones was in 8th grade when I ran around a pond on a bike path in Colorado. Don't trust that drivers see you at stop lights or intersections unless they make eye contact or gesture you! I always run behind a car if they're stopped at a light just to ensure they're not gonna go forward and nick me. Look both ways before you cross a street. Sounds juvenile, but it's the truth. If you have to run at night, STAY VISIBLE. I own two headlamps, an arm flasher, and most running apparel has some sort of reflective strip, and by all means, don't dress in all black.Try to stay on side walks at night, especially in a busy area. RUN TOWARD TRAFFIC. Seriously. It absolutely blows my mind how many times I see runners on the wrong side of the road. Bikes are supposed to be with traffic, walkers/runners-against. You need to see what's coming at you. I realize running kind of puts you in a new world, but you need to be alert, too. If you're going around a sharp corner, that's the only time you should be on the right side, so you're visible to all drivers. If it's snowy, I try to wear bright orange or pink so I don't blend in with the weather. Don't be on your phone!! I shouldn't even have to say this. Running should be about unplugging from the world. I will admit, I do have mine with me sometimes, as a GPS if my watch is dead or won't load, but all the sounds and alerts are off so I don't feel I need to check a text. Seriously, I don't mean to sound like a know it all, but reading about runners dying because they're getting hit by cars kills me.
Stay Safe, dudes!
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