Today I used my pepper spray for the first time

LMS and I went for a run this morning and had a run in with a couple dogs. We were running past their house (on the road, nowhere near their house or driveway), and they were running around in their barely fenced yard (3 strands of wire, not barbed wire, with entire stretches without even wire). They decided we were too close, and came running after us, barking furiously. One went through a gap, the other easily slid under a strand of wire. I started yelling at them, pulled out my pepper spray, and sprayed one as it got closer. Ok, I didn't actually hit it, since the range on the pepper spray is less than I thought (good to know!), but I think the dog got a wiff, because it backed off a bit. At that point, their owner started calling them, and they retreated.

These particular people have 3 or 4 dogs, which are usually fenced in, away from the road. I have had them come after me a couple of times, so I know to watch the house carefully as I pass. In the past one of the owners was out in the yard with them, and was able to call them off before they got too close. This time, no one was in the yard, they were in the house, not paying attention.

I've gone off about unleashed dogs before, but I need to rant again. Just because you live in the country doesn't mean you should let your dog run free. My mom tells me that when we moved here 12 years ago the county was a free range county, and she thinks it still is. This means that technically you can let your dog run free, but he can't enter anyone else's property (like they're only going to stay in the road??). However, just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.

If you let your dog run free and he damages property or livestock, or bites someone, you'll still be held liable. Makes sense that you'd keep your dog appropriately leashed/fenced, right? It only takes a minute for someone to get bit, as could easily have happened today. I'm sure the owner thought the dogs would be ok, she'd just go drink a cup of coffee or something, but we could have easily been bit.

And I don't care what people say: 'my dog wouldn't hurt a flea', 'his bark is worse than his bite', etc. Well, I don't want to find out if his bark really is worse than his bite; I don't want to be chased by dogs barking ferociously; and I don't want my daughter hurt or traumatized because either she or her mom were bitten or chased by barking dogs. I still remember an Afghan (those are some big dogs!) jumping over it's completely inadequate fence and coming after us as we walked home from my older brother's school- I would have been 3 or 4 at the time. Maybe that's why I'm so paranoid now, but I don't want LMS to have the same issues I do.

If you can't be a responsible pet owner, you shouldn't have pets.

Running after a rainstorm

It was quite windy this morning, so I went for a run this afternoon, after the daily rainstorm came through earlier than usual. Since LMS was (supposed to be) napping, I left her under my dad's watchful eye and headed out.

I ran a mile and a half, then walked the mile and a half back. The whole thing took me 36 minutes, with the running portion taking 13 and a half minutes. I completed the first mile in 9 minutes, and the last half mile in 4 and a half minutes, despite the fact that the last half mile felt a lot slower. I guess that was just the faster pace tiring me out. It still felt good, despite being tiring, and it's encouraging to see my times finally getting faster and to know that I can keep a consistent pace.

I always did like running in the rain, but I don't get to do it here- there's usually lightning along with the rain. Running after a rain is the closest I can get right now, and it's pretty nice too- everything feels cleaner.

I remember why I like to run

I went for a run this morning and realized why I've persisted in running all these years, despite very painful recurring shinsplints, collapsed arches, and difficulty breathing due to my asthma acting up again. It felt good! It hasn't felt good in years, but it used to, and that's why I've kept going. Now that I have orthotics and have had my shins worked on, my feet and shins feel a lot better, and as long as I remember to use my inhalers in a timely fashion, I don't have problems breathing.

It felt so good to run down the road, pushing LMS in the stroller. Because everything's been working better lately I've been able to start speeding up my pace. Even though I was pushing LMS, I was still able to keep a 10 minute mile pace. That's not super fast, but it's a lot faster than I've been able to do for quite some time.

I brought my camera along today, and took this picture while we were on our way back. From where I was standing to the top of the last hill in the distance is just over a mile. The top of that last hill is where I run to when I do two miles. Most of the hills are fairly gentle, which makes for a good workout. The last one is a lot steeper and definitely more of a challenge.

There's a hill just before we get home, and at the top I stop and let LMS out so she can run the last hundred yards or so with me. She's so funny to watch- she kind of punches the air with her little fists. She likes to 'run races' like her mommy, and I'm trying to do everything I can to encourage that.

I thought this was pretty- an unused horse arena full of flowers with a windmill in the distance.