The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”
Tonight’s run was rough. It was the first time I’ve run in about a week. Last week I was down with a nasty flu. Also, it was the first time I took Sarah in about 2 weeks because she had chewed up her collar when it was left in the backyard after Jordan and Chris bathed her.
She was very unruly the whole time. The good thing about that was that I was so distracted while I was running I covered a lot of area before I realized I should be exhausted. Also, I didn’t want to take the chance of being dehydrated or improperly fueled after being so ill, so I ate a little something and took a 32 oz bottle of Power Ade in my runner’s pack. It was *way* too heavy and clumsy and I felt off balance the entire time. Between the dog and the extra weight, this was working out to be a pretty miserable run indeed.
Before I hit mile one, a pretty ferocious looking Boxer came barreling toward us with no leash or owner in sight. I yelled, “No!” and was ready to fire my pepper spray if it attacked me or Sarah. Turned out he just wanted to sniff and play. I thought it was kinda sweet, but I didn’t have time to set Sarah up with a hook up so, I said “No!” again and pulled her focus back onto the matter at hand. Eventually, the dog went running in the other direction and I think I heard the owner calling after the dog. I figured, they didn’t need my help and kept on running.
I was very much distracted by Sarah and her unruly ways. She bolted after every other living organism she saw, whether it was a dog or a bird or a neighbor. I was frustrated, but trying to be understanding as it had been about 2 weeks since she’d been out on a run. However, I wasn’t so understanding that I was willing to sustain an injury because she didn’t want to act right and I told her so roundly. She kept darting everywhere and stopping right in front of me and running around me.
At about the 2.5 mile mark, I gave her about 3 feet of leash and locked it so she could only run in front of me and any deviation could be set right with a firm tug on her leash. I was sorry to do that. Usually I give her the full length of the leash to do whatever she pleases, but usually she’s more focused. The rest of the run went much better.
Before the run, I felt a little nagging pain in my left knee, so I strapped on a knee band and took 600mg of Ibuprofen. That turned out to be a great idea. And while the 32oz of fluid sloshing around in my runner’s pack was banging the life out of my kidneys by this point, I was glad I brought it. I drank about half of it along the run and had to admit that being so well hydrated during a run felt really good. I just have to figure out a better way. I think a CamelBak would be overkill, besides, they aren’t exactly cheap. Maybe I’ll ask for one for my birthday? Or a runner’s pack that comes with bottles.
At the 3 mile mark, I’m feeling loads better and starting to remember why I like to run, but this run is almost over. Sure, I could turn the corner and add an extra half mile to the course, but I didn’t. I needed to get home and cook dinner.
So, my first run after a sickness is under my belt. *sigh* Even though it was a little frustrating, it felt pretty good. The weather was great. My body seemed to remember what to do and it’s officially Summer Time! I should be able to find a local 5k soon just to get another race in before the big one.
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