A Glorious day for running

This morning we went for a run. It was going to be a walk around the 5 mile loop, but there were some dogs running loose in that direction, so I had to go the other direction. Yes, I will change what I do to avoid dogs. I don't trust them, especially when my daughter is involved. You never know what a strange dog is going to do, so I avoid them whenever I can. Though I did realize today that I've been trusting my 15-year-old pepper spray a bit more than I should: I really need to replace it, since I seriously doubt that it's still effective.

Anyway, I wasn't planning on doing any running on the 5 mile loop because I can't remember where the mile marks are, and I need to know how far I'm actually running. As opposed to how far I think I'm running, which can be quite different. Since I went a different route, I ended up running 2 miles out, and walking the 2 miles back. I actually enjoy running that route because for the most part it's a gentle decline, with a few hills thrown in. The worst hills are right at the beginning, and right at the end of the 2 miles, but they're do-able.

The weather was just right for running: cool and overcast with the promise of rain, which made it a bit humid, but not unbearable, and a nice breeze (not the gale-force winds we've been having), just right for cooling one off. It was great! One of the best runs I've had in a really long time. My feet didn't hurt, and my shin gave a couple twinges at the beginning, then calmed down and didn't give me any more problems.

As I was running, I looked at the people who passed in their cars. People are pretty friendly out here: a lot of them will give me a finger wave (fingers lifted off the steering wheel) as they pass. Today, though, one lady gave me a great big smile and a thumbs up as she passed. It was nice of her, and gave me the little extra oomph to make it up the final hill.

I spent some time this afternoon figuring out furniture for my massage room (which still has to be remodeled, but I got the idea in my head and had to go with it, otherwise it would just keep bugging me), and then worked on one of my continuing ed classes. I actually managed to finish it tonight, and am now 3 credits closer to getting my certification up-to-date. Woohoo!