Running in Beauty

scat, dog!

Nothing special about the video that I posted. I just wanted you to listen to the song. I suppose it's my running song of the week. It's called This Modern Love by The Bloc Party. With Deene's help, I found this song from jogtunes.com. I had heard it before but didn't know who the band was.

It really helped me to keep a good steady pace during the last leg of my 3.1 mile run tonight, which is tremendous since I tend to slow down a bit near the end.

I ended up doing my usual route around the neighborhood again. I originally had planned to run the treadmill but since I couldn't seem to open the gates to the fitness room, that plan was foiled. The only reason why I wanted to dreadmill run was because I thought I was going to get up early on Sunday morning to do my 6-mile run and dreadmill running is easier on my legs.

However, all was not lost. Though a bit humid and warmer than normal for the evening, I enjoyed the run. It officially feels like summer here in Tempe. You can tell when you look at the shape of the clouds and the slight dingy-ness of the sky. Even though I complain a lot about the temperatures, I actually like this time of the year in Phoenix because the summer sky looks a lot like summer skies back on the rez. Gotta love that Popsicle-like blend of orange and red!

But about the run...

Everything was so much more laid back because I forgot my watch at home thus I wasn't checking my pace like a fiend every mile. It was quite nice.

Another unexpected thing happened.
Just before 1.5 miles, I was running down this one street when I noticed a loose black and white dog zigzagging around the lane and onto the lawns. It stopped in the middle of one of the driveways and being the scaredy, cautious cat I am...I slowed down to a trot and then a walk. I eyed the dog the whole time but tried not to make direct eye contact.

He/she stayed put for a couple seconds and then made a dash towards me. For a split second, I almost pissed my shorts but then noticed that it wore it's happy face the entire time. It's dash turned into a friendly trot.

I like dogs but this dumb dog followed me for the next half a mile. I had to slow down every so often because it would sniff around a yard, notice that I was gaining distance, and then come up behind me with a mad horse-like gallop. I was sure that at any moment it would bash into my legs and send them flying up in the air.

After repeated attempts at SHHHHHHs and Scat, dog! I gave up and let it trot with me. Thankfully, there was a lad standing outside in his driveway and the dog quickly lost interest in me and went for the lad--much to my relief.

I ran the rest of my route.
No pain or tightness to report.

The dog episode, though, made me miss the days of my girlhood when I used to run with my dog, Kimi, out on the vast stretches of plateau desert that reached beyond my town's boundaries. She never strayed from my side or tried to chase birds like my other dog, Ringo, did. She was a good dog. I miss her.

She was poisoned and died in 2000.

etched in stone by carmen @ 11:27 PM