I am so not a fan of dogs that bark and jump all over me. I know that many times they are just being friendly, but they just unnerve me – my immediate reaction is fear, which probably doesn’t help. I’ve been bitten by a dog once – in a third world country, and had to get rabies shots. That was fun.
Went for an hourlong swim today, and then lifted weights.
My worst encounters with dogs have been on rides in rural areas where dogs are uncontained in their yards and give chase. Of course, it seems to happen most frequently when climbing an epic hill where I can barely turn the pedals over let alone attempt to accelerate away! I have found that a little pocket sized air horn, blasted just as the dog is closing in on my calf, serves as a great deterrent. Usually startles the dog into stopping dead in its tracks with no damage or harm caused by repellent sprays that are of limited utility anyway as you try to aim them from a moving bike.
Glad you are okay, abasket. I thought of you all this morning as I walked the pups - I spotted at least three dogs with their owners roaming off leash. This made me a little grumpy as it meant I had to reroute several times to avoid these “friendly” dogs. We got a vigorous and lengthy walk as a result, not quite what I had planned.
Our dog trainer recommended a citronella spray when we were having issues with a certain neighborhood dog. A pepper spray can further enrage an already angry and attacking dog- the citronella will certainly bother them but it is more humane than some other options. The air horn is another excellent suggestion.
Michael- Dogs while biking are worse than dogs while running. I think it’s because a lot of them are country dogs and love to chase and scare people away- and are ALWAYS loose! That’s one of my issues with biking. I used to get so scared.
11 miles done! I wanted to do 10, and stretched it out. I came back to the car at 6 miles for a Huma and some Diet Pepsi, which gave me a nice lift. 10:28 pace, which is still faster than I want to be doing the longer runs, but I did OK. Didn’t look at my splits during the run, but my HR seemed to be a little high. It was 33 degrees and clear with a little bit of wind which wasn’t terrible but made me glad I overdressed. Wore the yellow Lulu pullover puff.
Glad you were safe, abasket – it’s scary! For the record, we had (growing up) two German Shepherds (fierce and scary), a collie (lovable and meek), a terrier (high strung), and a succession of Golden Retreivers (theoretically a “beige” breed) who were the most caring loving even tempered dogs I have ever had the pleasure to meet. I remember finding 6 month old DD lying on one, napping, and the dog just took it in stride.
Awesome long run, MOWC! 11 miles at that pace is very solid prep. Just did 3 this morning – leg hurt (sciatica). Might need to take a day off tomorrow.
Great pace, MOfWC!
Thanks! I had to laugh. I completely missed the 7-8 am FitBit steps because I was still in bed! (the stupid time change…)
PiYo round #2 is done. Not sure this is something I’m going to do regularly - one of the issues for me is pace and positioning. You are moving in rapid flows and given how tight my hips are, it is very difficult for me to get into some of the positions that quickly. I definitely have the strength, just am lacking in flexibility and speed. We shall see.
MOWC - are you sure you missed the steps? My Fitbit app adjusted to reflect the time change - so my steps started at 8 am and go through 7 pm today. I’ll have to reset it to do the usual goal hours.
A good article worth reposting (if it has been posted before):
Great run and pace, MOWC!
I always feel like I come off as a bad person because I’m pretty scared of dogs, so I tend to retreat a bit when they come near me. If someone has them on the leash and the dog isn’t jumping around, and it’s ok with the owner, I’ll try to pet it. I currently live in an apartment and the complex has a TON of dog owners. It’s nice when I run outside because I’m usually not the only one out there. Most are very good with their dogs, and many will even pull the dog(s) off to the side. But there is this one lady who is awful and won’t do anything about her dogs getting all over people. I was once trying to get out of the elevator on my way to work and they came barging in and were jumping all over me. And they were really big! Eek!
Cross training today. Did 30 on the elliptical, 15 on the rowing machine, and a few of the leg strength training machine things. I think one was for hip adductors and the other for hip abductors. Need to make it to those machines more often!
No- I missed them! A big black dot for 7-8 am.
I was eyeing up the Kodiak power pancake mix at Costco today. Made myself pass it up since it is quite large and we already have the giant Krusteaz mix from Costco at home! BUT I had another stop to make at Meijer (grocery store) and they had Kodiak in normal people size! Picked up a box - tough decision between the PB one and the buttermilk (?) - I decided to go with the buttermilk and maybe try and add my own PB - or just try the PB next time!
Make it with milk and egg, right (instead of just water)???
I just add water for simplicity, but I bet milk can be used, too (not sure if an added egg will help or hurt the texture). Top with Greek yogurt and berries… Yum.
Half marathon #10 in the books this morning. I felt really good & knocked about 5 minutes off last year’s time for this race. The hardest part of today’s race was the pea soup fog I had to drive in to get there - terrifying! Not to mention getting up at 3:45 AM.
We all wore our new neon green team skirts. They made spotting a team member along the course easy, as we all practically glowed in the dark. Fun day - I plan to sleep like a log tonight.
Yay Gertrude! Way to drop your time. I am terrified of driving in fog!
WTG, Gertrude! You seem to enjoy your races so much!
The recipe using milk and egg is on the back - it gives 3 options: just water, milk instead of water, and milk instead of water + 1 egg.
Go for it, abasket! I have been making these for so long I forgot what the box even said! I make scrambled eggs on the side. Cause Mr. B likes to have eggs for breakfast. I guess I can simplify things by putting the egg into his pancakes! 
Great job on the the race Gertrude!
Great job, Gertrude! I wish I enjoyed my races as much as you do! Sounds so fun.
@abasket, I’ve always made the pancakes with egg and milk. Another tasty variation is to use nut milk.
Got out for 6 this morning, was tired. The time change is no fun. Going to keep to my normal routine as it seems to be working.
Awesome job, Gertrude! Really good that you did so well, given the early start and driving through fog to get there!