Hilly hill repeats...

I set out this morning to run 10 miles. That was all the planning I did before I hit start on my Garmin. What more did my legs need to know?

I ran south on Howard to Third Street and turned east. I ran one block. I heard loud barking. I turned and saw a big black furry thing charging me. I turned around and ran back toward Howard. I took a few steps and heard a slightly different bark coming from my left. I looked left. A black and gray and white thing was charging from that direction. I hate dogs! I turned around so I could see where to aim my kicks and screamed obscenities at the canines nipping at my heels. Okay, well, I didn't really curse at them. I yelled, in my best I'm-not-really-scared-of-you voice, "Go home!" Of course, these dogs didn't speak English so their behavior didn't change one bit. Grrrrr!

I finally got back to Howard where I escaped my nipping nemeses. (I had to look up the plural for nemesis. I guess I've never had to deal with two before.) I ran down to Sixth Street, went east to Country Club Road, and turned south onto it. I ran up the hill to Lake Road and turned west. The climb continued up and over a little hump and then I was going downhill.

It was at the bottom of the hill that a new plan took over. A car was coming toward me, so I decided to turn around and run back up the hill rather than continue toward the car hoping that it would actually move over and not run me into the ditch. As I turned, I thought, It's been a long time since I've done hill repeats. So began the pain. I ran up and down that hill, turning around at my friends' house at the top of the hill and at the street light at the bottom. Over and over I did it.

I completed five repeats and then ran into town to the Ampride for a necessary stop. As I was coming out of the facilities, I met up with a Sherrif's deputy. "You can talk with the city police, can't you," I said. "Yes," said he. "There are two big aggressive dogs loose at the corner of Third and Grove," I report. "I'll let them know," he said as he picked up his radio transmitter. Take that stinking furballs!

I resumed my run feeling better. I ran back to my hill and did three more repeats before I really had to get moving toward home or miss breakfast. I ran back down Country Club, but did not turn on Sixth. I ran straight up to Highway 54. I did NOT want to go see if my nemeses were still on the lam. I ran up the hill on 54, turned on Belmont and zigged and zagged my way home. I walked in the door. Breakfast! (garmin data)