Sunday, January 2, 2011

Hiatus is over

After a much too long post Half Ironman hiatus I jumped back into training this week.  Yesterday I had a short 25 minute run on the calendar.  I waited until later in the day and it was getting a little dark around 5:30pm so I made the decision to run in my neighborhood to keep it safe.

The beginning of the run felt good though I knew I was going too fast to hold the pace very long.  Then out of the corner of my left eye I see dog running at me.  It’s a pit bull and he is not in the mood to play.  I just started yelling at him STOP!  He kept barking and lunging at me, frozen in the street.  I screamed STOP and HELP ME over and over hoping the owners would come out, nobody, nothing.  I took a few steps and he followed barking, started walking faster and didn’t hear hoping he went back to his yard.  Then I heard him charging and barking until I could feel his breath on the back of my legs.   My hope was at some point I would be far enough from his home and he would let me go.  He did.  I continued to walk fast.  I had to circle the neighborhood and come back onto his street to get home but I was further down.  I kept looking behind me but thankfully didn’t see him again.  A few minutes later I started running again and ran home as fast as I could.

Once in the door I fell apart.  Ken asked me what was going on and when I told him he told me to get in the car.  We drove to their house, he knocked on the door.  At first they were not going to come to do the door, they have a glass front door and they could see him.  Finally they answered.  The husband was rude and curt.  Fortunately the wife was more understanding and apologetic.  Obviously the dog was put away at this point.  It makes me sad that I cannot run safely in my own small subdivision.  I wish dog owners were more responsible.

3 comments:

  1. Good for Ken for going to the neighbor's house! Drives me nuts when dogs are left out like that.

    20 Weeks to IMTX!!!

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  2. Wow, that is scary! This weekend I was chased by a dog while riding my bike and then another dog while running...luckily they were both little lap dogs and not scary pit bulls!!! Glad you're okay and the Ken talked to them!

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  3. Wow, Keri. This is scary. I could just "feel" it when you wrote that Ken said to get in the car and go...what a great, calm reaction..and brave too! Unfortunately, they probably won't change. You could carry a big stick next time? What are the legal rights in defending oneself against a dog on the loose? I don't know.

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