This week was anything but normal. What was planned as a “get your self in shape to dominate a 5k” turned into “survive the week”. Almost everything this week seemed to be off. Last weekend, in between my non regular race ritual and hanging out in my home town, I went car shopping. This led to not one, but two week nights spent at the dealership. Between this and covering for three different people at work, my brain was mush. The last thing I wanted to do was  head to the gym at 9:00, have dinner at 10:00 and then pass out at 11:00. Needless to say this meant Monday and Wednesday were out on my workout schedule.

Tuesday, which was meant to be a rest day, that would be turned into a make up workout day, quickly turned into spending time at home. Between last Friday and this past Saturday Darren was in Colorado for 5 days and Mexico for 4 days. This left Tuesday night as the day he’d be home for 12 hours in between trips. Sometimes there are more important things than running, like spending time with a loved one and catching up on this crazy life.

Thursday however, was where I got myself  back into gear. I squeezed in three miles before yoga, and after three days off, I felt better than a normal run. After that I had my hardest yoga-lates class to date. We started off with some hard core Pilates moves and within 10 minutes, my legs were dead. During that hour, I pushed myself to the limits (as much as you can in yoga) and left class feeling like a whole new person. Sometimes all you need after a crazy week is 90 minutes of pure sweat.

Monday: Off

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: Off

Thursday:  3 Miles, Yoga-lates

Friday: Off

Saturday: Sole to Soul 5k + 4.6 miles

Sunday: Off

Total Miles: 10.6 Miles

Saturday was the Sole to Soul 5 in Avon. I had been looking forward to this race for quite some time. I couldn’t make it last year, so I knew to plan my schedule around it this time. I was more excited that this race would be taking place in my hometown. Any time I can run on the streets I grew up on, I jump at the opportunity. I knew I also had 8-9 on the schedule, so I wanted to start off with the race and continue with some miles on one of my favorite loops.

My legs were pretty tight before I even got to the race, Yoga class on Thursday was still rough on my legs. I hoped by the time they had a few miles in them, they’d relax a bit and start to feel good. Not so much. My legs felt great for my race (post coming this week) and then they went down hill after that. I started my post race miles on one of my favorite loops around my old house. A little over a mile in, I started over heating and cut through a short cut to take some layers off at home. Once I did that, I started out again, but this time I decided to go in the opposite direction. I turned the corner and saw two chickens, a rooster and a duck crossing the road. I found it funny and instantly thought of the joke, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” The answer in this case was to chase me. As soon as I passed them, they started running after me. I must have looked ridiculous being chased by these birds.

After that encounter, I started to map out my route. I did 2 miles with my first loop, so all I needed was 3 more and I’d be done. Over the next couple of minutes, my legs started feeling tired again. Three miles isn’t a lot to run, but with each step my legs were feeling dead. I did a short out and back with the opportunity of running a decent sized incline on the way in. I knew I was home free once I turned on my street. Within a half mile of being done, I passed a yard with a Rottweiler. He barked on my way out, but didn’t really do anything more than stand up and walk towards the edge of the yard. This time, I was on his side of the street with cars coming in both directions. I had no other choice than to run right along his territory. He wasn’t too thrilled about this and lunged at me, clamping his jaws down an inch from my arm. I screamed, I panicked, and sprinted the entire way home. A car stopped and turned around to see if I had gotten bit, but as I kept running, they kept driving. I had never experienced anything like that, and was more furious than anything else. A half mile short of my goal, but I was done for the day.

This week was eventful, and led to not hitting the miles I needed, but I’m not too concerned. I’m halfway done with training, but I feel confident that I can run a good half marathon. I’m cross training, doing yoga, and hitting mile times I didn’t think I could get close to. I still have 6 more weeks to get a few long runs in. I know that these next few weeks will really count.

How was your week? Have you ever had any animal encounters while running?