My recovery period ended on Wednesday.  Unfortunately, thunderstorms ruined what would have been my first run outside in two weeks, so I ran on the treadmill at my apartment gym.  The first mile was easy; the second mile was hell; and the third mile was the last mile, so I powered through it.  My chest hurt a bit and I was staring at a wall.  Not the best return, but I did 3.09 miles and was happy to do that.

Better weather arrived on Thursday and I was thrilled to get back on the road - my loop.  I started jogging and one mile into it, I glanced at the pace - 9:06!  I really felt that I had been going so slow, but this was one of my fastest starts.  Weird.  I felt good, so I tried to keep that pace and finished with 9:21 per mile for 6.44 miles.  Score!  I did my normal weight circuit on Friday and was able to lift normally.  My incision site has healed and despite having a tight feeling there, I completed the workout.  It feels better every day.

Today, I was babysitting my "niece," Skylar - my friend's adorable daughter - and I had my 8 mile run.  I decided it was safer (for both of us) to go to Flatwoods.  I studied the map after I got lost the last time, and we found our way with no problems today.  It was a little tougher pushing a ~20 lb. baby in a ~30 lb. stroller...more of a workout than expected!  I should invent something to attach to my waist and the stroller so both arms are free to move (as opposed to one of them holding onto the stroller).  I was able to keep my endurance run pace - 10:00 per mile.  We saw a lot of vultures and two bucks - DEER!  Skylar pointed all the animals out to me.  We had a nice lunch at Panera afterward.

I'm looking forward to a full week next week - including the Gasparilla Half Marathon.

Well...a climactic end to Week 4 - I can honestly say that has never happened before.

It pretty much only snowed my first few days here.  On Wednesday, I ran 4 miles in 40 minutes on a snow-covered, slippery road.  Thursday was a rest day.  I took Riley for a long walk on Friday - it was a snow-slush mix, depending on which road I was walking.  And then, today.

I planned a 6 mile route - which happens to be most of my old school bus route - and headed out.  At 11:30 am, it was already 51 degrees - a December heat wave!  Most of the snow had melted and the roads were mostly bare.  Once I got into the back woods, in the shade, it was a little colder and the roads were still covered.  It was a pleasant, relaxed run until mile 3.5.

I first noticed the dog running through the snow, heading for the road - and right to where my legs were taking me.  I was in denial - every dog I've ever run past in Florida has been contained by a fence.  And then denial turned into run-for-my-life fear.

I am an animal person - I dog-sit pitbulls (and chihuahuas and dachshunds) all the time - I'm comfortable around dogs.  But...I was bit by a German Shepherd when I was 10, and I've had an unreasonable fear of German Shepherds since, and though this was not a German Shepherd and I understand the desire for dogs to chase things, it was inches away from biting my ass.  And I like my ass just how it is - I also like my legs - I kind of need them for this marathon.

So...it's lunging at me with both front paws, opening and snapping shut its mouth as its snout lunged at me - I am really not exaggerating.  I was scared, filled with adrenaline.  It was at least 80 pounds - I looked up dog breeds later and it was a Bull Mastiff.  I saw no owners in sight.  I was trying to run away and fend it off with my feet - I really had nothing else to defend myself.  I always make fun of the teen in horror movies that keeps looking at the killer over their shoulder while stumbling and trying to run away.  I get it now - I couldn't help but look back - it was instinct.

To those that say, "I only run when I'm being chased" - I say to you - if I had not been training all these months (with nothing chasing me), I would not have been able to outrun this dog.  To which, they would say, if you weren't running in the first place, you wouldn't have had to outrun the dog.  Touche!

In any case, I was not bit - and I completed my workouts for Week 4.

Yesterday, I finished out my work week - yay for Super Friday! - got a quick 5 mile run done in 46 minutes, showered, finished packing and headed to my friend's house...so she could drive me to the airport (thanks, Kristin!).  One three-hour flight later and I was in single digit weather.  Yippee!  It's always nice when my Dad remembers to bring my winter coat into the airport to warm it up, so I don't have to put on an I'm-an-icicle-from-sitting-in-the-car jacket, or lug one up from Florida.  Do I even have a jacket there that would keep me warm enough?  I can deal with the cold, because it's always nice to come home...to Ashburnham, Massachusetts, that is - where I've lived since I was one year old in a house my Dad built with his best friend.  It is a small town and we live kind of out in the middle of the woods - it borders a state forest.  I am a New Englander at heart, but I have the (thin) blood of a Floridian.  "Cold" in Florida is just not comparable to this.

I slept in a little this morning - both my parents had headed to work already - but I force-fed myself a glass of orange juice (woo hoo!) and fresh bagels from a little shop downtown were waiting for me.  One of my favorite things about  coming home - the local delicacies, i.e. bagels, AleHouse pizza, and the local grocer's frozen fruit punch concentrate.  I watched some TV, then headed out for my cross training for the day - walking our dog, Riley, in the snow - we saw a single turkey on our walk, wandering up the middle of the road.and   I also shoveled a path to the woodpile out back (and the walkway out front for good  measure) after the walk.

It kept snowing throughout the day, so after my parents got home, we made dinner and watched a few TV shows together, and then the snow finally stopped.  I got my second "workout" of the day by re-shoveling the pathways while my Dad snow-blowed the driveway.  I'm pretty sure we got at least 8 inches today.  Good to be home.  :)

Just got back from a night run.  Showered, gatoraded and about to resume watching Downton Abbey.  Hello, Jimmy Kent!

Tonight's run was great.  I felt good despite starting off slow, I ended up "getting" my 10 minute/mile pace by the end, so I was happy.  I did have a few unusual occurrences.  The first of which involved me getting spooked a bit.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself (expressions are weird, aren't they?) - that sounds like I'm having an out of body experience, when I really mean my story is getting ahead of itself.  Anyway, I often encounter wildlife on my runs - frogs, lizards, squirrels, rabbits, opossums, raccoons, armadillos, vultures, turtles, sandhill cranes, and I've even had an alligator on the sidewalk directly in front of me.  Now, I know it was probably a raccoon tonight, but whatever it was made enough racket in the bushes that I thought it was something much larger.  I was definitely looking over my shoulder.  After all, there have been a few black bears within an 8-mile radius of my apartment.  Needless to say, I thought how ironic it would be to get dragged off by a Florida panther (that's a mountain lion/puma/catamount/cougar for those of you not from Florida who decided to name a mountain lion a panther and confuse the world's population forever as illustrated by when someone says, "Look at that black panther," and the genius in the rooms says, "There's no such thing as a panther," and then someone from Florida pipes in with, "We have Florida panthers!").  But I digress...it would be fairly ironic to get dragged off by an Endangered Species while I'm training for a race to save another.

As if worrying about my imminent death and dismemberment wasn't enough, with half a mile to go, I wiped the sweat off my eyelid and took out a contact.  Miraculously, since I am on a budget after all - well ... "budget" - I was able to catch it in my hand (it fell out slowly) and carried it all the way home.  Boy, am I blind!  I eventually closed the contact-less eye and ran the rest of the way like that, but gee wilickers!  I cannot see very well at all without assistance.  Maybe it's time for Lasik.

Despite my troubles, I enjoyed the run.  I think I saw two cars - well, I know I saw the cars, I think there were two - the whole time I was out there...54 minutes.

Almost time for bed...but let's see what the Dowager Countess is doing first.