Saturday, July 5, 2008

Marathon Training! Week 6

Happy belated 4th of July. And a very happy Cinco de Julio while we’re at it. (I guess it doesn’t have the same ring as Cinco de Mayo...) Anyway, I think it’s safe to say that this week in my training focused a lot on safety after the dog incident. I did some very unscientific research about safety during running, and here are some of the suggestions I heard/read: - Husband, only half-joking, suggested I carry a shotgun. Or a knife. But then he proposed the more realistic option of carrying mace. - My mom told me about a lady that she knows that walks with a golf club. (I can only imagine how funny that conversation might sound for me at a golf store. Clerk: “Oh, so you’re taking up golfing? Me: “Nope, running.”) - I read about a man that carries a small baton to shoo away any dogs that approach him. - On a few runner’s forums, some suggested carrying mace or pepper spray. Others echoed the recommendation of being assertive and telling the dog in a loud voice to “go home” or “get away.” I’m going to look into the mace option, assuming there’s a type that’s small and that can clip to my Camelback. But, it makes me laugh because I never thought that I would end up with so much running gear! I wear sunscreen. I wear sunglasses. I (sometimes) wear a hat. I wear an athletic watch. I wear special running socks to protect my feet. My parents gave me a Camelback as a gift (so I wouldn’t get dehydrated), and I wear that for long runs. I also carry a cell phone (on the inside pocket of the Camelback) in case I get injured or run into problems. I also put that cell phone in a plastic bag to protect it from getting wet. I carry a house key tied to my shoelace. And now I’m thinking of carrying mace? I joked with Husband that if I get any more gear, I won’t be able to carry it all and the only solution would be to bring it in a car. And then I won’t be running, I’ll be driving.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the golf club comment- hilarious. I hope you find a good light-weight solution. Congratulations on making it to week 6!

K.C. said...

Yeah, it is a whole "thing" to go running. That is my excuse. It is a whole "thing".

The shoes, the socks, the key on the shoelace... the camelback, the special sauce, lettuce, cheese... you know...

I do know what you mean. What ever happened to just going jogging? It is not the same when there is so much extra effort, huh?

But, for the dog incident, you have to take it, huh? This post was really funny.. made me laugh.. Needed that one today..
Kayce

Unknown said...

My sister got bit in the butt by a stray dog while out running. Seriously! She now carries a stick with her. Sad.

GypsiAdventure said...

They make little mase that will clip onto your keyring so you could also put in on the camelpack...I used to run with a stick (not a big one, but a little light one) just in case. Now, I don't worry about it so much, but after your incident, I have thought twice about it.
~K