On today’s run, I was not bitten by a deerfly.
On today’s run, I was briefly distracted early on by a variable oak leaf caterpillar.
On today’s run, I saw a kingfisher and an American goldfinch and possibly a scarlet tanager–but it was quite a bit ahead of me, so I can’t be sure–and a gray catbird. I did not see any of the Canada geese that were raising their goslings in the small buggy lake I run past.
On today’s run, dragonflies buzzed me while I ran past the lake, out and back. I like to think they are scaring off the deerflies and that they are curious about me. Usually one or more will fly alongside me for several steps. I also saw a turtle for just a moment before it slipped under the surface of the dark lake. Lake is probably an exaggeration.
On today’s run, three weimeraners barked at me from the end of their driveway on my way out, but they were inside when I came back by.
On today’s run, I was again distracted, later, by a dead ruby-throated hummingbird in someone’s driveway.
On today’s run, I had to run past a house where a loose dog menaced me several months ago. My partner picked me up, two miles from the house because I was so shaken my knees were weak. He let the dog’s owner know that the dog needed to be kept locked up. It didn’t bite me, but was forcing me off the road, its hackles raised and head down. I didn’t realize how much an incident with a dog I had while I still lived in Laramie had impacted me until these barking dogs made my heart race and my stomach knot up.
On today’s run, Saturday’s deerfly bit itched so bad I could feel it up my arm and into my shoulder. I finally gave in and dragged a fingernail across the welt to open it.
On today’s run, I ran as slow as I could, so that I wouldn’t have to stop and walk after the hills during my run intervals, like the last run.
On today’s run, I planned ahead for the turn in the road where the heat and humidity both crash into me for a quarter mile. I forgot about the large field that seems to always foster a breeze.
On today’s run, something else bit me on the wrist. It’s much smaller than a deerfly bite.
On today’s run, the humidity was under 50% and that seems to have made a world of difference. I was able to drink more water while I ran and I wasn’t at all dizzy when I got home.
Today’s run was the first run of my eleventh week of running. I’m supposed to be able to run 6 miles in 5 more runs. But today I only ran 4 and a half. I’m slow. I’m having a tough time focusing, these last couple of weeks, on any more than one, small thing at a time. Today it was today’s run.