Begrudgingly, I headed out on a 9 miler this morning.  I was really, really tired and didn’t want to run today.

I had planned on taking tomorrow (Saturday) as a rest day.  My training program really did call for 9 miles this morning, though, but I was thinking about switching and taking today as a rest day and running the 9 tomorrow instead.  Then I checked the weather forecast.

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t mind running in the rain. It’s actually refreshing!  Tomorrow’s forecast, though, calls for 100% heavy rain and thunderstorms.  Why would I knowingly put off a 9 miler on a beautiful morning like today and run it in a heavy downpour instead.  That would be stupid.

I put on my running gear and headed on out the door.  It wasn’t that I didn’t WANT to run, I’m just beat.  I need a rest day.  #Sissy

My plan was to run to Schaeffer’s Chapel and pick up a couple of extra miles doing Robinson Road back and forth.  When I got to Robinson,  there was the grouchy farmer guy loading cattle into a trailer.

Well, that wasn’t going to work!  I wasn’t going to be doing extra passes on Robinson with loose cattle.  I’ve done a lot of dumb things in my day but that wasn’t going to be one of them.

I made a detour and headed on over to Schaeffer’s Chapel.  While I was on the road that leads to the Chapel, I thought to myself, “Hey!  I could just pick up the extra mileage on this road instead of on Robinson!”  So, I made a couple of extra laps on that road instead and then headed on home.

By the time I reached Robinson again, the cattle, the trailer and the grouchy farmer guy were gone.  No problem!  I headed on towards home.

As I was passing Subdivison Road, two kids were out playing ball in their driveway.  I waved as I went pass (you always wave at anybody you pass in the South!).  They waved back.  I kept on running.  That is when I heard it.

“Kim!  Kim!  Kim!”

“Who’s Kim?” I thought to myself.

Then I felt it~a very soft kind of a “Thud” on the back of my leg.

I looked down and there was this itty bitty dog.  It was looking at me saying “Pet me.”

Now, I am not a very tall person but I have run 50 miles this week and am a little stiff and this was a very small dog.  I was having a hard time bending over far enough to reach the thing to pet it.  Hmmm…

The two kids were heading over towards the edge of their driveway yelling, “Kim!  Kim!  Kim!”  I clued in.  The little dog’s name was Kim.

Kim was being a naughty dog and completely ignoring those two kids.  Kim wanted petted.  End of discussion.  *sigh*

I forced myself to bend far enough to reach the naughty “Kim.”  That’s when I head a car approaching.

Rats!

I knew enough now that Kim would not get off the road unless I got off the road.  I started taking baby steps so I wouldn’t step on this tiny dog.  Fortunately, Kim followed me and we got out of the way of the SUV that came around the corner.

Kim still would not go to her yard.  There was a pretty good sized ditch between the yard and the road.  It still had quite a bit of water in it from our heavy rain earlier this week.

Nothing to do but to step over the ditch and get this dumb dog home.

Right about now, I was thinking unkind thoughts about the dog.  I was also not real happy that the kids were still standing in their driveway just yelling at the dog instead of walking and getting their dog.  Being the “responsible” adult (HA!) that I am, I got the dog home and took of running towards my own home.

I had just got around the bend in the road when I heard in the distance, “Kim!  Kim!  Kim!”  Nope!  Not playing that game again!  I just kept on running until I got home.

Rest day tomorrow!  Woo-Hoo!!!   🙂