Running With Dogs

...and ice. (or why we invented treadmills.) I got up early (before 7AM!) this morning and went for a run. In the dark. The first problem was that it was cold. Very cold. So I had about two extra layers on top of my usual running gear. The second problem was that it was cold. Very cold. This, combined with a warmish day yesterday, results in ice - both the traditional and black variety. Imaginary traction control light kept going off in my head! The third problem was that I took my (neurotic) dog Leo with me. I thought I'd learnt my lesson about taking him, especially on a lead (essential), but I thought the situation would be improved with the fancy extending lead we'd bought over Christmas. I was wrong. You see the dogs like to run, but they also like to stop. A lot. This means my pace gets shot. I thought the extending lead would improve things, but in fact it just delays the inevitable. Combine this with the black ice, and the adrenaline was sure pumping by the time I got home! Lessons learnt: don't take the dog - it's just a bad idea. Now traditionally I dive in at the deep end, push myself too hard, injure or strain myself in some way and end up giving up running for a while, so this morning - seeing as it's the first time I've run seriously since last September - I deliberately took it easy: 1.41 miles in 14m 39s. Very slow compared to my normal pace, but I'll blame that on the dog. And the ice. And I was taking it easy. :) I'll repeat the same sort of distance for the next week then start ramping it up again. In the meantime, I've got a real hankering for a heart rate monitor...