Spring Break Brush with Death

I spent the last week down in Nebraska hanging out with family, eating great food, celebrating the Easter holiday, and running. I also had a close call with a ravenous German Shepherd--a dog I could tell had a taste for human flesh.

This past Wednesday morning my wife Laura, sister Sarah, and I were taking my niece to kindergarten. As Laura was loading my niece into the car, a German Shepherd came up to my sister's garage, growling menacingly and looking ferocious. Laura told my niece to get into the car just as I was getting out of the house. I tried to be friendly with the dog, but it barked and growled at me. I yelled "bad dog" and pretended to throw something at it and it ran off.

As we drove my niece to kindergarten I told Sarah and Laura that I was hoping that dog was gone when we got back so it wouldn't bother me when I ran.

Less than an hour later I left my sister's house to go for a run. The wicked German Shepherd was still on my sister's side of the street so I decided to cross the street and hoped the dog would leave me alone.

It didn't. It ran across the street barking and growling at me. I looked for something to throw at it but there was nothing. I yelled "NO!" and faked another throw but this time the dog kept coming. It growled and faked a charge at me. It bared its teeth. I was thinking, I've been running almost 10 years and I'm going to finally get bit by a dog.

The German Shepherd looked like it was done growling and ready to bite and just then--not even kidding--an Animal Control van pulled up. The driver opened the door and banged on the side of the van and the dog ran to the van. I felt like I was in a movie or something. If that van had been a couple minutes later I'm pretty sure that dog would've been chewing on my leg while I tried to kick it in the head.

Fortunately I didn't have to try to fend off the dog which would've almost definitely ended badly for me.

I did get some good workouts in this week--a good tempo run and a 14 mile MP run. I ended up with over 50 miles for the week and I'll shoot for 50 more next week with a 20k race this coming Saturday.