My Top 5 Running in the Dark Fears

1. Attacked by dogs
2. Sprayed by skunks
3. Lost
4. Running by dark spooky woods
5. Assailed by crazy odd-balls

I have phobias about running in the dark (see list above).  I run with cell phone in hand, fingers poised to hit 9-1-1.  I run as quickly as I can out of my nice, safe (dark) neighborhood, into more populated, well-lit areas (like N. Fairfield at 6 am... who knew there was so much traffic so early?)

By the time I got home this morning at 5:58, I had been barked at by a pair of yappies down the street, luckily who seemed contained by an invisible fence, but who I'm sure if the power was out would have chased me halfway to N. Germany-Trebein.  I had gotten turned around by the Hindu temple, unable to find the pedestrian cross-over from the "nice" new neighborhood bordering ours.  I had come across a skunk ambling through a neighbor's front yard, about 10 feet from the spot I was running on the road.  I had been startled by at least 4 other people walking and puffing through the neighborhood (really?  5:30?  You too?  OK, maybe they had the same thoughts about me...  I'm sure I look pretty skeevy without my makeup, my hair in shreds.)  And the streets where I live are just filled with dark, spooky patches of woods I have to run by to get to those nice, lighted areas.

It's OK, though.  I made it just fine, singing nice songs from church to myself the whole way to pep myself up.   Maybe next week I'll take a MagLite with me, though.  I think I could swing it pretty well at numbers 1 & 5 above :). 

FUNDRAISING UPDATE:  Wow, now that is a cool number.  I am up to 27% of my fundraising goal!!  Thank you, thank you, donors!  As I run this week, I'm going to be keeping my cousin's son, Alex, close to my heart.  He is around Abby's age; earlier this year he was diagnosed with medullablastoma, brain cancer.  He has had surgery and radiation, and starts his chemo this week.  Saturday's run is for you, Alex!!  We are praying for you!