Bliff (bliss + stiff)

I'm still a bit sore but the weather's great and there are actual places to run here where I don't have worry about cars, and these places are flat...I have no choice.   None of these things are waiting for me down South, only canine company and some cool youtube videos in the sauna-garage (I suppose I can add detoxification to the list).  I am looking forward to reacquainting myself with my weights, but enjoyment from running is best sought up here. 

Yesterday: I wrote the final exam for my one and only uni English course ever.  I've gotten out of taking English during my first bout of higher education but, unfortunately, my 3 English OACs weren't recognized this time round.  Originally, I considered "challenging" the course, but figured that I would probably learn something by going through the course instead of just writing the assignments and exam.  So I told the tutor assigned to me to "bring it on," and he has been exacting.  And I have learned a few things from the course: I am simply not wired to mindlessly produce summaries and rhetorical analyses (seriously, gag me), or to blithely leave an infinitive unsplit!  Ok, I've gotten a lot of useful feedback too.  Well, anyway, after popping through that final, I had to run, and fortunately I'd brought my capris.  7ish miles home, including a mango smoothie, some disappointing "ketchup" chips (they tried too hard to make them taste wholesome), bubble tea, and a mile-ish jog on the curving path alongside Richmond.  I'd never run on that before, and at first the waywardness of the path irked me, but it's actually a nice counterpoint to the busy street after all.

Today: I don't know how long it was, 5 miles?  I just went and then, at one point, I really went.  It felt right to open things up, and so I went faster for about a km.  "Faster" being relative, but it felt really good to feel as though I was gliding.  Unfortunately, once I eased off again, the endorphins likewise tapered off, and I felt sore again, but no regrets. 

I've also been walking the dogs 1-2 times a day; these are not my dogs.  These guys are little but full of themselves and not trained (they pull worse than even my puppy, and she's 3-4 X their weight), but they're catching on quickly.  I took the harness off one and the flexi-leash of the other because these devices train dogs to pull, and I wound up with two more responsive dogs.  Unfortunately, they both go apeshit when they see another dog, but they're getting better.  I'm not sure how far I'll get with them on this trip, but they've already made me appreciate my dogs!