My New Running Buddies

Recently I got tired of running in circles around Hardin Field, especially since I'm now able to run for an hour, so I hopped in the mama mobile and mapped out a 6 mile course for myself...yes I did say SIX miles! Yeah me! Anyway, part of my course is through a large field and there are tons of prairie dogs running around. Sometimes they startle me because I don't see them and then all of a sudden they are right there. I think they might be laughing at me because I hear them squeaking to each other. You see the best part about running through an empty field filled with prairie dogs is that there aren't that many people around, so when I do my little dance moves while I run no one sees me...except the p.d.'s that is. One day I saw a coyote and I've seen lots of little ground owls too. I tried running at night once but I kept thinking about that coyote I saw the other day and I started to wonder if they were like other dogs and might chase someone who is running??? This did not make me feel good about being in the dark alone, even with my friends the prairie dogs around, I didn't feel safe. When I got home Bob told me that the coyotes would be more afraid of me then I was of them but it didn't make me feel any better. So I guess I won't be running at night again any time soon.
I discovered I could run 6 miles while we were in Arizona. I think the elevation difference helped out a bunch and I just did it. When we got home I decided if I could do it there I could do it here...and I can! What keeps me going you may ask? My trusty i pod. My favorite songs to run to are "Footloose" and "Mambo No. 5". They both have a great beat and provide the perfect pace for me. I usually repeat these songs 2 or 3 times when they come up. It's funny because Bob said that he just runs and the music keeps him going. But I find that I speed up and slow down with the beat of the song that is playing. Oh well, as long as I keep going right?
So what makes me really excited is that I actually feel like I'm a runner now! People keep asking me if I'm going to do a race soon...I don't think so. I can do my 6 miles in about 62 minutes and that's about the maximum time I have to devote to running for now. But maybe someday I'll run with more than just the prairie dogs. :)