8 Miles on the 8th

I had a great run yesterday and tested out my new Nathan Speed 2 fuel belt. At first I was a little concerned about wearing something other than my normal garb, but as soon as I got my pace going and drowned out the sloshing of the water, I was impressed. I actually put my iPhone in the little pouch instead of carrying it, which was extremely weird after getting so used to holding something. But, I think it helped me with my stride and I didn't feel off balance at all. I know I was only going 8 miles and the fuel belt might seem a little overboard, but lately I've been getting really thirsty when I run (despite staying hydrated throughout the day). And, the once diagnosed exercise-induced asthma is rearing its ugly head again. *hmpf*

Overall, I had a great run and kept my pace under 9 minute miles again (woot!). My white reflective Adidas running shirt seriously stands out and it's wicked comfortable, too! :)

On this run I encountered:

• A ladder firetruck with some *hot* firemen on board. Naturally, I ran faster when they were watching me. ;)
• An older, plump gentleman on a bike that was doing loops in the neighborhood and wheezing. Good for him for getting out there and exercising! I was a little concerned that on one of my loops I'd find him unconcious on the sidewalk, but that didn't happen.
• Another older man (not quite a gentleman) that blew his cigarette smoke right in my face as I ran past him. Grrrr. I shot him a bad juju mind glare in return...perhaps he tripped on the sidewalk later, who knows.
• A little, teeny tiny, yappy white dog that wasn't being controlled well by her owner and ran me into the street. Gah!
• Two teenagers fist fighting in the middle of the arterial by my house, as a bunch of other teenagers looked on. I kept running because, 1. I thought they were just rough-housing at first, 2. a neighbor came out into the street to see what was going on and 3. I didn't have my air horn/mace combo and I was clearly outnumbered. But I swear, the one throwing most of the punches was a scrawny "hipster" wannabe that I probably could've "took on." Ha!

Yes, it was an interesting run for sure. The only bad thing is that I realized that any more miles than 7ish causes my foot to hurt so bad. :( It makes me wonder if I'm just not cut out for doing more than these 8 miles if I get home and I want to cry because of the pain. Stupid foot Neuromas.