Original intent

Pre-workout fuel: Half of a peanut butter and jelly
Workout: Ran 5.35 miles in 46 minutes, 55 seconds; average pace, 8:46.

There are times when you have good intentions to workout ... and those intentions end up being the only thing you have.

Last night, Mark and I had plans. We were going to enjoy some leftovers, watch some "Wheel of Fortune" and head out for a bike ride. Ahhh ... it sounds fantastic just thinking about it.

One problem: D-boy has been scratching up a storm the past week and was in desperate need of a flea bath. Bathing a 65-pound dog that doesn't really like the water is no small feat, as I'm sure you can understand. It can, however, be humorous as you get decked out in your tankini and enjoy some quality time working up a luxurious lather on the furry beast as your husband waits outside the tub to block any escape attempts. I tried to get a photo of him - Denali - soaking wet and looking a bit put off but he gets too excited when he sees the camera.

It's OK, though - about missing the bike ride, not Denali getting excited about the camera. Life happens. A day is just a day. You can wake up the next morning to overcast skies, a slight chill in the air and set out on a good 5-mile run.

At least, that's what I did.

It was drizzling a bit when I set off, and I wondered whether I should go back to the house and get my hat. "Naw," I thought. "We'll brave it." The rain got a bit heavier for a moment and died off, just enough to give the air an "it just rained" smell. Delightful!

The cloud cover stayed, and it kept the temperature at a reasonable level. There was a nice breeze. Sometimes too nice but I took it. I really tried to enjoy this run, the feel of my feet beneath me after Wednesday's apathy fest. After all, running isn't a "have to" - it's a "get to."

The only thing that would have made today a bit better was if Denali could have kept up the last 1.5 miles or so. He really seemed to fade after mile 3 - just as I wanted to kick it up. And let me tell you, kicking it up with the resistance of a 65-pound dog isn't easy. So I slowed a bit, took some extra time at crosswalks to give him water and enjoyed what I could.

This weekend, I have an 11-miler on tap for Fort-4-Fitness training. (Excuse the "have," if you don't mind.) I am actually kind of excited because I won the motherload of Gu giveaways (photo to come this weekend) over at Secrets of a Running Mom.

And speaking of giveaways ... don't forget about mine!