Midwinter running

The Fort Collins foothills trails were closed today because of wet conditions and so I drove to the Riverbend Ponds Natural Area on the east edge of the city to run. It was grey and cold (-8 °C) and muddy or icy depending on how much sun or shade a segment of trail had received on Saturday. I tried out my new shoes, New Balance Hierro (v3), and found them good on ice and snow and less good in the mud.

A weird thing happened on the other side of the bridge in the photo above. See the figure in black at the very top right? It was a young man walking his dog, a small German Shepherd mix, on a retractable lead. As I passed them on the trail his dog rushed me and jumped up and seized my arm! Very briefly and lightly I'm happy to report, so I've got no tears in my arm or my clothing. I think the blame here is mostly on me: I didn't read the dog well or slow down as I approached. I got a free reminder of how fast and potentially dangerous dogs are: unless you're Bruce Lee, you're likely to get bitten if you get in a fight with a dog, even if it's just a misunderstanding. Best to avoid these misunderstandings!