Morning Run...

Well today is Soldier's Day and so ...we get ANOTHER holiday. I am not complaining - except that it tends to throw your class scheduling for a loop and now I am scrambling to get material covered by the end of the parcial - which is in about 2.5 weeks. Therefore I have time for a type of rambling blog on the topic of the experiences of my morning runs.
Because school starts at 7:30am I am usually up around 6 so that I have lots of time to get things done. Most of you know that I have to run to keep my back muscles loose - otherwise I could not think of another reason why I would continue in this painful exercise. And because I don't want to have to deal with the cat-calls that come with wearing shorts I like to run at 6 in the morning. So come with me to Honduras and experience the early morning run with all its quirks...
I step outside as the sun has just risen in the sky leaving the morning air suffused with pink- and there is usally some fog or low lying clouds. The sky has begins to take more of a blue tint as a start to jog my way down the muddy "road" which occasionally consists of puddles big enough to drown anyone who dares venture through. There are few people up at this hour - but the rooster and all his harem have been up for at least an hour - and so have spent the last hour crowing away to wake everyone else up. As I jog toward them..rooster and hens disperse in a flurry of feathers, clucking disapprovingly at my method of travel. I then turn left and jog towards the soccer field where I will make a few laps. It is here that I run into my first major hurdle: the presence of cows enjoying their breakfast on the beloved field. Hey - I wouldn't complain as it keeps the grass nice and short - but the presence of cow patties - occasionally steaming - can be somewhat deterring to a runner. Who knows if the soccer players even notice. As I jog around the field I happen to notice a suspicious transaction taking place behind someone's backyard cement fence. I think it might involved drugs...but as I am a lone person in the early morning...let alone a female - I chose to pretend that I have not noticed anything. I finish some laps and continue on down the road. I jog down roads peppered with garbage and litter...dogs feasting on whatever scraps might have been discarded. I pass children in uniform on their way to school as well as workers who tredge slowly toward another day of bread-winning. This morning I have decided to be bold and try a new route. This one will take me around the soccer stadium - rather than just doing a u-turn, and so I make another left turn - venturing into worlds unknown. I keep my pace - and jogging is going fine until I decide that the "road" is becoming more of a bike path - and there is less and less room to put my feet without getting them wet. I hit my second big hurdle: a puddle that take ups the entire path with suspiciously soggy grass on either side. I choose a a side and splash through - I gave up on the thought of keeping my feet dry and my shoes in good condition long ago. I have just overcome that hurdle when another one presents itself. Up ahead I see some very active...(and what I later learn very territorial) dogs. Usually I do not have a problem...but these dogs have not seen me before. There must be at least five and they all surround me bearing their teeth, drooling, growling. I tell myself I am not scared...secretly hoping the dogs can hear that too. It doesn't work. I pray that they do not have rabies...and suddenly turn on my heel and face them. (Usually this works.) It doesn't this time. I take off again - and they finally understand that I am not going to do anything except tresspass for a few seconds. Phew. Still alive and rabies free. The rest of the run is uneventful...the day is warming up...and as I arrive back at my place in time for a cold shower ... I am tempted to return to bed...but I don't.