September 25, 2012

Free panties!

I was in a really good mood today when I woke up. I had time to shower and get dressed before waking the kids up for school. Jerry asked me if I would go to Best Buy today to spend his gift card on a movie that he wanted. I guess The Avengers came out, and he was excited to get the Blu-Ray with his birthday gift card.

At first, I really didn't want to drive all the way to Best Buy, but then I remembered that it's in the mall with Victoria's Secret, and I had another coupon for a free pair of panties :)  I have no idea how I got on their mailing list, but I get coupons for free panties about once a month or every other month. I love it!!

Those people at Victoria's Secret are very sneaky--because I can't seem to just go in, get my panties, and leave. I end up browsing, and buying things I wasn't planning on! ;) I've mentioned how I'm very cheap when it comes to clothes, and I buy everything used. Well, I make an exception when it comes to lingerie! When I was overweight, I always wished I could wear cute little lingerie and feel good in it. Then I lost the weight, but my stomach was very saggy, so I didn't feel very cute. But now that I've had my skin removal surgery, my guilty pleasure is definitely lingerie ;)

Of course, the free panty table is always in the back of the store, so you have to walk past all the super cute things to get to them. Then walk through the store again to get to the cashier. Today, a very cute purple nightie caught my eye, and I tried it on. It looked good, so I bought it.

Somehow, I don't think Jerry will mind ;)

This afternoon, my legs were really bothering me. The only way I can describe it is "growing pains" because that's what my mom used to call it anytime I complained about my legs hurting as a kid. Today, I knew they were feeling that way because it had been over three days since I ran. Whenever I go more than two days without running, my legs ache.

I was feeling very antsy, and so I decided I might as well run today instead of tomorrow morning. Then it would give me two full days off before my 20-miler on Friday. I threw on some running clothes and went outside for a six-miler.

It ended up being a terrible run--not because of my knees or anything, but because I was terrified THREE TIMES by dogs charging at me. Unleashed, unfenced dogs. I've written before about how much I can't stand that people let their dogs roam without a leash. I was never scared of dogs until a couple of years ago, when I was bitten three separate times while running during the summer.

Today, two of the dogs ran at me barking (not at the same time, they were at separate parts of my run), but I could tell that they weren't out to hurt me. I just froze and tried to concentrate on breathing while they sniffed me. But the third dog was MEAN. It was growling and baring it's teeth, and snapping at me. I froze, hoping it would turn and go away, but it just started barking viciously and jumping toward me. I didn't want to turn around, for fear of it attacking me, so I started stepping backwards slowly. It stayed a few feet away from me, growling and barking the whole time, while I continued to walk backward. After I'd passed about four houses this way, the dog finally stopped and I ran back the way I came.

Not a single person came out to claim their dog. I could feel really hot, angry tears in my eyes while I ran, and I was debating whether to continue my run or go home and call animal control. I decided to finish my run.

On the bright side, I had no issues with my knee, so I'm hoping that an extra day and half of rest was what I needed. Now I have two more days off until my 20-miler. I'm actually looking forward to it, so that I can get it done and over with!

30 comments:

  1. I would still call and give the area you saw the dog and a description of it. Could have been a kid riding their bike! Great job keeping your cool though!

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  2. I'm sorry that you're afraid of dogs and that you had been attacked before.
    My 9 year old nephew was just attacked by a doberman last week while walking home from school. He needed 10 stitches for 3 bites. So far he doesn't seem to be afraid of dogs (as long as they don't bark) but he is afraid of walking to school by himself now.

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  3. I know what you mean about the leg pains. Working out always helps me, too!

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  4. Best advice i can give you when dogs run at you is to stand as tall as you can and use your loudest strongest voice to tell them very firmly to go home! You need to portray the role of Alpha. I have dogs and have been charged at by dogs and this tactic usually works to keep us safe. I have a 70 pound dog who hides behind me when other dogs run at us!

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  5. I am sorry you had the dog trouble. Most people think their dogs are harmless, but the truth is, if they scare someone, they have harmed them.

    I hope to have your leg pain problem one day! ;)

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  6. Yeah, don't you love how they dangle those panties in the back of the store! No modeling pics? ;-)

    Yeah, you need to call animal control on the 3rd dog. It's a threat to anyone going past it. I know this because I was bit in the face when I was six by a "gentle" dog I was playing with and if a dog is that threatening, it's only a matter of time.

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  7. Dogs can be a bit if trouble.
    A friends grandson, was bit by one last week.
    Be careful. Gypsie here has some great advice.

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  8. Dogs can be a bit if trouble.
    A friends grandson, was bit by one last week.
    Be careful. Gypsie here has some great advice.

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  9. Ahhhhhh how scary! Glad you're okay.

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  10. Yay victoria secret !!Love their stuff. I haven't been able to shop there in a long time.. but next year i plan on going on a spree!!

    And i hate that when people let their dogs roam free.. especially if they are going to try to attack people like that.. yikes! Luckily you were able to finish your run without pain ;)


    Kacey
    http://newlifenewme224.blogspot.com/

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  11. I have a black great dane who is a big chicken, and incredibly sweet. But you know what? Other people don't know that, so for her safety and others she's always with us on a leash when she's out. I'm not generally afraid of dogs, but I will get nervous because I don't know what a strange dog will or won't do, and people should respect their pets and others safety and peace of mind!

    There's a yorkie down the street from me that was un-restrained when i was out for a run. It started chasing me, biting at my ankles, and I was afraid I was going to trample it! I found the owner and told them I'd call the township if it happened again. I hate that bad dog owners can cause people to be afraid of dogs and not feel safe :( When i ran in the country i would carry a dog whistle. It would distract them until I felt i was far enough away.

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    1. Exactly! I have a german shepherd/pitbull mix. He is the biggest baby you'll ever meet, and he is super sweet as well. His bark and his face, however, don't show that. We ALWAYS keep him on a leash when we're outside. Some people are just so terrified that they just go numb as soon as they see a dog, regardless of its breed. I get so angry with people that let their dogs run loose. Any dog can turn on a person, it doesn't have to be an "aggressive" breed. But owners are just ignorant, sometimes.

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  12. The lingerie keeps my heart healthy by allowing me to get a little cardio in before I go to bed. So, no, I don't mind;)

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  13. So sorry you had to deal with loose dogs! I absolutely HATE irresponsible dog owners, especially the ones who allow their dogs to roam freely through the neighborhood. I've had my fair share of angry, dog-related tears on runs, as well. When I lived in the Nashville area, loose dogs seemed to be the norm. I'm SO happy to live somewhere now where that's not the case...

    Oh, and of all the things you could splurge on, lingerie is a good choice! Like you said, there's no way your hubby's going to get mad at you for buying it :)

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  14. Loose dogs scare me, too. There is one in particular that will run from its yard and start running after me, barking. I usually yell really loud and tell him to go home. It works most of the time, thankfully. Never EVER see the owners. That makes me mad. My dogs are always on a leash or chain. Apparently some dog owners need to be, too!

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  15. I hope you called animal control. It's just so irresponsible of a dog owner to let their dog wander. They would be the ones crying their eyes out when the damn dog gets hit by a car. I should run with something, just in case, but of course I don't.

    And the free panties- it's their loss leader! They know most people just can not feel right about walking into the store and not spending a penny. Thankfully the mall is about 40 minutes away. Just not worth the gas!

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  16. I love dogs, but I think this would scare me as well.
    I get that pain in my legs from time to time and I've always called it growing pains as well. It's really hard to describe the pain, because it's not so much a pain but it's very uncomfortable!

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  17. The dog thing is ridiculous! If I were you, I would call animal control. Imagine if it was a child and they got attacked?

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  18. I run out in the country and always carry a can of MACE strapped to my hand. I'm debating strapping a gun to my back. Pit bulls out in the country are scary. Think about getting some mace, piece of mind is worth it. Sorry you had to deal with that.

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  19. My son was bitten in the lip when he was 3 from a dog. The people who are my friends kept the dog and it even went on to break out of it's fence and attack another kid while he was walking home from school...they still have the dog!!! I grew up w/ parents that lived on farms and although we had pets that meant a lot to us they were still animals and if any of them had done anything like this we would have put them down. I think you should call someone because that is definitely something that could get out of control.

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  20. Dogs coming at you when you're running are terrifying! I've been okay so far with a strategy of just shouting "HEY" (in my scary voice) at dogs that run towards me, but I can definitely see why some people carry mace.

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  21. Something else to add, I know we are told to act like the alpha dog when a scary dog is approaching us. But in my opinion the opposite has worked better. When a dog is coming at me barking in a threatening manner I turn on my sweet, mushy voice and say "Hey sweety, calm down". Those dogs usually don't know what to think and stop barking. It's worked for me on many different occasions.

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  22. I live in an urban area so there are no dogs on my runs, but there are plenty of rats. Blek. Once once of those black birds that you find in parking lots started swooping and flying at me. I guess there was a nest or something. Not as dangerous as a dog, but my heart was racing like crazy. I'm sure it was entertaining to all the people driving by....

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  23. I live in Macomb, MI and I run at 4:30 in the morning. I've had many SCARY encounters with dogs - even dogs jumping the fence!! And there's no one outside to save me from these dogs, and their owners aren't around either. I cant tell you how many times Ive hopped on top of a car hood because I get scared of a barking dog! Because of that, I now run with a mace gun. It looks like a .45 and I wear a running 'fanny pack' when I run -- where the gatorade should go, I put the mace gun. That way, if a dog comes at me, I can easily grab my mace gun!! You handled yourself very well with that dog yesterday - that had to be scary as hell!!!!!

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  24. Wow--Mean dogs! Whenever I see or hear a dog barking while I'm walking, I instinctively look around for something like a stick to protect myself with. They can be very scary and I've never even been bit, except by my own bulldog, and she's still a puppy, so we're hoping she grows out of this biting stage!

    Glad you found something fun to buy at Victoria's Secret. Love those little shopping bags from there! So fancy!

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  25. Mean dogs are my biggest fear when trying a new route! I know where all the dogs live that have an electric fence where I run now, but I am so ready for a change!!!

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  26. I don't know if others have mentioned this, but have you considered carrying mace or something for defense? It sounds like you just might need it. It sounds like you did the right thing, acted calmly and backed away...we're all glad you're okay.

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