I am new to the running world and even newer to iMapMyRun. To date I have only actually mapped 3 runs and a few walks with my wife. I have been running for about 4 weeks now. On my run I have a really interesting route. The route itself is not that exciting, but it is what awaits me on the route that I love to hate. There is a house I pass everyday around 3/4 way into my run where a dog chases me. When I first started the run I was mad. Mad at the dog, mad at the owner, and mad that the situation was interfering with my run. Though the dog was only medium in size and probably wouldn't do much damage it forced me to dig deep to outrun the dog. After a few days I realized that this was helping actually helping my endurance and I have decided to stay the course and keep running from the dog. There have been a few days I ran by his house and he did not show. Its silly that it almost made me sad. Thanks dog, for making my run more interesting and helping in building my physical ability. My advise, run by the house with the loose dog!