Gunshots

So the title of my post explains it all. Let me give some background.....
For months I have been *trying* to run on the treadmill as Chris and my Mom agreed that me running outside in the dark in the morning is not safe. I have been good about running at the gym and only outdoor running my long run on the weekend....until lately. I am preparing for a 1/2 marathon in March and have been trying to increased my street running miles each week. I came up with a compromise that I would only run outside when Chris is home. It has been going good, no complaints.....except that I had planned to write a letter to the city about how many freaking street lights are out. At any rate....fast forward to this am.
Chris is leaving for his shift today, so I get to run outside. I have run this route a million times, so I usually space and think during my runs. That is, until just after 3 miles. I am running towards a courtyard home community and I see a *flash* in a window followed with a resounding gunshot. My initial response was a gasp and my hands went to my face. I slowed down and walked slowly, mind you it is ~5:20 in the morning and it is SILENT, so a gunshot was like a bolt of lightning landing next to me. I heard rustling from the area where the shot was and decided I better get my A%s out of there.....FAST. I had enough time to check traffic and bolt across the street. As I stepped into the bike lane I heard the 2nd gunshot. At this point I think I basically lost all senses and ran like I never have in my life. I still had 2 miles to go to get home....and also feared that whoever shot the gun would be fleeing and see a moving target (I wear a reflective vest for running in the dark).
This is where your mind does weird things.....I kept saying out loud "Think, think, think Erin". I had NO idea what the hell I should do. Of course, my feet are taking me as fast as they can away and towards home. But, it wasn't enough. Each car that passed I would wince and *hope* that I would not hear another shot. Then, I wondered....was I shot? I mean, seriously the mind is capable of some craziness. I kept looking over my shoulder in the direction of the gunshot as though I was watching myself in a movie, it was so incredibly strange.
Managing to stumble into the house with my heart jumping out of my chest, sweat dripping from my brow and my hands shaking so bad I could hardly take off my shoes was an accomplishment that has never felt so rewarding.
I melted into the floor and just thanked....whoever....whatever power it was that allowed me to make it home safely.
Glad to be typing this today and even more confident in saying that I will be preparing for the race on the treadmill. My street running days just might be over.