I have been a runner for my entire life since I was like 8 years old. I used to genuinely love it and it was my morning release and time to myself to clear my head. A year and a half ago, I was attacked by a dog while on a run. It broke it's chain in half and jumped it's fence to chase me. I had headphones in so I didn't hear it coming, it started biting from behind before I even knew what was happening. I screamed bloody murder. It was 5:30am and dark out in a residential neighborhood so there were no cars driving by, no one around. I don't know exactly how long it took the owner to run outside (probably 2-3 minutes) but it felt like an eternity to me. It was scariest thing because I just kept thinking that no one was coming and I was going to be taken down and mauled to death and no one was going to save me. (After the original bite to the leg and then hand, he just stood next to me growling as I screamed. So he wasn't trying to take me down but I didn't know if he was about to any moment). Once the owner secured him and brought me in her home (it was 28F degrees out) I almost passed out from my heart racing so fast combined with no breath from screaming. The wounds were serious and I needed a good deal of medical attention for the following 3 months. I was still really lucky that it wasn't my face/ throat/ organs but still.
Well, I haven't been running since. I went to the gym a few times but couldn't afford to keep my membership and a treadmill won't fit in my home if I could afford one. Plus I just don't really enjoy that, part of my enjoyment of running was being in nature. Last night I decided I really wanted to get back out there and not let it dictate my life. And then I had a severe panic attack about it and started bawling and hyperventilating as I relived it in my mind. FI had to rub my back and get me to breathe and calm down. He really wants me to get over it and enjoy running again but I just don't know how. I get so freaked out even thinking about the possibility of it happening again. Have you been through anything like this, or do you have any tips to make it more manageable?