Race Horse, Wild Turkey, Fox & a Rabid Raccoon!

Yesterday I had to get out of the house to get my long run completed. It was raining all day. Sure, I waited for it to lighten up but I waited hours so then I figured I just had to get it done. I promised myself that I would get all my running in this week. I left the house and felt really sluggish. I had the ipod blasting in my ear and some good tunes but my own bad attitude was already sabotaging my run. The first car that passed me on the dirt road sacred me. I never even heard it coming. Duh - that is why running in a race with an ipod is NOT allowed. Anyway - that sent a burst of adrenaline through me. I continued running when all of a sudden I had the feeling something was behind me. I looked over my right shoulder to see a big brown nose. This time I controlled my jump because I did not want to scare the horse. The rider/jockey then asks me if I want to race? Ha - I took one look at that horse with the veins popping out of its neck and knew there would be no race. At this point the horse is just trotting a nice 7 min mile. Jockey/Gary tells me they are getting ready for the Amateur Steeplechase race. How cool! They have already done the race course once and clocked a 1:30 for the course, he also muttered something about a 45mph pace. How I wish I had 4 legs! Anyway, I wish them good luck in the race and watch them gallop off down the muddy dirt road. I am now enjoying my run and glad that I came out in the sideways rain for this.

Mile 3 - I run up a mountain. There is a gravel road here now where there used to be a trail which is a bad sign. It just means more development. I spot 2 wild turkeys running ahead of me. For an entire half mile the turkeys run on the road in front of me. I watch their goofy gate and then ponder the fact that they too are running my pace, which has now slowed to more of a 10 min pace up the mountain - but still pretty fast for a turkey! They take off in flight when I start running down the hill.

Mile 5 - Another dirt road, another long winding climb. I see something up ahead coming my way. I can't figure out what it is but it is coming at me quickly. Then I realize it is a big fluffy red fox! I have not seen a fox in ages (too much development) but I do see signs of them on the trails. The fox still has not spotted me and is now getting a little too close. I make some noise and the fox bounds up a bank and up into a dead tree.

Mile 6-11 are uneventful but somehow pass very quickly. Lots of wet horses trot over to see me run along the edges of their pastures.

Mile 11 - I need to do a few more miles but I am only a mile from home so I choose to do an out and back on the dirt road that I started out on. Not very far into my out and back I see the cute raccoon. It is 4 in the afternoon, raccoons are nocturnal so this is not a good sign. I make some noise so that he will scamper off but no, the little guy turns around and gets a attitude with me. He starts coming at me which is when I turned around and ran the other way. 1 for the raccoon, 0 for me. I am sure he was sick and that was an experience I was not willing to have!

I ran up the last hill home at a good pace, did some stretching and put on dry clothes. The good feeling of completing a workout no matter what the weather was doing far outweighs how I would have felt had I completed another few tasks at my desk!