The Oddities of Running

One of the main reasons I started this running blog almost a year ago was because I thought it would be a perfect medium for me to write about all the weird occurrences that seems to follow me while I am out putting in my miles and just minding my own business. I've had to deal with all kinds of stuff... motorists swearing at me for no apparent reason, confrontations with bicyclists with big chips on their shoulders, etc. but probably my all time favorite story is when I had just finished up a 6 mile run and I was just standing quietly by my car stretching when a scruffy, older gentleman happened to ride by on his bicycle and greet me with, "Good morning asshole!" After being taken a back for a brief moment, I just had to laugh and respond in kind by saying "Good morning" but with out the expletive. I tell you, the things that I sometimes see...

While the past few runs I didn't come across any scholarship award winners like that venerable old gent, I did have some interesting occurrences. The first was last Thursday when I was out to get in a good 11 miler around Lake Monona. Usually I don't get out the door until around 9am because I'm dilly-dallying, but this particular day I started out an hour earlier because I was on a tight schedule that morning. At around 10am I was supposed to take an older gentleman I know to the grocery store since he doesn't drive any more. The other reason was pure selfish in that I wanted to be back at my place at a certain time to watch the start of the boy high school basketball tournament and the tip off of NCAA March Madness. Because of those reasons I wanted to get an early start. It was a good morning to go too. Sunny and a little chilly but not much wind. I was just past the two mile mark of my run when I came upon the start of the Lake Monona bike path and noticed a big obstacle in my way... a train just at a standstill. In all my years of running the lake loop I had never encountered a moving train, let alone a parked one in this particular spot. Pretty weird. What to do. The train was pretty long so I really didn't feel like running on the rocky surface to get around it, so it pretty much left just one option. Get on all fours and roll under it. If Indiana Jones can do it, why can't Coon Valley Jaeger! As I got down flat on the ground and rolled under this mammoth piece of steel, I thought to myself that if this beast starts moving, something else might start moving and there better be a bathroom nearby... if you catch my drift. Thankfully it did not move and after I got back on my feet, my legs eventually caught up with my heart rate and the lump moved out of my throat. The things I do to get in a run.

The next odd thing happened a couple of days later on Saturday morning. I got up early again so I could get in a quick 5 miler before I had to head off to work the morning madness at the running store. I say morning madness because the high school track season is starting up and high schoolers from all over the area have been flocking in to get there training shoes and spikes. Anyways, on Saturday morning, I was not even a couple of blocks into my run when a lady in a car pulled up alongside me and asked if I had seen a little white dog running thru the neighborhood. You could tell she was pretty frantic and on the verge of tears. I told her I had just started my run but that I would definitely keep my eyes open for the pooch. I know the neighborhoods of Monona pretty darn well so I headed off on a doggie expedition in the hope that I would find him/her staking out a tree, fire hydrant or someones leg. I ran through some neighborhoods and by some parks that I thought might be of interest for the canine persuasion, but alas, I came up empty. The lady told me what street she lived on in case I happened to find the wayward dog, so on my way to work I stopped by her duplex and found out from her husband that they found the imp three houses down. What a happy ending, huh? They were also very appreciative that I took the time and effort to look for the dog and to check to see if it was found.

The third interesting thing that happened was just this past Monday as I was finishing up another quick 5 mile run. I was running down Waunona Way, which sometimes has a lot of bike traffic, and from behind me I heard what I thought was a bike on my heels... however it was not a bike. To my surprise, as I looked to my right, I was being passed by a dog who was harnassed to a guy sitting in a wheel chair, and let me tell you, this dog was working hard. I thought I was in Alaska watching the Iditarod. I had never seen anything like that in all my years of running. I actually felt really sorry for the pooch because that is a lot of wait to pull around. The dog and I were actually jockeying back and forth a bit but I eventually passed him as he really began to tire. I really felt more empathy for the dog when, as I was finishing up this big hill that would lead me back to my place, I looked back and noticed that his owner was making the dog acend the hill too. What a trooper that dog was. I felt like running inside and getting one of my marathon medals to put around its neck. I tell you, the things that I sometimes see...

Today's workout: 5.1 miles > 43:03 > 8:27 pace

Monday's workout: 5.5 miles > 44:30 > 8:06 pace

Miles this week: 10.6

Sunday's workout: 10.5 miles > 1:21:50 > 7:48 pace

Saturday's workout: 5.5 miles > 47:12 > 8:30 pace

Thursday's workout: 11.1 miles > 1:31:14 > 8:13 pace

Miles last week: 48.3