I think it is fairly safe to say that my runs are rarely boring. I came to this conclusion during my run yesterday evening as I headed to Point Pleasant Park in order to avoid all asphalt and sidewalks - as prescribed by my physiotherapist. I was contemplating how nice it was to be in the park among the walkers, runners and pet owners, when I was rudely awakened from my reverie by two snarling dobermans as they came barreling at me, their owners completely oblivious to my clear discomfort. I do realize that they were playing, albeit roughly, however, when one owns two dogs like that, you should realize that people do not take kindly to teeth-baring animals following closely at their heels, or said animals running past you over and over as they growl. I was not particularly interested in being caught in the middle of a doberman tussle.
I would like to note that I am not a pansy when it comes to dogs; I grew up with a very large golden retriever and a bernese mountain dog - go big or go home, I say!
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| My little Dukey-bear! |
So, with great reservation, I ran straight out of that park and broke golden rule #1 - thou shalt not run on sidewalks. I quickly looped back into the park and onto a different path. As I started to calm down, and my heart palpitations began to subside, I found myself face to face with the sign below.
Possible coyote sighted in the park. And a reminder to keep small children and pets close by. How very comforting. I decided it was time to assess the situation: a) deserted backwoods path b) no bystanders c) possible weapons choices ... an ipod and car keys. Conclusion? I could be coyote meat. Upon completion of this assessment, I decided it was time to run like hell and make for a populated area... where I found myself face to face with those damn dobermans again. Lovely. This called for a third path change where things remained much calmer for the remainder of my 18 minute outing.
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| This is what I came for! |
Despite the short time frame, I can honestly say that this was one of the most adrenaline-filled runs of all time. It was also one of the few times in my life where I did not come close to losing my lunch. Progress? I'll take it.
Our Tibetan Terrorist liked nothing better than chasing runners, slipping under fences to dive into neighborhood pools and doing death defying life leaps off the pier. Oh lord did we go through a number of frayed leashes, but I'm with you, no matter how much I enjoy dogs, I don't want an unknown toothy mutt chasing me.
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