Running Wild

It's been over a month since I almost stepped on this during an early morning run.Fortunately it was dead or else I would have been in a world of hurt. It wasn't far from the ranch either which made it easy to go back and take a picture.

In San Leandro I was cautious of other people while running, they seemed to be the only real threat. Here, I've been most concerened with the wild animals. A few weeks ago Peter drove me up river for a long run home. On the way we saw a herd of elk cross the road. Two weeks ago, on another long run, a big bear crossed the road less than 75 yards ahead of me. I was near my turning point and thought about turning around then but instead I waited until I was conviced that he was far enough up the hill to pose any threat, and I kept going.

Last Saturday I ran 20 miles on Indian Creek Road, which doesn't have much of a shoulder and is somewhat residential. I realized then that unleashed dogs, especially pit bulls, and careless drivers are more likely to hurt me than a wild animal.

Unfortunately none of these runs are suitable for an ipod so instead of listening to music, I think about blogging my experiences. Which is why I've decided to start a blog about running: it will give me something to think about while running.