Stalking

There hasn’t been too much going on this week. I’ve been continuing to get in the daily 4 and 5 and despite the fact that my weight seems stubbornly fixed at 188, I’ve been rocking the runs with great energy and few physical complaints. I’ll eather get out there for 11 tomorrow, or hold off until Sunday to give the old legs a rest.

Running on Long Island presents some great challenges in terms of weather, inattentive drivers and even some varied terrain, but at least you don’t have to worry about being eaten by wild animals. I came across this story in Runner’s World the other day. Runner Lindsey Grewe was out for a run in late December at Cheyenne Mountain State Park in Colorado when she happened upon a mountain lion chowing down on a deer. The mountain lion looked up from the buffet long enough to notice Grewe, whereupon it probably realized that meat on the hoof was tastier than a smelly old deer carcass. The Mountain Lion proceeded to chase Grewe, who probably set a PR in the 200 meter category as her jog in the park turned into a race for survival. Park rangers heard her screaming and came to her aid, chasing off the lion. Apparently this same lion had “approached” another runner a week earlier, but was scared off before it could get a nibble.

While I admit to feelings of jealousy when I read blogs by runners who are fortunate enough to live within close proximity of beautiful running trails out west, stories like this give me pause. This isn’t the first time I’ve written about this sort of thing, so I have to believe that being stalked and/or eaten by some sort of apex predator is part and parcel of running in the great American West. I think I’m learning to appreciate life on the coast more and more. Have a great week-end and be careful out there.