Choose your Running Partners Well

After going out to cheer on those in my unit competing in the Ironman tournament at 0330 hrs, I decided to go for a run. The RSM had mentioned he was going for one and I though yeah, why not?  The base is quiet, no worries about being run over by privates in fast cars and no brakes and I was wide awake and full of energy.

I put on my orange glo do not hit me in the dark vest and started out from my shack.  The route was simple, a rectangle around a few units until you come back to start. Now I have to mention it was really humid out and rain was soon to come.  In fact there were a few flashes of lightening in the sky as I was warming up. Don’t want to be fried by a spike of lightening. 

So I started out with a good pace facing oncoming traffic.  Past tanks and parade squares I went and was about halfway done, when my glasses started fogging up. I pushed them up on my head, couldn’t see for sweat and fog and the road was pretty flat so I didn’t need to worry too much about tripping.  Right? 

Just about that time, I saw a movement in the dim street light at ground level.  From the distance I was at it looked the right shape to be a gopher.  As I ran closer, that gopher just didn’t look right.  In fact it, I pull down the fogged glasses, holy moly, that is a skunk…. Sprint to the other side of the road, up on the grass giving this critter wide berth.  Sadly the poor thing was still offended because his lifted tail tracked my progress as I high tailed it away from him.

When he did have a gas release I was at the corner of the WO and Sgt mess, a block and a half away. I guess the excitement was just too much for the poor little guy. Thank you God I was out of the way.  Blessed are you God, my protector.  I had visions of going to the base clinic or my boss’s office begging for help in the form of a tomato juice bath to rid myself of the stench. 

Around the corner I went, back to facing on coming traffic, when ahead at a bunch of dumpsters.  Yup, another skunk.  This one though had more smarts and ran about the same time I screamed or was it squeaked in surprise and sprinted once more to the other side of the road.  After that I turned the corner and headed back to start.  I was going to do another loop, but I thought that would be tempting fate just a bit too much. 

I think I will modify my run a bit.  Maybe there are less treacherous places?

+ peace

Lara