The other day as I was driving home from dropping off my kids from school, I saw a runner being chased by a dog. It wasn't growling or biting him, just having a jolly time running after him. I can totally relate. I've been chased by dogs many times when I was running. I've learned to find the nearest pile of rocks to carry for self-defense.
When Leslie and I were teenagers there was a German Shepherd at a house at the end of the street. It looked like a mean dog (thought maybe it wasn't). It was ordinarily chained up. One day, she mentioned that it was not chained up. We ran really fast to get away from it.
My mom actually got bit by a dog when we were running once. She called animal control on it. Of course the owner claimed her dog would never get out, and would never bite anyone.
I remember running a race at Cottonwood Complex in high school. As I ran past a tree on the far side of the course, a cat starting chasing me. I guess my shoelace was untied, and it thought I was playing with it. After a little while, it figured out I wasn't playing and quit following me.
The next chasing event I remember was the rooster. Leslie and I were running on 106th south near Bingham. There were a few chickens near the sidewalk. As we ran past, a black rooster started going after Leslie. I'm pretty sure she screamed, and we picked up the pace.
The funniest "Chasing" has got to be my mom and the goats. I only wish I had been able to see this one. I don't remember if this was last year or the year before--you'd have to ask her. She was out for a run, and she ran past some goats. They started following her and bawling after her. She could not get them to leave her alone. As her run progressed, the goats persisted it following her and crying after her. At one point, she was along a busy road. She was afraid they were gonna get run over. So, she found something to tie them up with, and took them the rest of the way home with her. Once again, she called animal control to come get them. Those poor goats ran at least a mile---that was probably quite a workout for them. I only wish I could have videotaped it for amusement purposes.
When I was a teenager once, an old guy followed me on his bike. At first I thought he might just be out for a leisurely ride. But he turned around at the same point that I did. The thing is, a person riding a bike can usually bike a lot faster than a person running, even if they aren't pedaling too hard. Thankfully, there were still a few cars driving by. I ran home really fast.
When I was running with Erin and her sister Laura in the canyons a few years ago, they were ahead of me a little. They spotted a baby bear. (I didn't actually see it). If you know anything about nature, you know to stay far away from baby bears. There's usually a protective mom nearby. We ran back really fast.
I guess being chased is just a part of being a runner. It makes it a little more interesting at times.
Nancy’s Obituary
3 years ago
