The latest edition of In Her Shoes—tales that got left on the cutting room floor while writing Tales From Another Mother Runner—takes us Down Under.
While I was training for a half-marathon, I took my three young children to our tiny, humble hut in the forest about two hours from Melbourne, Australia. The race was a significant run for me as I had pretty much stopped all forms of exercise after my first child was born, and didn’t pick anything up again until my third was fifteen months old.
I couldn’t leave my young kids awake and alone in the hut while I got my 50-minute training run in; they would have tried to follow me. So I put them to bed first and made sure they were sound asleep.
The night was raining and foggy, so there wasn’t any moon. It was pitch black. I decided to just run to our front gate—almost two kilometers round-trip—however many times until 50 minutes was up. I had a torch in each hand, and set off with that wonderful feeling of freedom and an “I can do this run, even though I am out in the wilderness,” attitude.
I made it to the gate once. I could hear the kangaroos bounding around me—no doubt, to get away from this strangely illuminated creature huffing and panting—but I could never catch one in the torchlight. I worried one might bound into me and injure me.
Without intending to, I started barking. I’m not too sure why. Perhaps it was a primitive ploy to trick the ‘roos into thinking I was a dingo? I gave up my grand plans of two-kilometer laps and downsized to laps of the hut, but even that seemed to be venturing too far out into the darkness. In my imagination, it was “Blair Witch” territory out there, and my own puffing seemed like an audible beacon to any wildlife in the dark!
In the end, I completed my run with tiny circles around the campfire, where my two dogs, who should’ve been accompanying me, were snoozing. I probably ran about 600 laps and I dealt with the dizziness factor by running four times clockwise, four times counterclockwise in a sort of figure-8 pattern at the changeover. That helped keep my brain occupied, too. I was wide eyed and adrenaline fueled the whole time.
I should have had a s’more when I finished, but I went for a hot cup of tea and some chocolate instead.
—Airlie (Calls emergency pitstops an “attack of the 1812’s” after Tchaikovsky’s explosive 1812 Overture.)
Inquiring minds want to know: Have you ever had an encounter (or near encounter) with a wild animal while on a run?
All the time I see deer on my early morning or late night runs. They are beautiful creatures but one time one ran right next to me like we were racing. That was scary! I kept worrying they would jag my way and knock me down!!
Deer, turkeys, the occasional fox. Most of the time they mind their own business but I had an experience like Jade’s when a deer ran next to me.
Becky, my BRF, and I often see rabbits and sometimes see a family of deer or a fox. With larger animals, I get very quiet and hesitant, but Becky is great at clapping as we approach, just to let them know we are coming so that we don’t inadvertently startle them and put them on the defensive. The deer always look so graceful as they walk or bound away; I fantasize that we look like that as we run!
Javelina, coyote, rattle snakes and bobcats! Once even a mountain lion! Love the encounters!
Funny, I read this post just before my run this morning, when a fox scampered across my path. More often I see deer, though I haven’t had one run next to me yet.
The usual deer, rabbits, etc. However….my sis-in-law and I were running out in the country one day. A huge mastadon came running out from a farm site. It was so windy that day that we didn’t hear it coming until he was literally at my ankles. I swear this thing was part bear. It was huge!! I partially jumped into my sis-in-law’s arms, as I screeched like a Marv from Home Alone, when the big spider was on his face! One of my scariest running moments. Luckily, we were just fine. My sis-in-law brought out her scary mom voice and the dog ran away.
I love this! The determination to get that run in making you just keep going and doing about 600 little circle laps! It just shows that if you put your mind to it, you can get a workout in anywhere….I’m a complete chicken….I would be doing those laps in the house around the couch….Sometimes I’ve seen coyotes in hikes in LA….fortunately I have not been alone when I have.
Coyotes will never hurt you…they don’t attack people… <3 them!
Deer, fox, wild turkeys and the occasional coyote. When the coyotes are denning in the early spring, they shut down the trails at one of my favorite parks so the mammas and babies are not disturbed. Plus, the mamma coyote can be very territorial but I think we all get that.
If you count skunks and coyotes as wild animals, yes, I’ve had a lot of those encounters here in the Chicago suburbs. Interestingly, when I run in northern Wisconsin, the only thing I see are chipmunks!
Wild turkeys all the time. I give them clear crossing room. Don’t want to get in the way of their wings.
Running around the golf course at Whistler Mountain in British Columbia, my running buddy and I came right up on two black bears. I freaked out (not recommended) and ran towards a cabin we could see not too far in the distance. The bears went their own way. We later learned there were six or seven bears that called the golf course home and they were not a problem. I couldn’t laugh then but I can now.
I live in the middle of Minnesota. I run into all kinds of animals like wild turkeys, snapping turtles, deer, skunks and fowl of numerous kinds. Luckily, they always run away from me before I have to worry about them, except the snapping turtle, she stood her ground. I’m the one that took a wide berth that day, she looked pretty serious with those claws!
In my own town, coyotes, snakes, wild turkeys, bunnies and jack rabbits. But while running in Yellowstone a few years ago I got way too close (learned later that day about the proper distance to give them) to buffalos and also crossed paths with a wolf (thankfully I was closer to the village when I saw him and he decided to move away from civilization!)