My sister says I have the knack for “running” into interesting situations on my training runs. After looking back at the many things and people I’ve met, I’d have to say I have been pretty lucky.

• I’ve run during an lunar eclipse. I planned my run so I would see the eclipse – before, during and after. You really don’t realize how bright the moon is until it’s gone.
• There’s been numerous encounters with animals. Whether it’s the wild burros that roam Nevada State Route 159 or my countless run-ins with coyotes. They always seem to be hunting. I’ve caught one with a cat in it’s mouth and on a trail run, they were hunting desert cottontails.
• I’ve met some really cool runners on my many solo trips around Las Vegas. Some with interesting stories and others that have tested my stamina and speed.
• One early morning I tracked the International Space Station across the entire Las Vegas valley. This and countless shooting stars.
• I’m a sucker for sunrises. If I could have a photo of every sunrise I’ve seen I would be a lucky man. Earlier this week I witnessed an electric sky with Mars peaking through an opening.

All of this and I think I finally encountered the  piéce de résistance last weekend. Around 5 a.m. on Saturday I was making my way out on a 19 mile run. At mile 2, I saw a car parked along the edge of the road. This isn’t a rare site as many people park on the roadside and go hiking. There was no traffic and as usual the desert was silent – that is until I was near the car. The windows were closed; the car was on the opposite side of the road and a woman was thoroughly enjoying herself (trust me, I think she said it in many different ways). Since nobody was around, I pointed my flashlight at the car to scare them. The second my light hit the car the woman screamed that it was her dad.

I’ve never laughed so hard on a run in my life. Please share some of the cool things that have happened to you on your runs.

Tags: International Space Station, Lunar Eclipse, Nevada State Route 159

This entry was posted on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 3:00 pm and is filed under Runs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.