Into and with the coyote.

I bought some running shoes last week. It was time. Remember how I’d said I’d gained 10 lbs since I’ve been here? Well I can’t shake it, simply by riding. So I opted to go back to running. I like to run, I really do but I’ve always been a swing runner- meaning I keep it up until I like the way I look, then I back off, and might go down to two-three days a week running, and if I skip a week, well no loss there. I’ve never been consistent in other words.

So Saturday I set out to run until my legs fell off. I know, probably not the smartest thing to do, but it’s just been a bit under 8 months since I quit and I wanted to know where my legs and heart and lungs stood. So I headed out down the cow trail to the river. Altogether it was probably close to three miles and I maybe ran a mile and 3/4 of it. It’s these hills. It’s down hill to the river, but not so much on the way back. Yesterday I called the fellow family runner, a former UT athlete, aka my brother Zach (who was btw, a big twelve champion) about these hills. His words were, well you just have to keep it at- and don’t run so far. Then he tells me to run just under two miles or so, walk another mile, and sit on the bike at night- the bike that I don’t have because well, my ex-husband is holding it hostage. Five days a week minimum, Jenn. Thanks, bro. Thanks for those words of encouragement!

Anyway, I digress. The horses turned out here by the house- in the pasture between the house and the river- followed me on my Saturday run, and of course when I got back, I gave them a bale of alfalfa. Nothing like a herd of thundering hooves behind you when you’re running!

Sunday I set out on the same route, seeing as how that cow/horse trail is the best worn path I have to follow, at least for about a quarter mile, and since I’m in rattlesnake country, I’m not particularly inclined to run too far off the beaten path, though it’s been cool- say mid to upper 50s so the snakes aren’t probably moving too fast. I went about 2/3 of the way to the river, and decided my legs hurt enough so it was time to turn around. I get back about 1/3 of the way home and Higgins, my running buddy starts off after a coyote. Lovely. So I holler at the little dog and tell him to come back, and then of course I wave my arms at the coyote and he starts off up the same hill I’m running up, though he’s about 20 yards away. He parallels me for a short while, looking back and over at me, trying to decide what to make of me. He did this until I was just about half a mile from the house. Of course I knew he was going to eat me and I’m frantically searching for something to pick up to throw at him if he were to get close enough again. I found a stick, and then I found three rocks. I carried them all the rest of the way!

I am terrified I’ll run into him again and that he’ll eat me. I googled it and apparently, coyotes don’t eat people, they’re just very curious creatures. They’re related to dogs, so if he were to attack me, I’d know by his body language. I don’t want him to attack or eat Higgins though, so I’m not sure what to do there. Higgins loves to run with me.

I didn’t run into him/her yesterday.

And today the high is 47 with winds out of the SSE at 25-35 MPH and tomorrow there’s snow in the forecast. So I can’t say I’m craving going out in any of that to run.