Lizards, Coyotes, Javalinas...oh my!

Such a beautiful run on Saturday :) I had 10 miles to cover but pushed it to eleven! Eleven miles fit perfectly with the direction I wanted to go- west towards Saguaro National Park. I wanted to get close to the mountains- of course, they are not my beloved green mountains of Colorado, but they are mountains none-the-less :) This run is my favorite by far! I headed out my usual direction but instead of cutting in front of Tumamoc Hill-which still has yet to be tackled- I kept heading west. The "fun" thing about mapping out a route in unfamiliar territory is that you never know what you will encounter...

A large portion of Tucson is boring and flat; however, this particular route was not! The first 2 miles started out flat and then all of sudden came the unexpected rolling hills... one hill after another!! It was a nice change of pace and offered a little challenge ;) They took me closer and closer to the mountains and into the middle of the desert. At one point I thought I had missed my turn and was a little nervous that I would be stuck in the middle of the desert, miles away from home. As I was strategizing a way to get myself back home, I had to stop to tie my shoe (I forgot to double-knot them). When doing so, I noticed something moving out of the corner of my eye. To my suprise, I saw a brown, hairy PIG just twenty feet away! A pig? In the desert? I then realized that there wasn't just one pig, but at least a dozen!! Without moving much, I stared in amazement, lol. I thought maybe they were wild boar and was worried they might attack haha. I have since learned that the desert, pig-looking creature is called a "javalina." They didn't get any closer and neither did I. Pigs can be "cute" but these things certainly were not. I finished double-knotting my shoes and darted off... occasionally checking behind me to make sure they were not in chase! (what a story that would be, lol) As I made my way back towards the city, I saw yet another creature crossing the road! You see, on a recent hike, I had made comments of wanting to see some desert wildlife-besides lizards... well, I got my share during my run because that creature crossing the street was a coyote! I slowed my pace as to not get too close, but luckily it didn't even notice me and continued on through the desert. I guess I got my wish granted! As far out in the desert I was and the way things were going I wouldn't have been suprised if I ran across a rattlesnack!! For entertainment purposes, I wouldn't mind... as long as it was from a great distance, ha! I didn't run across one, this time! But I plan on running the same route this coming Saturday, so who knows :)

After my mini zoo adventure, things went smoothly. The scenery was amazing! I was out in the desert by myself and for about a mile stretch there were no signs of civilization- no houses, commerical buildings or cars. Occasionally I could see a telephone pole, but from a distance they looked like another cactus sticking out of the ground. Its kind of creepy to see all the cacti in the middle of the desert- they resemble tombstones or crosses in a cemetary. Which if you really think about it, the metaphor fits quite nicely! And it was after that thought that I quickened my pace ...

I returned home safely and in a good time! This run has made me excited for the many miles to come. I plan on getting closer and closer to these mountains- and with a 20 or 22 mile run in the future, I will do just that! I just hope those runs will be as exciting and successful as this one! Less than 100 days left...

NOTES of THE Day:
*Temperature: 68 degrees
*Song of the day: "Father Figure" by George Michael... go ahead and laugh :)
*Tip of the day: Make running fun: Turn a workout with a partner into a contest or a game; do your errands on the run; try running backwards.
*Quote of the day: "You don't stop running because you get old. You get old because you stop running."