Muddy Runner

As usual, while I was wrapping up at work tonight I was thinking how nice it’d be to just go home and veg. Read a book, watch TV, craft, what ever. I wasn’t in the mood to go home, change and get out in the dark to run. But let’s be honest. I feel that way most every day after work. 

But I knew once I started running, I would LOVE it! 

Also, I was thinking the field may be dry enough to run in. I know we all have missed running in the field by our house. Especially Heather. So I was excited to check it out.

I got home and Kris had already started prepping dinner. I ran down the hall heading for the bedroom, “I have to change fast before I lose momentum!”

Heather trotted after me. She knows the routine. Mom and Dad comes home and one of them take her out for a run. She was wagging her tail and was smiling from ear to ear. As she saw me changing she got more excited. She knew Mom was on the job tonight. 

She’ll jump on Kris and I with both front paws if we act excited or tap our chest and say “Up! Up!” So I thought I would try something cute. I looked at Heather and cheered: “Who wants to go running tonight???! Raise your hands!” and I threw my hand in the air. Well of course Heather sees I’m excited so she jumps up both paws in the air and taps my chest. Too cute! 

So we head out straight down the road to the field. 

Heather has been wanting to run in the field every time we took her out. But for the last couple weeks we’ve had too much rain and the field has been flooded or sopping. We’ve even had the audacity to walk her past the field on the sidewalk. She’d whine and look longing toward the field. But no, we had to stay on the sidewalk. 

But not tonight. When we got to the field it looked pretty dry. So we did our normal routine of making Heather sit at the top of the dike and I give her a ‘stay’ command as I walk to the bottom and up the other side. I wait a couple seconds and I give her the ‘come’ command and that’s her cue she can run the field at leisure. 

Since it had been so long since we had been there and I knew she had really been missing it, I half expected she’d be too excited to stay until I got all the way to the top of the other side. But I was wrong. 

I climbed up to the top of the opposite side of the dike and turned. She was sitting exactly where I left her. She waited patiently until until I yelled, “Ok Heather! Let’s go!!”

And boy did she fly!!!! It was such a beautiful sight!!!! She just flew like a cheatah and bounded like a gaselle all at the same time. She had the biggest smile on her face. She just imenated pure joy!!! It was the most beautiful thing I remember seeing! Wonderful! 

And then I started running. Oh it felt so good! I knew it would. How much better this was than sitting at home! Oh, I felt good! I had spent a solid 10 mintues warming up on the way to the field. So my whole body was ready to run. The night was perfect. Overcast and cool. So it was soothingly dim out there. I really felt like I was out in the country instead of down the street from my house. 

Quiet, hardly any street lights. There’s something calming about running in the dark. 

Squish!!!

Oops. I couldn’t see that the patch of fire road I was running on was still soppy and pooled with water. My shoe filled up with muddy water right away. Darn it! So I started running toward the inside of the field where there was grass. It should be more solid there. 

Aw yes. Solid ground here! OMFPH!!! I was suddenly on my hands and knees. Apparently one of the work trucks had driven through this part of the field and left a deep dark grove in the wet ground. 

Oh well. The good news is that the ground was still so moist that it was like falling on to firm pillows. It’s the most comfortable fall I’ve ever experienced! In fact, I could have laid down and had a nice nap! But that wouldn’t be very prudent. Especially since Kris was back home going through the trouble of making dinner and all. 

So I picked myself up and carefully picked my way through the rest of the soppy part. I was shortly on firm ground again and kept running. By the way, Heather was unphased by my little mis-hap. She was bouncing along as usual. 

I had two more miles to go and the time flew by! I swear that when my sport band told me “ONE HALF MILE TO GO,” I was disappointed. The endorphins were pumping full force. My body was heated up and running smooth. Sweat was dripping down my face and I fairly tingled with pleasure! I was running the whole time with a broad smile on my face! But, I knew I had to wrap it up. 

So Heather and I headed for home. I don’t even bother to put the leash on her any more after we leave the field. She listens so well I can just let her run ahead of me. I’ll call up to her to ‘stop‘ when she reaches the street corners and she’ll wait for me to tell her to go again. It’s so nice!!! She is the best running partner I’ve ever had!

When we got home Kris met us at the door and I immediately started telling him how much I enjoyed the run. 

He smiled and said, “You ran in the field today.”

I looked down. I had mud stains on my knees and I could hardly see my shoes underneath all the mud! Oh well. It was worth it! 

Life is good! :)