After an 80something-day running streak, I took the day off on Monday. Kind of regretted it but more because I knew I was breaking the streak. Then again, why obsess over a streak?
Very glad this runner is OK. About five or six years ago, I happened upon a mountain lion on the Barr Trail going down Pikes Peak. This was a little past Barr Camp. It ran off so fast that it took me a few seconds to process what I'd just seen. It moved like lightning and yet was VERY big. I was terrified and didn't know what to do except just stand there. I inched my way down the trail over the next several minutes and then began jogging, looking back incessantly. It was a truly terrifying encounter because I worried that the mountain lion was stalking me and would eventually pounce, which it never did. When you have encounters like that, you are reminded of your vulnerability in nature and of the importance of staying alert, and yet trail running is supposed to be a release.
Also once saw a bear up near Indian Creek Campground. Possible encounters with wildlife are chances you have to take as a trail runner in Colorado. At Bighorn a few years ago, I will admit that I was a bit nervous about grizzlies.
Anyway, I agree with Nick Clark (quoted in the article) that rattle snakes are far more terrifying. I have had a few lunge at me over the years. They are scary.
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