I went for my usual Friday long run this morning, this time on Magnolia road, up the canyon from Boulder. It is a pretty popular run among the endurance athletes in the area. I just like it because it is uphill on the way out and down hill on the way back. Plus, it is beautiful, in a “dirt road winding through snow capped mountains” sort of way. Not everyone is into that. I am.
So I am running along, jamming to the Stones, minding my own business, when I hear hysterical screaming.”Hmmmm” I thought, and kept jamming…that is typically the extent of my “deep thinking” while running. So dont worry, nothing out of the normal has happened yet in this story.
Until I get to a long driveway with a woman standing at the end of it, screaming at the top of her lungs, “Chelsea!!!! Chelsea!!!!” i stopped, and quieted Mick, thinking her child was missing. It was at this point I heard the barking from the side of the mountain. “The cougar is up there with Chelsea.” The word “cougar” always makes me think of Erin Kummer, but no, she meant a mountain lion. More barking, a loud “RARRRRR” and then the dog was absolutely squealing. Followed by silence. The creepy kind of silence. To be honest, I find most silence creepy, but this was especially creepy silence.
I looked at the woman at the end of the driveway, checked out her footwear, sized her up, and came to the conclusion that it was probably 50/50 odds on who the mountain lion would eat next if it was still hungry. So I took off running. I was wearing this watch: http://www.timex.com/b/2229235011, because I have it in pink. And I am a pink watch type of person. The pink watch told me that my heart rate was 232…for the next 11 minutes. I think that is a world record. But I am not sure.