Feeling twitchy

Ignorance is bliss.  I like the word bliss and think it should be used more.  What is your goal for today?  Bliss!

So I was on a blissful 5 mile run in Idaho which is one of my favorite.  I love this run because of the views, and how quiet it is.  Just me on dirt climbing and going down hills.  This is the only run that my wife and I have ever named and we call it "Take 5". 

So I started out at 5:00 PM and it was in the high 80's.  Perfect weather and I'm tapering so I just took things easy.  Within 1/4 of a mile, all the houses and people are gone and it is just me on a dusty road.  I run without music because it is just so nice to hear the woods, animals and my gasping.

I had gone about two miles when I remembered something from this past weekend.  Let me digress...

I got two calls, both left voice-mails  and were about the same thing.  My wife called to let me know that a Mountain Lion was spotted walking from our side of the street to between our neighbors house.  The second call was from our neighbors letting me know of the same lion. 

We live in the city, and Mountain Lions are supposed to be wary of people.  You noticed that I carefully referred to the creature as a Mountain Lion rather than Cougar.  The main reason for that is that cities are known for their Cougars in the tacky connotations and I didn't want my few remaining readers to think I was trying to be clever.  I am talking about a large lion which can pounce and go for the jugular, not the other kind that does the same thing but is easily avoided.

So I'm running in the woods, by myself, and I remember that there was a Mountain Lion near our house, in the city, in non-mountain lion area.  However, I'm now running in what zoologists refer to as "native habitat" for lions.  It is at this point of my run that I become twitchy.

I reacted to everything, whether it was a twig breaking, grass moving, or phantom lions appearing in the trees.  I couldn't decide whether to scan the trees or the shadows.  I just kind of ran along trying to do everything.

The run ended, I was surprisingly in a blissful state given my twitchy run.  We'll see how I feel mowing my lawn.