So, the day after Thanksgiving I get geared up (cold weather, iPod) and go out for a 10K run at my folk's place. I take off into the wide open spaces between the mountain ranges of the Shenandoah Valley. Beautiful crisp day with a nasty 10 MPH head wind the whole way out.

I get to my turnaround down a country road surrounded by Mennonite farms and then I saw it. I must have run right by it totally in the zone of running (damn you Moby!!) I would have never expected it had it made a move on me. So now I am about 200 yards away from it -What are my options? I guess I could have taken a left and ran back to my folk's place but truth be told I never even considered I was deep into how I was going to "handle" this situation.

So I slowly made my way right back at it. I decided that the best approach would probably be to appear strong and not afraid, no sudden movements, just go straight at it. At this point it was right in the middle of the road. I was about 50 yards from it. Deep breath stay cool I'm not afraid I can do this IT IS A GOOD DAY TO DIE!! I tell myself.


Closer and closer I get. It moves to my right. Okay stay strong. I am 25 feet from it now and it JUMPS! I am going straight at it-straight down the road now. At about 10 feet it breaks into a run ....to my right. It leaps over the ditch I keep running but it stops and we lock eyes. I stare right at it. Our eyes are completely locked as I pass. I didn't flinch I wasn't afraid it could see it in my eyes