They're empty shotgun shells, for those of you who have no knowledge and/or interest in gun stuff. They're all over my dirt road I run down. Either some people are (ahem) "jumping the gun" on firearms season, or they're just out practicing. However, I know for sure that plenty of people are doing more than just practicing. Yesterday, on our way into town, we saw a dirty SUV parked in front of the local lumber store. Strapped to the back bumper were two dead bucks, tongues hanging, wounds still dripping. A group of camo and plaid-clad men stood around, admiring it. My dear hubby even did a u-turn in the road and drove through the parking lot just so he could get a better look at the game. I rolled my eyes and slouched in my seat, of course, hoping nobody I knew saw us. Seth and I have an ongoing discussion about hunting, where he wants me to take an interest in it and even go hunting with him, and I say, "Honey, we like a lot of the same things! It's okay if we have a hobby or two that the other doesn't share in. And I don't want to share in the hunting hobby!"
But hunting is hard to get away from around here. On my run today, not only did I find shotgun shells in the road, but I also found someone's leg. I nearly tripped on it. (Caution! Find a craft blog to read today instead of mine if you have a weak stomach.)
Yeah. That someone is a deer of course, but still... ew.
I found it just before mile 1. It left me wondering what else I was going to find, possibly a tail, or the word "help" stamped out in deer footprints at mile 3? So I ran all the way to mile 3, just to find out. Or to possibly work on my goal for the half-marathon in February--either way. Actually, I ran to mile 3.25 and back, which is six and a half miles! Personal best, thank you very much. I even developed a new mile marker there, which is "the next unnamed road on the left, after open tree area." Thankfully, there were no more body parts.
And you know what else I discovered today? Well, it has to do with the fact that I have hip pain when I run. I didn't know why, but after a few miles, my hips would just start to feel terrible, like my joints were grinding together. I had been wondering if something was wrong with me--if I would even be able to run much farther than I already do. Well, today, at the 3.25 mile mark, I stopped. And I STRETCHED. Yep. I did toe touches and (okay, so I can't actually touch my toes, but I did toe reaches--don't laugh at me) hamstring stretches and stuff. Just for about 60 seconds.
Then I turned around and ran back home another 3.25 miles. It felt awesome! Yes, the hip pain came back near the end, but I made it. It gave me hope. Hope to add another 6.5 miles at some point in the future.
Hopefully by February.
So the moral of this story is: If you're ever running in the woods, make sure to stretch, and watch out for body parts.
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