Wildlife Sightings

This morning I ran early. I arrived at Valley Green a little before 7 a.m. for a five-mile run. The air was comfortable, the temperature in the low 60s. The previous evening, the weather forecast had called for scattered thunder showers, yet when I woke up at 5:30 a.m., the precipitation had disappeared from the forecast.

Since it had only been four days since the Broad Street Run, my plan was to take it easy, but I ran at about the same pace that I had in the last few weeks leading up to the race. More importantly, I felt good throughout most of my run—and I was even aware of my speed, which, though slow, was, I reassured myself, significantly faster than walking.

One of the many pleasures of running on Forbidden Drive is the sighting of wildlife. I particularly enjoy seeing chipmunks. Until today, I had no recollection of seeing chipmunks, but, on the inbound leg of my run, I began seeing them. The first two that I saw were in the distance; they appeared to be gray, but that may have been because of the way the light fell on them. The next two that I saw, however, had their full compliment of red, brown, and black stripes. Mistaking me for a predator, the scurried across the path and into the woods. When I saw a piece of a dead tree branch on the ground, it appeared, at a brief glance, not too different from the chipmunks. It became clear to me how well the chipmunks coat camouflage them.

I also saw a cardinal—a rather unusual sight, I think—that was hovering near a plant that may have had berries on it.

Sights like these help make every run, especially on Forbidden Drive, unique. That’s one reason why I never tire of running there.