Morning Run: the whiplash edition

This was among the strangest Morning Runs I have ever taken part in.

But first, let's think back to some other strange events in MR history...

There was the pre-Peachtree MR when I ran with Devon and baby Oliver in the POURING DRIVING RAIN. That was odd.

There was the time when we were running through Midtown and I spotted a $20 bill at the exact same time that Steve McGehee spotted an unopened six pack of beer. That was definitely weird.

Running through downtown with Jeff and Steve the day after the huge tornado a few years back was eerie. We were surrounded by broken glass, large pieces of buildings, police and gawkers. Strange.

But this past Saturday when Ann Stuart and Eileen and I started out, it seemed like a fairly normal day. Hot, as usual. I was in a grouchy mood, not too abnormal. But as we turned into Piedmont Park, the first sign that this was not a normal Saturday was the overabundance of very attractive people out running. Really!-- hordes of cute people out for a morning spin! I've never seen so many in one place, running in large groups.

Perhaps because I was too busy looking at the cuties or maybe just because the street market was so crowded, I got bit by a dog. No kidding. A stumpy corgi-meets-labrador on a leash reached out his maw and nipped me behind the knee. It was not a terrible gash, but he did draw blood, the mangy mutt. I'm up to date on my shots, so I'm not worried, but it was nonetheless disconcerting.

A few blocks later, still recovering from the shock of my first running-related dog bite, we passed another group of folks out for a training run. The leader of the run, an older, attractive, thin man, smiled at us as we ran by. After he passed, AS hissed "That was Jeff Galloway!" Running legend! Eileen and I both gracefully and tactfully whipped around like we were on slingshots to get a glimpse at the Great God of Long Distance. The giddy and awe carried us the rest of the way to Starbucks where we giggled about our adventures to Steve and Ruth, Eli, Linden and Kevin, all of whom showed up to partake in Ruth's delicious butter brickle cookies. Mmmm...

Feel free to insert your own theological reflection here. I don't have one. I'm still reeling from another strange run in this strange town.