It was such a nice warm day near the end of October that I wanted to get out in daylight and not have to worry about running under a headlamp. I finished my last meeting of the day around 4:00 and started my run before 4:30 in a t-shirt and shorts. It was nearly 60 degrees and it felt great to be out there, MP3 player churning out new tunes I recently added. Never underestimate new tunes. As usual, the first mile was slow but not awkward, always a good sign, but by the end of mile 2 I had a stitch in my side so I slowed down again. I had decided to take the 5 mile loop and turned left at the cul-de-sac.
The leaves on the ground made it a little difficult to see my footing but I was on a sidewalk, what could happen? At the halfway point the stitch was gone and I picked up the pace a little. A pleasant day out, my pace became deliberate and faster. At 3 miles I knew I could make this a good overall pace so I switched my watch to see my pacer and started reeling him in. On Princess Pine Dr, less than a mile from the office, I spotted a deer standing on the edge of the road, just staring at me as I approached. She ran across the road in front of me, then paused as I went by. I forgot about the time, my pace, work, and just locked eyes with her as we ready each others body language.
And then I was past, chugging up the last hill and across Rt 3 towards home, or at least the office. I went 5 miles, just under 9:00/miles, and ended up one suburban wildlife encounter richer.