Wildlife Report

From time to time in our daily thread, in addition to total miles, total time, & pace, Joe would include a special Wildlife Report section.  Joe ran on cushy (it always makes me laugh to say that) trails including the towpath right near his place, often, so nature was always part of the scene.  It'd be a deer or two or maybe some geese or hawk or similar.  As a result I'd try to post my own wildlife report but sadly the only thing I'd ever come across were large rats or a patch of wild, pissed off Canadian geese.   Until last night.   Now I've actually seen this sucker before but seeing him again last night, thinking of Joe and his wildlife reports and recalling a convo on the thread earlier in the day where we discussed stream of consciousness dialog while running, made it all the more heeeeelarious.

After having run the better part of the big loop I cut up to the reservoir loop.   It was dark although the moon was bright - probably full.   A runner had just passed as I approached the path and just before he made the turn eastward a very large raccoon crossed in front of him from the park side of the path to the reservoir side.   I cautiously ran behind, giving both the runner ahead of me and the raccoon ahead of him, plenty of room.   I didn't see the raccoon again which gave me time to think.   He just crossed into the water side.   Was there somewhere for him to go beside in to the water?   

And if not, does he swim?  

Do raccoons swim?

If he did swim, which stroke would he excel at?

Legs and arms seem to be of about equal length, freestyle would probably be out of the question.

Maybe backstroke?  

Nah.

Definitely no butterfly for that poor sap.

He's no beaver, no substantial tail.

Perhaps a modified doggie paddle?

Breaststroke or sidestroke would be ideal.

But what if...

What if that dude worked really hard

What if freestyle were his stroke.   

Swimming that stroke a lot makes me feel and start to look like a linebacker.

What would a linebacker-built raccoon look like?  

Awesomely funny.

Awesomely cool.

That's what he would look like.

And that, my friends, was the continuing conversation in my head as I finished the 1.6 some odd mi. lap around the reservoir and the remaining 2 mi home through the dark and raccoon-filled CP.  Joe would have been proud of that wildlife report.

Thursday - 8.6 miles running in 1:15:02 (8:43/mi)