The "Pace Moose"

I used to run. I used to enjoy running. I loved the triumph I would feel at the end of a good run. I loved being able to challenge myself to run further and faster. I loved the way running reshaped my body. I loved being a runner. Times change. If I were to try to run today, I'm pretty sure the exercise would kill me. Literally. I'm certain I would not enjoy it.

There are two periods in my life when running was my lifestyle (so far). In 2005-6, here in Waco, TX, and, during my junior and senior years of high school in North Pole, AK. Here in Waco, I ran inside, on a treadmill, watching HGTV. It was great! After running, I'd go down to the weight room. The combination helped me to lose close to 50 lbs. I felt wonderful! I'm proud to say that I worked up to a 4 minute mile - and lost 4 dress sizes (if you are wondering, yes, I did find them again).

In Alaska, I ran outside. Summers in Central Alaska are mild. Daytime temperature highs probably average in the 70's. Great running weather. Running through our neighborhood, I was able to create a circuit that came close to a mile. I'd hit the pavement at 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning several days a week. Plenty of sun, no traffic, and cool air made running easy. The squirrels and birds would be busy feeding their young and preparing for the winter, but other than that, I had the world to myself...most of the time.

I don't remember the date, but I surely remember the day. I was about 1/3 of the way into my run, keeping a rhythmic pace. Thump, thump, thump sang my Reeboks on the asphalt. But, I was not alone. The rustling of the Alaskan underbrush told me I had a running partner in the woods beside me. I quickly glanced over my right shoulder, expecting to see a neighborhood dog, perhaps even our dog, 'Bama, who might have gotten out. No, not a dog, but the cracking of spruce and birch branches continued. I looked again, and then looked AGAIN. A moose calf was running alongside me. A yearling moose weighs about 400 lbs. A moose MAMA on the other hand, weighs closer to 1000 lbs. So, I'm running along, trying not to startle the moose, OR freak out myself, when it hits me... the yearling was running with me, I had no idea where Mama was!

It is not now, nor was it then, uncommon to see moose in North Pole. My dad regularly had them in his garden. Incorporated North Pole covers a lot of land, and humans are pretty new to the neighborhood. We would see them from the highway, or drinking from a pond. During the  summer, moose can become quite pesky about getting into vegetable gardens. They are herbivores, and I guess their view of a garden is as one big buffet.


But I digress...moose tend to be fairly mild mannered. Don't spook them, and they'll leave you alone. Unless you get between a cow (Mama) and a yearling. Just like any other mammal, a Mama moose will fight if she thinks her baby is threatened. She will charge, and then trample anyone or anything that she feels is a threat to her young. It is important to note that a moose's average running speed is 56 mph.  I was confident that a Mama moose could run faster than I could. And, I had no idea where she was.

Needless to say, my new friend reset my pace.   The calf followed alongside me until I made the turn back onto my street. I maintained the pace that I'd set when I first discovered my running partner. All the while, keeping my eyes peeled for large, angry, mama mammals. I don't remember how quickly I finished my run, but I made it back to the house in what I'm sure was record time, and collapsed on the sofa.