Pepe LePew!

This morning was my weekly speed day. The program was to run 7 total miles, 3x1600m @ 7:27 pace with 800m jogs in between. I had my faithful "training coach" Chris on his bike and we went out in the dark hoping to beat the rain. At mile 1 we took off for the first mile sprint. It was tough, but I was able to stick around a 7:20 pace. Once I hit the end of that mile I was certainly enjoying my 1/2 mile jog and started into the second mile sprint with Chris going "PEW something stinks!" We smell skunks a lot, so I brushed it off, plus I was going fast enough where conversation isn't too easy. I looked ahead to see a little black and white fuzz ball in the center divide!

"There he is!" I shouted to Chris.....

"Um, why isn't he running away?" was Chris' response.

Part of the problem is that these things apparently don't move too fast, plus.....I glanced down at my pace to see I was cruising at a 6:06 pace! However, I had to do a few football style "jukes" as this freaking skunk was a little too close to comfort. It was like something out of a cartoon with this skunk running in zig-zags, toward us...then away....in circles....it was laughable!

Chris slowed way down and asked "can't those things spray like 30 feet?"

I managed to utter "I dunno" and just kept on keeping on. No skunk was going to mess with my intervals!

Just as an aside, thanks to the marvelous Internet I found that indeed skunks can spray anywhere from 13-23 feet! Also, the only concern with being sprayed is trying to get the "stink" off of your body.

By the last interval I was easily maintaining my 7:27 and sometimes dipped as low as into the 6 minute mile pace, it is super cool to see numbers like that....especially when you are pushing so hard! All in all a successful interval run, free of skunk spray!