Usually, I change the names of those involved when reporting on running mishaps. In this case, I’ll freely admit that the mishap occurred on my own street, and that the individual involved was, in fact, me. I may as well just write in first person. I’ve never been too fond of dogs. When I was 6 years old, I was just hanging out on my grandmother’s back porch when an excited husky jumped up and scratched me on the face. So, it wasn’t surprising that I was a little uneasy when a new family moved down the street and brought their dog, Abby, with them. Abby is really a pretty friendly dog, but she’s rarely restrained and she likes to run with me, nipping at my heels as I make my … Read entire article »

A recent district cross country meet in Florida found the usual denizens of a county park in a bit of an uproar. Peggy Winkelman, a 76 year old homemaker from Pinellas County was enjoying her usual ride along the park’s gravel paths on her purple beach cruiser bicycle when the starting gun fired for the boys’ varsity race. As the adrenaline-fueled stampede of high school boys approached the first quarter mile of the 5K race, the race leaders spotted Peggy in the distance. Apparently perturbed at the prospect of the brief interruption to her normally peaceful bike ride around the lake, Peggy rode angrily toward the mob, her fist raised in defiance. “This is my path!” she yelled with surprising ferocity.  “Get off my path!” As the thundering footsteps approached her, the thick … Read entire article »