One of our local running store chains, Fleet Feet, sponsors several free historic fun runs throughout various neighborhoods in Chicago. Today's run happened to be all about my neighborhood, Albany Park! So I said, "Heck! Why not. I always like to learn more about where I live. And I can get my run in, too." Well, the running part of the fun run is not very vigorous. It's more of a slow jog with many, many, MANY stops, so that we can learn little historical tidbits. I knew I wouldn't get much running in during the actual fun "run," so I chose to run there and back, as well. The history lesson was actually pretty interesting, and we got to see a deer at Peterson Park, which was awesome! A nice part of the "run" was learning that I have a wood-chip path along the Chicago river near my house, which only goes about a 1/4 mile, but nevertheless is a nice break from pavement. And it's right along the water, so even better!
I decided to take this little path as part of my route home. I saw a Canada goose family with some pre-adolescent goslings along the bank, being adorable. Unfortunately, however, mama goose stood right in my path and hissed at me. Geese are big and mean! And protective mama geese are not to be reckoned with. This path is not wide, mind you, so I had to stop in my tracks and slowly walk around her, saying, "Hey now! I'm not gonna touch your babies. Just gotta get by now," and try not to get my eyes pecked out. She decided to spare me, thankfully. So, add Angry Goose to one of the perils now.
In my previous blog post I had mentioned some of my favorite things about running in the city, as well as some of the strangest things I've seen while running. I had forgotten to mention one, which is even more strange, considering his recent fame in the news and the courtroom. One Christmas day, a few years ago, I was running past Wrigley Field toward the lakefront. It was a cold, crisp morning, and the streets were pretty empty. Ahead I could see a figure running toward me. At least it looked as though it was running. But it also was making spastic movements that I didn't recognize right away. It turned out to be our then-current governor, Rod Bagojevich, running toward me and air boxing. It was pretty amusing to watch, so I just said, "Hi, Rod!" as I ran by. He had a bodyguard on a bike next to him, and in a few minutes I saw a big black SUV drive by, presumably with more guards aboard. These days, I'm sure, there'd be a camera crew in tow, as well.
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