Rough running, more front row vehicular homicide

I met Ali after work yesterday to do more speed work with her.  I was a bit tentative about it since I had just done my own triathlon the day before.  I can’t tell you the last time I have run two days in a row, it literally might have been back in the 90’s.

On top of the back to back days I managed to forget my socks so I was naked inside my New Balance 1064’s.  To top it off, I managed to forget my customary pre-running pair of Advil.  It was not ideal circumstances.

So we took off on our run which totaled close to 5 miles.  During that we had around 2.25 miles of it that was fast pace for Ali, right around the 9 minute mile pace.  By the end of it my legs were definitely feeling the effort from the day before, I was pooped.

I witnessed a horrible incident on the way home.  I was in the center lane of Immokalee Road, a busy 3 lane road.  As I approached a cross street I saw off to my right two dogs walking up towards the road, one larger tan dog and a black one.  There was not a human owner in sight. That area of the road was wide open, there was at least 50 feet of grass between the main road and any trees.  I spotted the dogs easily even being in the middle of the traffic.

So as I drove by the dogs I mentally was cursing the irresponsible owner of these animals that cared so little about them that they couldn’t be bothered with making sure they were restrained.  As I continued I just happened to look in the rear view mirror just to make sure the dogs didn’t go in the road.

I was horrified as I saw the outline of one of the dogs trot, not run, into the first lane of traffic and then promptly get hit by some f’ing asshole in a small SUV.  One second the dog was standing in the middle of the lane, the next it was wedged under the vehicle.

I was enraged and shocked at the same time.  Now I was furious at the driver.  Like I said there were no obstructions to their view, it was broad daylight.  If they were paying attention they would have easily seen the dogs and slowed down.  The front end of the SUV never even dipped like the brakes were applied hard, it just plowed the poor animal over.  I was too far ahead to be able to stop and really do anything about it.  Ali told me when she went by a few minutes later that there were several cars pulled over.  Evidently it was the tan dog that got hit.

It really shook me up seeing that.  I turned the radio off and rode home the rest of the way in silence.  It was the second time in less than a year that I saw first hand road kill committed by f’ing idiots that don’t pay attention to their driving.  Now I have that visual burned into my memory, it has been stuck on “replay” in my head despite my efforts to file it away in the “never see again” drawer.