Slacker Runner
I'm a Slacker with a running problem, wait, maybe that's backwards
Runaway Chicken
With daylight savings fast approaching and being one of the few runners who does not look forward to it, I have tried to get as many miles in after work as possible. This can mean shorter than normal runs but I would rather run that than the treadmill sooner.
Tuesday I headed to the lake path on the chance that it was open like last week. Unlike last week, the signs were out. Waah. I stood for a few minutes and pondered. Then I became a lemming and followed the 20 people ignoring the signs. So bad I know but it was my last time at the path until spring. I only managed 2.5 miles before I thought it would be too dark to complete another lap. The path only has two lights- both near the playground.
I was stretching out on the fitness bars when I saw a Chihuahua looking dog coming down the street. I waited a moment and didn’t see any owners. This corner of the path can be pretty busy car-wise so I decide to see if I could figure out where the dog lives. He was having none of that. His barking made me laugh. He didn’t sound mean, more like a petulant teenager. “Leave me alone, mind your own business, what are you looking at”. While I am trying to decide if I want to force it, I hear a rustling in the bushed across the street. I looked up to see a chicken walking away from a house and going towards the street. It’s making a jail break!
So now I don’t know if I should chase the dog or the chicken! Or do I leave them both and just go back to my car? A group of people was coming my way and a nice older man told me that the dog wanders on its own all the time. He also agreed that it wasn’t the friendliest. So I asked him about the chicken. While we were chatting the chicken came back down around the house. It walked to a gate in the fence and tried to squeeze in. Then it tried to climb the bush running along the fence. It wasn’t escaping, it was locked out! Once again, it followed the path around the fence, I think there must have been another gate back there. The man tried to open the gate but couldn’t get it open. I was beginning to feel bad for the chicken, all it wanted to do was go home. It knew exactly what door to go to but couldn’t open it. So the nice man and I went door knockin’. We found someone who lived in the same house but didn’t own the chickens. He called the owner before heading out to try to catch it.
Apparently the chickens roam during the day before going back inside the fence. I run this path 2x a week and have never seen or heard the chickens before. Plus it’s a residential area. After handling that, the man and I parted ways. So I probably could have finished another lap but I wouldn’t have had the runaway chicken experience. 🙂 Last evening at the path completed. 
I work this Saturday, so I was able to get off a little early on Wednesday. I headed back to town hoping for at least 6 miles but dreaming of more. Ha! I completed 6 but it was so damn hard. Nothing hurt, I just had zero energy. It was also 87º… on October 29. Ugh, where is fall. I hit 4 stop lights between mile 2.5 to 3.5. Then my stomach informed me that 4 miles would have been a better idea at mile 3.75. I was 2 miles from my car. There was a bench just past mile 4 and I took a break. I think I sat for about 10 minutes before finally heading off to finish my run. 6 miles done and I managed to keep my overall average pace at 11:45. Considering how I felt though, I will call that a win!
What was not a win was the bloody toe I found when taking off my socks. Boo.
What’s the strangest animal situation you’ve ever run into?
Did you know chickens were so good with direction? I had no idea.
Anyone racing this weekend?
15 Comments on “Runaway Chicken”
Hi! Welcome to Slacker Runner! I’m Fallon. I love running but I also love naps. It’s a problem. Join me while I try to find the balance :)
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I do not enjoy daylight savings time either. My reasoning has little to do with running, though. I start work at 4PM so during the winter it is already getting dark when I am just starting work! The chicken story is hilarious! I did not know they were so good with direction, and I even had chickens at one point when I was a kid!
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Ugh, that’s rough. Today I remembered that my evening commute is going to be all darkness now, boo. I have never been around chickens but I don’t know why I was so surprised. But then it was a very determined chicken, it tried to fly/ climb up the fence twice.
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OK that chicken thing is too much! LOL
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It was definitely an interesting end to a run!
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I’m glad you stopped to help the chicken–if they get left out of the coop overnight bad things can happen to them!
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I was worried it was going to be hit by a car too! But yeah, we can have some big critters come into city limits here on occasion.
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Okay, I wasn’t expecting an actual chicken!! LOL
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Haha, when I first heard the bushes rustling I was expecting something much bigger and meaner! I was relieved to see the chicken. 🙂
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Ohhhh runnin’ a closed path ohhhhh Falyn you rebel haha lol 🙂 strangest animal situation while running hmmmm I sound like a broken record on this one but it’s the only cool animal story I have so I’m sticking to it but it was towards the end of summer when an alligator ran across the sidewalk/path I was running down during an early morning run. And finally yesssss I’m racing this weekend … the Shipyard Brewing Company 5K
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I’m a rebel without a clue! But I am glad there were so many others out there, I wouldn’t have run it by myself with the signs up and I didn’t really have time to get back to my town to run. I think running into an alligator trumps most other animal encounters and gets to be a story often told!
Good luck this weekend!
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Thanks Falyn!!! Rebel without a clue hahaha that’s cute! Love it! 😉
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Can’t say I’ve ever run into a chicken while out for a run. My half marathon took me past a number of farms which meant horse/cow poop every so often – that wasn’t the best thing to smell when you’re out running for 2 hours 😉
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No that is definitely not something you want to be smelling. Last year I ran a Turkey Trot and for some reason miles 3-4 smelled so bad. It was through vineyards so I am not sure why but it was a doozy. Luckily I only had to run it once, not multiple times like it sound you did!
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Chicken experience = totally worth it. 🙂 I’ve heard roosters when I’m on the trail before which is a little weird because I do not live in farm country. I also encounter a lot of deer and once a flock of buzzards. That was gross.
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Yeah, this was a residential/ commercial area so I was kind of surprised. I wish I could say buzzards were an uncommon occurrence around here but I can’t.
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