Racing Bambi the Speedster Deer

Racing Bambi the Speedster Deer (5/14/2015 1130ish) 

I’ve been running the Navy Base's southeast fence-line for a while.  It’s actually two fence-lines with path adjacent to the security fence-line.   The outer fence-lines have a short six-foot fence, while the security fence-line is eight-feet high with barbed wire a top.

I had been cruising along at a good clip.  I wasn’t working on speed as much as concentrating on breathing, form, and cadence.  If you get those combinations right and lean just a little, you naturally go fast with out even realizing it sometimes.  This is especially true if your cadence is to the music of “Rock Me Amadeus” (Falco), “Lord, I was Born A Traveling Man” (Allman Bros), or “Turning Japanese” (Vapors), all of which are at 180bpm (beats per minute).

As I rounded the east portion of the fence, I saw something grazing between the fences.  It appeared to be a deer.  A young one.  The kind I wouldn’t shoot if it were deer season.  His back side was to me and the wind was at my face.  As I got closer, it didn’t move.  It was happily grazing.  That is until it was startled by the drum-beat of “Modern Love” (Bowie), now only 10 feet from it. [1]

The deer and I were separated by the 8ft high fence.  Still, it didn’t want to stick around so it darted 50 yrds ahead.  I was going fairly fast.  When I got within 15 feet it would dart again [2].  But instead of keeping my pace, I leaned even more, increased my cadence and sped up.  For a few seconds, I was still behind it by 15 feet, matching its speed.  It pulled away putting a gap of 30 feet from me to it.  It stopped and it must have been gazing at me thinking, "Old-man,  you have no chance!"  But I still kept coming and fast.

When I was at 15 feet away, it again darted as I kept giving chase [3].   I had a huge grin as I realized I was keeping up.  Not that I was going to catch it, but that I was keeping pace with a spry young deer. 

A gap in the outer fence-line gave the deer an out [4].  The deer took it but only stood a few feet into the gap watching me pass on my path.  I smiled at it and with loud laughter, I yelled to it, “Oh Yeah, So you beat me today!  I’m gonna get better and kick your ass!  Comeback and we’ll race again YOUNG PUNK!” and I went on my merry way.

As I got back onto the base streets heading back to my office, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelming joy and pride.  The experience was too surreal, I just ran with a deer, albeit for a hundred yards or so.  But, I felt primal, natural and full of life.  The kind of happiness one feels when intensely connecting with a lover or the 9-month product of that connection when one sees their son being born.   I just felt LOVE for the run and the ability to do it. 

Sometimes I’ll to race for a chance at a medal, a placing, a time or even a qualification.  Someday, though, I hope to race that deer, “Bambi the speedster"