A pretty good laugh on a L-O-N-G training run…

Monday was hot and humid here in Rhode Island, and I was outside running my Runner’s World Challenge 15-mile training run for the Marine Corps Marathon… minding my own business, waiting for my best friend Endomondo to fill me in on distance.

I knew I was somewhere in-between miles 7 and 8 (Renee Ross, you know the one!), and I also knew that an idyllic shady respite would be just what I needed as I spotted the oh, so burly bronze Bulls, Pomeroy and Conrad (yes, the bulls have names!), guarding the entrance to my local park…

So I passed through those burly bulls, knowing that the slight incline would soon turn into the idyllic reprieve of the substantial, shady downgrade that I needed right about then.

Just as I reached the peak of the upgrade and began my shady descent, trusty Endomondo called out to me, “Mile 8,” and my legs couldn’t help but run downhill with happy, kid-like strides…

That’s when I heard a car pull up on my left and a man’s voice calling, “Ma’am?  Excuse me, Ma’am?”

I thought oh, no, this guy needs directions for something in the park and I don’t feel like stopping at mile 8 ‘cuz I might not be able to re-start…

But I turned, fully expecting to offer directions, when I saw that it was a police vehicle.

Now I was thinking oh, no, what have I done?

The window was rolled down and the police officer inside was calling, “Ma’am, the speed limit here is 20 miles per hour and you’re speeding.”

It took me a moment.

Then I burst into laughter.

He smiled a big smile and drove off.

Now, I’ll bet those burly bulls that the police officers says this to all the girls (ahem, and “Ma’ams”) running down that hill… but at that moment, for me, a little levity on a L-O-N-G run went a L-O-N-G way!