How Running Saved a Kong

I'm finding that running is really paying off in many aspects of life.  I'm feeling more toned and healthier.  I'm more energized throughout the day.  Twice now, I've had to chase after a loose dog, and I haven't had to worry about tiring out before the dog does.  And yesterday, I saved a Kong Wubba. 

First of all, in case you're wondering what a Kong Wubba is, it's a dog toy.  It's made by Kong, is covered in cloth, and often floats.  It looks a lot like this:

Yesterday, Shannon had one for Ollie at the river, and being the dingbat that I am, I forgot Cody's.  Well, Cody gets a little excited about toys, so he ended up playing with Ollie's Wubba most of the time, and Ollie ended up chasing a stick (it's a good thing he's so flexible).  At one point, though, Cody didn't see where the Wubba landed.  He looked around a bit but got tired, so he swam back to shore.  Ollie saw the Wubba, but he had a stick in his mouth.  He tried his hardest to herd the Wubba back to shore, and he almost made it, but he didn't want to drop his stick, and that Wubba was being kind of tricky.  Eventually we had to command Ollie to leave it just so Ollie wouldn't get sucked down stream (much worse than losing a toy).  I felt bad, though, and I didn't want to lose Shannon and Ollie's toy.  As I looked down stream, I realized that the Wubba just might get caught on a little peninsula.  Off I went!

The way the river flows, I couldn't just run along the bank.  I had to back track a bit and take a trail around some inlets to get back to the main river.  Cody was with me, but Lollie had decided to follow as well which meant I couldn't run as fast without leaving her behind (the poor girl was trying hard, but she's not a running breed).  By the time I made it to the peninsula, the Wubba had floated past.  However, I looked down stream and I saw it!  It was caught on some debris.  Off I went again.

My goal was not to make it to the Wubba, but to make it past the Wubba so I could catch it.  I got to where I wanted to be, turned around, and saw Cody running through the brush towards the river bank.  I called him back, heard him splash, and called him again.  I was hoping that he'd gotten the Wubba, but when he returned his mouth was empty.  :(  I crawled through some underbrush trying to make it to the bank, but I couldn't see the Wubba anywhere.  I was just about to give up when I looked at Cody again.  This time, HE HAD THE WUBBA!!  He must have gotten it the first time and dropped it when I called him.  I didn't care what had happened, I was just happy to have rescued it.

Cody, Lollie, and I all ran back to Shannon and Ollie.  I raised my arms in victory, and I did my celebration lap around the trails.  The best part was, I wasn't even winded when I returned!  I only felt happy.  I was happy because I'd gotten an unexpected run in.  I was happy because my face wasn't red and splotchy.  I was happy because we'd saved the Wubba. 

Today I'm happy because after another 2.5 miles my time has improved a little more, and I still have two tired dogs.  Is there any better feeling than this?