In Which I Experience A Miracle

With the Ragnar fast approaching (5 days to go my friends!) and my parents living in Emigration Canyon, I found myself having to run through the canyon on Saturday for my run as we were staying with my parents. There is a lot of wildlife up this canyon but it's also highly populated with cyclists and runners which usually keep the wildlife at bay. I have seen lots of deer up the canyon and my parents had a muddy pawprint on their back porch which was determined to be a mountain lion. So when I run in the canyon, I am hyper aware of my surroundings...or so I thought. This last Saturday, I was on my way back down the canyon to end my run. I usually run pretty close to the green on the side of the road because many cyclists go by and I try to give them as much room as possible. Here I am, running along and listening to my music, when I suddenly hear something that sounds like a sprinkler turning on. This doesn't make much sense because I am running past an open field, one that would obviously not have sprinklers in it. I look over and don't see anything so I let my gaze drift back to the ground when I see a snake slightly behind me just off the side of the road. Yes, it was a rattlesnake that was ready to strike; yes, it had rattled it's rattle at me; no, it did not strike. At this point, I realize what's going on and start running a little faster. I was only about 10 minutes from my parent's house but let me tell you, nothing helps you pick up your pace like having a run-in with a rattlesnake. I'm pretty sure I went from a 10 min/mile pace to an 8 min/mile pace pretty quick. I am still in awe at how I was protected from this snake. I couldn't have been more than a foot from it when I ran past it which it could have easily attacked me. I am sure that this was nothing short of a miracle and can't thank my Heavenly Father enough for the safety I had that day.