Goat's Head Soup was not the thought going through my mind then, it was more like "Did I somehow eat one of those?"

On a positive note, we had our own ambulance in the parking lot.

We all had our preference restaurants after a run. If I ran with either of those two guys after that and we subsequently went there I had coffee only.

I was thinking “hey they’re just like a caltrop”, then I find they are in the caltrop family. I believe the weapon name came before the plant.

 
I don't think I've ever encountered a goathead (thankfully). But living here in AZ you soon find that virtually everything that grows has some kind of sticker or spine. They may not be as big and nasty as a goathead (but some are), but they all have "protection".
 
There's a wildflower called the orange fiddleneck (so called because the top part is a spiral that unwinds to expose the flower, and resembles a fiddle neck as it does). The stem has what looks like fine tiny hairs growing all up and down it. Don't ever try to pull one out without a glove, or you'll find yourself with hundreds of spines in your hand. Feels sort of like you stuck your hand in a ball of fiberglass.