Rain Run

I somehow missed the Thursday night trail group last night. Arriving right at 6:00 I saw the cars, but not the runners. There was a lady getting her horse out of a trailer, but she doesn't count. I would have been there sooner but the rain slowed traffic just enough to slow me a couple minutes. So I was faced with a dilemma. I could run the trails by myself (because Ladd canceled last minute due to the rain) or I could park at a different spot and run the paved path. But as I only had my trail shoes to run in, the paved idea was out. Into the woods (great musical!) I went!

The temperature was around 70 degrees, maybe a couple degrees either direction, so the rain was not at all bad. And when you plan on getting wet, it's not a big deal. The first thing I noticed running by myself was how quiet it was once surrounded by the trees. There were no voices, no conversations. The second thing I noticed was how loud the rain falling through the trees was. I kept a look out for wildlife crossing the path because I wouldn't have been able to hear them. I had no intention of going on any single track by myself so I kept to the wide horse and hiking trails.

The others that had started before me were now behind me somewhere on single track. I had a decision to make. Which direction to go. One direction climbs a steep path up the ledges, the other has to come down them. I decided going up them would be easier in the rain, so clockwise around the lake I went. If the others reversed direction from last week, I would meet them at some point. If they chose to climb the ledges rather than descend them, I wouldn't see them. It turns out I wouldn't see them. But I left a message scuffed in the gravel at one point, "Dan was here." It's probably still there. I hope I was allowed to do that...

The amazing thing about running in Hinckley in "poor" weather conditions is that all the fair-weather people are gone. And that's a lot of people. I saw a total of 8 people last night. Three kids in a canoe, the lady with her horse, a couple walking their dog, and two young ladies I startled by passing them without letting them know I was approaching. Sorry about that. The humans were gone, but the animals were still there. The only things missing were the buzzards. They must have traded their power line stanchion for something in the trees.

While it was a peaceful run, I was constantly wondering what I would do if I ran around a turn and met some wildlife I couldn't handle. Without going through specifics, I determined that unless I was dragged from the trail, someone would come across my body eventually. That, and I can run REALLY fast when I need to! And I had a cell phone. And there were lots of large tree branches around to use as a club. And I just wasn't going to worry about it too much.

I was moving pretty good last night. I estimate a total of 12.5 miles in 1:37. That's a 7:45-ish pace. I could be wrong, though. I could have been going faster. It felt like I was going faster. But that sounds about right. It was 58:48 from the parking lot, around the lake and up the ledges, to the Parker Rd. entrance to the trail. Then it was 38:12 from the trail head back to the parking lot, which is around 5 miles. Not too shabby.

Lots to do before the race Sunday:

-I need to pick up a second pair of goggles and some ear plugs. I get dizzy with water in my ears.
-I need to get a replacement water filter for the refrigerator.
-The grass needs to be cut today.
-I need to clean Bella (yes I've officially named my bike) including the chain.
-I need to cut my hair.
-I'm finally going to give the legs a shave.
-I need to pack. Not just my stuff but the dog's stuff as she goes to the kennel tomorrow.
-It would be nice to wash the car. Not that I will, but it would be a nice thing to do.
-I need to move my elastic laces from one pair of shoes to the pair I will be racing in.
-And countless other things I can't think of right now.

But the one MAJOR item I can't forget is this: We're getting Plank's Pizza for dinner Saturday night! Bratwurst and pepperoni, here I come!