In a Fog

Still on a high from my successful finish in Denver, it’s back to the training plan in preparation for Poulsbo.  The race is less than 2 weeks away!

With a brighter headlamp and the normal reflective vest & can of pepper spray, I headed out for an early morning run.  Still with the startling image of the stranger covered up on the park bench, I left the IPod home this time.  Even though the skies were pitch black dark, they were surprisingly clear.  The stars and the moon were shining bright.

Changing up my route a bit, I went through the east end of my neighborhood to a different trailhead that connects to the lake trail.  Surrounded by the local industrial park and a large drainage ditch, my run started off with a half mile sprint.  Finally “out of the dark” and on the lake trail, it was smooth three-quarter mile run to the north end of the lake, skies still clear.  The return however……..

In a matter of just a couple of minutes, the fog rolled through socking my once clear path in the thick of it.  The fog being dense enough to make my visibility less than 5 feet and even worse, it reflected the light from my lamp back at me making my visibility that much more intense.  My heart rate was up not just from hitting mile 3, but also from not knowing who or what may be lurking just a few feet away from me.  Images of the stranger in the bench kept flashing through my mind.  

Sprinting the two miles through the fog, I was back in the clear skies and in the comfort of my neighborhood, completing a quick 6 mile run before 6am.  Not intending to do speed work this morning, it was still not a bad way to start of a Tuesday!  If there were loonies lurking in the fog, its best I didn’t know.