Things are going well. I'm getting back into a regular running groove and I'm liking how that feels. I did the hill course from hell on Saturday and it was solid. I took 34 seconds off per mile! That's a big jump in one week. I never stopped to walk and I took on all the hills slow and low, just the way I used to.
On Sunday I did the trail run again with the goal being to run strong and try to get my pace down a little each mile. It was thunderstorms in the morning and when I got to the trail around 1 the moisture was starting to evaporate with the sun and it was downright steamy. I was congratulating myself for doing the trail in sauna-like conditions but by the end of the run I had a lot more to congratulate myself for. Apparently (not being a nature girl I wouldn't know this), snakes enjoy that kind of steamy weather after a storm. When I got to the turnaround which is near a really cool looking swamp, I came upon this little bastard:
An anaconda! It wrapped itself around my leg and tried to pull me into the swamp. Okay, not really but when I saw it I screamed out "Jesus Christ!" and a couple walking their dog up ahead of me said "Oh, you saw it. There's another one up here." So I jogged a little further and came upon this:
A black mamba! It chased me for a quarter mile at 30 mph! Okay, not really, but I was less than happy to see it. At the point it was close to my turnaround so I went up a little further, cautiously peering in the sides of the trail and turned around. The couple asked me if I saw another one and I laughed and said no, it was just time to turn around. After I passed the anaconda and the black mamba, I saw this:
A rattlesnake! It lunged at me with its fangs bared! Okay, not really, but my nerves were sufficiently shot by that point. I made it back down the trail and was within 100 feet of my car when the 4th snake of the day wiggled right under my feet as I was mid-stride. I screamed my head off! I was so done at that point. Is it any coincidence that my route was 6.66 miles? I think not! I was fighting evil the entire time!
After the dry heaves dyed down and I recovered a bit at home. I checked my splits. Were it not for snake mile, as I'm calling it, where I took the time to do some nature photography (from a safe distance) and talk with the couple about the infestation of snakes, I achieved my goal:
All miles were consistently faster and I would have had a much better overall pace than the 11:03 were it not for snake mile. But it's okay. I perservered, not only through the intense humidity but being accosted by venomous, deadly snakes!
Tonight I am running with my husband and my dear friend before we all go out to dinner. We're also bringing her son in the jogger stroller so it will be a real group event! We're doing it on pavement, in Old Saybrook, where I'm sure there aren't much more than tiny garter snakes hiding out in rose bushes far away from where we'll be. :)
I would have crapped my pants. Holy cow! OMG! Seriously. I would have fainted and that Copper Head would have unhinged it's jaws and eaten me. Haha. Seriously. I hate snakes.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your run though. Glad you seem to be getting your groove back. Me, on the other hand? I'm a bit burnt out right now.