Full Moon?

Two things of consequence happened to me while I was out running this weekend. Highly unusual and somewhat humorous, I thought they were blog-worthy, so here you go...

1. I missed my long run on Friday. I KNOW. Crazy. But I wasn't feeling well. So I got some good rest and decided that I would head out for a lovely 2+ hour jog on Saturday morning. And this is when things went a bit sideways...

I wiped out. BIG TIME. I wish I had some fabulous story about how I was distracted by one of my two crushes (just for review- Tim Riggins and Rafael Nadal) running by, but sadly, I do not. I got lazy and simply didn't pick my foot up high enough to get over the curb which resulted in an arm-flailing, leg-sprawling yard sale right there in the middle of the sidewalk. Water bottles everywhere, IPod smashed on the ground (which, by the way it did survive- nice work, Apple) and blood coming out of my hands, left wrist and elbow. Nice.

For a split second I was RELIEVED when I looked around and saw that there were ZERO...yes, that's right...ZERO witnesses to my not so graceful face plant. After sitting there stunned for several moments and then slowly realizing that I hadn't broken anything, however, I was kind of disappointed that there was NO ONE to ask me if I was OK. But mainly I was relieved. And then I chuckled. Big time. This is something I have had to learn to do after realizing that I seem to embarrass myself on a regular basis. Oh well, there are worse things I'm sure...which leads nicely into item of consequence #2.

2. Let's not beat around the bush. I was running the reservoir on Sunday afternoon and I got stung by a wasp on my ankle. F&*k. Those things HURT. I had to pull the stinger out too. And when it happened I swore and kind of danced around swatting at my leg. Rest assured, Sunday was a beautiful day in Calgary and unlike the anonymity of my free fall on Saturday morning, there were several who witnessed the wasp sting. Except they probably didn't realize that I had been stung and wondered instead who the crazy woman doing a weird dance on the running path was. So, what did I do? I did what any sane individual does at this point...I kept running. I was still a good 30 minutes from home so I figured this was the best way to get there quickly. And I laughed at this one too...

I mean SERIOUSLY...was it a full moon this weekend or what?

FYI- my run this afternoon was standard. Nothing earth-shattering or eventful. Quite lacklustre, fact...and I enjoyed every second!

Tennis Anyone?

Look out Tim Riggins. After last night's US Open fourth round win over Gael Monfils, Rafael Nadal maybe be taking over top spot on my juvenile crush list. Oh. My. God. Did ANYONE watch this match? ANYONE? It was about the finest display of tennis I have ever witnessed in my life. It was super physical, hard-hitting, long points...and it was amazing.

Nadal. That man is fit. F-I-T fit. After rallies with 20-30 shots hitting as hard as they possibly could (this reminds me of how elated arice and I were when we got to 10- hee) Monfils was hunched over looking like he needed oxygen and Nadal...well he was just ready for more. Calm. Cool. Collected. Sigh. I heart him.

Danger...DANGER!

Yesterday I had a bit of bad news. As to not bore you too much with the gory details, that certain someone who was supposed to be back in the country around the 18th of September is a bit uncertain as to when he will be making an appearance in good old Oh Canada. One of the many, many projects he has been working so hard to complete is about to come together, and that means in Africa he must stay, at least for a bit longer than expected. Sadness. Tough for sure. I'll admit it...I threw myself a huge pity party and invited my good friends crying and sobbing and lay on the couch feeling sorry for myself for a bit. And then I decided to do something about it. And what better thing to do then to get out into the September sunshine for a mind-clearing, soul-healing run around the reservoir.

This leads quite nicely to the danger part of this post. Those who know me well will attest to the fact that I consider myself a bit invincible. My level of fitness and strength often lull me into a false sense of security with the running alone thing. Of course, I never run at night after dark, but I do run in the morning before sunrise from time to time (only on the streets) and I also love to run a lot of the pathways in Calgary. I love the pathways because they are removed enough from the road ways that they have less pedestrian and bike traffic than some of the more common areas. Yesterday, I ran the reservoir path, and part of that path meanders through the Weaselhead trail area. It was mid-afternoon on a warm and lovely Sunday so the path was far from deserted, but that certainly didn't stop 2 idiots on bikes from harassing me. One of them rode beside me and one of them in front of me, and to my EXTREME annoyance, they wouldn't let me pass. They had several rude comments which I won't get into just right here, and I should also note that this carried on for a good 10 minutes or so. Eventually they did pedal away and left me to run in peace, but it did made me think...do I need to worry about being in the Weaselhead on my own in broad daylight on a weekend day?

I'm relatively certain that these clowns were harmless, but if I were to be attacked, what would I do? I obviously can't out run a dude on a bike (thus the realization that I am not, GASP, invincible) and as the cooler weather draws nearer, there will be less and less people on this part of the pathway. I thought about maybe starting to carry a cell phone, but the thought of carrying a cell phone on a long run is a bit annoying. Also annoying is the fact that these clowns made me feel nervous and vulnerable. And they probably have no clue about that. I'm sure they didn't consider how they were making me feel, and if asked would say that they were having fun or "joking" , but I don't think that men think about things like this very often since they have to worry much less about getting attacked on the running path...and like how their comments, while not intending to cause harm, really did affect me in the long run. It frustrates me that in society today, women do need to consider their safety...even if it is in the middle of the day...on a well travelled path.

Anyhow- I survived. I lived to tell the tale. But I will be more cautious about my surroundings on my runs from now on. Maybe I will carry a cell phone. Maybe I will turn the volume down on my ipod so I have a better chance of hearing someone coming behind me. Maybe I will let someone know where I'm headed on a long run and for about how long I'll be out. After all, you never truly know where danger lurks.