After tossing and turning from 4 a.m. (or so) until 5:45, I gave up on my quest for Zs and loaded up on caffeine and a protein bar (Builder, if you must know). On my drive to the trails I encountered my Friday lunch buddy of the last 20 years, who was out for an early bike ride. That was actually unexpected and kind of cool.
The trails were deserted, but there were people running right into the sun on the levee - something I never understand. I set off for what I hoped would be a quick 5 miles. I already committed to 10 mi at Clinton tomorrow with the Trail Hawks, so I didn't want to overdo it today.
The trail was surprisingly dry over the 2.5 mi outbound. But it still took a bit of time to navigate. There were a couple of issues. The first issue was that, as the first user of the trails today, I used my face to clear a surprisingly large number of spider webs that stretched across the trail. I had to stop several times to absolutely freak out. The second issue was that the huge storms we have had over the past several days had knocked down trees in several places. One spot was literally impassable. I had to delicately trudge through low-growth plants to get around it, all the while trying to avoid brushing against anything with three leaves. Was I successful? Only time will tell.
At the turnaround I felt great. I popped up on the higher trail and ran about half a mile before coming to a tree with branches hanging low over the trail. The branches held blackberries. So, confronted with this, for once I did something I never do. I dumped out the beet juice I had been using as a sport drink and began to fill my hand-held bottle with berries. In about 5 minutes it was half full. See pic on previous post.
I was kind of amped because I really never stop for berries on trail runs (even though the riverfront trail may be the single best place in America for picking them). I like to run and always plan to come back, but never do.
So anyway, I was running along at a good clip with berries in hand when I literally rounded a bend and came upon the single scariest animal I have ever encountered on a trail. Coyote? No. Been there and done that on many occasions. Poisonous snake? No (see pvs comment). Badger? Buck? Feral pig? No to all three.
What I came across was a skunk. Right in the middle of the trail. Right below my knees. Right there. Petting distance. It hissed at me, lifted its tail, and arched its back. I decided instinctively that my run needed some speed work added to it immediately. My 5 mile run became a 5.1 mile run as I turned and dashed the other way before the cloud could hit me. Once at a safe distance, I waited and watched as the little guy moved into the bushes on the side of the trail at a relatively leisurely rate. I yelled a couple of times to make sure he knew where I was before I ran back through the area to finish my run.
I don't know that there is a takeaway to this post. Maybe just pick berries and try not to get sprayed by a skunk.
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