Labrynthine Heritage

This is truly hilarious (mostly cause I didn't actually get struck by lightening).
I planned to only run 2.5 miles at Heritage Park but I got hopelessly, blissfully lost until I got up to 5.8 miles!! Now, only about half of that was actually running--the other was fast hiking ending with all out sprinting.

Those trails move-- I swear they do--they cross each other in odd places and the signs that once said "Meadow Trail" become "Marsh Trail" and "River Loop" becomes "Scout Trail". I was just running haphazard from trail to trail-whatever looked beautiful, technical, and shaded.

Here are a few things I re-learned since last summer about trail training:

1) Don't run first mile ALL up hill
2) Keep eyes on trail as well as trees and meadows and birds
3) Keep eyes on trail
4) Keep eyes on Trail and be sure to jump-- time jumps to go completely over obstacles-- broken rocks, fallen logs, jutting roots-- landing on such slightly (or worse) twists the ankle--even in heavy trail shoes
5) Keep mind on trail-- eyes see but mind must tell the legs and arms to act
6) No fear going down a steep, technical hill + mind not on trail= lots of speed and lots of fun and lots of pain-- knees and hands not happy with me. Must get some good, lightweight gloves.
7) Subsequent fear, putting on breaks with shoulders back, and tip toeing down steep hills= no fun, might as well get back to the road.
8) No fear down steep, technical hills + mind on trail + arms winged out for balance + clearing obstacles + shoulders aligned with hips= CRAZY FUN!! Also helps you get up that steep, technical hill that is just a few fallen logs away.
9) The farther into the woods the cooler and the better-- ah, nature's air conditioning.
10) Bridges are fun to run over
11) The one time you decide to leave your camera at home so you can focus on running, a fantastic vision will appear on the trail. This time it was a fire colored deer-- huge and nimble too. I was at one of those trail splits when I looked to my left and saw this orange/brick colored deer gazing out at the meadow lands. He sensed me watching and his ears got all sonar like but he stayed still--I turned off my I-Pod and crept down that trail until I was just a few feet from him. He glanced at me and still did not move. Amazing. But as I got a bit closer he lept into the thick brush of trees and disappeared.
12) Meadow mowed sledding hills are really crazy fun to lope down and near impossible to run up-- you have to run up them on your tip toes because they are vertical with your body.
13) When those charcoal clouds hover to your right and jagged lightening zags through them while blue skies and birds remain to your left--don't get too comfortable. Here's when I wished I wasn't lost, when I wished I had paid attention to the names of the trails, to identifying marks, to anything that would help me get back to my car and FAST! The trail became dark and the thunder rumbled through Def Tones crooning "I took off your wings". I heard the crack and snap of something and I felt panic--real panic-- like I was in Minos' labyrinth and the Minotaur was laughing and waiting while I ran in serpentine circles.

I'm not sure if it's a phobia--but, while I love running in the rain, I am terrified of being lost in lightening storms--esp when I am trail running. I feel like I'm going to become a human candle, torched by some lightening fired tree nearby. I just kept running fast until I saw one of the trails that had pavement-- I ran and ran on that pavement with many choices to turn down another trail but I just kept running on the same paved trail and came out at a parking lot far away from the one where I parked my car. I didn't care--at least I could run away from the match light trees. I ran down the park's streets until I found my car--grabbed a park map on the way and lightening cracked just as I opened the wooden box to grab it-- I jumped and yes, screamed, as embarrassing as it was, and took off again for my car.

I sat in my car laughing and trembling-- looked with glee at my Garmin- 5.8 miles! Ha! and my best time???? 6 minute mile-- yeah-- I sure know when that kicked in.

Can't wait to run at Heritage again. I have memorized the map--memorized it! Next time lightening chases me I will know how to get out of the maze--even without Daedalus's wings.