So back tracking a bit with this one as this actually happened before the blog was officially started.
Anyways, one of my newest running loops is around our local reservoir. It is just under 16km if you follow the main drag over the bridge or can be 20km if you run around the entire lake. Only a small portion of the loop is in a populated area, most of it is park land or falls on a native reservation. The trail itself is maintained beautifully and the paths are nothing short of a runners dream. The trail is also 'hill central' and a prime place to work on any sort of speed or hill related training. The hills are about 225m (some more, some less) in elevation change from top to bottom... feel the burn, that's all I've got to say about that!
Anyways, as you enter the furthest part of the loop away from 'civilization' and you are out on the reserve, the trail drops significantly. 250m down a winding slope you end up in a wooded marshland. There are creeks and small lakes everywhere you look. The bush is fairly dense and the trail flattens out for about 500m before rounding another corner.
On this particular day I was having a great run. I was already 6km in and flying by everyone else on foot. My pace was extremely comfortable and I had managed to overcome some issues with my breathing -vs- foot strike pattern. I was feeling great! I had just made it down the 250m twisting and turning trail from the top of the river valley to the bottom by the lakes. I crossed the old wooden bridge and said 'hi' to the ducks in the small lake to my left (this part of the trail tends to be sparse in the human department as I think most chicken out as a result of the sheer drop of the paths!). As I was rounding the first small lake I had to slow, and almost came to a grinding halt as a mother duck was leading her 12 palm-sized ducklings across the path. At my sight the little ducklings started racing for the water and the mother duck turned to hiss at me for disrupting their commute. What a good mother duck she was! I was quite thankful she was crossing when the path was completely void of people other than myself. Some of the bikers can fly down the hills so fast that they would have made duck-cakes out of the cute little family.
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| The flat marsh and swamp area on the reserve as viewed from above. |
After watching all of the ducklings reunite with their mom, I picked up my pace again and continued onwards up the trail towards the river.
The hair on my neck stood up as I looked forward and realized there was a rather large, not-human black thing in the middle of the trail up ahead.
If you know our area, you know that the reserve extends straight out towards the Rocky Mountains. You would also know that this area is wooded for the most part and that bears are not particularly uncommon. Having run into rabbits, coyotes, eagles and other raptors and ducklings by the score it is not terribly surprising when 'holy shyte, bear!' crossed my mind!
I couldn't make out the shape. It was big, black, too short to be a person, too large to be an unattended child and its 'legs' were too far apart to be a human. My heart was racing - and not just because I flew through the first 6km of my run. I had little in the way of options. In front of me was 'big, black and unidentified' and behind me was a solid 1.5km incline. I figured if I looked like food I was pretty much hooped as my legs were tired from my run the day before (that's what marathon training is all about right? running on tired legs!)... I was going to be lunch!
I moved up the trail, towards 'big black and unknown' slowly. Still running, but slowly. I still couldn't make out what it was that I was seeing. I couldn't see any visible foot falls as the thing moved towards me and I moved towards it. I also couldn't see any people. 400m away. I still have nothing. 300m ... yeah... my blood was definitely pumping! 250m away and FINALLY I could breath a sigh of relief. I caught a flash of light - the kind that only man-made synthetic plastic-y stuff gives off. My heart rate slowly returned to a level below 'stroke eminent' as big, black and unknown and I approached each other.
Now, MOST people wear bright colours and are pretty easy to distinguish from their background no matter where they are. I've even run this trail with army recruits coming towards me and could see them clearly from more than 500m away. This 'thing' for lack of a better word had be completely at a loss. So, what was it?
Finally within 100m of this 'thing' I could tell it was a push stroller... not a normal shape by any means. It was all black and had a screen down the length of its front, also black. It had a rolled up plastic cover (to go over the screen) of which I am assuming caused the flash of light that caught my eyes. Black wheels, odd shaped, all black stroller thing... and dad in black shorts with an olive green/beige shift that completely blended in with the background.
WOW - talk about heart attack central!
Welcome to my world of running! If you know me well enough you will know that I have some sort of field around me that attracts animals and that a bear and I meeting on the trails is totally not out of the question. While I am not really afraid of any sort of wildlife by any means (it comes with being a biologist :D), I think I will be carrying something for protection on my runs now just in case. What? I don't know... but I am sure I will find something. My truck keys are a start (they are with me anyways)... but I will find something else too.
