Dark days of winter

It's that time of year when I only see daylight on the weekends. Most runs are done in the morning before work in the dark or after work in the dark. during the summer it is light here from 5am to 10pm but we pay for it right now with very little daylight.

I've been trying to get in an occasional lunch time run along the waterfront of downtown Seattle. It's a nice out and back course through Myrtle Edwards Park with some great views of Elliot Bay, the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. However, my time is limited, there is no place to stretch or cool down and I have no access to showers. I also miss the softer surface of my usual running area.

running in the dark does have some challenges. It's hard to get in a good tempo or fast-paced workout as you just can't see the ground as well. I do carry a flashlight and I'm careful in areas where I know there are issues like any sidewalk in seattle!

so this morning was just going to be an easy-peasy 4 miler. If I was feeling good, I'd push to marathon pace but no biggie if i just wanted to trot along easily. It was cold again in the mid-30's but dry and almost clear. I got down to Green Lake and realized I'd forgotten my flashlight. The area I was planning on going has no street lights but it does have a fair bit of ambient light and I know the route well (including bumps and such) so I wasn't too worried.

After the usual one mile real easy warm up and wake up, I was trotting along quicker than usual, turned to go to the playfields and looked forward to pushing up Soapbox Hill as that area is known. It's a wide paved area behind playfields that obviously used to be used for soapbox racing. It's a really nice grade for pushing up a hill.

I got all focused and noticed the road looked different but in the low light it didn't trigger what was different. I ran right into a huge loose and soft gravel pile they'd put on the hill. Smooshed right into it. I didn't quite fall per se since i was going uphill and smacked into the side of another hill basically. It sure was surprising until I figured out what had happened. If anybody had been able to see it, i'm sure it was hilarious looking.

Then I started laughing. I had gravel dust all over me and was very thankful this was not dirt or rocks or manure!

Lesson: don't forget the flashlight!

And I'm ready for the longer days now thanks!