None Too Far

Ok, so not everyday is some kind of great run.  I had work Sunday morning, and then came home and crashed and before I knew it the clock was reading 4:00PM. I was eyeing the beers in the frig when I finally got my gear on and headed off, turning left out of the driveway toward the Nature Center rather than right toward Pairodice. I got there, wandered up the road, and began the run to find I was already slow by Three Balls. Not too slow just not fast. I pushed on with no real change in my enthusiasm or energy and reached the top in a non stellar 17:30. 

I picked up some speed on the Stair Cases and into Mountain Apples, doing OK up Twisters, hitting the top their in 21 something, and pushed down Ginger Shorts and onto Easies.  My mind drifted a bit, as it is prone to do on the first section of easies, but I dropped back into gear and ran hard to the top of Smokey's hitting it around 25.  The push down Rooty Run was fast, but nothing great  and I found myself coming around big bend at about 30+. 

I didn't feel like heading up Mangos.  It was getting dark I told myself, I had my cardio I countered, it would be good to just do a short one I added.  So I headed down Center Trail not feeling too proud of my self, but not really caring.  Somewhere down the trail I came upon two kids,  12 or so, and they were going up the trail.  They asked me 'How Far? are we Half way?'   How far to what, and half way from where?  were my thoughts.   Anyway I looked at them and told them it was 5:30 and it would be getting dark faster than they imagined and that it would be very dark on the trail very soon.  I told them to go up to the top of the Three-way and turn around and come back.   I finished off a non-stellar Hogback training loop at about 44.   

But those kids were bothering me.   I waited a bit and they didn't come out.  I headed down the the car and drove it back up.  Still no kids.  I waited some more.  One of the Korean Banzai warriors came out and he hung around the bench.  Still no kids.  Finally, with it getting dark, I parked the car, grabbed my gear and got ready to head out.   I asked the Banzai warrior if he had seen the kids.  'Ohhh Yes.  I tell them no more than 10 minutes and you must turn around and come out.  Getting dark fast I told them.'   I asked him where he had seen the kids, but to him it was all just trail, no places, no ability to say 'Up by Washboards, near Two Trees.'   See..

So two people had warned them and the little punk, there was a boy and a girl, didn't listen.   I headed out intending to head back up Center,  I passed a couple of Korean mammasons at the Korean Sign and said they had not seen the kids so I headed down the trail toward Center, and then thinking about what they had said, I decided to go back up Hogback and do the complete turn.   I passed  a few people,  two young Korean girls, who had been behind the kids, were coming slowly down Hogsback in the last light of the evening, and then as I hit the dog leg and made my way into the Dark Side it went black.  

So I did another loop in the dark.  Not a fast loop, not too slow either for a night loop, a 50 maybe.  One more than I had planned.  I never saw the kids.  Figured they had headed up Mangos or something and found the road.  I had done my part.  I drove home and nailed one of those beers I had been eyeing.  Called Bangkok Chef and made an order for Pad Thai, and Basil Chicken, took a shower and headed down for my pick-up.    I'd gotten out, and it was better than downing three beers for nothing.  Every thing has its price.