Running blind, Rolling ankles

I left the office as soon as I could after my last patient, picked up Bonnie and Cork, and headed for the trails. Before I left I happened to see that the sun was setting at 6:14 pm today. 6:14!? Man, that can't be right! It was.

Out on the Ice Age Trail (which will, by the way, be hosting the Glacial Trail 50 this weekend), I ran a 3.5 mile route, then turned around and headed back. That first 3.5 miles took me 32 minutes and I loved every second of it. When I turned around, it was 6:17, and very dark in the woods. Occasionally the trail leaves the woods and enters a pasture, and at those points I could actually see some of the rocks and roots reaching out for my feet. I'm glad I had the dogs along because when we were in the woods, with all kinds of leaves on the ground, it was actually pretty tough to see where the hell I was going! My fearless leaders helped me out.

As it got dark--and I mean dark as in stars providing light--I kept entering some pine replantation areas, which are dark in the daytime but pitch black at night. It was at this point that I rolled my ankle...twice. A couple loud four letter words, and on I went. My ankle is pretty tender as I type this, but I'm still smiling--it was just so good to run!

I'm adding a head lamp to my Christmas List. It was a lot of fun to be out there, and I might look into doing it a bit more, especially when all the leaves are off the trees and there's a big, bright full moon up above. Just remind me to tape my lame left ankle.