What are the chances?
Alternate subject line: When you're falling in a forest and there's nobody around...
Hello!
I went trail running last Friday. I had the day off and wanted to do something that didn't involve puttering around the three-block radius of my apartment. Usually when I go trail running, my husband and I do what we call "the wiggle," where he walks and I run the same path. Every .2 miles or so, I turn back, run in a circle around him, and then do it all again. It's redundant but safe.
Because I am a woman who reads local news and watches a lot of crime shows, I am apprehensive about running alone in the woods. My main fear is that a man will pop out and attack me. (This is my main fear about running as a woman in general.) I'm also scared of basically all animals except my deceased dog Pudge. I'm scared that a squirrel will jump on my head and scratch my eyes out. That a deer will run by and shower me in ticks. That I'll find myself caught between a bear and her cub. A coyote, a mountain lion, a feral cat. Essentially, any single man or unleashed animal I pass makes me uneasy.
Since this is no way to live, I thought it would be a good idea to conquer my fears and go run through the woods of New Jersey. It started out great. I was reveling in the fresh air, thinking if I should go to the mall afterwards and how bad I am at following trail blazes...when my foot landed awkwardly on a rock and I sprained my ankle.
I sat on a fungi-covered log for a few minutes, wondering if my ankle was so bad that I wouldn't be able to drive myself home. Then because I'm an illogical type A nut job, I ran .8 more miles to get a 4-mile run in.
Eventually I drove home and found a great parking spot, where I'm sitting as I write this and wait for the street cleaner to come sweep the street. My ankle is getting better and I haven't gone on a run since the sprain. (I've been a real bitch this week though, let me tell you!)
The whole debacle made me think of that saying "you're more likely to die in a car accident than a plane crash," or whatever it is. I didn't need to take two statistics classes in college to understand that we're more likely to trip on a tree root or a rock while running than get attacked by a strange man or a squirrel, and yet, it is so far down on my worry list. Maybe because the physical and emotional consequences aren't as dire? I don't know, something to think about. I still want to get a can of pepper spray for my fanny pack.
On another note, if anyone would like to go trail running with me in the future, let me know!