On my third try at an early morning run I was feeling pretty good about it. I was able to get the run in, even if it was dark, and still had time to shower, change, and make it to my desk by 7:30am.
It was working out pretty well. The street lights gave enough illumination for me to know where I was going and the sidewalks covered most of the path I took except for one empty lot where there was a worn trail followed by another small patch that met up to the sidewalk again. (See right - during daylight) Unfortunately, on that particular part of the trail I had almost made my way to the sidewalk again when I felt a sharp pain on my left shin. It felt like I had been clawed by some creature but I kept running since I heard no growling, saw nothing scamper away (even in the dark), and nothing was chasing me. I would check my leg later after the run. There wouldn't be much I could do about it until I got home anyway and it wasn't particularly hurting or anything. I figured I must have stepped on a branch at just the right angle and it came back and hit me in the shin. I continued on and I realized it had started to drizzle. I don't mind getting caught running in the rain. It actually has a kind of a nice feel to it sometimes. I kept going and it isn't until a car drove by that I could see how really hard it was raining when I caught a glimpse of the raindrops beating down in the light from the cars headlights. Oh, wow. It really was raining hard! And it kept raining really hard for a while but I kept my pace and was feeling too good about the run while it was happening to let it bother me.
The rain finally stopped and I made it home. It was when I was showering that I saw the two gashes on my shin. Ooooug. It looked worse than I thought but no matter, I had to get to work.
I didn't run the next day but Saturday morning I ran the same path and since it was daylight I kept an eye out for that branch that might have caught me in the shin. I spotted only one thing on that path in the area that may or may not have been what struck me in the shin. I finished my run and went back later and retraced my steps to that spot. This is what I found. I may have possibly stepped on the end of this wretched looking piece of metal in just the right spot to make it flip up and hit me. I don't really know, it was dark.
The good part is that my leg is fine now. The scratches are all healed and it was never sore. It just looked worse than it felt.
What can I say? It was dark...I couldn't see...
TT
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