Miscellaneous ramblings:
Weird day. Planned day off. Many years the day after Rhody I will run a course reconnaissance the next day and pick up anything stray that we left behind. I was just beat and didn't intend to get out there at all until at least Tuesday. Until ...
Based upon this FB post, Paul (our soon to be club VP) and I met up at 4pm to run the campground section. Unfortunately, it turns out we did miss a section of picking up flags and signs, so we cleaned that up. Not sure where the communication broke down with 4-mile sweepers, but life goes on.
The multi-car accident: On the short drive home, it was now dark, and Route 1 was moderately busy. Just before the Charlestown / Westerly line, I heard the screeching of tires right in front of me in the high speed lane and then heard and saw several collisions. I slammed on the brakes, hitting a bunch of car debris and flying glass, but stopping short of the car in front of me. My car had stalled, probably because in haste of the emergency stop I forgot to put the clutch in. I put on my hazard lights and exited the vehicle. There was car parts debris and broken glass all around me.
I went up to the driver of the car in front of me and asked if she was OK. She said she was. The young woman was clearly distraught, with a deployed airbag in front of her head, and crying on the phone, in a car that is definitely inoperable now, and likely totaled. I asked her if she was talking to the police and she said no, to her mother, and she asked if she should call the police. I told her, no, talk to her mother, and I'll call 911. It's a very narrow median there and cars were braking hard, screeching tires, etc in both northbound and southbound lanes. Southbound lanes to avoid our cars and car debris, and in the northbound lanes to avoid a deer laying in the middle of the highway lanes.
I finally pieced it together: A deer had jumped across the highway, the first car slammed on the brakes but hit the deer, sending it into the northbound lanes, the second car slammed into the first car, the third car with the distraught young woman slammed into the second car, and the fourth car (me) stopped just in time but now my car was surrounded by car parts in the road and I wasn't going anywhere, besides the fact that it's illegal to leave the scene of an accident.
Meanwhile, as I'm uncomfortably in the median still talking to 911, a heart-wrenching scene is taking place in the northbound lanes. I just wanted to cry as the poor young deer is trying to get up but obviously very injured now, and cars slam on their brakes, some narrowly going around the deer, but a few ended up hitting it again. I felt just horrible and helpless watching this beautiful animal, but couldn't risk going into the highway lanes myself lest I be hit. (It's completely dark now and cars are traveling 50-60 mph.) When the police finally got there (it was actually quick but seemed like an eternity), they blocked the northbound lanes long enough for a different woman and me to grab the deer and move it off the highway. By this time, I'm quite sure the deer had died, which was probably a good thing given its internal injuries, but I sure didn't feel good about it. At all. What if ... If only ... No, there was nothing I could do. After the police thanked me and dismissed me, a flood of emotion came over me, including when my dog Toffee got hit in the road in front of my house in Charlestown at the time, and I rushed her to the animal hospital but she succumbed on the way to internal injuries. And when I was a teenager and was devastated that I had hit a rabbit. Got out of my car and it was dead, but moving its carcass off the road haunted me for a long time. I hope I don't have nightmares over this. Obviously, I could never be a deer hunter.
Tuesday: 5
Impromptu workout in Avondale, mostly in the dark. Warmed up on trails and roads, before running descending ladders. Much of the workout I ran on the Avondale 1K loop, where the roads are closed to automobile traffic. There was a guy on a bike riding loops in the opposite direction as me. We were both wearing bright yellow, but that became less effective as darkness set in. On one loop where we came very close to each other, it was obvious it was time for lights (not to see, but to be seen) and the next loop we both had lights on. On another loop, he shouted out to me what I thought was "There's a bunch of queers out here tonight.". I gave a nervous laugh as I sauntered on and tried to figure it out. That can't be what he said. Can it? Maybe he said, "There's a bunch of deer out here tonight"? Plausible?
Wednesday: 0
Unplanned day off.
Thursday: 4
AM run with Brady in Burlingame before work. Had a moment of anxiety driving on Route 1 through the area of Monday night's accident scene, but was relieved to see the glass, car parts, and deer carcass had all been cleaned up.
We ran VG out and Sammy C's back. Every single stream we passed, Brady jumped into the water, even it was 10 feet out of his way off the trail. One bridge he jumped off must've been 3 feet above the water. No matter. Each time he would frolic for a bit in the water, and then since I kept going, come barreling past me on the trail at what sure seemed like sub-4 pace. And then stop in the trail, look back at me, like, "Well, are you coming or what?". I don't think he was very impressed with my running pace.
A planned double in the afternoon never materialized, due to work issues. Need to plan better on morning runs, and anything later in the day is just a bonus.
Friday: 6
So much for planning for morning runs. Squeezed in a late afternoon run in the dark. Downtown to Springbrook, North End, and back. Bright neon yellow shirt with pulsating front and rear headlamps. Nobody could have missed me, yet some cars still came much closer to me than I'm comfortable with.
Saturday: 0
Nice sunny day. No reason not to run. Zero motivation = zero running. Some days are like that. Pretty pathetic. Life goes on.
Sunday: 14
Unlike yesterday, today was pouring rain most of the day, windy, and mid 40s. But I was not having another zero. I got out there, was cold for a mile or two, and then fine. The hardest part of the battle is truly getting out the door. Never saw a soul outside, and that was fine. Had the wind with me along Atlantic Ave oceanside for the past few miles. So glad I got out there.
Weekly mileage: 32
Weekly synopsis: Really pretty pathetic mileage, and with no good reason. Just low motivation. I had the Mountain Series to pull me along from mid-spring to early fall, even when I was incapacitated with PMR. Post-Mountain Series I had our own WTAC trail series to look forward to it. Now that the trail races are over, I need something else. To that end, I'm looking at two more races this year. That should then bring me up to the start of the Road toPerdition Boston.
Weekly highlight: Believe it or not, running in the rain today! Was pleased that in the battle of mind over matter, my mind won out this time. Once I got out there, it really wasn't that terrible.
Weekly lowlight: Watching that poor deer die right in front of me, helpless to stop the onslaught of cars. Heart wrenching.
- Please don't call me "honey". Ordering fish at the seafood department at Stop & Shop this evening, the employee must have called me "honey" at least three times. "How can I help you, honey?" "Is that too much (weight), honey?" etc. [cringe] [cringe] I always grin and bear it, as I know it's said with good intentions in customer service roles, but not something I relish as it feels patronizing to me, especially from someone that doesn't know me at all. Harumph.
- Did you know that November is the historically cloudiest month of the year in southern New England? I had no idea, but that's according to National Weather Service stats, so I'll buy it. Figured it would be a more dreary January or February.
- Was happy to see SNERRO revert to classic music. Whatever folk type of music they had playing at Wahaneeta was less than motivational. However, at Avondale 5K, it was pretty cool that Highway to Hell was playing as I finished. Appropriate for how I felt at finish line.
- Did you know that Barrow [Alaska] was renamed to Utqiaġvik in 2016? For some reason, I've always had an interest in visiting our northernmost city. How do you pronounce the new name?
It does have a pretty cool logo! - Christmas lights and wreaths are up downtown and into CT as I look out of my office window late afternoons across the state line. Be it resolved that I'll try to get into the Christmas spirit more this year. To me the season is all about goodwill and spending time with family, friends, and colleagues. Even those that don't run!
I don't know. I just don't know. I'm all for tolerance and
equality for all. I really am. But as more and more traditional
male-specific and female-specific morph into gender-neutral, something
seems amiss to me as this is the second time this month in two different locations
where the woman in line in front of me went into a bathroom with a urinal that she
can't use while I was relegated to looking for a urinal in a bathroom that didn't have one.
And don't some women prefer having a women-only bathroom free from sloppy and smelly guys?
Don't send me hate mail; I'm just an outdated relic trying to adapt to a world with rapidly changing social
norms and expectations.
Weird day. Planned day off. Many years the day after Rhody I will run a course reconnaissance the next day and pick up anything stray that we left behind. I was just beat and didn't intend to get out there at all until at least Tuesday. Until ...
 |
| How do you like this FB post and caption? Paul and JP's girlfriend both replied that we did actually have a crew to clean up, and if we left a sign or area behind of the 13 miles of trails we marked, we apologized and would go back. ----- This post has since been deleted, and I can only presume it was because the original poster got skewered with comments to the effect of: "Really? First thing in the morning after the race and you post this? Give me a break" "Did you even try to contact the race organizer first instead of post on FB?" "Yesterday I did an amazing thing. I picked up a piece of trash and didn't even post about it on FB" "You a$$h%#es need to get a life and stop bitching about meaningless sh%t" ----- I continued reading just one post on this "Westerly Concerned Citizens" page, and then I had to stop as multiple posts were just downright mean and vitriolic. One reason I'm not on FB. |
The multi-car accident: On the short drive home, it was now dark, and Route 1 was moderately busy. Just before the Charlestown / Westerly line, I heard the screeching of tires right in front of me in the high speed lane and then heard and saw several collisions. I slammed on the brakes, hitting a bunch of car debris and flying glass, but stopping short of the car in front of me. My car had stalled, probably because in haste of the emergency stop I forgot to put the clutch in. I put on my hazard lights and exited the vehicle. There was car parts debris and broken glass all around me.
I went up to the driver of the car in front of me and asked if she was OK. She said she was. The young woman was clearly distraught, with a deployed airbag in front of her head, and crying on the phone, in a car that is definitely inoperable now, and likely totaled. I asked her if she was talking to the police and she said no, to her mother, and she asked if she should call the police. I told her, no, talk to her mother, and I'll call 911. It's a very narrow median there and cars were braking hard, screeching tires, etc in both northbound and southbound lanes. Southbound lanes to avoid our cars and car debris, and in the northbound lanes to avoid a deer laying in the middle of the highway lanes.
I finally pieced it together: A deer had jumped across the highway, the first car slammed on the brakes but hit the deer, sending it into the northbound lanes, the second car slammed into the first car, the third car with the distraught young woman slammed into the second car, and the fourth car (me) stopped just in time but now my car was surrounded by car parts in the road and I wasn't going anywhere, besides the fact that it's illegal to leave the scene of an accident.
Meanwhile, as I'm uncomfortably in the median still talking to 911, a heart-wrenching scene is taking place in the northbound lanes. I just wanted to cry as the poor young deer is trying to get up but obviously very injured now, and cars slam on their brakes, some narrowly going around the deer, but a few ended up hitting it again. I felt just horrible and helpless watching this beautiful animal, but couldn't risk going into the highway lanes myself lest I be hit. (It's completely dark now and cars are traveling 50-60 mph.) When the police finally got there (it was actually quick but seemed like an eternity), they blocked the northbound lanes long enough for a different woman and me to grab the deer and move it off the highway. By this time, I'm quite sure the deer had died, which was probably a good thing given its internal injuries, but I sure didn't feel good about it. At all. What if ... If only ... No, there was nothing I could do. After the police thanked me and dismissed me, a flood of emotion came over me, including when my dog Toffee got hit in the road in front of my house in Charlestown at the time, and I rushed her to the animal hospital but she succumbed on the way to internal injuries. And when I was a teenager and was devastated that I had hit a rabbit. Got out of my car and it was dead, but moving its carcass off the road haunted me for a long time. I hope I don't have nightmares over this. Obviously, I could never be a deer hunter.
Tuesday: 5
Impromptu workout in Avondale, mostly in the dark. Warmed up on trails and roads, before running descending ladders. Much of the workout I ran on the Avondale 1K loop, where the roads are closed to automobile traffic. There was a guy on a bike riding loops in the opposite direction as me. We were both wearing bright yellow, but that became less effective as darkness set in. On one loop where we came very close to each other, it was obvious it was time for lights (not to see, but to be seen) and the next loop we both had lights on. On another loop, he shouted out to me what I thought was "There's a bunch of queers out here tonight.". I gave a nervous laugh as I sauntered on and tried to figure it out. That can't be what he said. Can it? Maybe he said, "There's a bunch of deer out here tonight"? Plausible?
Wednesday: 0
Unplanned day off.
Thursday: 4
AM run with Brady in Burlingame before work. Had a moment of anxiety driving on Route 1 through the area of Monday night's accident scene, but was relieved to see the glass, car parts, and deer carcass had all been cleaned up.
We ran VG out and Sammy C's back. Every single stream we passed, Brady jumped into the water, even it was 10 feet out of his way off the trail. One bridge he jumped off must've been 3 feet above the water. No matter. Each time he would frolic for a bit in the water, and then since I kept going, come barreling past me on the trail at what sure seemed like sub-4 pace. And then stop in the trail, look back at me, like, "Well, are you coming or what?". I don't think he was very impressed with my running pace.
 |
| I should probably get him more orange during hunting season, but anything bigger than this (my Nipmuck Trail Marathon buff) he tugs or bites at and pulls off. |
Friday: 6
So much for planning for morning runs. Squeezed in a late afternoon run in the dark. Downtown to Springbrook, North End, and back. Bright neon yellow shirt with pulsating front and rear headlamps. Nobody could have missed me, yet some cars still came much closer to me than I'm comfortable with.
Saturday: 0
Nice sunny day. No reason not to run. Zero motivation = zero running. Some days are like that. Pretty pathetic. Life goes on.
Sunday: 14
Unlike yesterday, today was pouring rain most of the day, windy, and mid 40s. But I was not having another zero. I got out there, was cold for a mile or two, and then fine. The hardest part of the battle is truly getting out the door. Never saw a soul outside, and that was fine. Had the wind with me along Atlantic Ave oceanside for the past few miles. So glad I got out there.
Weekly mileage: 32
Weekly synopsis: Really pretty pathetic mileage, and with no good reason. Just low motivation. I had the Mountain Series to pull me along from mid-spring to early fall, even when I was incapacitated with PMR. Post-Mountain Series I had our own WTAC trail series to look forward to it. Now that the trail races are over, I need something else. To that end, I'm looking at two more races this year. That should then bring me up to the start of the Road to
Weekly highlight: Believe it or not, running in the rain today! Was pleased that in the battle of mind over matter, my mind won out this time. Once I got out there, it really wasn't that terrible.
Weekly lowlight: Watching that poor deer die right in front of me, helpless to stop the onslaught of cars. Heart wrenching.
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