There Goes My Ego or Road Rash

Matt has been out of town for a few days, so now that he is back, I was really looking forward to a real run tonight.  By "real" I mean making good time by myself without pushing two kids way over the weight limit of my double stroller with a very chatty 5-year-old riding bike in front of me, beside me, behind me, on my toes...you get the picture.  It feels more like punishment than exercise.

I was loving my run tonight though.  It was just me and my feet and my thoughts.  I had made it about a third of the way through my run and was running around Depaul University.  I turned a corner and suddenly, I had the wind at my back and I found myself running faster without any more effort!  I found this quite exciting for some reason and thought to myself, "I should go even faster!  It will feel like flying!"  Well, faster I went, flying I did not, unless you count the dive I took about 10 giant steps into my "flying."  Remember, I am running right around a university so there are college kids all over the place.  When my toe hit the two-inch raised section of sidewalk and I ate it, I almost dove right into two young college boys and nearly scared them to death!  I think they jumped almost as high as I did!  They had the decency not to laugh at me outright and immediately rushed to my aid as I played dead there on the sidewalk.  Out of all the empty sections of dark sidewalk tonight, I had to pick the section with two young guys on it!  

I'm fine.  I have scrapes all up my right arm and shoulder, plus holes in my new running pants and stinging knees, but my I think I left more ego there on the sidewalk than skin.  I have to say  though, I did make good time, despite the crash.  I think I ran faster than ever once I got up to get as much distance between myself and the very gentlemanly witnesses I left behind.  

Oh!  As if one episode of maniac running wasn't enough for one night, I scared the you-know-what out of a biker tonight too!  I was almost home and was coming up on a patch of wet cement on the sidewalk that was roped off.  In order to get around it, I had to run in the street for a bit, so I hopped out between two parked cars and into the bike lane and right in front of a biker going the opposite (and correct) direction!  He skidded and ran his bike into the curb while I apologized profusely.  He didn't seem too upset for some reason and there was no damage to his bike, thank goodness.  I was a menace on the streets tonight!  Watch out for me if you are ever in my neighborhood past dark!