Social Running

The horizontal sunshine cast saturated color across the hills and the ponds.  Matt, Tanya, and I met halfway between our houses at the Marsh.  A web of trails that skirt the edge of Arcata Bay and the nearby marshlands leave us with an endless supply of routes even though there is, at most, 10 miles of trail.  We meandered around in circles talking about the happenings in our lives.  Before we knew it, it was time for Tanya to leave.  She got into her vehicle as she waved goodbye, “That’s just what I needed!  Now I won’t kill my family tonight!” 

While Matt and I grabbed some water at the car before we continue on for the second half of our 10 mile run, we were approached by two other runners.  “Are you here for the group run?” one asks.  Neither knows the other and we have no idea what group run they are referring to.  “We’re going out for another five miles, you’re welcome to join us,” I offer.

We chatted the miles away with a visitor from Colorado, exploring the coast on his motorcycle.  He stopped mostly for backpacking trips in the mountains on the Lost Coast.  The other man, a local, was just out for a guided run.

At about mile 7, we were unexpectedly joined by Alex.  This is his daily route.  Before we ran, we thought of stopping at his house and dragging him off for a run with us.  It had been awhile since we’d seen him, so it was perfect timing.  He ran a mile or two and we caught up, then he took off.  

The run was at an easy pace, but I often found myself asking Matt to slow down a little.  The nausea and leg fatigue didn’t let me run easy enough.  Despite the physical problems, I really enjoyed visiting with new people and catching up with my friends.  Who knew the Marsh was such a social place?  As we drove home, the sun dipped below the clouds and the day ended. 

Turns out, the mystery run was a weekly guided tour about the history of the immediate area, printed in the local newspaper…with the wrong start time.