What I Don't See

The weather we've had in Georgia is nothing like the winter weather the rest of the country has seen, but it was cold and rainy most of the day, meaning I went out for today's seven-miler at about 5:15 this evening. This comes with a confession-- I drew motivation from the First Lady, who suited up and went to her group event in the same conditions.

The sun was on its way down for the evening, so there was daylight for the first two miles. That was helpful because I ran through a parking lot and behind a strip mall, so I could see where to put my feet and avoid puddles.

Darkness had set in by the time I headed for the golf course subdivision, my 'home course' where I usually run. Typically I'm pounding during the day, but this was the first time I'd been there after sunset. I saw a lot of things I typically don't, and it was a great experience. I never knew where the street lamps were previously, and I always seemed to be underneath one when a quarter-mile split came up on my watch.

The houses I run past just look large and spread out in broad daylight-- sort of like a casino in Las Vegas for how immense they seem. At night they seemed a little creepy. A few porch lights were on, a bedroom was lit, maybe a few Christmas lights as well. This was in contrast to the Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations that are cute and fun to see during daylight runs. There was enough chill in the air tonight to inspire the first hickory-wood fire of the season. I smelled the same one on the way out and on the way back, and it was remarkable.

There's a small lake in the middle of the subdivision where I've seen a flotilla of five ducks swimming, as well as ten thousand pinpricks on the lake during a light rain shower. This time, the fountains in the lake were lit up and in action.

And deer. Early on, I saw a car that didn't seem to be making any progress. The reason became clear, as three deer were either in the street or grazing in a yard. The driver's tactic was a smart one, and one I would have followed. But as a runner, deer make me a tiny bit nervous. Call it a natural aversion to things/creatures that are bigger than me. Thankfully it didn't take long for the deer to scoot back into the wooded area nearby.

As for the run, it took a bit to get pace dialed in, but I did run my seven at 8:53 pace after a first mile of 9:30. But I'll remember what I didn't normally see as much as anything.