That's Gonna Hurt In The Morning

I went for a run tonight, it was a really chilly night and the air felt good to breathe in. I was really in a groove, the kind of point of no return sort of scenario. My legs ached and my lungs were strained, but I felt amazing nonetheless, I guess it is called a runner's high. The trouble with the runner's high is that often everything else in the world disappears, which I suppose is normally a good thing, but tonight it added to an awful brew that nearly ended in disaster.

Now, I will be the first to say that I should not run in the road, so had I been more responsible in that aspect, no risk would have been taken at all. In any case, I was running one of my usual routes and at 1:30 a.m. I rarely worry about traffic on the suburban back roads by my home so at certain points, I find myself running in the street as opposed to the uneven sidewalk.

I was on my way home, feeling the runner's high and having the usual music blaring loudly in my ears, driving me forward and drowning out the rest of the world. Everything was perfect and I had not intentions of slowing until I reached my driveway. I did not hear a car, my music was far too loud for such a thing, but I noticed the change in lighting coming up from behind me. Whenever cars come by, it always drastically effects the shadows around me, so even when I can't hear them, I know they are there.

Tonight was no different, I acknowledge that a car was approaching from behind and I moved to the side of the road. I am not sure if it was the groove I was in or what, but for some reason I did not move to the sidewalk, I simply ran along the edge of the street. After all, I have done it countless times before with no consequence.

The music and the mood and the moment all coalesced and I am surprised I noticed anything wrong at all. I recall think that the lights seemed to be coming very quickly and at a much more erratic angle than I am used to at such an hour of the night. Most people driving at 1:30 a.m. seem to be relatively cautious, at least on the back streets it seems. Regardless, I could tell something was wrong, but whatever was wrong, I noticed far too late.

The light got very bright, I didn't turn around. In what felt like minutes, but was probably only 3 or 4 seconds, everything seemed to stop. The music kept playing but I did not hear it, my legs ached and my lungs burned, but I did not feel them. I did not look back, I simply dove into the grass to the left of me. I hit the ground, did a pseudo-somersault, landed awkwardly on my shoulder with and looked up with just enough time to see a white car speeding away in a serpentine manner. I was too shaken from the whole experience to get a plate number or anything but it seems pretty clear to me that I was nearly hit by a drunk driver.

I don't know how bad it would have been, I have survived a lot, but it was by far the closest I've come to serious injury in a while. I get really lucky and I get really lucky a lot and while I am sure my shoulder will hurt a lot tomorrow and the adrenaline from it all is keeping me rather wired tonight, everything could have been much much worse. I didn't have my phone or my wallet, nothing but my iPod, not even the Swiss Army knife I carry everywhere.

I am absolutely fine, nothing is hurt or broken, not even the iPod and oddly enough I am not even that shaken, I think I have become slightly used to the feeling of narrowly escaping severe injury. That is probably bad. In any case, I am thinking I will be running on the sidewalk now, pretty much exclusively.