Monkeys and creepy guys

This morning I went on my first real group run in a LONG time, although I've run several times here with one or two others. This was advertised via email as a "slow run, about 7 k, through the 'Ridge'." First, let me mention that the "Ridge" is a forested area that is quite large for an urban park, quite wild for an urban park, and the same place that we were informed a few days ago had many cobras at this time of year. But our leader reassured us that he had looked into this and only 3 cobras had been spotted in five years. Who worries about an occasional cobra?

First of all, the run was NOT slow. I was running about 1 min./mile faster than normal, which means that walkers were not passing me for a change. And the run was NOT 7k. It was probably about 5 miles, and about 1 mile of that was up and down hills covered with about 6" - 1' of hay (horse trails) that made it feel like running through sand. And remember, this is in 90-degree heat with about 100% humidity. ON our way into the park, Keir (the acknowledged alpha runner of the school) pointed out the "creepy guy" area, where young people go to make out and creepy guys come to watch them (ewww). Of course we asked him how he knew this. But we did see a number of men coming out of the woods wearing what looked like wrap-around skirts and carrying cloths (washcloths? makeshift toilet paper?) who stared at us as we ran past and made me glad I was not alone.

So on the way back, when I gasped and wheezed, "I need to walk. You go ahead," I was kinda glad that the others said they would walk with me, even though I felt like a complete loser. After a bit, we started running again, 2 up ahead and the others (including moi) behind them. Then we saw the monkeys - mother and babe - on either side of the path, and warnings from bear country flashed through my brain: "Don't go between mother and baby!" But the frontrunners just yelled to us, "Don't make eye contact!" and we didn't and we ran past without incident. (Later today one especially encouraging teacher told me that monkeys are vicious and 4th largest cause of accidental death in the world - apparently every Indian village has a "killer monkey" - no actually it's because people don't get rabies shots and/or treatment in time.) I was dying at this point - my legs hurt, I couldn't breathe, sweat was pouring down my face, but there was no way I was going to run or walk on my own through the "creepy guy" area, so I managed to run the rest of the way out of the park.

And - here's my best excuse yet for getting to school later than planned - I could not stop sweating for an hour - I took a long cold shower, drank cold water and juice, and sat around, and still I was dripping too much to show my face in public for 30 more minutes. Can you imagine the absence category "calling in sweaty?"

By the way, you Dan Barons and Brian Simpson earlybirds out there, along with all of you who snicker and roll your eyes at my hatred of early morning meetings, school starts here at 8:30 and most teachers walk to work at 8, yes, 8! I was even on the early side yesterday, so there.