Long Run: Fort Caroline National Park and the Creepy Stalker Dude

Two hours of running. One hundred twenty minutes. I didn't think I was going to complete this. I had some decent excuses. Yellow flies plagued me while on the red trail near Spanish pond. If you were anywhere in the area I'm certain you would've heard me yelling explicatives in the most unladylike manner, all the while soundly smacking myself to deter those biting beasts. Oooh, I do not like yellow flies, or any creature that bites me without provocation.

Another excuse was rain. It wasn't  just some drizzle. It was a full-on downpour complete with crackling lightning hitting the huge oaks overhead. The Fort Caroline area is hilly (yes, I found some hills!) so rushing water and 6 inch deep puddles got in my way too. But I splashed and stomped through those with childish glee. After my mud run 2 weeks ago, I've come to like puddles and small river crossings. They're fun and they instantly take you back to being a goofy kid. My new trail running shoes are now baptized.

But the most worrisome excuse I had today was that a creepy man in a red hatchback was following me, observing me. He drove his car slowly up to an intersection he knew I would cross and then watch me as I went by. He did this 6 or 7 times. After 15 minutes of this I became truly nervous and pulled out my phone to text my sister and hopefully snap a pic of his license plate. That seemed to deter him, and he immediately drove away. I reported the incident to a national park ranger who called a law enforcement officer. You never know what people are capable of, and I certainly don't want him doing that or worse to someone else.

But, the creepy guy kept my mind focused on something other than my aching hips. By that time I was already 90 minutes into the run. No excuse for not finishing.

And two days later, I decided it's time to start carrying some form of self-defense on my runs. Although I have a concealed weapon license, carrying a handgun while running just isn't feasible. A gun in my pocket would just cause my shorts to fall down, and then I would attract all sorts of unwanted attention! Mace will do the trick. It should ward off misbehaving, biting dogs too, yet another of my recent trail  interludes. Heavens, this running thing is getting ridiculous. Dogs snapping at my behind, creepy men following me, what's  next? I'm a little afraid to find out.