Posts Tagged ‘wrong turns’

Just Make a 180

I went out for a final run this morning in the beautiful San Diego weather. I didn’t have time to map a six-mile route, so I decided to run outbound for 30 minutes, then run back. With my usual negative splits, I was guaranteed a full six miles.

I ran along Harbor Drive, which is very scenic, unless vagrancy upsets you. I ran all the way past the airport and toward the Sheraton, which sits on a peninsula. At about 28 and a half minutes, the sidewalk seemed to curve around in a big circle back in the direction I had just come. So, instead of simply making a 180-degree turn at 30 minutes, I continue to follow the road.

It took me by the marina, which was really nice, and along I went for about a mile and a half when I discovered: 1) a parking lot; 2) a fence; and 3) the end of the marina. I hugged the edge of the fence, looking for a way through but, naturally, I had failed to map read properly ahead of time and had reached a dead end. So now I had to make my 180, except I had already been running for 40 minutes.

I was afraid to be late, so I picked up the pace on the way back, missing my Gatorade or water or anything, but managed to reach the hotel after a run of 1:17, which means I ran at least 9 miles, possibly 15k.

Running where your nose leads you in an unfamiliar city can be a lot of fun, but don’t go out fat, dumb and happy like I did. Plan your route or bring fluids for unexpected detours. Fortunately it was impossible for me to get lost, but in case of dire emergency you should probably carry cab fare or at least enough for a phone call. I ended up having a great run, but it wasn’t a smart one.