Cannonball Dumb / Capitol Hill 6.25 miles

Current Mile total: 734.75 miles

Sometimes when I'm feeling especially proud of myself and my ego starts to show, karma just has a way of taking me by the shoulders, shaking me real good and obvious, then throws me to the ground like a rag doll.

Tuesday was a very humbling running day. There were a lot of runners that night and I started out easy letting all the faster runners pass me. I was feeling ok but i could tell that the general pace of the group was faster tonight. Sean must have been feeling better cause he was out there in front. When we got to the downhill portion of the run I decided to pick up the pace as I usually do. I don't know, maybe it was passing all the people that got me going but I went crazy when we got to the staircase. I let gravity take me, I let sensibility leave me and there was only one place to end up. I flew by almost all the runners and ripped off my sunglasses as I needed to focus on the ground before me. Each stride getting longer and faster as the stairs flew by. There was a voice inside screaming at me to slow down but there was another voice that was proud that I was this great agile runner that could navigate each step so magnificently until the right corner coming up just, wait, damn, can't, SHIT, THUD!!!

Fortunately I had just passed my last wooded stair so all I crashed into was good solid earth. And I suppose even more fortunately I'm very experienced in falling and have an uncanny ability to roll out of just about any fall. However, by that point I honestly must have reached close to 12-15 mph and hitting the ground at that speed, regardless of being in a roll or not, is bound to hurt a little. I was holding my sunglasses in the hand that took the fall and they snapped into 3 pieces, shattered in my hand leaving a few cuts. At the moment I was able to just pop right up grab my glasses parts(or some of them) and continue running without holding up any of the other runners. I ran on thinking the only thing I had hurt was my pride.

Or so I thought. My breathing started to deteriorate and I slowed down considerably. All the runners that I had so foolishly passed were now joyfully bounding by me with the "that's what you get" jump in their steps. I eventually had to sit down and catch my breath. I'm still not sure if it was the wind getting knocked out of me? Was it I wore my legs out going so fast downhill? Was it the ultra and not recovering that had finally catch up? Was it all these thoughts that were filling my head and making me pity myself. At any rate, I eventually caught my breath and ended up taking it very slow all the way back. Going back up the stairs I found the remains of my glasses and walked the stairs without any effort to try to run them.

I made it back with the majority of the runners all done. And I then began eating humble pie. Lots of good nature laughs and I was at the head of the pack with the jokes.

This is typical for me I find. I was being a jackass, consciously knew this and karma came around and showed me my way. I guess you could be more practical and down to earth about it all but I like to think that anytime I am a jerk, life has a way of showing me which way to run.

I don't know, maybe I'm just clumsy?