Yesterday I went for the first time in my live for a training session at dawn. The beginning was just plain normal. I decided to take a tour on Üetliberg by following a part of a walking path I didn’t know yet (it’s the southeast part of the track going up, km 6-7). The path was so steep and muddy that I was in fact unable to run. The darkness coming along did not help very much either.
But it was actually fun. The atmosphere is great and I was impressed about this new part. I almost couldn’t walk without falling down and people bike this path down as a singletrail! Wow. I wouldn’t dare to do that (yet)…
Fortunately, I did know the last part quite well. It was getting really dark now in the wood. There was a higher probability to sprain my ankle, but by running a little slower and be ready to compensating irregularities on the ground, everything did work ok.
I definitely will do that again. Might take a front lamp with me or so.
Alex Schröder says:
In these situations I find myself thinking of the woods in the old days. The place were monsters and bandits lived. The place where rape and murder can happen. Yikes! And when it starts getting dark, and we’re walking down towards Triemli, and a little boy is pushing his bike up the trail, Claudia says: “As a parent, would not allow my kids into the woods this late.” And suddenly I realize that the fear of monsters and bandits didn’t go away, it just changed. It no longer applies to everybody. But it’s still there.
October 4, 2008, 10:272ni says:
True. While running in the dark at the beginning I couldn’t loose the idea somebody was following just 1m behind my back.
October 4, 2008, 13:34But after a while nothing happens, you’ll get used to it and you’ll enjoy the silence and darkness of the wood