Alone & Outnumbered (part 2)

October... one of my favorite months!

Because I didn't want my last blog to be too long, I didn't tell you the rest of the story of my jogging incident...

(I know right?! I wish I was making this stuff up!)

If you didn't read the first part of this story, go back to my Sept. 26th email to read part one. (If you're new to these emails, no worries, I'll be posting part one in next weeks blog next week.)

So...

I Get Passed the Troubled Youth

I can hear their voices fading in the background, which reinforced to me that they in fact were just blowing some adolescent smoke.

...It may have been a different story had I stopped and fully engaged them.

My Sigh of Relief Only Lasted a Second...

Still jazzed up and prepared for a confrontation, I came around the next bend to see a white pickup truck in front of the train trestle that I have to cross to get to the other side of the creek.

When I saw the white pick up truck and the guy wearing the reflective vest, I figured they were from the construction company that had been there a few weeks ago digging a new drainage ditch. 

I sighed a breath of relief thinking that I have some back up if those kids came around for some trouble...

And I'd be wrong...

From the Frying Pan to the Fire!

You ever see one of those low budget horror movies where just after the character narrowly escapes being taken out?!

You know, they see help... 

Relax...

Then...

WHAM!!

Just when you thought was safe, something bad or worse happens!?

Well, it was kinda like that...

No Place to Go...

Picture this...

I'm about 2 3/4 miles into my run... Alone, in the woods... Down a trail... 1/2 mile from anyone who could help me... Just about got into a physical altercation w/4 guys... They're still behind me, so I can't go back... Trees and more woods on either side of me... A truck in front of me is blocking the only bridge that crosses the creek to continue not only my run, but to the closest way to safety...

Initially, as I said, I thought that truck and the two guys were construction or rail way workers...

But...

As I get closer and start going around the truck, I see that these are NOT construction workers...

Rather they look like a couple guys fishing...

No big deal, right?!...

Wrong again...

There were two of them...

One wore filthy gray sweat pants and a Poison concert shirt that looked like it hadn't been changed since their first album came out in 86'.

The other had a construction style reflective vest. He was missing all of his front teeth and looked haggard and worse for wear.

If Looks Could Kill...

The guy w/the sweat pants looked at me suspiciously and aggressively... With disdain, dislike, even hate in his eye... A 'Who the f*ck are you, and what the h*ll are you doing here look on his face...

I don't know if things went from bad to worse... but one thing was for sure, I wasn't outta this mess yet...

(Jesus.... Really!? I thought... I'm just trying to get my workout in gang!)

"You Run'n?" Sweatpants asked me with edgy tone and look of complete contempt on his sour face.

I thought...

No wise ass... what's your first clue?! My running shoes, drenched shirt, sweaty bald head, or hard breathing?  Of course I'm f*n running...

But, that's not what I said...

"Yea, getting a jog in... You guys fishing?" I responded with a bit more of a sarcastic edge than I had intended.

"I used to fish down here when I was a kid...' Catching myself and trying to lighten the moment.

The reflective Vest man seemed way more jovial. And asked if I ever got any? (Fish).

I said that I would rarely get anything, but that was a long time ago...

They Looked Suspicious...

Something was up...

These two looked suspicious...

One was too jovial, the other too ornery...

I think they thought I was a cop or DNR, checking out what they were up too.

I'm convinced that they were up to something illegal. Either drugs, illegal fishing... a warrant out on one or both of them... Something...

Who knows, maybe it had something to do w/those kids?

I don't know, but either way, I wasn't going to stick around to find out...

 

His Hand Went Toward His Waist...

As I was making my way around the truck, Mr. Sweat Pants hand went toward his waistline...

I thought...

Oh, f*ck... Here we go!

I was about 8 feet from him...

Too far away from him to get a hold of him...

Yet close enough to be an easy target if he had a gun...

My Breath Caught in My Throat...

I was ready to do what I could...

But luckily he seemed to just be tucking in his shirt. (It didn't look like he was indexing a weapon...)

Maybe I was just being overly paranoid because of my last incident w/those kids?

I don't know, but I kept moving passed them regardless...

I yelled back over my shoulder, wishing them good luck and crossed that bridge the fastest I ever had.

Before long I was back out on the main road reflecting on the couple strange and dangerous encounters I just had.

As long as I've been running this route I've never had very many problems... let alone two incidents in a row like this. 

I couldn't get home fast enough...

I had enough 'adventures' for today!

Maybe It's time to rethink my running route?!

Keep going,

~Craig

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