Perhaps some good has already come from the tragic death of one our local runners. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that the trails had been plowed of the nine inches of snow we got overnight from Sunday to mid-day Monday. Not all of our running trails have been plowed, but the ones that run parallel to the streets have been.
Normally after a snow, the first few days out on the trails is more of a game of hop-scotch than running. It’s a little too tempting to run on the cleared roads where it’s not as safe, so cleared trails are a real gift.
Yesterday morning I drove over to an area where I don’t normally run. I parked my car at the nature center and took off for what I planned to be a six-mile run. About twenty minutes into the run, I heard a car horn, and then saw the collision. I ran into the intersection within seconds of the accident happening and everyone appeared to be fine, although I doubt either car was drivable. Another car immediately stopped and called 911. I was happy to not have to test any of my first aid skills, and stayed at the scene until the police came since I was a witness. As soon as I could, I continued on my run and it wasn’t until then that my knees got shaky and my mouth got dry.
I had just enough time to get to the corner at 11 AM to join other runners gathering to line the trail in tribute to Jaime as her family left the church. The shoe memorial has continued to grow, and a huge purple bow had been added by one of Jaime’s friends. Some of the family members stopped and added their shoes as they left the church.
I recognized one of the other runners from her picture on her blog and had a chance to say hello while we waited for the funeral to be over. This was not the kind of blogger meet-up that I envisioned when I set my goals for 2014… Even under those circumstances, it was very nice to meet Erin, from Run With Erin. After the tribute, I continued my run and quickly caught up with Erin as she walked home. Despite being dressed in jeans and a wool coat, Erin fell into stride with me and we ran together until we got to her house about a half mile away. I continued on my way to finish my six-mile run that I had started over two hours earlier…
- Questions:
- If you live in a snowy area, do your trails get plowed?
- Have you ever been witness to an accident?
- What did you do fun for St. Patrick’s Day?
One of your most heartfelt and beautiful posts
Namaste
Thank you
Yikes – that accident sounds scary. Our bike paths don’t get plowed and those are the only ones I know of near me. I did just find out from someone at Unleashed on Saturday that there is a park a few towns over from me that DOES plow the trail in the winter, so I’ll have to remember that for next year.
Courtney @ Don’t Blink. Just Run. recently posted…Spahtens Unleashed
I would be willing to drive to plowed trails for my long runs for sure!
Thank you for stopping at the accident to make sure everyone was OK! Many people would have kept on going!
Nicole @ Work in Sweats Mama recently posted…Birthday Bonanza and Giveaway
One of the drivers was a high school student (we were on a two hour snow delay), and was extremely upset. Hopefully she felt better having a mom there…
Deb,
It was so great to meet you yesterday, and I agree, I wish it was under better circumstances. Thanks for the quick run back to my house. I was glad to see that the paths were pretty clear. I ran this morning at 5 am too and they were not snowy or icy at all. It was 36 degrees, so above-freezing was a nice bonus.
Erin 🙂
Erin @ Run with Erin recently posted…#IfEverybodyRan, the World Would be Pretty Great
Let’s plan a longer run together (longer than a half mile) once your marathon is behind you and you’re not in serious training!
This brought tears to my eyes. What a wonderful memorial.
So nice you and Erin found solace in each other’s company.
Take care out there!
Abby recently posted…Highlights from our California Coast adventure
Thanks, Abby. You, too!
That’s good that the trails were plowed to keep runners and other pedestrians from resorting to using the streets. The Dora and New River Trails do not get plowed when it snows, so we either run in the snow and slush or wait for the sun to take care of it for us.
I actually witnessed a single vehicle accident on I-81 south yesterday. I had just gotten onto 81 from the Roanoke exit (where you merge from the left). I was in the right lane and there was a pickup truck in the left lane about three car lengths in front of me. One of his rear tires blew, and he went through the median and then through both northbound lanes of 81 with lots of on coming traffic. He went nose-first into the ditch on the other side before finally coming to a stop. By some miracle, he didn’t hit anyone else in the process. By a second miracle, there happened to be a VDOT highway patrol vehicle and a county sheriff headed northbound who immediately pulled over and put their lights on. As I passed by, the man driving the pickup truck was already getting out of his truck and seemed to be alright. His guardian angel must have been watching over him.
Meagan recently posted…Asheville Half Marathon – Race Report
Herndon used to plow their section of the W&OD Trail. I can remember running a twenty miler in something like four mile loops on the cleared part of the trail. I guess it beat being stuck inside on the treadmill!
That accident sounds like it could have been horrible! I’m happy that it didn’t turn out any worse than it did.
I’m sure it meant a lot to her family yall were there for support! Have a good week!!
Caroline recently posted…March Madness Mania: 5 Reasons I Love Tournament Time
I hope so…
[…] March – Erin from Run With Erin, after paying our respects to Jaime […]