Jan. 2, 2008 at 10:40am

Me & Point D: A Love Story

(and, a lovers spat.)

I had a good/bad run yesterday.

It started with the mate getting a late start for his workout, which put me late getting out the door for my workout (shared child+ shared iPod=it's better when we work out alone.)  The skies were getting dark, the iPod wasn't picking up my Nike+ sensor, I was already in a bad mood, and I figured I'd go to my Happy Place-- literally and figuratively-- and run a Point Defiance Route that would put me on lit roads by Owens Beach, Anthony's, and the Ferry Terminal by the time it was really dark, and take me out of some of the areas that I've noticed an increase in the sale of homemade pharmaceuticals. The Herbal Cigarette smells coming off the trails don't bug me, I figure people under the influence of that particular herb are more happy than threatening.  But some of the other elements are just...sketchy.

I assert my belief in the safety of Tacoma frequently.  At the same time, I have learned to trust my intuition about places and people; that's why I know to avoid certain areas at certain times when I'm alone.  THAT SAID, I don't ever think of Pt Defiance Park as "dangerous".  In the time I was doing triathlon training and spending alot of time running and riding alone, I had moments of irritation (speeding race cars, young people shouting obscenities out of windows just to see me jump, that sort of thing) -- but never outright fear.

Yesterday, I felt fear.  Call it the vulnerability of the dark at 4:30 p.m. and beyond,, call it blinded by the headlights coming toward me, call it getting on the wrong road, call it what you will: I did not have fun.  To start with, there was a scary almost homeless looking cat hanging around his camper-car, just sittin' there-- weird, I thought: waiting for someone?-then, I thought-- it won't be me! --So I took a different route, which then put me in that part of the park that meant I *would* be doing 5 Mile Drive.  By the time I realized this, I was exactly as far away from the exit of the park as from the entry.  Backtracking meant I'd have traffic coming up behind me-- no, thanks, I'd rather have awareness-- and continuing on the way I was going meant I'd run all of the 5 mile loop, get in some miles and exercise, and hopefully live to tell about it.

Really, I felt overly dramatic about the whole thing.  I felt like there was no reason for me to imagine my bloodied body lying in a bloodied heap, iPod and shoes stolen, kid and mate none the wiser to where I was, and why I was late. But in that moment, I also felt like all the negativity about Tacoma that I had ever heard was coming back to haunt me, and then I saw sketchy people on bikes (sorry, but I think certain bikes and riders scream "sales!") and sketchy people waiting in various spots, and smelled certain elicit smells, and I thought, "who uses this park when it's dusk?"

Will the proposed changes I read about this morning in the Trib make the park different? I hope so, I hope not.  I hope that the charm of my park-- the rugged underdevelopment, awesome views,  and topography and geography to die for all remain. Because, where else can you get smooth pedestrian and bike friendly roads, old-growth forests, sweeping Sound and bridge views, waterfront promenade, kid-friendly attractions, and a beach all in one walkable/runnable triangle of land?-- I mean, not just in Tacoma but on the planet, this is one of the most uniquely wonderful spots.  It's amazing, and less than a mile from my home.

However, with that said, there are times in the summer I avoid my park and my trails and my beaches like the Bubonic Plague.  I may get mown over by a jerk in a car who wants to try to hit the curves at 75 mph.  I may get spat on by some yutz who feels superior to me because he's got a case of Old Milwaukee and four more Merit cigarettes and sits in his impenetrable '87 Nissan mocking me. There may be hordes of people partying on Owens Beach, leaving behind their KFC, Doritos, Taco Bell, and Oreos packaging for the crows to peck at later.  There may be groups of youths speaking some other language walking 5 abreast, not noticing that I'm running (or riding) and need to pass, they may challenge me with surly eyes and I may run into a puddle in order that I can continue my path.  Then there are the times when it's dark, when it feels like a different element is overtaking the park-- is it the fertile imagination of a 38 year old mom who's watched too much Court TV, seen too many Law & Orders (and knock-offs) or is something going on that feels less like fitness and love of nature, and more like... disrespect of the surroundings?

I don't know.

All I know is, last night, I finished up my run at about 5:30.  It was one of the fastest Point Defiance loops I have ever run, and I feel like in that, it was a good start to my New Year. 

Past that, I just felt kind of grumpy; I felt like a person whose secret spot has been discovered by someone other than her best friend.