Survival Run

This evening I tried to run out at Swiss Valley nature preserve. What I remember as a nice 2 mile loop with hills and flat stretches through fields was nothing of the sort. Because of all of the rain that Dubuque got this summer, the trails were washed away, bridges were missing, and parts were still a bit flooded. First I tried the way I though was right, but thought that there was no way when I saw the flooded plain. So I tried another, but after running for about 5 minutes, I realized the trail wasn't going to be turning around anytime soon. So I went back and braved the swampland. After treking through giant mud puddles and running up a rather large hill, I realized that that too was the wrong direction. So again I braved the swampland. While running, I somehow managed to get a bug right in my eye. And how it burned. I was almost immobilized. It was starting to get dark and I realized I needed to get back to the car. With a watering eye, and muddy shoes I kept running. When I got back to the point of frustration, which was already midway through the 2 mile loop, I realized that the bridge leading to the right path was missing. So, I made my way across the creek. Somehow I managed to leap across and keep myself dry. The once smooth, grassy path, was rocky and uneven. Finally I made it to the woods and found the all to familiar hill that 4 years ago had kicked my butt into walking the rest of the way to the car. But not today. I kept going because I was starting to get worried. Yes, I had my pepper spray bracelet, but you never know if anyone or anything is in the woods. And then a deer darted across the path in front of my scaring the crap out of me. Thats when I really took off. And when I made it back to the car, I was so relieved, because then it started to sprinkle, and I realized that if I had screwed around any longer looking for the right path, I would have been stuck in a rainy dark swampland in panic mode. Lets just say, I will not be revisiting that trail until next summer when they have a chance to make some repairs.