Sorry, I didn't mean to be stalking you.

So, the other day, I set out to run my usual route. I hit the main street where, since it's sunny and beautiful out now, dozens of people are out walking. It's not unusual for me to see a runner or two out too-usually men. There are a few that I know of who are regular runners and then some high school guys just on the their way back from the gym.

That day, however, I saw a woman running. She was several blocks ahead of me, but I was curious. Who could it be? This town is so small that if I see a woman running, chances are I know her.

So I try to catch up to her, but she's surprisingly fast. I don't know what my Garmin thought of me when I got down to a 8 minute mile pace, because we don't go there very often. After about a half mile, I had closed the gap close enough that I could collect some more clues about this mystery runner.

And what I found just deepened the plot! She was wearing Vibram Five Fingers!

So, not only was just a fast runner, she was also a serious enough runner/barefoot enthusiast to parade through downtown in these! (Part of me is really curious about running in these and part of me doesn't have the courage to add them to my "crazy running lady" ensemble.) Now, I HAD to know who she was.

As I'm almost pulled even to her, I start thinking of things I could say to introduce myself/tell her I'm impressed with her speed and footgear. I desperately racked my brain for something that would not make me come across as creepy, but seeing how I had been running behind her (own my usual route though) for over a mile, the cards were stacked against me.

As we approached the end of downtown, where all non-crazy folks turn around, I was right behind her and shocked when she left the sidewalk and continued onto my offroad running route (the one that leads you across busy intersections, over a giant ditch, through parking lots of multiple restaurants and car dealerships). It was my planned route however, so I kept right behind her.

Just a minute later however, she stopped to stretch and turn around, I finally got to see who it was. In typical small town fashion, I did recognize her face and she mine, enough to say, "Hey, how are you?!" but I couldn't place where I knew her from.

My run was continuing though, so I quickly threw out my explanation for why I had been right behind her:

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be stalking you."

Operation: Not Be Creepy- Fail.