I enjoy both trail running and road running and find it hard to choose between the two. When I’m road running I can zone out and get deep into my head. If I try that while trail running it’s likely that my face will be re-arranged by a rock.
Do I mix the two willy nilly or do I have two distinct seasons? The answer has just come to me – one’s running seasons should be dictated by the habits of the snake.
The season for road running is from the beginning of October until the end of May (or beginning of June if Comrades is your bag).
This is the time that snakes are out and about, eating things, hissing, slithering, and generally making a nuisance of themselves. This is not the time to be on the trails.
In my neck of the woods this is when it is most likely to bump into a portly puff adder on his way to some puff adder gathering. Or a rinkhals. The Oxford dictionary defines this snake as a large nocturnal spitting cobra of Southern Africa. Nocturnal se voet. This beast is quite happy to bite you or spit venom into your eyes at any time of day or night. In fact about three months ago one was trying to slither it’s way onto my verandah on a fine sunny morning.
By June these nasties are tucked away for their winter sleep – this is the time to hit the trails.
So, according to the Law of the Snake, road running will take place from October to May and trail running will take place June to September. Simple.