Danger: Cottonwood Seeds Ahead

I am "training" for a half marathon at the end of August in Albuquerque. "Training" apparently means cross training on a bike or hiking. I can not seem get myself back into a groove or regular pattern of running again. I am riding a fair bit and getting in some hikes and occasional backpack trips, so I am not in too bad condition, in general. But running is different for me, much harder. I enjoy it, but it is not something I take to without willpower.

I enjoy one run, and then just can't get back to it for a longer run. I will flog myself a lot in the coming weeks and get myself almost ready and then suck it up on race day and get through the two hours somehow. It's a good profile, nothing steep uphill.

Yesterday I convince myself to get out for a 40 minute run.

I am living close to the Animas River, a river that is actually NOT dammed, and runs free. (Who would have thought that we forgot to dam up a river?) The small rivers around here are home to lot's of cottonwood trees. Cottonwood trees each spew out millions of seeds, that are shrouded in soft "cotton-y" parachutes that they float away on. These weigh almost nothing and float everywhere this time of year. They land on your bbq, on your clothes drying on the clothes line, on your beer bottle, all over your car, etc. Everywhere.

As I am running, a cotton seed is floating along the street at head height. It is going by my head, when at the last second either the wind shifts, or I am sucking wind so bad that is creates a vortex, or whatever, the cottonball changes direction 90 degrees, veers toward my head and somehow divebombs into my mouth.

There it manages to go straight through into the back of my throat, landing on my gag button and wrapping thousands of tiny strands of cotton around the gag point. I thought it would land on my tongue and I could spit it out and continue, but no, before I realize what's happening, it somehow it makes it all the way through to my throat. My eyes are already filled with sweat, and with this very uncomfortable situation I cough, gag, spit, snarl, tears well up into my eyes, froth is coming out my nostrils, I'm gasping for breath, trying not to puke, then trying to puke, then trying to reach in and root around to get it out, continuously gasping for air as I do. I've got my arm submerged into my mouth up to about the elbow trying to get it out. Now I am running, gagging, spitting, hurling, crying, tears have welled up in my eyes, snot is pushing aside the froth and careening out my nostrils, and through the tears, sweat, salt and burning sunlight I peer through squinting eyelids, and what do I see, but a crew of oil and gas field workers loading themselves up into a 1 ton pickup with dualies. They have all stopped, put down down toolboxes, and are frozen in time, watching me, staring at this crazy idiot yuppie from back east and wondering why anyone would do such a thing to themselves.

Good question I think, managing one last huge gobstopper removing, throat-clearing, cough-puke-spit. Good question. I pick up the pace to put some distance between me and the oilmen. I don't think that particular cottonwood seed will come to fruition.