The strangest thing happened on an early Thursday run. I ran down the Parkland walk, across the railway bridge and into Finsbury park, wanting to get to about 7km this morning as my long-ish run. Heading away from the railway bridge, I did a loop round some trees in the park, and after a while more decided that it was time to begin returning.
Return is always a time-confounding moment in running, because particularly on routes one is less familiar with, I find that the first half of the run into the unknown usually goes quite slowly (at least perceptually) while the return flies by far faster.
But this time return was even odder. I followed a path, that led round the gentle bend of a lake - 'The Lake', a sign said. After passing a children's playground, I then ran through a garden with pink and red flowers beds in either side of me, and continued straight.
Until, I noticed before me a lake, gently bending, with a sign 'The Lake' beside it. Puzzled, I kept going, and passed a children's playground. I stopped when I got into a garden with pink and red flower beds on either side, and felt shakey and confused. This was the exact same place I'd been running through less than five minutes ago and yet I was sure I hadn't made any drastic loop. I wondered (quite seriously) if somehow I'd stumbled into a time loop, or had some sort of pre-emptive vision. Because how - how??? - in the short time between seeing the lake and seeing the lake again had I possibly gone round it? Particularly as a) it wasn't a small lake, b) I'd left its contour, and c) I was, as far as I could perceive, running straight.
Shaken, and conscious that I needed to get back so I could get to my lecture on time, I asked a man who was walking towards me in an orange sweatshirt pushing a buggy where the railways bridge to the Parkland walk was he turned and pointed behind him to the right, so I thanked him and began running in that direction.
Less than 5 minutes later, I saw coming towards me...a man who in an orange sweatshirt pushing a buggy. The same man.
'What is going on?' I thought, and slowed to a walk. He looked just as puzzled as he caught sight of me.
'Are you lost?' he asked.
'Yes, do you know how to get to the railway bridge?' I asked, the déjà vécu unmistakable, and he pointed before him to his left.
This time I did find the railway bridge, but felt like I wasn't in reality until my feet touched the path of the Parkland walk, a straight path with no bends and no lakes, and no time loops! (that I have yet experienced)
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