Not so deep thoughts...

So Tuscaloosa mentioned in a previous comment that CoolRuning has become a wasteland. That was the first running site that I frequented and actually have fallen in with a group of friends from there who keep up (now on kickrunners) and meetup for the occasional race. It is really amazing how precipitously the posting traffic there fell off. 50%? 75%? You have to wonder if the purchase included traffic goals. The disaster that has taken place there should be an object lesson for online communities.

And while this was obviously a joke I have to add a correction.

It wasn't a baby that we rescued from the river, it was a middle-aged woman and her dog. I think it was July of 06, and I was running on the main Wissahickon River path with my running pal Joe. We passed by a bridge right around the 1.5 mile mark and I swore I thought I heard someone yelling for help. Joe didn't. Now there are always kids around, fishing and horsing around, so I usually don't pay that close attention to what's going on.

Then I *definitely* heard someone yelling for help. I sprinted back to the bridge and saw a woman stuck in the water (which was running high from a recent rainstorm) and holding onto a downed tree. Joe and I went down the bank as best we could (it is steep and muddy). Joe stayed up and held onto a tree and I held on to him and slid into the water knee deep and helped the woman climb out.

Once we got down there we saw why she had gone in - her dog was in the water. We called the dog and he was able to climb up the hill back to the trail. Apparently unaware that his owner thought the river was deadly, he promptly jumped right back in.

And so did she.

This prompted much cursing by Joe and myself, and we again went down the bank and again convinced her to come out with us. This time the dog came out and stayed out.

Then she told us to get lost.