Morning Fun

     This morning I went out for an 8-miler. The course takes me down the street to Olympic Park (I posted photos in an earlier post) and then over to the Han River where I catch the bike trail and run back. I would prefer to run the river exclusively since there is auto traffic and is much safer, but I have an aversion to out and back routes. I find them boring. My 3 and 5-mile routes are out and backs but my 4, 6, 8, and 10-milers are loops. Loops are better--even in the dark--because the scenery is new and you feel like you really went somewhere.
     The street down to Olympic Park is a rather major one with lots of big intersections and a quite a bit of traffic. Even at the early hour that I get up to run, usually between 5-5:30, there is a fair amount of traffic; this is a city of some 15 million after all (and yes, I can already hear most of you saying "Then don't run on the street, stupid!").
     Like any runner does in his/her neighborhood, I have studied the traffic signals in this city and have come to learn the patterns--first this light turns green, then the left arrow turns green, then my signal turns green and I can go--and like most runners, I do a fair amount of anticipating. So I gauge when my light is about to turn and, if there is no traffic left in the previous turn, I go.
     This morning I played this same game. I got to a signal, watched the pattern progress, and as the last vehicle, a small white van, passed I started to run. But the white van didn't exactly pass. See, I thought it was going to turn left to go down the road in the opposite direction I was running, but instead it did a u-turn, only this u-turn was not out in the middle of the intersection like in the States, which would have given me time to clear his path. No, this guy made the u-turn in the crosswalk, which was well before the intersection. So essentially, he passed by me about 10 yards in front of me and then was suddenly turning into me....and quickly.
     This wouldn't have been so bad had he seen me and slammed on the brakes. But he didn't see me, or I guess he didn't see me because he kept coming at me. There was nothing for me to do but to keep running forward in an attempt to get out of his path. But as I kept running, his path kept coming at me as he kept the wheel turned and his foot on the gas. At the time, and even now, I couldn't believe he didn't see me as his headlights must have been shining on me, and I was sure he would slam on the brakes at any moment. But he must not have seen me because he kept coming at me.
     Anyway, obviously, he didn't hit me (because I am here to write of it), but he came damn close. As he passed behind me, I turned and gestured in that way that says, "What the hell!?", but I doubt he saw that either. It was the closest encounter I've had with a car in my 20+ years of running.
     Oh, and about 5 minutes later, I saw a taxi make the same move and hit an oncoming car. Exciting run this morning.