It’s about one month until the Tar Heel Ten Miler. I’m starting to hit peak mileage for that race. Need to get my miles in, yo. But Saturday was a foggy, messy morning. I woke up at 6:00 AM and was on the road by 6:30 to join my run club in a 12-mile slog through less-than-favorable conditions.

It was dark outside. My neighborhood looked like a scene from Michael Jackson’s Thriller video. I navigated through the fog — and around deer — and finally made it to the highway.

I didn’t get very far, however.

The highway was closed, and I was stuck in a major traffic jam. Police officers were rerouting traffic. Lots of flashing lights. Lots of sirens.

I didn’t get off the highway until nearly 7:00 AM, too late to join my crew. I drove home, crawled back into bed, and took a marathon nap with Scrubby.

I later learned that one person died in the accident.

Very sad. Tremendously unfortunate.

I don’t know the circumstances, but it’s a good reminder to me that nobody belongs on the road in foggy conditions like that — runners and drivers alike.