America on a runner's high

Say it isn't so, Austin!

They say that everything is big in Texas.

The storm that I drove through was. The amount of trafffic in Houston and Austin was. The bug that flew a kamikaze mission into my windshield definitely was. What I didn’t see were big smiles, unfortunately. Sorry Austin but you bummed me out!

Right away it seemed that my time in Austin was doomed. Upon exiting the interstate, I made a left turn to head towards downtown. I immediately got into the right lane but was made aware of another car.

Directly behind me honking, cussing, and fingering was what seemed to be a rather irrate woman who decided to direct whatever anger she had inside, towards me. I waved her by and watched with amazement - I swear there was fire coming out of her eyes and horns sticking out of her head! Well, not really but I imagined it that way.

I let her by, that was the most important thing. I was free of the beast. And two blocks down - she made a left turn. Which, yes, means that she didn't even need to be in the right lane. Welcome to Austin, Chris!

I was hoping to get in a track workout at the University of Texas complex. There appeared to be a camp going on, so no dice. My next option was Shoal Creek Park just down the street. It looked appealing with a trail running through the long, narrow park and along its creek.

I started out in a direction that looked a little more wooded. It was, but the trail went from paved to rocky, rugged terrain – something that I would expect to see in a mountain trail like at Harney Peak in the Black Hills. It seemed strange and out of place and really wasn’t what I had hoped to find.

After taking that for about 200 yards or so, I was ready to turn around. Getting back to where I started, I hit the paved segment again which turned into a crushed rock surface. This went for about a quarter mile before turning into pavement, again. My feet were getting confused! What seemed promising in the beginning turned to disappointment. It was, actually, the trail from heck!

I needed to get some sort of workout in so I headed up the street towards the capital building. It consisted of 2 good sized hills so that part of my run went well. I repeated those hills and was able to get a little bit of burn going.

The workout wasn’t what really bummed me out – it was the people! Not one smile. Not one hello. Not one howdy! I did receive a few one fingered salutes, though. Maybe that's how they say hello here in Texas. Maybe it was just because it is Monday. Or maybe it was the heat - it was rather humid.

And so ends a disappointing visit to Austin, Texas. A city that I had recently thought about moving to.

Next up, a town that I am very “alien” to – Roswell, New Mexico. Should be interesting.

Peace

Road song of the day: “Carefree Highway” by Gordon Lightfoot

Peace Along Lake Pontchartrain

Driving towards New Orleans, I thought about what I may find. We’ve all seen the devastation that Hurricane Katrina brought on the city. We’ve all seen the photos and heard the stories. All of those pictures don’t really prepare you for actually seeing, in person, the effects.

Just passing neighborhoods along the interstate, I saw entire apartment communities, empty. These were not slums. Picture the Windsor on the River apartments deserted, with most all of the windows shattered, and that’s a good vision of what it looked like.

There are hundreds of homes that are now mere shells of what they used to be. Homes that would sell for $300,000 in Cedar Rapids, deserted and empty. One still had HELP written in white on its rooftop.

Roads are a mess to drive on. Lightposts, twisted and broken. Many businesses boarded up. Not just a gas station or liquor store but Wal-Mart and Walgreens, empty. I even saw an entire strip mall boarded up! Suddenly, finding a place for a good run seemed a tad meaningless.

I chose City Park as a possible running spot which is located along Lake Pontchartrain. I found it but as I drove, it didn’t look promising. Then I came across the West End neighborhood which, naturally, is located in the west end of City Park and on Lakeshore Drive. It was alive with people and I even saw a runner on the sidewalk. I found my spot!

After finding a safe and secure parking spot, I started out going east on Lakeshore and about a quarter down, the road was closed to traffic for Katrina repairs. That wasn’t going to stop me, though. It just meant open road with no obstructions.

As I headed down the road, I saw dozens of people fishing along the Pontchartrain lakewall, sailboats and jet-skis enjoying the calm waters, and an occasional biker.

I went out for 12 minutes and turned around. Coming back, I was at peace. The sun was setting over the lake, hundreds of mullet fish were jumping out of the water after bugs, and the lake waters were gently lapping against the wall. I came back in 10 minutes and decided to get in 30 so added a little course around the marina, where I passed a night club who had a band playing – they were covering “Brick House” by the Commodores and doing a good job!

So ends my brief but image-driven New Orleans experience. Next stop, the “live music capital of the world” Austin, TX. Will I find some running inspiration? I think so.

If you are interested, the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund is still active and taking donations. Check it out at www.bushclintonkatrinafund.org. And if you are ever in New Orleans and are looking for some people to run with, the New Orleans Track Club has Sunday morning group training runs and more. Check them out at www.runnotc.org.

Peace

Road song of the day: “A Good Run” by Trent Tomlinson

Summer Solstice 8K - A Hill of a Great Time!

In total Chris Wolfe fashion, I got lost trying to find where this race was being held. I spent 45 minutes driving around the backwoods near Walland, TN. My car was chased by 2 dogs with dispositions (breed unknown - I think one of them bit my bumper) and had serious doubts that I would make it when the gun sounded.

Luckily, I spotted a man in his driveway and asked if he knew where to find what I was looking for. His reply (in a thick, slow southern drawl), “You go down this here road until you come to a T-intersection. That road is called Old Walland Road. You wanna take a right on Old Walland Road. You go down a couple of ticks until you come to a bridge that will be on your left. Don’t go over that bridge. You wanna take another right. Not left but right. If you take a left, that’s wrong. You take a right and follow the river ohhh, I’d say about a mile or two, and that’s right where you need to be.” A set of directions that I could never forget.

As I drove up to the race area, I literally had 5 minutes before it was going to start. I scrambled to put on my racing flats and singlet, and ran to the registration table. My race number was being pinned on while little Alex Brede was singing the sweetest rendition of our National Anthem that I have ever heard. And so with no warm-up and no stretching (don’t try this at home kids), the race began.

Now, this race was touted as having an out and back, hilly, non-PR course (course record is 28:17) and they didn’t disappoint. I really don’t remember any flat segments! It started at a hilltop restaurant called the Mill House and takes you up into thick wooded country. Remember, this is also in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains so inclines should be expected.

Well, my brief lead during the second mile was just that, brief. Coming back and just after the 3 mile mark, you hit an exceptionally steep incline that lasts an eternity. Going down it, I remember saying to those around me, “It’s really gonna hurt coming back up this thing.” They laughed and it did. In fact, it kicked my rear.

After hitting that hill (of which I named Kilimanjaro or Killa-man-jar-ohhh), any hopes of challenging for the top 3 drifted away. However, considering no warm-up and stretching, and I am not quite in racing shape, I am proud to say that I won my age group in a respectable 30:55 (the winning time was 29:45) and I am now a proud owner of a Summer Solstice 8K 2007 glass mug! I just missed out on the 6 pack of beer that the top three earned.

Postrace was a blast. Everyone was served, coleslaw, pasta salad, pulled pork sandwiches, corn on the cob, beans, and cake. Beverages included beer (big surprise), Powerade, lemonade, and sweet tea. And when you add a lot of good people to share stories with, and a three man bluegrass band named All Over the Road, it really was an exceptional event. Hats off to race director Larry Brede and the Knoxville Track Club for putting it together! Without a doubt, one of my favorite races that I have ever participated in. Certainly one of the most memorable.

Unfortunately, since there are so many crazy, upset locals who don’t appreciate runners being in that area, the Summer Solstice course may be changing next year. From what I read on their bulletin board, there were some obscenities (runners should be used to that, though) and a crazed driver who was swerving, trying to scare runners – he was picked up by police shortly afterward. Take that, fool!

Please check out the Knoxville Track Club at www.ktc.org and see what they’re all about. They should have the pics from the race up sometime soon. There you will find what I believe will be a rather obscene picture of a disheveled me.

Well, that’s it for Tennessee! I’m headed for bayou country and New Orleans. What I will find? I have no idea what to expect.

Peace

Notes from the road:

1) I passed a little Dodge Caliber. In the front passenger seat was a Rottweiler. In the back, an Akita and a Yellow Lab. The first thought that came to mind was the “Dogs Playing Poker” painting so I was pleased to see a human driving.

2) Harley Davidsons are EXTREMELY loud!!

Road song of the day: “On A High” by Duncan Sheik