The 'ol stomping grounds

This past weekend due to Lucy having Friday off work, we were able to take a long weekend with our parents in middle Georgia. Since Lucy's dad's illness, it's nice to be able to spend as much time with him as possible so that extra day helped. Saturday evening, my mom and dad joined her family (her brother drove from Mississippi) and had a cook off at their home. Good family fun had by all!

One thing I accomplished while at home was putting in some good miles on the 'Pig Trail' in Macon, GA. I can't count how many hours/miles I ran and biked on this trail during my 'prison term' working in Macon! Even though I had been enjoying the pleasures trails bring (dirt, mud, breeze, shade, no cars or their fumes, an occasional critter) for years while running in Athens, the Pig Trail (aptly named due to the draining problems after a rain and the slosh pit it becomes!) was were I understood why I liked running!

First to put you in my mindset while living in Macon....I HATED the city and my job! I also knew very few people who had similar interests (running trails, illustration, college football).....so if I wasn't working my full time job or doing my freelance, I was probably running! It was a stress reliever and helped ease my mind (probably after a crappy day at work). I knew several mountain bikers but they weren't interested if it wasn't about frames, tires, derailers, and whatcha-ma-callits.....I say give me a water bottle, some shoes and let me run! Other than them, I saw less than 10 people in 2 years running on the Pig Trails.

I woke up 7:00am on Saturday to make the hour drive to the trails. I started my run around 9:15am and greeted by that rare of days in the south - FOGGY and COOL with a daytime high of only mid-80s! My intention was to do at least 2 laps of 6.1 miles for a total of 12.2 - a respectable distance as I try to increase my distance over the next several months. The Pig Trail isn't a hard trail - there's very few technical spots or big hills. The Macon Mtn Bike crew has done a good job of making the trail longer and a tad more technical since I ran them though increasing the lap total to somewhere around 6.5+. I completed my two laps in 2hrs, 12mins - about the pace I wanted to keep.

It was fun visiting the ol stomping grounds of the Pig Trail. There are just a few trails during my running days that have influence me - a few in Athens, a few in KS, and the Pig Trail. Maybe it won't be as long until I can put in a few more miles there.

(pictured is a t-shirt I've done for the local Mtn Bike race)

Party like it's 1987!

Lucy and I had the opportunity to timewarp back to 1987 last night by attending something I never thought I would - a Poison concert! Yep..that Poison..."Unskinny Bop"...."I want action"... "Every rose has its thorn".....do any of those songs job your memory?

A coworker, and former 'hair-band' devotee, of Lucy's bought 4 tickets for himself, his wife and another couple. When the couple backed out, Lucy and I were the fill-ins. I have to admit..as a former 'hair band fan' myself, I think I knew every song and was able to sing along to most. The show was fun and their energy surprised me the most. They've been performing these songs for 20+ years but looked/acted liked they enjoyed it! And why not...they're making a living playing music! I think this is what I took away from the concert - try to find a job you enjoy.

The experience really took me back to my childhood - my sister (the bigger fan of Poison - I was more of a G'N'R fan) and I listening to a casette tapes. I called her on my cell during the show hoping she'd recognized the song, but to no avail. After talking to her on the phone today and laughing, maybe she'll try to find a way to party like it's 1987 all-over-again.

Steady with the exercise

I really have nothing exciting to report with my workout routine except that it has been steady over the past few months. I never want to feel like I 'have' to run....I do it because it's fun and I love to be outside. My routine is always flexible and I go when I can. Besides running 15-30 miles/wk depending on my work load, Lucy and I have been going to the gym 2-3 times/wk. I can really tell the added strength in my legs has helped me climb Paris Mountain faster! Besides helping during the actual run, the added strength helps in recovery time.

Speaking of recovery time, I usually have something hurting me that affects my running. If it's not my ankle, it will be my stomach. If both of those are fine, I'll get a blister. I cracked my big toenail during the Paris Mountain run last November that is almost healed, but the new nail is growing into the skin....so that was bothering me during my 10-mile run on Monday this week. Instead of running yesterday (and Tues), I took the mountain bike on the trail for few hours. Since I can't run doesn't mean I can't get outside!

I do all my trail runs at Paris Mountain due to it's proximity to my apartment. It's a great trail and you can easily vary your distance and terrain. I've been wanting to branch out and find new trails, but most are 30-45 minutes north closer to North Carolina. During my recent trip to the 'outdoor' store, I purchase a book that list all the trails in upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina. The book lists directions to get there, the trail lengths, and terrain details and just quickly flipping through the book, you can see there are a varity of lengths and difficulties. I've convince Lucy to come with me Saturday morning so we can walk/run an easier trail. I haven't decide which we should go to, but it should be exciting!