Big Money Branson

Branson, Missouri lays claim to being the family friendly version of Las Vegas . Barring a few thousand flashing lights Branson certainly holds show town appeal, replete with slow moving traffic on the main strip in the evenings.  Shannan and I found Branson to be a welcoming city. We enjoyed a nice meal at the Fish House on the White River before watching The Shepherd of the Hills, an outdoor play.

The next day I had a fantastic run there along the White River and across Roark Creek.  Mist rose off the water in the early morning of the entertainment town. In my short run I encountered dog walkers, other runners and a couple of fishermen, all of which seemingly appeared out of nowhere as I ran engulfed in the fog at the edge of the water.  Otherwise the only other companions were a handful of waterfowl, which beautified the morning.

I’ve been running in Gatlinburg, Las Vegas and now Branson. I guess I lack Reno and Atlantic City in terms of American Tinsel Towns. I’ve added them to the ever growing list of places to see and to enjoy a run. On a final note, I must admit I’m particularly fond of the Branson run as on the final stretch back to the hotel I found a twenty dollar bill. I’ve found money on many runs, but never a twenty. How nice!

Go to Branson. See a show. Run.

Tom

Tennessee Treasure

Rhodes College sits in midtown Memphis, TN. Some of the school’s leaders fondly describe the its strategic location as a true reflection of urban life. Rhodes borders reflect wide diversity within close quarters. The Memphis Zoo occupies one side and the other three quadrants include neighborhoods with distinct social and economic classes. I found this interesting and set out to jog around the campus to get a better sense of it.

Morning arrived and I began the journey. I had only completed one length of the perimeter when distraction happened. I noticed a narrow tree lined path. I scooted over for a closer look and discovered the Vollintine-Evergreen Community Park and Greenline. How could I resist? I changed course from sidewalk to pea gravel and explored.

I found the Greenline not to be a community park in the standard sense.  Tucked behind houses the path stretches through the city on a former railroad line. The park provides a community path for walking, jogging and unique uses of green space. Along the way I saw a community flower garden as well as one with vegetables. In some areas chairs and benches sat out in the shade of mature trees. Interesting and somewhat odd sculptures of human like figures with plant holders decorated one end of the Greenline.

An information box provided a pamphlet where I learned the Greenline is community owned and maintained. It spans just shy of 2 miles.  After a delightful spin on the Greenline, I finished the lap around Rhodes. The distinctions are not as immediately notable as suggested. Nonetheless, the perimeter loop did make for a nice run, but the Greenline stole the show and gave a wonderful start to the day.

Run. Explore.

Tom

Vitamins, Sunshine and Exercise

While Shannan shops I'm sitting out in a beautiful sun filled morning. We've been on the go for hours and I've yet to exercise. I need to decide what method to employ. Options abound. A recent psychical exam returned glowing results, largely thanks to regular exercise. So, of course I’m feeling good about the role of exercise in my life and life in general.

Vitamin D stood alone as the one area lacking in my overall well being. The doctor suggested taking an over the counter supplement of 2000 units each day. Wow, a pill! How about that?! I take a multivitamin and that's all I'm interested in consuming. Shannan says many doctors are noting vitamin D as a shortage these days. Hmmm.... I think I'll hang around out here in the sun and get some vitamin D the old fashion way.

Get your daily vitamin intake. Eat fruits and vegetables and enjoy the outdoors.

Tom

Eating and Excercise Evolution

Many people exercise to change their body. Most of them anxiously await a moment when they can see the change, either on the scale or by the way clothing fits. It’s a grand thing for sure. Exercise can work on you in many other ways. I have yet to meet the person who doesn’t laud the psychological benefits of exercise. A nice run or workout may not take away the problems from life, but it certainly helps lower the stress. Of course exercise has positive ripple effects on blood pressure, weight control and other anatomical benefits as well.

Health and exercise seem to make perfect mates. I began exercising to lose weight. I found that if I exercised every day I could basically eat and drink whatever I liked. I lived that style for a while. Over time I gradually moved toward moderation and then to more health conscious food decisions. The same holds true for exercise. As overall fitness becomes more and more a factor in my life, I have added more to the routine than just running. Making the effort to cross train has led to new and different changes in my body. At my age being toner and leaner is sort of nice.

As related to meals the evolution has not been terribly drastic. We aren’t gluten free, vegans or the like, but we have certainly found ourselves eating less red meat and more interested in organic foods and locally grown vegetables. I would have never guessed any of this; much less that we’d take up composting and gardening. Fourteen years changes a person. I can’t begin to imagine what the next fourteen will bring.

Change your choices. Live well.

Tom

Labor Day

Nothing kick starts a day like an early morning run. I never regret it. That remained the case Saturday of the Labor Day weekend. Following the run I did ten minutes of stretching, a new addition. The rest of the day fit our normal highly active pattern. Shannan and I drove to Newnan for the Powers Crossroads Festival. We stopped at some garage sales afterwards, and then cruised to Decatur for their Book Festival. Giving in to growling stomachs we dipped in the Emory Village for a nostalgic lunch at Everybody’s Pizza. Finally we brought the day to an end with a visit to Dixie Speedway for a night of stock car racing.

A great day that all started with a nice run. I know it seems overly busy, but it was all a “labor” of love from run to race.

Get up. Run. Get out.

Tom

September 11

Ten years ago Shannan and I had plans to spend the weekend camping at Stone Mountain Park. This marked the third year I had given lip service to running in the Atlanta Track Club’s Grand Prix series of eighteen plus races throughout the year. The five/ten mile Singleton races at Dekalb County’s Big Rock marked the kickoff event. I figured if we camped out there I’d have no excuse to avoid running the race.

Then the Tuesday of that week etched itself firmly into world history and American memory. It was September 11, 2001. You know the rest of the story. Like other people in the country we took pause in our activities both for safety and out of respect. The Atlanta Track Club updated their phone message (yes, there was a time before Twitter and Facebook, when we had to give a little effort to get information). They planned to continue as planned with the race and not to cave into terrorism. We followed suit.

A small band of folks camped out that weekend. Each site was given an American Flag. All the runners who arrived Saturday morning were given a red, white and blue ribbon to wear, and we did proudly. Though small in numbers, we were strong in spirit. I think people ran that day for more than personal records or to participate in the series. I know I did.

Here we are ten years later. Shannan and I plan to mark the day by going to support friends and students in the Iron Kids triathlon. We celebrate this fine country where such events exist, as well as the spirit of healthy competition and young people getting out and being active, especially on a day like this one.

Running won’t stop terrorism, but make no mistake, terrorism will not stop running.

Run and Remember.

Tom

Inside the Asylum

Unbelievable! Watching the exercises in the Asylum workouts is an insane endeavor itself. Of course on a rational level the psyche knows Shaun T. and his cast of fitness fanatics perform like machines on an exemplar level. One part of my brain says, “I want to do that.” While the other side complains, “Those moves are impossible. You’ll get hurt if you try.” I don’t recommend previewing these DVDs. Just press “play” and go to work.

Once in the process of doing the workouts an epic battle takes place between the mind and body. Some how, some way you can get through the routines and get better at them, although maybe not Shaun T. perfect, but get to the end nonetheless. Push. Dig deeper. Bring it! Tell yourself whatever is necessary to keep moving. In doing so, the oddest thing happens. You manage to finish the circuit. Even with a little mental and physical soreness here and there, you’ll feel great.

Go crazy. Exercise.

Tom

Running in Memphis

Rhodes College provided a beautiful landscape to accent a fabulously warm July morning. I wanted to run forever. Cursed schedules! The only bad part of the 100 acre campus at Rhodes is you can circle it twice in no time at all. As noted, I really wanted to use every possible moment to run before the day’s itinerary began.

Since I forgot to bring the handy electronic key necessary to enter and exit the campus, I moved on to the track to my own dismay. Like some others, I generally find running on a 440 track a touch monotonous. The beauty of the day and the surrounding campus prevailed. With a little attitude adjustment I used the track to my advantage. I did some striders (run at open speeds on the straight sides of the track) and other running workouts. I hadn’t used those routines in a while. It felt great and provided a solid exercise activity.

I followed the track time with one more loop around the campus and then off to my meetings.

Make meetings manageable. Run first.

Tom

Arkansas Officially

2007 marked the tenth anniversary of The Streak. Thanks to Shannan’s generous birthday gift, a day trip to Indiana, it also was the year I ran in my fiftieth state. At that time, some five or six of those consituted only a one mile run as we passed through or were close to a state line and made a quick in-and-out visit. This morning I had a really nice run in Little Rock, AR. Previously, Arkansas had been one of those bare minimum states. Now, Vermont stands as the remaining quickie state. I ran a little more than a mile in Brattleboro, VT. Oddly we have been to the same border city twice, but have never lodged in the Green Mountain state. Shannan has a plan to remedy that.

Along with the five mile run, our time in Arkansas proved lovely. We visited the presidential museum, dined in the River Market District, visited Sam Walton’s Five and Dime, the visitor’s center and unofficial birthplace of Walmart as well as the 100^th Walmart location in Bentonville. We delighted in a drive into the Ozark Mountains, saw the Peabody Duck March and more. It was a great trip and nice to make the run there a more meaningful one.

Travel. Run. Tour.

Tom

Cold Summers

“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” It matters not to me whether Mark Twain actually said this or not. I’m fond of the line because I spent some time in California’s city by the bay in late June and felt like I had entered the twilight zone. I noticed many venders selling sweat shirts and jackets in the summer. It seemed odd, but in fact it was so chilly I purchased a fleece for the few days of our visit. I needed it for a cold and breezy morning run on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Shannan and I have been to Alaska twice in the summer when one might expect the temperatures to be cooler than Georgia. However, like my time in San Francisco, I found myself shocked during a July trip to Duluth, MN. I checked and the daily temperatures were actually colder than Alaska!

I don’t love the cold, but understand places and times to expect cooler temperatures. For me, summer ranks high among those times. That’s right, summer. It freaks people out when I carry a jacket and hat around with me in the south during the summer. Businesses and restaurants in states recognized for hot summers tend to blast air conditioning units to arctic temperatures from June through September.

As you might imagine, most people are glad I’m not in charge of the climate control at work or in the world.

Stay warm. Exercise.

Tom