Love Leash Laws

Greetings! Leash your dog. It’s the law. I am a longtime friends of canines. It’s for that reason I understand leash laws to benefit the individual animals. So many folks ignore the leash law. They suggest their dogs are docile, don’t often stray or don’t like leashes. However, the thing they fail to consider is other people. Many people are afraid of dogs. Many people have allergies to dogs. Also there are smells that dogs may encounter while out and encourage then to go astray, maybe run into the street and get hit by person driving a car. Then, of course, there are other dog encounters which might lead to a fight. In fact, this happens with great frequency, and that is why I am sharing this post on my blog from dog loving friends.

For the over 20 years I have been running and I have encountered dogs around the world.  I have come face to face irritated stray dogs, unleashed dogs and dogs that were on their property without a fence. I am fortunate to have an unnatural relationship with dogs and each of the encounters went well. This includes running into wild dogs in the pitch black of night in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Others are not so lucky. Everyday due to people ignoring leash laws dogs and humans get injured. This can all be avoided if people will simply lease their dog.

Enough of the soap box.

Love your dog. Leash it.

Tom

Lullwater at Last

Greetings! I’ve wanted to run in the Emory Lullwater Homecoming 5K race for MANY years.  Last year, I registered, however, it was pouring rain on race morning. I passed. We attended a few other homecoming events on campus that day, but the rain kept us from staying for the afternoon free concert. Race coordinators could not have planned for better weather this year. At long last I participated in the race. 

What a grand course! Runners never had to enter public roads. We meandered through student housing, and then around Lullwater Park. This beautiful area, with non-skittish deer, a stream and lake, surrounds the university president’s house. I encountered a few new parts of the campus along the way. That’s odd given my mother worked at Emory, I worked there on two occasions, and I attended the College and Graduate School. On all counts, it was super race and I really enjoyed it.

Shannan participated as well. She ran/walked to check her time for an upcoming 10 miler in October.  She needs to make 16 minute miles for the 10-mile race. At the Emory event, Shannan completed sub 14 minute miles. She’s been working hard since July and its paying off for her.

Run in Races.

Tom

Running in Circles

Greetings! We spent a super weekend in Knoxville, TN. One of our great problem solving activities included scheduling tourist visits and meals around the football game. Like in many other college towns, TN Volunteer fans get started early for tailgating and carry on the good times long after the game. This made downtown available to us only early in the morning and in the evening.

We managed quite well with visits to the Ijams Nature Center, the Museum of Appalachia and the American Museum of Science and Energy. Across the day we made a rectangle around the city. It all worked perfectly. The beginning of the day went extraordinarily well also. I set out for a run in the dark before dawn. The area around our hotel had a few cars on the road at that hour, and no sidewalks. The good news is I quickly happened upon Founder’s Park. 

The park had a little of everything- a putting green, benches, shaded picnic tables, volleyball, soccer, bleachers, a basketball goal, Frisbee golf, a horseshoe pit and a few resistance stations. In the middle of all these goodies was a gravel track. I loved the place, however, the track was only about a 440.  I’m not a huge fan of running circles over and over. 

The experience proved for a great option to reflect. There are many things in life that provide excellent opportunities, however, for me, it’s important not to get stuck in a rut of doing the exact same thing again and again. I relished the fact that we were off on a weekend get-a-way, rather than sitting around the house. Albeit in quarter mile circle, I was fortunate enough to be running at all, and particularly in a new place.

Run outside the circle.

Tom

http://ijams.org/

http://www.museumofappalachia.org 

http://amse.org/