Riding the Back Roads

I can hear the tinkling of wind chimes through the screen door as I type. Another breezy, beautiful day in Knoxville!

John and I got out on our bicycles again today. We vacillated between a couple of routes that traversed various sections of town, but ended up on the country roads in South Knoxville, some 10-15 minutes from John's house.

Our ride started at Howard Pinkston Library on Martin Mill Pike. The property includes several ball fields, a water fountain and some decent bathrooms so it is a great place to begin and end a bike ride. We rode a short distance on Martin Mill, took a left and slipped into the spectacular East Tennessee countryside.

Rolling terrain took us over ridges and into lush valleys. The sky was Colorado blue, farm fields were laden with spring flowers and we slowed down to look at cows, horses, donkeys and other animals residing in roadside pastures. We saw a few cars and outfits on the backroads but mostly we were alone.

We rode for about an hour, snaking through some 12 miles of road. Once home, we cleaned up and headed to our new, favorite restaurant, Ephesus Mediterranean Grill. A plate of gyros with freshly baked pita bread hit the spot.

Below are a couple of pictures from our ride. We don't have a pocket friendly camera but we stuffed my larger Olympus into the saddle bag. John is looking a various small cameras. Not yet sure if he will purchase one.

Pre-ride photo. No need to look too close, there are no naked people in the reflection on my sunglasses :-)

Still in the Howard Pinkston parking lot, this is a picture of John warming up

A pretty country road
A nice roadside Redbud in bloom

So which one of us do you think is the serious cyclist?

Lunch Hour Bike Ride

It is raining now. Not the severe storms predicted but a nice, gentle rain. The weatherman says a cold front is on the way, but earlier today we had perfect late May weather, temps in the low 80's, a cloudless sky and brisk winds. Wonder what it will be like when May actually arrives?

John called this morning around 9:30 and asked if I wanted to pick him up around 11:00 for a bike ride at lunch. I said sure and promptly started piddling around the house. A little after 10:00, while I was securing the bike rack on the car, he called back to let me know his mid-morning student had canceled and he was ready to go now. Oh! I quickly gathered the bike, accessories, water and self together and took off to the University. We were on our bikes and peddling laps in his neighborhood by 11:00.

After a few warm-up laps, we left the security of the neighborhood and headed out into traffic. John wanted to hard ride but I hadn't been on the bike for a few weeks, my legs burned and I was bothered by the traffic. Yea, okay, and I was a little whiny about it.

The wind seeming to be blowing in what ever direction we were trying to ride. One rather fierce gust spewed dirt against our faces and arms and almost knocked John off the bike (he had loosened his grip). We ducked in and out of side streets trying to avoid the worst of the lunch hour traffic. I rode for 55 minutes, John finished faster. While I crawled up the last steep, hill, he sprinted. He was in the shower by the time I got my slow butt up the hill and to the house. Oh well, we both rode 10 miles, mine was just at an 11mph pace.

The plan is for me to do more riding over the next couple of weeks. Since I am still having inflammation with a nerve (or tendon) running from my hip down the back of my leg, John has banned me from swimming until the pain is gone and I am taking an undetermined number of days off from running. The problem originated during a swim and running, especially uphill, seems to aggravate it. The discomfort has been around at some varying level of intensity for the past month. It is time for things to get better before they get worse! Biking seems to have no effect on the inflammation.

Spring continues to pop up all over the yard. I have posted a few pictures below.

Korean Spice Viburnum. The flowers of the Korean Spice smell of sweet vanilla and spices. The fragrance is so strong that it hijacks an entire corner of the yard when the bush is in full bloom. To me, it is one of the most memorable scents of Spring!

This bright red and yellow tulip is the most cheerful flower in my garden!

Tulip time in Tennessee!

Running in Traffic

Several years ago, I was in my car attempting make a right turn onto a very busy two lane road. I was on a small side road and numerous shopping center parking lots had exits to the same two lane road I had my sights set on. Cars were in motion everywhere. Finally I caught an opening in traffic and took one more glance to my left to be sure the situation had not changed. As I let my foot off the brake to negotiate my turn, a runner ran in front of me.

My heart jumped to my throat and I hit my brakes immediately. The runner didn't slow down but gave me a very irritated look. I don't know where this runner came from or how I missed him, but I did. I have never forgotten the incident. I wanted to jump out of the car and throttle him. My thoughts at the time were "Make Sure I See You Before You Run In Front Of My Car, Do Not Assume That I See You." Assumptions can be fatal, in work or workouts.

As a runner now, I will not, under any circumstance, run in front of a car at an intersection unless I have made eye contact with the driver and know that he/she sees me. This effort has resulted in me making a fool out of myself on several occasions, jumping and waving at drivers who are not paying attention but I receive a lot of smiles and gracious waves from drivers motioning me on.

The above incident was very much on my mind this morning as I headed out for my run. I left from the house and put the neighborhood behind me quickly. Looping the same route a time or two was not going to do it. Distance is what I needed today, between me and the front door. The longer the run away, the longer the run home (or the walk home if my body won the battle over my mind). A longer run also meant I would be negotiating some two lane roads and many, many intersections.

I had my iPod in one ear and my other ear listening to the sounds around me. Depending on the circumstances, I tuned into the music or tuned it out. I ran on sidewalks, through parking lots and on the road. I found a perfect dirt foot path along a very busy 2 lane road, a path I had never noticed before. I heard birds chirping, lawn mowers running and lots of traffic. I had a really good time!

Toward the end, my body starting complaining and I worried about walking but I didn't walk. I did enjoy the stops at several busy intersections where I grabbed a couple of seconds of rest while waiting on lights and I did a few wild arm waves at drivers who weren't paying attention (all resulted in smiles and friendly waves). Finally the reward, I made it home. My time? 1.30.10. Since I have have no way of measuring the run, we will call it 7 miles. This will account for my pace (think 100 year old runner) at the end. This is my longest run (time wise) in the past 10 years.

I did get hungry during the run and am thinking about trying some of the goo things for runs over an hour. I also got thirsty. Will have to work out something with hydration as really warm, humid weather is not too far away.

Run: 1.30.10 minutes, 12.87 mmp (maybe), 7 miles (at least)

A Peek at Cherokee Boulevard

Today was another warm, sunny day in Knoxville. We are just a few weeks from the Dogwood Arts Festival and so many trees and flowers are in bloom. I decided to head to Cherokee Boulevard for a run and a little preview of the spring floral treasures.

Inspired by Rainmaker's photos of the Cherry Blossoms in Washington, DC, I brought my camera to give you a peek at Cherokee Blvd. The Boulevard is the main street in an old Knoxville neighborhood (Sequoyah Hills). Unfortunately, many of the homes in this neighborhood do not meet the criteria of today's wealthy homeowner so one by one, the old homes are being purchased, destroyed and replaced with very large McNew homes. Many of the McNew homes are built with the neighborhood character in mind but the history is slowly disappearing. It is for this very reason that John's neighborhood is attempting a historic overlay on the oldest craftsman homes....but this is a whole 'nuther out of control story.

Anyway, back at the Boulevard, a trail (greenway) runs through the center in an area that once housed tracks for the local trolley cars. Ornate concrete seats, light fixtures, neighborhood markers and fountains are located along the 2.6 mile road. The Tennessee River is visible along the 1st 1.5 miles and the city of Knoxville has turned a portion of the river front property into parking and city parks. These public areas are loved and used by a lot of people.

An arch of fruit trees and Dogwoods line a portion of the trail. Note the concrete seat in the middle of the trail and neighborhood marker to the right. The trail and green area is maintained by the city.

The fountain marks the 1.5-mile point, better known as the turnaround for a 3-mile run. The next 1.1 mile is hills, beginning with a gradual hill just after the fountain and getting steeper.
A picture of the Tennessee River from the fountain area. Again, beautiful concrete seats grace the area.
Another picture of the trail. Just beyond the visible point in this photo is an Indian Mound. It provides a nice hill in the middle of the trail.

So this was my run today, the 3 mile piece....I turned around at the fountain. Time, I have no idea, I forgot to time but I hope you enjoyed the photos!

Honey Creek Dayhike, Big South Fork

Yesterday was a workout of a different sort, a wet, rocky, uphill sort. John and I went hiking with friends, Bill and Silke. The hike was a short 5.5-mile effort but guess what?!!! It took us a little over 4 hours to complete. This is one tough trail.

We left Oak Ridge around 8:00 AM, our destination, Honey Creek Loop Trail in the Big South Fork River and Recreational Area. While very beautiful, John and I don't hike in the Big South Fork very often. Either we don't think about it or when we do, it is summer when copperheads and bugs rule.

Winter in the BSFRRA is perfect, spring hiking great as long as it hasn't been raining. Unfortunately, it rained hard on Friday and we knew the rain swollen creek crossings would be wicked. In the back of my mind, I expected to take an unplanned swim so in anticipation, I packed everything in my day pack in plastic. What I unwisely forgot was my gaiters. I would regret this lapse of memory many times during the hike.

The hike began under overcast skies somewhere along an old forest service road. We made the first creek crossing over a small wooden bridge but the volume of water flowing through the creek tipped us off to expect a strong current and deep water in the areas that required creek wading.

Honey Creek Trail has a number of waterfalls. Bill told us that during his hike here last year, the drought reduced most waterfalls to a mere trickle with a few non-existent. During this hike the waterfalls were spectacular, including a few falls that don't normally exist.

Bill and Silke headed down to the base of a waterfall. Bill told us that he had never seen this waterfall before, the waterfall is a direct result of the amount of rain the area had recently received.
Ah the ladders. Yep, that's me. If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that I have bad memories of ladders based on our West Coast Trail backpack in 2005 (blog post). The good news is that this was only 40 some rungs, versus 926 on Day 3 of our trip. The ladder in the above picture was very worthwhile because it led to the incredible view below.
This is the granddaddy of Big South Fork creeks, well rivers. This is the Big South Fork River as seen from the Honey Creek overlook. Lots of water flowing!
John crossing the first of the water crossings. John and I had on long pants. While I rolled my pants above the knee, John fastened his around his thighs with the buttons that usually cinch hiking pants around the ankles. With a giggle, Bill and Silke dubbed this fashion statement "pantaloons."

One of several boulder caves we climbed through. This is a photo of Bill (in front) and Silke. We still had our water shoes on at this point 'cause we had a lot more water to wade through.

Part of the Honey Creek trail is IN the creek. "This waterfall was just a trickle last time we were here," Bill told us. You can see Bill headed up the rocks in the middle of the picture, straight up the waterfall. Luckily the rocks were not slick so we had no trouble getting up and over. Otherwise we would have had to turn around and go back the way we came in. This spot was a little less than halfway through the hike.

One of the significant landmarks on this trail is the Indian Cave. We climbed the ladder (see wooden box at the bottom of the cave) to explore and eat lunch. It was shortly after this that we put on our hiking shoes, expecting smaller creek crossing . These small crossings were numerous and deep. John, Bill and Silke had their gaiters on, which protected the tops of the boots from water. Without gaiters, water flowed in my boots and I sloshed for some 2 miles. At least I didn't have to worry so much about keeping my feet dry....no point.

Large boulders made this part of the hike quite interesting. The creek flows between the boulders, you can see flat rock under the water.

After the many creek crossings, we finally returned to a nice forest trail then back to the parking lot. We arrived home mid-afternoon. Lucky for us. The overcast sky turned into rain and rain fell most of the rest of the day!

For more photos from this hike: Honey Creek Trail
For photos from the 2005 West Coast Trail Backpack: West Coast Trail
(located on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada)

No Swim, No Speed, No Goals, Just Run

My sweet mother, who lives in a nursing home, often asks me what day it is. These days I have to stop and think about my answer. Unemployment has rendered my days vanilla. One day is about the same as another, although depending on what John and I have planned, weekends are sometimes distinguished by an earlier wake up call.

Exercise is also beginning to feel vanilla (it must be a state of mind). In effort to work on my limited swimming skills, I have been getting in my run on the gym treadmill (caged hamster on a wheel) because the pool is so easily accessible. Although this strategy saves time, I need a break. I start the treadmill thinking big miles but by mile 3, I am bored and thinking ahead to the swim so I shut the treadmill down and head to the pool. I do not enjoy the run or the swim.

This morning I decide to change my plan, activate a new strategy. I want to run out the anger and frustration that have been plaguing my days of unemployment and dragging me down. Today I decide no swim, no speed, no goals, just run. I lace up my shoes and head out the door. The sky is overcast, humidity 96% but it is cool and I can't wait to see where my feet will take me.

I start with my usual route but quickly run out of the neighborhood toward the "big hill." Just a month or so ago this hill would never have appeared on my running radar. Huff, puff, done! Around the mall road, my legs still feel good. Across the mall parking lot, so empty a couple of hours before opening. Then it is up the backside of the "big hill." My legs start to complain but I have a nice, long downhill to look forward to and I love running downhill!

Back to the neighborhood and I check my watch. I have run 50 minutes, my legs are tired, the rain is threatening and I have a couple of hills left to climb. I think I can do it....I can do it. I open the front door as the sky opens and a heavy rain begins.

Run: 1.12.15 hours, maybe 6, definitely hilly miles!

Chop Chop Chop!

"Would you like to swim faster?" the gentleman in the next lane asked as I crawled out of the pool."

"Yes, very much."

"You must reach. You have choppy strokes, you bring your stokes down too soon. Reach for the water. This is why tall people swim faster, they have a longer reach. You are just average, you must reach, and another thing...."

And so I received my first swimming instructions from a delightful 70's something gentleman with an accent heavy from his motherland, Greece. This man cannot only swim like fish but I have seen him absolutely tear up the elliptical trainer. He went on to point out that I drag my arms at my side instead of moving them in front of my body, hence another slowdown AND I only breathe to one side so I loose symmetry, breathing to both sides is faster. He obviously did not take into account that I was on the verge of drowning with just the motion of moving my head to one side.

Unfortunately, someone had taken my lane and a bunch of kids were in the open area, so I did not get back in the pool to practice. I was also pretty tired, today's swim was a struggle, now I know why! I will get out and either bike or run this evening, then it is back to the pool in the morning. I plan to show up about the same time and hope that he is there again. His instruction is very appreciated.

Tuesday
Swim:
4x100 meters, 13.58 minutes
4x40 meters
4x20 meters

Monday:
Run: 3.0 miles, 33.57, 11:19 mmp
Swim: 4x100 meters, 13.50 minutes

Race Results

Knoxville Track Club posted race results in their usual timely fashion (someone must have burned the midnight oil last night). The 5k went really well for me.

Chip Time: 33.01
Gun Time: 33.30
Pace: 10:38

I came in 7/49 in my age group and in the upper 50% of the total field of 1180, a solid middle of the pack performance :-) This is 2.11 minutes off my New Year's Day 5k. Nice reward for several months of effort!

A Couple of Photos

Below are a couple of photos from the finish line. The timing clock under the finish sign is for marathon runners. The 5k clock is located to the right of the finish line. Fortunately (er, unfortunately), the photos of me at the finish line are blurry. Hard to take photos of moving people at a distance, with our camera anyway.

Knoxville Covenant 5k, Done!

The Knoxville Marathon, Half Marathon and 5k is over and so are my 8 hours of volunteering for marathon related activities (for this I am thankful). My official time for the 5k..... I don't know. Once again I forgot to look at the clock. My watch said 33.07 some seconds after I crossed the finish line but I must have delayed hitting the start button because this is a little fast for me.

The morning started too early! I woke up a little after 5:00 AM and could not go back to sleep. This meant I had too much time to think before the 7:25 AM race start and I found myself feeling unenthusiastic about the run. I knew I would finish, I just worried that I would give up and walk when discomfort set in.

John dropped me off at the Convention Center near the start line around 6:55 AM. I watched the 1/2 and marathon wave take off around 7:00 AM and walked around until the 5k was ready to start. I positioned myself in the back 3rd of the pack of some 1500 runners.

Bang! The gun went off and the pack began moving across the start line. I looked up and realized that the race started with a moderate uphill climb (Clinch Avenue). I kept running as a number of people slowed to a walk. I have been in this position before! While I passed quite a few runners, I knew many would pass me back as the hill became flat and then downhill.

The first mile went fast. I heard someone in front of me say they didn't think the course was so hilly when they drove it yesterday. From my perspective, race courses never seem as hilly when driven. This course was definitely rolling! Around halfway through the race, we doubled back on Volunteer Blvd and I caught a glimpse of the number of people still behind me. I was surprised. The course took us on Phillip Fulmer Way where we mid and back of the packers could hear the cheers as the first of the 5k runners crossed the finish line.

Miles 2 and 3 passed. I felt great! I think I was running a little harder than usual but the pace wasn't uncomfortable so I just kept with it. Before long, I passed the 26 mile sign (for the marathoners of course) and knew I only had .2 miles to go. At this point I started counting steps because the finish was less than 80 steps away.... anyone can take 80 more steps.

Everything at the finish was a blur. My timing chip came off and I started looking for John. He found me in the stadium tunnel and we took off to his neighborhood to cheer the first of the marathoners through miles 21-22. I was back at the stadium by 10:00 AM for 4 hours of chip removal and medal awards. All in all, it was a memorable day!

Knoxville Marathon Expo

Spent a cool, rainy morning with a lot of really great people at the Knoxville Marathon Expo, both volunteers and runners! We had a lot of fun, especially with the new racers who will run their first 5k in the morning. Very exciting!


Some of the volunteers at the bib pickup for the 5k, marathon teams and kids 1 mile run. This was a little after 8:30 AM, not many runners picking up their packet!

I worked the 5k table too. The lady to my left (standing) is running the marathon tomorrow, she and her husband are in training for a 50k in Austria in June.

The local Fleet Feet store did a big business today, clothes were flying off the rack!

RACEDAYEVENTS is an events service, managing a number of area sports events involving bicycling, running and tris. The management group hosts a series of tris called "the pool" series, which are sprint tris geared toward new triathletes. The series begins in April and ends in late August. I picked up some info on the pool tri I am contemplating....still working on the swim!

Bib pickup for the 13.1. This segment is the most popular of the Knoxville Marathon racing lengths.

The Resume Struggle Continues

Feeling a little blah today so I took the day off from just about everything but my resume. This past month of joblessness has been a roller coaster. Some days are great, some days are totally anxiety ridden. My biggest hurdle has been my resume. Just getting the correct words in a format that I feel good about has been a challenge.

Yesterday while digging through Monster.com, I found a great way to present my recent experience and summarize the early stuff. Spent the morning feverishly pouring words on paper. It will take a little longer to finish descriptions and accomplishments, but I really like this format. While I will probably not meet my goal to complete the resume by Friday afternoon, I should finish no later than Monday.

This weekend is the 3rd annual Knoxville Marathon, Half Marathon and 5k. I have signed up to run the 5k. I have also volunteered to work the registration desk at the Expo on Saturday morning and work 2nd shift finish line on Sunday. Can't imagine anything more motivating than being apart of the process as middle and back of the pack marathoners complete their marathon dream. I too have a dream to run a marathon and look forward to the day I will cross the finish line as a runner. Meanwhile, I will keep running, swimming, bicycling...and volunteering.

Wednesday Workout
Run: 3 miles (treadmill), 32.42 mins, 10:54 mmp
Swim: 400 meters, 10 laps, 14.59 (lots of work to do here!)
Core: 15 mins.

Tuesday Workout
Run: 6.2 miles (just to see if I still could), 69.12 mins., 11:15 mmp (last 6.2 run 3/8/2008)
Core: 15 mins.

A Humble Triathlete

One of my blogging friends...the second person to post encouragement on my blog, is in a contest to win a tri spot on Team Evotri. The only way to win this spot is to receive the most email votes by the deadline of 3/28/2008.

Shirley is a real inspiration! Please visit her blog "Humble Triathlete" and read about her. While there, take a moment to vote. Either click on the Evote button on her website or do it manually by sending an email to emailvote@evortri.com with http://humbletriathlete.blogspot.com/ in the subject line. For my non blogging friends, you don't have to be a blogger to vote. Only one vote per email address.

As for my own humble efforts today, I decided it is time to start pushing my running minutes per mile out of the "11's" and into the "10's". Since it is easier to control pace on the treadmill, I went to the gym, set the treadmill on 10:54 mmp and knocked out 3 miles. This is not yet a stretch for me, I should be able to hold 3 miles at 10:42 mmp, but one step at a time. Hopefully the faster pace will eventually translate to my outdoor runs.

After the run, I climbed in the pool and swam 400 meters. I still have to stop after each pool crossing with the freestyle but I can do the breaststroke for 2 laps without a rest. I am doing better but still have a ways to go before I seriously consider signing up for a late May tri.

Thanks for reading and check Shirley's blog!

Run: 3-miles, 32.42 min, 10:54 mmp
Swim: 400 meters, 15.26 minutes (including a lot of resting!)

Bicycling in the Country

We were big league couch slugs this afternoon, doing nothing more than dozing and watching the University of TN basketball team edge out Butler in OT, 76-71. We offer no excuses for our shameless waste of the afternoon, it was a fine day in our opinion!

Yesterday we had a great bike ride! The original plan (from my point of view anyway) was an out and back on Old Walland Road (18 miles), with an addition of 4-6 miles in the middle. John apparently had other thoughts. He was in for the Old Walland Road piece but at the end of the 9 miles out, he wanted to cross Hwy 321 and pick up the hilly segment of the annual Tour de Blount Ride, a 9 mile loop addition to our out and back ride.

Well, okay, I will give it a try. So after the riding 9 miles along the beautiful Little Pigeon River, we crossed Hwy 321 (the main road into Townsend, TN) and headed into the beautiful foothills just outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The scenery is mostly spectacular, spring green farmland, cows, flowering trees with a backdrop of Smoky Mountains that are so close! Only a few places made us a little uncomfortable, a little too "East Tennessee." Several rundown trailers were scattered about with barking mongrels chained in the front yards and lots of trash. We did wonder about the trailer with the keg in the front yard...leftovers from a Good Friday celebration or preparations for an Easter blowout?

The first part of the foothills section was a long, gradual climb. Not too bad and my legs were still strong. On the backside was, of course, a great downhill. Wheeeee! I mentioned to John that I was glad this was a loop so we wouldn't have to climb back up that hill. Uh, well, the loop doesn't start until the next intersection, so we do have to climb that hill..... oh noooooooo!

But we kept going and I surprised myself. I climbed the hill out of the foothills and I didn't fall over from lack of speed. My biggest fear, walking my bike up the hill, never materialized and my legs stayed strong the entire ride. I don't give them, or my workouts, enough credit. Overall, it was a fun ride and wonderful time spent with John.

Friday
Run: 3.0 miles, 32.3 minutes, 10.77 mmp
Swim: 400 meters, slooooooow!
Core: 15 min

Saturday
Bike: 27.4 miles, 2.05.10, 13.16 mph
Core: 15 min

Running in the Neighborhood

Nice run in the neighborhood today 'cause it's a really nice day! I tossed out the idea of achieving goals and decided to just run. Began with my usual loop and ended up adding loops to my loop by adding on side streets and choosing different directions. While not at peak, so many flowers and trees are in bloom and I loved rounding a curve and landing in the midst of a sweet flower fragrance.

I ran on roads I am familiar and comfortable on and explored a neighborhood new to me. The route is mostly rolling hills but I enjoyed the up and down challenge (this doesn't happen too often). When I arrived home, I checked my watch and discovered that I had run 1.01.05. For me, this is probably a little over 5 miles. It was such an effortless and enjoyable run. I will remember it for a while!

The downside to spring blooms is the POLLEN! During the past several days, I have noticed an increase in sniffling and a slight sore throat. Spent about 15 minutes with the Dr today in an effort to head off my usual spring sinus problems. Hopefully the latest, greatest allergy meds with keep me on my feet this year.

Run: 5.2 miles (estimate), 1.01.05, 11.77mmp
Core: 15 minutes

Happy Workout

I am in a happy place with my workouts again. This morning I ran 3-miles on the treadmill, the 1st at a 11:09 mmp, 2nd at 10:54 mmp and the final mile in .2 mile increments, switching back and forth between 10:42 mmp and 11:09 mmp. After the run I got in the pool....yeah! This time I focused on unhurried strokes with an emphasis on relaxed (versus panicked ) breathing. My goal was 10 laps and I met this, stopping only for a short rest between each lap. It will be quite a task to string 10 laps together but I should be up to it.

Finally, this evening John and I got on our bikes for a 12.8-mile ride. I didn't push too hard and about halfway through, John took off in the opposite direction to ride some hills. Overall, we rode for 56 minutes, me at a 13.69 mph pace, John, somewhat faster.

Tonight I feel pretty good, no serious aches or pains. My cheek-leg pain seems to be on the mend and I don't think I did additional damage. Now here's the thing, I covered more territory in 3 sports today than the end of May sprint tri I threw off the table last week. Hmmmm.....

On another note, we purchased our tickets to Peru this evening. With my current unemployment status, we had almost decided to cancel our plans but John had promised his sons, my younger sister had signed on and we do so love traveling together....so TRIP'S ON! The itinerary will begin similar to our 2004 trip with stops in Cusco, Machu Picchu (by train this time, not on foot) and Aquas Calientes. New on this trip will be heading south by train to Puno and Lake Titicaca. Should be a lot of fun and I look forward to some new experiences, more extensive exploration of Machu Picchu and hiking to the top of Huayna Picchu.

A Sunday Walk in the Park

Today, after John's bike ride, we took a walk in Ijams Nature Center. The walk was a stroll really, an opportunity to stretch our legs. Ijams is in early spring bloom and we enjoyed looking at the flowers, the lake and listening to the croaking Spring Peepers from the many small ponds. Nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon! I hope to be running again tomorrow...

A bank of Lenten Roses in peak bloom

Close-up of the Lenten Roses

The Tennessee River

John and me at Mead's Quarry, the newest Nature Center property

The lake at the quarry

Running is a Pain in the A....

Running is a pain in the a.... right now. I am still having issues with my right leg-cheek and with the pain has come reduced motivation. Guess the motivation level is my body's effort to protect itself from itself. Yesterday I climbed on the treadmill for a short run. It was uncomfortable and I threw in the towel at 2.2-miles. My pace was a slow 11:45 mmp and I was happy to stop.

This morning I was up early to get in a run before rain set in for the day. I ran 3.0 miles in an incredibly slow 36.39 minutes (12.13 mmp). It was painful but provided a good opportunity to think about my goals and what I really want to accomplish this spring. I decided to chuck the idea of doing a sprint tri Memorial Day weekend. No way can I get the swim part under control in 10 weeks without risk of more injury. Besides, there are a couple of sprint tri's coming up in mid-July and August that will give me more time to slowly work into the swim.

Currently on the calendar, I have the Knoxville Marathon 5k at the end of March and I need to be healed by then. http://www.knoxvillemarathon.com/ John and I plan to ride the 25 mile segment of the Tour de Blount in mid-May and I will add in the Expo 10K at the end of May. We also have two backpacks scheduled, one in mid-April and one in early May. This, along with the job search, is enough for spring 2008!

Spring Flowers

Went out for a run today, unfortunately I did not get very far. Every right step was painful so I gave it up. Something is going on with the muscles in my right "cheek" and the back of my right leg. The pain started sometime Tuesday evening after the 5.2-mile hill run and 400 meter swim. I think it has something to do with the swim but I am not really sure. Hmmm, yesterday's 16-mile bike ride did not hurt at all! So, instead of the run, I decided to clean out a front flower bed and take some photos of spring...it really is almost here!

Mahonia flower

One of the first signs of spring for me, besides the crocus, is the Mahonia flower. Generally speaking, I don't like the Mahonia. It is a member of the barberry family and has some wicked spikes on the tips of its leaves (see above photo). When I trim this shrub, I always put on full battle gear but it usually gets the best of me.

The Mahonia shrub is often planted by landscapers and developers as a base plant. This one is planted near my front door. I would dig it up (came with the house) except for one thing, it produces the most incredibly fragrant flowers in late February and early March. The fragrance is similar to the magnolia bloom, sweet and citrusy. Anyone familiar with the magnolia will understand my passion for this smell. So the rest of the year I put up with the plant, though it goes on and off "death row" throughout the year. My guess is that the plant will outlast my existence in this house.

Daffodil, 'nuff said

Purple crocus are in bloom!

Swimming with a Plan

Thanks Wes! I finally have a swim plan and my first structured pool workout behind me. Getting in the pool is an important step to reach my 2008 goals. I am eyeing a very short sprint tri at the end of May and time in the pool will determine if I can build enough base to sign up. With only 2 months before the decision must be made and some pretty weak swim endurance, I have some work to do!

As per the plan, I swam 20 pool lengths with a 20 second rest between each, give or take 5 seconds per pool length. Sometimes I felt graceful, sometimes I felt like I was fighting the water, always I was amazed that I was swimming again. It is not as easy as I remember as a kid. Tonight the muscles in my hips ache. Since I am waiting for re-employment before hiring a swim coach, I went back to my swim book to read the description of the freestyle kick to see if I did something wrong. I don't think I did but will be more conscious of the kick at my Thursday swim.

I do have a couple of questions:
-Do all goggles leave raccoon eyes or are mine too tight?
-Do other people have issues with water trapped in their ears? I have tried alcohol, Auro-Dri AND peroxide but my left ear does give up the water easily. Guess it goes without saying that I suffered with swimmers ear every summer as a child.

Running is my favorite sport and always on my schedule so I went to Cherokee Blvd (close to my house and safe) before the swim to put in 5.2 miles (out 2.6-miles and back). I ran the upper and lower sections, which translates for 3-miles of rolling terrain and 2.6-miles of hills, actually two major hills. The effort was slow and quite pleasant!

Weekend in Huntsville

Midday Friday, John, Lee (his son) and I settled into his car for a 4 hour drive. Our destination, Huntsville, AL to visit John's mother and siblings. Clouds hung low for most of the trip and bad weather dominated the forecast but it was not expected until evening so we had an safe, uneventful trip.

As we arrived on the outskirts of Huntsville, we pulled alongside the above limousine. At a redlight, a young looking high school kid rolled down the window and poked his head out for a look around. He had the biggest grin on his face. His appearance made me wonder where a kid is going at 3:30 PM on Friday afternoon in a limo? Better yet, where else but Alabama can you find a jacked up limo pickup truck with those light thingies on the rollbar? Tennessee maybe?

John's sister had planned to drive from Tuscaloosa to Huntsville after work but the weather turned disagreeable before she had a chance to get on the road. Fearing accumulating ice and snow, we talked her into waiting till Saturday morning. It just wasn't worth the risk of driving on ice!

Crawford

Meals were compliments of John's mother and a Huntsville institution, Gibson's Barbecue. Gibson's has been around for about 51 years and John still remembers family dinners there as a child. We grabbed the opportunity to pork out, I mean enjoy lunch, on Saturday. While barbecue is the house speciality, the catfish fillets are light, flaky and one fillet with a basket of hush puppies, coleslaw and french fries is about right. I am paying penance this week as my waistline expanded over the weekend....Gibsons, homemade mac and cheese, eggs-grits and ham, homemade chicken salad, you get the picture.

Saturday, while John's brother David, an equine vet, and his wife Beth were caring for a new foal , we took care of their son, Crawford. Crawford is a bundle of energy! As a matter of fact, if TVA could figure out how to harness his energy, they could probably power half the state of Alabama. He is a fun, mischievous child and we enjoyed watching his antics! He kept his grandmother, Bebe, and Uncle Bobby busy. In the picture above, Crawford has discovered Uncle Bobby's reading glasses.

John and Lee

John's sister Laura arrived with her daughter Jessica, mid-Saturday afternoon. Above from left to right: David, Bebe, Laura and Beth.

Guess Who:-)

Sunday morning, Jessica and Caitlin (David and Beth's daughter) decided to cook breakfast for the family. This was a lengthy affair as a proper menu (above) had to be posted, orders taken and breakfast cooked. I believe the process started around 9:00 AM and concluded around 10:30 AM when the last person was served. The girls had a great time and the family certainly enjoyed being waited on.

Caitlin taking orders

Jessica and Caitlin cooking

This is my breakfast...a #2, 3 and 4 (see menu)

Around the breakfast table. From left Jessica, Caitlin, David, Beth, me, John and Lee

Bebe and Crawford doing the dishes

With all this food, I was diligent getting in my workouts. Friday morning, before we left, I ran a quick 3-miles. Saturday morning, with temps in the 20's, I got a great 6.2-mile run in via a series complete and partial 2.5 mile loops in David and Bebe's neighborhood. It was flat and cool...my favorite running weather.

Challenges Ahead

Got an email today from an old friend, a backpacking buddy who recently retired (late 50's no less), built a beautiful home in Montana and moved out west with his wife to live the good life. He emailed to invite John and me on their annual canyon backpacking trip. Apparently some of his "regulars" cannot go in late April and he is looking for another two-some.

Any other year, we would jump at the chance. Roger's 30 years of canyon trips are legendary, not only for the scenery, camaraderie and military schedule that he keeps the group marching to, but the stories that circulate post trip....couldn't find water, lost in the wrong canyon, group member evacuated with a broken leg and so on.

Well, with my job situation, backpacking in the canyons of southern Utah is a dream that will not materialize this year. I emailed Roger with my regrets and news about my job. He quickly emailed me back with condolences stated in a way that only Roger can:

"Beverly,

A) I am sorry you can not join us and more importantly,

b) I am extremely sorry you lost your job. That is terrible. Especially when one is past one's mid-40's, it becomes harder, I think, to find a new position.

And of course, this is a bad time to be looking for work. Damn!!"

His email is spot on of course, and it made me smile. People tend to walk around the difficult landmines, "past one's mid-40's" (actually past 50 for me) and "bad time to be looking for work." These are issues I have been rolling around in my mind for several days. I know they will make my search more challenging!

Also challenging, for me anyway, was today's workout. The weather was grey and chilly this morning so I retreated to the treadmill. I use a number of methods to trick my mind while on the treadmill, today I used 15 minute segments...15 minutes to go, another 15 minutes to go and so on. Around the 4th mile, I started getting weary. I looked at the mph and realized I had set it at 5.4, I usually run at 5.2-5.3 mph. Whoops! Anyway, I finished mile 5 at a 5.2 mph pace and decided to stop.

Since I did not have to get back to work, I put on my bathing suit (ouch!) and went swimming. Although I took swimming lessons as a kid, I have spent very little time in the water as an adult and somewhere along the line, I developed some fear of the water. My mother would laugh at this. As a kid, I couldn't wait to swim all day or dive off the high board. But the fear is there now, it crops up just as soon as I put my face in the water. Today was my day to just "get over it."

My goal was 20 minutes in the water, I don't have the endurance to spend more. After a few laps of breast stroke, a few of side stroke, it was time to put my face in the water for the free style. It took a few minutes to convince myself that the pool is only 4' deep and I am not likely to drown. I started out breathing every stroke but was able to settle down enough to breathe every other. I can only swim 2 laps (40 meters) without stopping but, hey, this is Day 1, I am just getting warmed up! My legs were rubber after the run-swim effort but this should get better with time.

Run: 5-miles, 55.56 minutes, 11.11 minute miles

Swim: 20 minutes

A Lady of Leisure

My sister called this afternoon to find out how the "lady of leisure" spent her day. Yes, that's right, I am now a lady of leisure. Last Friday I became the casualty of budget cuts and job consolidations, a member of the government's statistics on unemployment. While I was surprised by the news, I really wasn't. A year ago when my old company was acquired, I made the choice to work from home instead of moving to North Carolina. This is a decision I never regretted but it left me vulnerable; working from home is not part of the company culture.

So now it is time to rediscover myself, time to find a new job. From my sister's point of view, trading her class of 3rd graders for hours at home is probably a nice leisurely thought. I, on the other hand, would gladly trade the anxiety of unemployment for a nice position in the classroom.

Today was another incredible day, sunny and 70's. Got out around 11:00 AM for a run on Cherokee Blvd. I discovered what the stay at home moms and retired folks do on pretty days in Knoxville....walk and run on Cherokee Blvd. Since I am having a bit of trouble with my right foot , the run was not as long and fast as I initially planned. The problem is not planters (I know that pain well) but related to my insoles. I did not replace them when I replaced the shoes. My bad....

This evening, John and I returned to Cherokee Blvd with our bikes. Lots of traffic, outfits (bicyclists) and runners out. I seem to have trouble picking up speed on the boulevard, not sure if it is traffic related, the rolling hills or mental. We looped the lower 3.2-mile section 4 times, avoiding the big hills on upper section. John rides along patiently, offering encouragement while I try to build power and speed. He rode 18-miles with me on Saturday, 30-miles by himself on Sunday and tonight's 12.6-miles.

Run: 4-miles, 47.0 minutes, 11:45 min mile
Bicycle: 12.6-miles, 56 minutes, 13.5 mph

Happy March 1st!

Such a lovely day in Knoxville, sunny, blue skies, the bare hint of a breeze and low 50's. Days like this bring to mind the fact that spring is not far off and the sense of rebirth, hope and renewal will prevail.

I came home from a run this morning, feeling somewhat discouraged because the effort was less than I planned. In my front garden, basking in the sun, was this single, bright yellow crocus, the first crocus bloom of the year. My spirits were immediately lifted! In a week or so, all my yellow crocus will be in bloom, followed by the white crocus. The final show will be put on by the deep purple crocus that will fade and make room for the tulips to debut. Rebirth, hope and renewal....it happens every spring!

Crocus

Lenten Rose

My Lenten Rose plants on the side of the house have been in bloom for a little over a month, but I have been waiting for the Lenten Rose in the front garden to show some sign of flowering. I planted this plant some 2 years ago and it has neither bloomed nor grown much. Today I found this showy flower under a pile of oak leaves. Although a little shadowy in the photo, it is quite spectacular, don't you think!?

Several hours after the run, I loaded up my bike and met John at Old Walland Road. OWR is a relatively flat 18-mile out and back with a number of options to ride longer. For this reason, it is popular with local cyclists. We saw at least 20 outfits (cyclists) on the road taking advantage of the warmish weather. We rode only the out and back stretch and had a wind in our faces in both directions, go figure. John tells me as soon as I get an offical outfit, a pair of bicycling sunglasses, a new helmet AND a new bike, I will look like a real cyclist! Thanks honey, you buying?

After the ride, I slipped on my running shoes and took off to see if my legs would work. The effort actually wasn't too bad, but of course I didn't go too far. The main issue I have when I do this is that I am out of breath quickly. I hope it will get better soon!

Run: 3-miles, 34.29 minutes, 11.43 min mile
Bike: 18.0 miles, 1 hr 10 minutes, about 15.5 mph