A hill chase

I was coming back from Trader Joe's yesterday along the long hill on Virginia Avenue when I saw some dude turn and go up the hill about 100 feet in front of me.

Was about 20-something, wearing shorts and a T-shirt and some sort of wool cap.

He had a pretty good pace up to the top of the hill so I didn't think I could catch him.

But when he started to go down the slight hill near the N. Highland intersection, he was gassed. At my trotting pace there was no way I wasn't going to pass him.

So I did. And then I turned it on up the incline to N. Highland.

Of course, I was about to die when I turned to go to my apartment, but at least I stuck to my theory of if you pass someone, have enough in you to defend it.

64 degrees, SST, shorts.

Drying up plans

I saw in the newspaper today that the Peachtree 10K will have to be somewhere else other than Piedmont Park this year because the city of Atlanta said that the drought is forcing them to not have any large events at the park this year.

Wonder where it will end up? My guess is Turner Field, just because of the sheer logistics of it all and there are other large races that start and end there? Maybe Centennial Olympic Park.

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In other news, I was a little surprised yesterday that 38 degrees didn't seem to be as cold as I thought it would be. I wore my CFLST, an SST and my climafit windbreaker along with one of my new pairs of running pants when I ran out to meet up with Sham, Empire and Brigid. It was okay. Walking out of Manuel's, some chick mentioned to her dude at the bar, "Running pants?"

If you were even remotely more of a regular, you'd see me and the crew more often. lol

A shipment has arrived

This morning as I shuffled into work I found a box waiting for me. In it were two pairs of running pants I'd ordered last week from the Nike store. Both were on sale.

My old North Face running pants, although extremely comfy, have holes in them. I'll have to find a way to patch them up so I can continue to use them. But it's nice to have new running gear that I don't have to worry about.

That's why there's data

Right now I'm contemplating a run in my Nike windbreaker, a plain SST and my North Face running pants.

Only thing is, it's 45 degrees out and my data from last year has me running in the same temperatures in just shorts.

I'll have to go and change. That's why there's data.

Hold everything...

...It's snowing here, in Atlanta, of all places.

You know I have to go run through that!

Kitty, ready trail runners

TUNICA, Miss. -- I turned the corner on the muddy trail and came across a deer about 40 yards away. Soon it was two, three, and by the time the last white tail bobbed out of sight, there had been six of them.

A storm had passed through in the early morning. I waited it out and then drove over to the Riverpark, since I didn't have a poker tourney I planned to play today.

When I drove up to the parking lot, I noticed an old muddy road with a birdhouse tacked up near the road. I made my way back over there, but decided the road/trail was too muddy for my regular running shoes.

So I went to Plan B.

I always carry a pair of old Adidas Trail Response trail running shoes in the trunk of my car, mainly because there's no need for them in heavily-concreted Atlanta. I used to run trails when I lived in Arkansas, and briefly when I first moved to Georgia five years ago. (I was heavily tempted to break those shoes out and run when I was in Blairsville last Friday).

I ran along the old road, slushing around rain puddles. I saw another wooden bridge and ran to it, thinking it was for the horse trail nearby. I ran to it but it was actually the Riverpark trail. I wandered up off of it and that's where I saw the deer, and a huge snakeskin that had been discarded long ago.

I ran back to the road and found a large green field that I had seen alongside the Riverpark. I thought it was grass, but it turned out it was some kind of huge field of clover. Bright green like some kind of HD commercial.

I ran back on the trail to get back to the car.

It was nice to walk through the lobby of the hotel wearing shorts and mud all over the bottom of my legs, shoes and socks. A sign of a good workout.

Tunica -- Riverpark Trail

After a few hours' sleep after playing at the Grand Casino, I got up and looked outside-- it was all wet outside.

So instead of having a bunch of gamblers seeing this wet cat running around, I drove to the Tunica Riverpark, a postmodern museum that overlooks the mighty Mississippi River.

On my last trip, I saw a sign that said it had a "Nature Trail," and thought that might be a good place for a future run.

The river trail stretches for 1.9 miles round trip.

It's pretty nice. It starts out along the riverbank, then goes inland over a wooden boardwalk and then into the forest and around a lake. There were plenty of birds chirping when I went and it was amazing that you could get away from the manmade attractions in the area.

Like being back in Chicago...

...only there's no snow. It was 26 degrees this morning when I went out for a short run.

The Kitty Bowl

WESTERN SPRINGS, Ill. -- Today a cat was greeted with about three more inches of fluffy, powdery snow on top of what fell when I shoveled yesterday.

So I put on my snow running shoes and set out. It was great fun to be bounding down powder-filled sidewalks. Those shoes worked marvelously, giving me good traction and the Gore-Tex keeping my feet dry and toasty.

It was like the cat version of a bowl game -- a reward for a good previous year of running.