Category: Exercise

Cheerios and Shoelaces

On By DGThomaIn Exercise, Family, Food, Humor/Light Hearted, Travel, WritingLeave a comment

For several years, the  Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco had been an elusive goal.  It was on my “to do” list, but it seemed something always interfered.  Either my training schedule was off or the timing of the race kept me from being able to participate.

After all who wouldn’t want a medal from Tiffany!Meda

When I decided that I would take the time to train and would definitely run in 2008 I discovered the only way for me to participate was through a lottery.

Although I didn’t believe I would make it in, I decided to register and take my chances with the lottery.  I immediately started soliciting family and friends to participate with me.  My first call was to my daughter, who was in law school.  I convinced her to train with me so we could submit for the lottery as a team.  I soon had enlisted my sister and my son’s girlfriend as well.  Of course the unexpected happened and our team was selected in the lottery!  Now I was forced to train!

I was determined to stick to my training program.  I am notorious for getting pulled off my training schedule by daily demands.  As a result, when I went to visit my daughter and granddaughter in Tulsa, OK, I made sure to pack both my running bag and my commitment.

Tulsa has a very nice running trail not too far from my daughter’s apartment.  I got up early on Saturday morning, and created one of my favorite running snacks, (Cheerios, pecans, dried fruit and bits of a bagel).  Since I managed to forget my SPIbelt (a stretchy fabric pouch on a belt), I pinned a baggie to the back of my shorts and my husband and I set off for a quick 8 mile run.  I chose to run out 4 miles and back and my husband soon left me behind as I settled in at a comfortable pace.

Cheerios and fruit

At about mile three, my shoelaces began to loosen and for some reason, they were hitting against the back of my legs.  Frustrated, I stopped, retied my shoes and took off again.  My new shoes had particularly long shoestrings and soon I could feel them blowing against the back of my legs again.  Checking the shoes, I discovered the laces seemed fine.   Puzzled, I finished my run.

Dee and Dez
Dee and Dez

As I waited for my husband to meet me I reached for my snack, only to discover the baggie was empty.  Apparently, friction had worn a hole in the plastic and the snack mix had slowly dropped through until the bag was empty!  It turns out it wasn’t the shoelaces  hitting my leg, it was the snack mix.  I wondered why everyone I passed had such big smiles!  My husband confirmed that fact, when he said he followed the trail of Cheerios and pecans to find me.

A Herd of Runners

On By DGThomaIn Exercise, Friends, WritingLeave a comment
Pedestrian Bridge
Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge

Running in Austin, Texas can be fun, challenging and seldom dull. You never know whom or what you might see on the trails and streets.

The Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike trail winds around scenic Lady Bird Lake near downtown Austin. Most people in Austin still refer to it as the Town Lake trail. The trail includes several pedestrian bridges to allow access from one side of the reservoir to the other. The Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge connects the south side of the trail to the north side at South Lamar and allows access to downtown.

Routinely, the trail is filled with runners, walkers, baby strollers, bicycles, pets, and even an occasional rooster on the northwest end of the trail.

I have collected a lot of fun memories and stories about running the trails in Austin. One of my favorite memories was meeting Hannah as we crossed the Pfluger Bridge. Crossing the bridge from Barton Springs road toward downtown, the scenery is beautiful. The sunlight reflects off the water, flower boxes full of colorful blooms line the sides of the bridge and the downtown Austin skyline is the backdrop for the scene.

On one early morning run, as we neared the center of the bridge, I noticed a group of runners up ahead with a dog trotting along behind the group. I wondered briefly if the dog belonged to someone in the group. It seemed odd that the dog was following behind and not trying to run ahead or keep up with a specific runner. Suddenly, the dog dropped back further and began trotting along behind me. “Poor thing” was my first thought. “She is lost”.

Startled, I felt the dog nudge me from behind. I wasn’t sure if she actually touched me or just brushed me by mistake, but I moved forward toward the dog’s original running group as she moved toward my running partner and actually seemed to push her forward as well. I was confused as I noticed the dog drop back behind several other runners.

I heard a young man up ahead call out, “Hannah? Here, girl!” Hannah, I realized was the dog’s name. Laughing as he looked back for Hannah, the young man explained. “Hannah is an Australian Shepherd. She is a herding dog.”

It seems that even though the young man was running with one friend, thanks to Hannah, he now had an entire herd of runners following him. As we veered to the left and the young man and his entourage ran to the right, we just waved at he and his friend. Hannah fell back to round up some new stragglers.