running « Kenny Smith | A remarkable thing happens …

running

adventures / Monday / photo / running — Comments Off
7
Nov 16

Weekend color

Autumn is here. Too soon for me, but too late for others. I hear about it, believe me. It makes for good elevator fodder and faux-angst. It is all the Southerner’s fault, and so on.

But the roses are still blooming at the house:

So there’s that.

I struggled my way through a 10K on Saturday. Here was our path:

That was at the beginning, in about the last moment this particular run felt good. About two-thirds of the way through, though, my feet numbed up and I was able to run a slight bit better. And this was my view at that moment:

And right about here was when I realized I needed to get new shoes … to replace the brand new sneakers I’m running in right now. I suppose not every pair of even the same model of Saucony is the same. Let’s just blame the fallen leaves:

There’s that moment in a fair amount of my runs where I’d like to be done, but I have to get back to the house or the car. This was that moment. When you go for a low-angle shot on your run, your run is pretty much over:

It is a lovely little leaf turn, though:

cycling / Friday / photo / running — Comments Off
4
Nov 16

Maples are among nature’s first quitters

It wasn’t a brick workout because I had to fire off yet another flurry of emails in between, but after my bike ride we went for a quick three-mile run. Still, enjoyed this tree’s color.

This is at the top of the neighborhood, so it was the little run up the hill, right about where you start to question the decision to run today, that I saw that tree.

adventures / Friday / music / photo / running — Comments Off
9
Sep 16

We ran a race, watched balloons and saw Lee Greenwood

There was a 5K for a local hospital. We ran it. We didn’t win, but we didn’t come in last. I actually placed second in my age group. Most importantly, we finished with smiles, so who cares, otherwise?

This race was at the local fairgrounds, and I have photos to prove my alibi, should the need arise:

After the fun run the trucks came in and dumped out piles and piles of nylon and dacron. The bigger purpose of the night was bringing people out for hot air balloon rides:

And this is what I learned: Depending on how you frame or crop your shot, Yoda’s expression really changes a great deal.

Also, feel free to grab one of the above three shots if you need a new social media avatar, I guess.

There was only one Yoda balloon, but he was clearly the star of the evening for kids young and old:

I bet you could do a Star Wars hot air balloon theme. It’d be great fun, until the blasters and light sabers came out.

Also Lee Greenwood appeared. He did a three song set, by himself. No band, so karaoke, basically. Well, we think it was actually Lee Greenwood. You had to stand so far away that you couldn’t tell. And it wasn’t the crowd, which was sparse, that dictated the distance from the stage, but the drop zone. A parachutist descended with a flag to set the night off right. They mis-timed this. Greenwood hit that last “AAAAAAAAA-” said thank you and was back in his trailer and maybe on his way to tonight’s steak dinner before this guy got to the ground:

On the way home, we wondered how many times in his career Greenwood has sang that song and if that is annoying for him. So I looked up his booking rates. Let’s say the site was accurate and there is no bargaining. Let’s say his aunt isn’t the marketing agent for the county fair. Or that he didn’t lose a bet to a county commissioner. Let’s say he didn’t have to be in a nearby town the next day and that this was a just another convenient stop. (Judging by his published tour dates, he was here special.) They might have paid $25,000, for a three-song set.

You’d think that for that kinda dough he might run the chorus one more time to help the skydiver, but no.

He was already off stage, counting his money, pleased that he’s been singing that song for more than three decades now.

photo / running / Samford / Thursday — Comments Off
14
Jan 16

Running in the dark

This place is a big circle, and off that circle is a running path and it was a nice, warm day so I jogged three miles in the twilight.

I was thinking, as I shuffled and panted, that sometimes you know when big things are happening. And sometimes you don’t know. And I found myself, right about here, wondering why that is. How do you sometimes know, and other times life springs that sort of thing upon you?

I was trying to come up with a good hill metaphor, but I always get breathless on the hills. That never surprises me.

photo / running / Wednesday — Comments Off
6
Jan 16

The word “ran” is generous

I ran five miles today. This was one of the sites I shuffled by:

It is a favorite fence and field. I see it a lot, on runs and rides. I haven’t seen it a lot lately, because of our travels, and because of a foot problem. And I’m not sure if the foot problem hasn’t also moved to the other foot as well. This probably means I have a shoe problem. So I am not wearing those shoes right now. But I got in five miles today.