Walk Into the Future

Category: Lifestyle

Articles discussing lifestyle and walking into the future.

  • No cell, no worries!

    Up to 7 numbers now!

    WalkintotheFuture's avatarWalk Into the Future

    ‘Cell phones are so convenient that they’re an inconvenience.’

    (Haruki Murakami)

    turned on iphone x with yellow case Photo by Essow Kedelina on Pexels.com

    Yesterday I had a small problem handling my cell phone.  Started my daily trek to the gym to get a chest workout in.  Nothing out of the norm so far, right?  Well my cell phone fell from my gym bag as I was putting it in my vehicle.  I’ve dropped my cell phone before so didn’t think this was a major deal in life.  Put it back in my bag and made my way to the gym.

    Discovered the simple drop may impact my day more when I tried to listen to my favorite reggae station during my workout.  Turns out my phone showed the dreaded ‘black screen’ of death—still had indicator lights that I had incoming messages, but I couldn’t navigate to them without my interactive screen.  Still no big deal, so…

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  • Get up, Stand up!

    beach ocean sand sea
    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    ‘Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.’

    (Winston S. Churchill)

    Most people who talk to me or read the Walk into the Future blog know I have a love for reggae music.  Growing up I favored other music genres but never could get into reggae.  Really, I never took the time to truly ‘listen’ to the artists because I spent more time trying to hear something familiar as oppose to what was really being said.

    Long story shorten, Reggae is what I listen to about 85% of the time when I have headphones on.  Hearing Reggae live in Negril, Jamaica was my turning point and I continue to gravitate to the beats and stories daily.

    • Reggae: a style of Jamaican music blending blues, calypso, and rock and roll, characterized by a strong syncopated rhythm and lyrics of social protest.   (Dictionary.com)

    Bob Marley released his classic song ‘Get up, Stand up’ in 1973.  The intent for Bob Marley and Peter Tosh was to make a statement and speaks to a level of persistence in life.

    Decided to revisit this classic song today from an angle to provide an ‘irie’ slant to my current Walk into the Future.  I was in negotiations with an organization to provide professional development training for their staff later in the year.  I was excited for the opportunity to make a positive difference for the staff and organization.

    The organization ‘smartly’ surveyed staff members to get their input into the direction of the professional development training and discovered staff wanted/needed something else.  They let me know they were going in another direction based on staff needs.  FYI—I fully support the new direction they decided to go because staff identified what they needed—the goal is to build the organization based on their needs.

    Most blog posts I describe my Walk into the Future with all the positive things it has brought me.  I share this story to remind readers that even though I’m enjoying every day of my current walk, I too experience things that don’t always go my way.  No worries!

    Bob Marley reminds me to, “Get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight”.  I view this small setback as an opportunity to sharpen my skills to ensure I can deliver additional speaking platforms to maximize organizations’ growth potential.  This is just one step of many on my Walk into the Future—I’m still moving forward.  Also, I have already started on my next proposal for the same organization because I haven’t given up the fight!  😊

    My persistence remains and I will continue to find ways to make a difference! Everything Irie!

    How do you handle setbacks?  What tools do you utilize to bounce back?  Curious, thanks!

    ‘The most interesting thing about a postage stamp is the persistence with which it sticks to its job.’

    (Napoleon Hill)

    adventure challenge climb climber
    Photo by Johan Bos on Pexels.com

  • On the good foot: The Brooks take over

    ‘I don’t run to add days to my life, I run to add life to my days.’

    (Ronald Rook)

    My current Walk into the Future has allowed me to grow in many areas.  One of those areas is my constant pursuit to run a half marathon under 2 hours.  I discovered the only way to meet the goal was to actual put in the work to get there.  I’ve documented my past training program consisted of the occasional 7 mile run before tackling the challenge of running a half marathon.  I was finishing the races but didn’t have the extra kick needed to really approach my running goal.

    The new running plan now has me doing the following:

    • Tuesday: 5-mile run (or longer)
    • Thursday: 7-mile run (or longer)
    • Saturday: 10 to 15-mile run
      • Note: All adjusted based on weather or my schedule
      • Leverage the treadmill for speed work

    This increased mileage has been good to condition my mind and body.  The mental and physical toughness generated was very evident in my last half marathon in Nashville.  Building muscle memory to continue to move forward even when it hurts is an outcome from the increased running workload.

    Decided to utilize a local running specialty store, Fleet Feet to have my feet and gait analyzed to see if I could gain an advantage with my training.  Please note, I recommend everyone get a foot and gait analysis done before tackling the miles needed to complete a half marathon.

    My foot analysis identified three issues I had but didn’t know about.  The first issue discovered is my feet are not flat, I have a low arch, but it still exists.  Was told years ago by a doctor I needed inserts because I had flat feet.  The second issue was my right foot is longer than my left.  The third issue was I always bought running shoes base on my ‘true’ shoe size.

    The Fleet Feet staff recommended with the miles and races I participate in, I should buy running shoes a full size longer than my normal foot size.  The larger shoe allows my feet to breath better and provides a platform in case my feet swell while chasing additional miles.  The larger shoe also eliminated the discomfort I felt since one foot is longer than the other.

    Armed with this new intel, I had the Fleet Feet staff recommend shoes to fit my unique feet (no pun intended).  They provided me with 3 in-store options to try and get a comfortable feel for.  Each shoe provided a different level of technology (arch support, roll bars, cushioning, etc.).  Decided to conduct my own research on each shoe they showed me but came away impressed with the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 19 model.  I switched from my normal ASICS GT-2000 shoes to the Brooks shoes two weeks prior to the Nashville Rock ‘n’ Roll 2019 half marathon.  This gave me enough time to get 30 miles of training in the new shoe—never race in brand new shoes.

    Happy to say the Brooks running shoes performed very well for me in Nashville and training leading up to the race.  The support the new shoes provide eliminated foot discomfort, leg fatigue and joint issues.

    Grateful to the Fleet Feet staff for helping me understand more about my feet and the need to ensure my equipment matches my needs.  I love the ASICS brand but was more than willing to replace them to keep my feet happy and moving forward.  Excited to see the future race results in my new Brooks—more miles to come!

    Join me at the Philly Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon in September to see how my new Brooks are performing!

    ‘Some seek the comfort of their therapist’s office, others head to the corner pub, but I chose running as my therapy.’

    (Dean Karnazes)

    Brooks

  • No cell, no worries!

    ‘Cell phones are so convenient that they’re an inconvenience.’

    (Haruki Murakami)

    turned on iphone x with yellow case
    Photo by Essow Kedelina on Pexels.com

    Yesterday I had a small problem handling my cell phone.  Started my daily trek to the gym to get a chest workout in.  Nothing out of the norm so far, right?  Well my cell phone fell from my gym bag as I was putting it in my vehicle.  I’ve dropped my cell phone before so didn’t think this was a major deal in life.  Put it back in my bag and made my way to the gym.

    Discovered the simple drop may impact my day more when I tried to listen to my favorite reggae station during my workout.  Turns out my phone showed the dreaded ‘black screen’ of death—still had indicator lights that I had incoming messages, but I couldn’t navigate to them without my interactive screen.  Still no big deal, so I thought—figured I would reboot the phone after the gym, and everything would be back to normal.

    Googled my phone brand and model to get the sequence needed for the reboot.  Followed the directions for multiple reboot sequences but the black screen did not disappear.  After experiencing a modest level of frustration for me, decided to go see my service provider for some help.  Presented my problem to the service technician and had to laugh because she went straight to Google to perform the reboot sequences I had done already.  Didn’t work for her any better than it did for me, so I felt good with the knowledge I could follow simple directions.

    Got referred to a local U Break I Fix shop for a potential repair.  The owner was quick to let me know he sees my type repair daily and they should be able to get me fixed, no worries.  Turns out this drop of the phone did damage to my LCD screen.  The phone is still operating just can’t get the screen to show what’s happening.  Again, no worries!

    I quickly learned from leaving my cell phone at the repair shop how dependent we have become on our phone and other technical devices.  Without a cell phone (24 hours only) it felt like I was invisible in the world—this made me laugh.  I realized there are only three phone numbers I have memorized—mine, my mom’s home number and my grandmother’s home number—that’s it.  I couldn’t contact anyone else even if I had a way to call or text them.  Decided to email a few folks to let them know I wasn’t ignoring them with my phone silence and had them notify others of my current lack of technology access.

    Took me a little bit but soon discovered a type of freedom without my phone.  I’m a news junkie so when I have a phone, I’m always on it checking sports scores, CNN and MSN.  I got through my workout today quicker than normal because I didn’t take a break to read an article or check out the political landscape.  Also, enjoyed my lunch more since I couldn’t interrupt myself by staring at my phone instead of eating.  Took my vehicle for an oil change and was able to get in over 2000 steps walking instead of sitting in the waiting room on my phone.

    None of the things I’ve done without my phone are earth shattering but it did show me there is still life events without having a phone in my hands.  Everything I needed to accomplish still got done—in fact it appears I’m more productive without having the phone as a distraction.

    Lessons learned from this 24-hour period without a cell phone:

    • Quit dropping the phone
    • I need to have more numbers memorized—3 is laughable (technically two since one is mine)
    • Limit phone use in the gym
    • Put the phone down and enjoy my meals
    • Have backup communication paths—just in case

    Surviving my 24-hour period without my phone wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.  Turned out to be a very peaceful time for me—very surprised but happy with this outcome.

    So, my question for you:  how many phone numbers do you have memorized?  Be honest! 😊

    Enjoy your walk!

    KEEP CALM

  • Nashville & the Wildhorse Saloon

    Rock n Roll Half Marathon

    Made my way back to Nashville, TN for the 2019 Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in April.  This race has become a favorite of mine because it allows me to run Nashville neighborhoods and catch amazing musicians at multiple music venues.

    My training approach for this half marathon and all others moving forward has improved tremendously.  The Walk into the Future approach has allowed me to increase my training efforts and logging ‘true’ long runs.  Long runs for me now routinely cover 10 miles or longer.  The longest training run I put in for this race was 15 miles—didn’t run this distance for speed but used it to build mental and physical toughness.  Turns out I needed all the mental and physical toughness I could display because somewhere in my love for Nashville I forgot about the HILLS there! 😊

    The first 6 miles seemed to go uphill with multiple degrees of incline.  My training runs incorporated hills, so I was better prepared than I initially thought.  Decided to just put trust in my training and have fun as I made my way up each incline.  Slowly found myself enjoying each step with a smile on my face—guess I finally got that runner’s high people always talk about.

    Fast forward a bit and I was able to finish in 2:08:21 (two hours, eight minutes and 21 seconds) which is my personal best.  Improved on my time from the 2019 New Orleans Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon.  I’m still a bit off from my goal of running under 2 hours but I’m making incremental progress towards the goal.  I will continue to take small bites from the elephant.  Next scheduled half marathon will be in Philly in September.

    Nashville after race

    Wildhorse Saloon

    The Wildhorse Saloon is a place I visit every time I’m in Nashville.  It’s a great place to hear live music, dance and get some of the best food in Nashville.  Made two visits to the Wild Horse on this trip and heard some great new musicians.

    Line dancing lessons take place when the musicians take a break and the dance floor was crowded with folks having a great time learning the steps.  The line dance instructor breaks each dance down with step counts and practice for the dancers before turning them loose.  It’s great watching people learn the dance and then actually perform what they learned—yes, I include myself since I first tried line dancing at the Wildhorse.  Believe this place is a must visit if you decide to head to Nashville.

     

     

    NFL Draft

    The 2019 NFL Draft was also in Nashville for race weekend.  This was an extra event to experience while in town.  There were over 600,000 NFL fans in attendance for the 3-day draft event.  Made my way down to draft central two days to soak in the excitement of the draft and enjoy the crowds.   Didn’t realize how many professional football fans were this invested in their team’s draft process.  The passion, excitement and team pride displayed was impressive and Nashville put on an excellent show for everyone in attendance.

    The Pittsburgh Steelers were the most represented team at the draft.  Their fans travel all over the country to show their support.

     

     

    My current Walk into the Future seems to keep bringing me back to Nashville and I love that fact!

    I plan to return to Nashville next April to enjoy the race weekend and live music again—great place to visit if you’ve never been!

    What’s your favorite place to visit?  How often do you get a chance to visit?  Thanks!

  • Walk into the Future—What it means to me

     “I walk slowly, but I never walk backwards.”

    (Abraham Lincoln)

    Wanted to dive deeper into the title of my blog, Walk into the Future.  Last year I decided to change my mindset and physical space to embark on a journey.  This journey was designed to allow me to experience a level of freedom that wasn’t present, but I knew existed—just had to open my eyes a bit and walk forward.

    Merriam Webster defines future in multiple ways, “time regarded as still to come AND what is going to happen”.  Both versions provide a flexible view and allows individuals to determine what the future means to them.

    I selected Walk into the Future as my title to embrace the future and identify the courage to move forward.  This forward approach covers personal and professional adventures as well as insight I want to share with readers.  I created this project to share my ‘walk’ and provide insight into important concepts for me.  There are days I sit down to write, and the words just come to me.  There are other days where I will reach out to my tree branches to see what they want/need to read and then develop content around their inputs.  I am keenly aware of my surroundings, so inspiration comes to me from multiple outlets, I just capture an idea and then work to develop into something readable.

    My Walk into the Future (so far) has allowed me to:

    • Post blog articles weekly
    • Get back down to Jamaica
    • Visit Paisley Park
    • Improve my half-marathon time (3 times)
    • Mentor others (in-person and virtual)
    • Serve as a professional development vendor with the Seminole Tribe of Florida
    • Gain followers for my blog
    • Inspire people
    • Live life

    I could add more things here but believe you can see the positives I’ve experienced from posting blog articles on my current walk.

    Walk into the Future has become a life style for me and I’m excited to see how it develops moving forward.

    Remember, enjoy the process—walk, don’t run!

    What does Walk into the Future mean to you?  How can you leverage this concept in your daily walk?  Interested to hear from you—thanks!

     “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”

    (Abraham Lincoln)

    Future May 2019

  • Running and enjoying the Big Easy (New Orleans)

    ‘Everything in New Orleans is a good idea’.

    (Anonymous)

    New Orleans Canal Street Trolley

    Made another trek over to New Orleans for the 2019 Rock and Roll Half Marathon.  This was race #2 in my 2019 goals for my running program.

    Happy to report my training program has gained me additional time off my personal best for the half marathon distance.  Was able to clock 2:10:39 (official time) which took three minutes off my previous best time.  I’m learning more about training, lactic acid thresh holds and pain management.  Slowing but positively heading towards my goal of running a half marathon under 2 hours—it’s coming!

    Was excited to get back over to New Orleans this year.  It’s a great place to visit—lots of food, drink and culture options available.

    Decided to stay a little more central this year on Canal Street.  The hotel was far enough away from the hustle and noise of Bourbon Street but close enough to walk there for entertainment options.  Made it down to Bourbon Street to watch the street performers (singers, drummers, dancers, etc.) and experience the crowds who flock there to experience this New Orleans tradition.

    What’s a trip to New Orleans without eating at The Original Cajun Restaurant, Mulate’s?  It has become a staple on the New Orleans trip because the food and atmosphere are that good.  Generous portions, plenty food options and cold beer are major draws for this restaurant.  Normally get there during the day so have never experienced the bands that play the main stage at night.  Will make it a point to get there for the bands on my next journey over.

    A pleasant surprise and ‘new’ favorite place to eat in New Orleans is the Creole House Restaurant & Oyster Bar.  The Creole House is right on Canal Street and was next door to my hotel.  The convenience was great since I was doing a lot of running and walking while in New Orleans but beyond that the food was fantastic.  Got a chance to experience multiple meals at the Creole House and the menu selection was great.  I will warn you, the ‘house mayo’ they use on the Po Boys (sandwich) is good BUT spicy.  They don’t tell you that up front, so it was a surprise to me—I don’t do spicy. 😊

    I would recommend the chicken and waffles they have on the breakfast menu.  Every meal I had at the Creole House was great, but the chicken and waffles took it to another level.  Best chicken I’ve had in a long time and the waffle was large and fluffy.  Wish they would have this all day long, but it is a great way to start the day.  Will get the chicken and waffles every time I’m back in New Orleans—it’s that good!

    New Orleans is a great place—recommend you get there for a visit if you haven’t been yet.  Also, recommend experiencing the great food and culture available.  It’s more than a place to collect beads on Bourbon Street.

    Creole House

  • Permission granted; Go ahead and free your mind

    ‘Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitude.’

    (Fredrick Douglas)

    I laughed a bit at myself when I did some actual research on this Fredrick Douglas quote.  Originally heard this in an old Public Enemy (PE) song, ‘Show em what you got’ from the late 1980’s.  Turns out PE was dropping knowledge as usual by integrating activism into their music to help listeners gain a new level of consciousness.

    But let’s leverage this quote into a bit of ‘mind magic’ to help with your Walk into The Future.

    How many times have you talked yourself out of accepting a new challenge?  How often do you stay stuck because you can’t free yourself (mind, body, soul)?

    It may be time for the multitude to travel down the road.

    Give yourself the freedom to accept and then conquer new challenges.  Most times people view challenges with dread and then go into negative self-talk mode.  Why is that?  You haven’t freed your mind enough to let yourself move forward with the challenge.

    You may want to view potential challenges as opportunities available to you.

    Go ahead and give yourself permission to release your ‘preconceived’ thought formations and leverage the clean slate available once you free your thought process.

    A free mind allows you to:

    • Start with a clean slate
    • Concentrate
    • Eliminates stress
    • Jump start positive self-talk
    • Strategize for the task at hand

    There will be other benefits of allowing yourself the freedom to clear your head from time to time.  We all carry mental clutter throughout the day.  How often do you make the time to clear this clutter to enhance your day?  A meditation practice could be leveraged to help with this process.

    Go ahead and give yourself the permission to experience the mental freedom you need to soar.  It’s okay to get out of your own head for a bit.

    What things do you need to ‘clear’ out of your head to experience a new level of freedom?  Write them down to help you Walk into The Future!

     

  • Black History Month – How did you celebrate?

    Black History Month

    ‘The greatness of a man is not how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.’

    (Bob Marley)

    Today marks the end of Black History and is a good day to reflect on why we have this month and ways we can keep the celebration going.

    Black History Month started on a much smaller scale.  It was originally designated as Negro History Week in 1926 and created by Carter G. Woodson.  The month-long celebration of Black History began in 1976.  The month of February was selected to incorporate the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass.

    So, as you can see the celebration of Black History grew from a week-long process to a full month where we get to recognize and celebrate the amazing contributions of black folks to this country.  You don’t have to wait for February to learn or explore Black History—it should be taught daily in our schools, family gatherings, churches and anywhere else people get together to discuss important things.

    There are times when Black History ‘may’ seem like an afterthought but that shouldn’t be the case.

    Tuskegee Airmen

    The Tuskegee Airmen program was established at Tuskegee Air Field, Alabama to train black crew members to fly and fight in World War II.  The term Tuskegee Airmen has been used to describe the pilots, navigators, crew chiefs and others who trained at Tuskegee Air Field.

    The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black aviators to serve in the U. S. Armed forces.  They were able to accomplish a lot of good while also still fighting discrimination from within the Armed services and the nation due to the climate of race relations in the country.

    The Tuskegee Airmen trained and prepared for war but because blacks were considered inferior, they were not viewed as deployable for overseas duty.

    This all changed due to an unlikely allay for the Tuskegee Airman program.  The first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt visited Tuskegee in 1941 to inspect the program and talk with candidates.  She embarked on a flight with a black instructor and her response once she landed was instrumental in changing the perception of black aviators within the War Department and around the country.  A picture of the first lady and pilot still in the plane after their flight was on the front page of every newspaper in America.  This publicity provided a springboard for the Tuskegee Airmen and helped pave their way to see combat and help end World War II.

    I had the honor to attend a traveling exhibit to help educate the nation on the Tuskegee Airmen and their contributions during World War II.  This was an amazing experience for me to get a first-hand account (in their recorded words) from Tuskegee Airmen who are still alive.  They describe in detail the challenges they faced and how they mustered the courage to keep moving forward even though the odds were against them.

    The Tuskegee Airmen flew the P-51 Mustang air frame in combat.  Their planes were painted with a distinct ‘Red Tail’ to identify the flying unit.  Other units in World War II had similar distinct tail markings to signify friendly aircraft—especially needed in air-to-air dog fights.

    A P-51 has been restored to include the Red Tail and travels around the country to help bring additional attention to the Tuskegee Airmen program.

    Attending the ‘Red Tails’ exhibit was a great experience and I’m happy the story of the Tuskegee Airmen is still being told.

    Learn more here:  https://www.redtail.org/

    My Black History Month tradition:

    I’m an avid reader and decided years ago to read a specific book every February as my personal Black History Month tradition.

    My book of choice is:  The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

    It is easy to forget the importance Malcolm X. had from a cultural standpoint.  You can follow his continual growth as he developed a better understanding of how to lead people and adjust his original thoughts.  He died still trying to formulate a new platform towards race relations in America.  Note:  his views were dramatically changed after traveling to Mecca and learning true brotherhood.

    We should celebrate Black History every day!  February provides a full month to re-engage with Black History, but we don’t have to limit our celebration just to February.

    How did you celebrate Black History month?  What traditions do you have to make the month stand out for you?  Thanks!

  • Running Traveler

    traveler 2019

    2018 allowed me to develop a robust running program as part of my Walk into the Future.  I set an aggressive (for me) goal to increase the number of Half Marathons I would run in 2018.  This newfound aggressive scheduling allowed me to travel to multiple locations and experience 13.1-mile courses in fun and culturally significant places.

    Running a race allows you to experience a location in a more intimate manner than simply driving around.  Running provides opportunities to fully engage the city since you don’t have to worry about cars, traffic or obeying signs.  The course gives you the freedom to look around, admire architecture or even stop to take a picture of landmarks.  My goal is to run as fast as possible, but 13.1 miles provides a lot of sightseeing time.

    New Orleans, LA. (March 2018)

    My first 2018 race was the Humana Rock ‘N’ Roll New Orleans Half Marathon.  I’ve been to New Orleans multiple times, but this was my first time running a race in the city.  Running friends identified this as a fun race and a fast course since New Orleans is relatively flat.  The race and the course really lived up to the prerace hype.  Everything about New Orleans is festive and the course sponsors, volunteers and cheering crowd made sure all runners enjoyed their time in New Orleans.  New Orleans is known for Mardi Gras and having a good time.  A lot of runners use this race as an extended opportunity to get dressed up in costume.  You see all sorts of outfits for this race and beads are everywhere.

    The race starts downtown and winds throughout the city.  We spent a lot of time on tree lined St. Charles Avenue.  Residents, business owners, spectators and brass bands lined the street to cheer runners.  There are a few ‘beer stands’ available even though it’s 7:30 am—of course you have to get a beer in New Orleans.  The rest of the race winds through the Garden District, the French Quarter and finishes at the Fairgrounds.  The race after party is held at the Fairgrounds with music, food, beer, snacks and hanging out with runners from around the world.

    New Orleans is a great city and I’m happy to have experienced it as a runner.  Got to see the city from different angles and have a deeper appreciation for the culture there.

    Recommend visiting River Walk New Orleans (shopping), Mulate’s (Cajun Restaurant) and Bourbon Street (music) while in New Orleans.

    Nashville, TN. (April 2018)

    Nashville is one of my favorite places to visit because I love live music and some of the best music is generated there.  The St. Jude Rock ‘N’ Roll Nashville Half Marathon is one of the largest races in the series.  The Nashville entertainment draws a lot of runners from around the world to ‘Nash Vegas’.  The food, music and shopping in Nashville provides a convenient backdrop for runners to meet up and enjoy the city.

    A real treat for runners during this race is a different musical act EVERY mile.  Most of the acts are local talent (singers, musicians, bands) who are all very good.  The course starts downtown Nashville and winds through college campuses and residential neighborhoods before ending at Nissan Stadium.  A unique feature happens right at mile marker #6.

    Mile marker #6 is the entrance to the Westgrove neighborhood.  The unique and special feature of this part of the running course is the people who live in the neighborhood provide the entertainment to include sound stage, costumes and refreshments.  The entire neighborhood gets involved during the race and they have FUN.  My first encounter with this neighborhood came in my first Nashville Half Marathon in 2017.  I stopped running to soak in the entertainment and the energy from the people there.  Truly amazing experience to see so many people want to help entertain and energize runners.  This is my favorite spot on the Nashville course every time I run there.  I didn’t stop in 2018 since I’m use to the experience now.

    Running in downtown Nashville is a true treat!  The history, entertainment and music venues there make for a unique visual experience.  I always discover new things to view every time I run the city.

    Recommend visiting the Wild Horse Saloon (food, live music, line dancing), Crazy Town (live music), Tequila Cowboy (live music, food, cold beer), Jack’s BBQ, Opryland USA and The Hermitage (Museum).  There’s a lot more there, Nashville is a great place to Walk into the Future.

    Boston, GA. (October 2018)

    The Boston Mini-Marathon is a local race the town of Boston, Georgia uses to invite people to visit over the weekend.  Festivities include the Mini-Marathon (Half), Parade, Ms. Boston pageant, a Boston Butt BBQ competition and local vendors.

    This race had the smallest number of runners for my 4 races but was the friendliest place I’ve ever run.  Everyone in town seemed to enjoy the event and the runners who descended on their town.  The course was very flat and with the cool October weather provided an opportunity to run fast.  I signed up for this one as a ‘training’ run but ran my fastest half marathon ever.  Believe the cool weather and flat course were instrumental to my fast (for me) time.

    boston mini

    Amelia Island, FL. (December 2018)

    Decided to take a flyer and run the Reindeer Half Marathon on Amelia Island.  I had never been to Amelia Island and thought this would be a great way to see the beach and downtown areas.  The course was described as flat and fast and it lived up to the billing.  The run starts and ends right on the beach.  In between it winds through nature preserves, neighborhoods, downtown and the Fort Clinch state park.  Unfortunately, the weekend weather was not great, so I didn’t get to explore as much as I wanted.  I spent a lot of time at SLIDERS which has a great menu and ice-cold beers. Was able to venture out on the beach the day after the race before the rain started again.  Will look to make it back to Amelia Island to get a better feel for the area.

    2019

    Looking to add a few additional cities to my Running Traveler program.  Will run the Philadelphia Rock ‘N’ Roll Half Marathon in September—never been to Philly.  Also looking at running the Orlando Utility Commission (OUC) Half Marathon again in December after taking a year away from this race.  May add a few others to round out my running schedule for 2019.

    Currently committed to run:

    • Gulf Winds Track Club 15k (January)
    • New Orleans Rock ‘N’ Roll Half (February)
    • Winter Park 10k (March)
    • Nashville Rock ‘N’ Roll Half (April)
    • Philadelphia Rock ‘N’ Roll Half (September)

    Looking forward to catching up with friends and drinking beer at all these races!  See YA’LL soon!