(Image by lolame from Pixabay.com)
The fallacy of today is tomorrow will be a better day
Regardless of what the hope will be
There are things we will not see
The motivation of circumstance
Will keep all searching for their chance
Improving daily
But what chances should be taken?
(Image by Pexels from Pixabay)
“To be black and conscious in America is to be in a constant state of rage”.
(James Baldwin)
“I’m a black man in America so I always feel there’s a target on me”.
(Wale)
The Walk into the Future blog has provided me with a creative outlet where I can share my thoughts, leadership philosophy and life adventures. It puts a smile on my face when I look back at this journey and see the quality of my writing and content improve daily. Never thought an electronic journal would become such a huge part of my daily life. I smile every time someone follows the blog or sends me a comment.
Well, I did not smile so much today!
The battle we fight daily as black men in America has been playing out on every major TV network first with Ahmaud Arbery (killed jogging), then Breonna Taylor (killed sleeping) and now George Floyd (killed while handcuffed). Think about that last sentence for a minute!
I know there are others out there who have faced the wrath of America but there was not video evidence of what happened to them. Black America has been hoping and praying these incidents would stop and we can fully engage in the American dream—good thing I am not holding my breath—this never seems to end! Why not? I know this is not a simple question to answer but it needs to get answered soon.
Got several text messages from my friends to check on me to see how I am doing with all of this. Thank you for thinking of me and reaching out!
Think it hits closer to home with my friends because they know how much I am out and about with my running program. Seeing a black man get killed while out for a run highlighted our plight to my friends—yes, that could have been me. I have had to reassure my mom, brothers, and friends that I am doing everything I can to stay safe when I am out for a run. Sad to say I must think about being able to make it home safely when I go out for a run. How many who read my blog have these thoughts when you go for a run? Life is weird, huh?
My running outfits are selected to provide me with the most visibility as possible. The extreme bright, loud, and sometimes fluorescent colors are used so everyone will know I am not hiding anything or trying to blend in. I want to be visible and remembered by everyone who sees me running through their neighborhood. I also make a point to speak, wave, and smile at everyone I encounter because I do not want them to feel threatened. Surprisingly, most do not wave back but that is not the point of my actions. I smile and wave whenever I see a police car drive by too. Cannot be seen as a threat while exercising!
(Do I look like a runner?)
I also make a point to carry my retired Air Force identification card when I am on my runs in case I encounter police. I have found police are less threatened when they realize they are talking with someone who has served the country.
When driving I always show my military identification if I get pulled over for any reason first, then I provide whatever identification is requested. Please know both hands remain on the steering wheel and then I explain in a clear, distinct voice what I am doing if ordered to produce anything else. I am sure most black people follow this same process to avoid misunderstandings that leads to…you know!
Being a black man in America is exhausting! I have a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, a Master’s degree in Counseling/Human Relations, a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Air Force retiree identification and recognized nationally for authentic leadership development.
Now, imagine what black men without my credentials must do to survive in America. The insanity must stop!
NOTE: I will get back to my normal tone next week—thanks for allowing me to vent.
“I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color”.
(Malcolm X.)
“Usually, when people are sad, they don’t do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they are angry, they bring about change”.
(Malcolm X.)
Time for change—let’s get out and vote, remain vigilant and demand change—we must do better!
How can you help?
Great article: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/05/29/george-floyd-ahmaud-arbery-killings-make-hard-blacks-breathe-column/5278108002/
(Image by 272447 from Pixabay)
“He who is outside his door has the hardest part of his journey behind him”.
(Dutch Proverb)
Shared my running tourist moniker with a group I was networking with last week and was surprised they never heard it before. I am sure I cannot be the first to use it to describe going to other locations for race adventures but thought maybe I should try to copyright the term. Nope, just Googled it and others use the same term to highlight their running adventures too. 😊
Decided it was time to look at the running tourism I see daily in my current home of Tallahassee, Florida. Sometimes we take things close by for granted and never truly engage/enjoy them as much as the fun travel destinations (Nashville, New Orleans, Philly, etc.). Please note, I get out and about as much as the next person in Tallahassee but never documented much in the Walk into the Future blog.
Running trails
I have referred to the many trails and places I train to prepare for my races. Tallahassee is known for the multiple parks, trails, and greenways available to explore. The terrain goes from very flat surfaces to high degree inclines which are perfect to help prepare for races around the country. My early running years in Tallahassee were mostly contained to Lafayette Heritage Park and the Alfred Greenway.
Looking back believe I stayed with these running environments because they were close by. I simply walked across the street to get on the paved trail that took me into Lafayette Heritage Park—the Alfred Greenway is on the opposite side of the park. Both venues provided a good foundation to running for me and looking back did not provide a huge challenge to navigate. I still utilize both trails when I am out to just stretch my legs.
Tom Brown Park provides additional trails (paved and unpaved) to log training miles. I normally run through the park as part of a loop I can take to get additional miles in. My 5 – 8 mile runs all include some portion of Tom Brown park. Like the fact I do not have to carry water through the park since they have multiple water fountains and restrooms available. Great place to watch people and see all the happy dogs with family in the dog park. The dogs always seem to want to run with me for some odd reason! 😊
Graduated my long runs out to the St. Marks Trail. The St. Marks Trail was an old railroad route from Tallahassee down to the gulf coast. It is a place to see bikers, hikers and runners all utilizing the marked trail every day of the year. I like the fact the trail has mile markers which makes it easy to log my runs—no guessing when I want to get a 12-mile run in. The St. Marks trail has well maintained restrooms and a few water fountains, so these are perks I enjoy while out for my runs.
There are other places to run in Tallahassee, but these are the areas I utilize when I am writing about my training program.
Downtown
Tallahassee does not have a huge downtown area but provides a few unique experiences. Was introduced to the museum scene by a friend who is native to Tallahassee. The Florida Museum of History is a must see if you visit. You can trace Florida’s history from the 1600s up to World War II. The artifacts and stories of how Florida developed are interesting and worth the trip.
The Capital building is a great place to visit and get a bird’s eye view of Tallahassee. The 22nd floor has a panoramic observation deck which lets you view the city from the highest vantage point. It is also a great way to exercise if you decide to walk up and not take the elevator.
Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille and Andrew’s Downtown are two good places to get a meal and drinks when visiting downtown. This is a college town so there are multiple watering holes to visit close by.
My favorite place to hang out, drink beer and eat just happens to be a local dive bar, Corner Pockets. I would never go to Corner Pockets when I first moved to Tallahassee because I thought it was a pool hall. They only have two pool tables and they are in the corner, but it is more sports bar than pool hall. They have the coldest beer in town and some of the best bar food you can find anywhere. Prices are good and the staff is friendly. Corner Pocket attracts sports fans, so you must arrive early on game days to ensure you get a seat—standing is allowed but I like to sit at the bar and watch multiple TVs.
Again, there are other spots in Tallahassee, but I am sharing where I hang out. 😊
FSU / FAMU
This is a college town and FSU and FAMU are the large schools here. The students provide a huge population boost during the academic year. The sports fans/alums who come back for sporting events also provide unique experiences since traffic doubles when the home teams are in town. This creates a more festive environment and celebrations across neighborhoods.
I am a Gator fan so do not partake in much of this until the Gators come to town! 😊
So, there you have it—these are a few ways the running tourist enjoys life when not on the road.
What are your favorite venues in your area? How often do you get out to enjoy them?
“Time flies. It’s up to you to be the navigator”.
(Robert Orben)
Please note, wrote this article before I left Tallahassee for Fort Pierce. Still wanted to share.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
“I want to move and go places and never look back. Just have fun, forever”.
(Josephine Marcus from the 1993 movie, Tombstone)
I love the quote above for the simple nature of how it signifies life should be fun.
The quote was a response to a question Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) asked Josephine Marcus (Dana Delaney) in the 1993 movie, Tombstone. He was trying to understand how Josephine defined the concept of happiness.
My current Walk into the Future has a bit of resemblance to Josephine’s view with a slight twist.
I constantly seek out opportunities and adventures that excite me and then find ways to incorporate these things into my current walk. Had another interesting conversation with a longtime friend prior to heading to Philadelphia for the 2019 Philly Rock n Roll half marathon.
My travel itinerary was the topic of discussion and I revealed in my typical Walk into the Future fashion the following things were known about my trip:
The list above did not have an official return date from Philadelphia. To me, this was not a big deal, just part of how I Walk into the Future.
My friend quickly became worried for me because going somewhere new without a return date was/is a foreign concept to most people. FYI, for me this is an exciting part of the walk! Please note, I knew when I planned to come back, I just didn’t book the return flight at the same time as my departure.
Southwest Airlines tends to reduce flight prices to ensure they have full flights. I simply gambled on the premise they would lower the price for the return flight from Philly and it happened. Spent less coming back than I did going up because of my ability to walk without a return date.
Don’t consider myself as a travel pioneer; I’m sure other people have flexible travel schedules. This flexibility is an exciting aspect when traveling. I routinely book travel at the last minute because of the great deals I’ve been able to get in the past. Please note, it does not always work in my favor and I end up spending the same or more for my travel adventures. Can’t complain when this happens since I normally come out ahead more times than not.
I book with a more traditional travel concept when friends and family travel with me. My wait and see program can cause some level of anxiety so I’m mindful to eliminate this when others are counting on me being in a specific location at a specific time.
Plan to explore new destinations in 2020 and will not be pressed by a return date. Will continue Walking into the Future with no return date; been a fun journey so far! 😊
Where would you travel without a return date? Would you find this exciting or scary?
“Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better”.
(Albert Camus)
(Downtown Philly!)
“To travel is to live”.
(Hans Christian Andersen)
My Walk into the Future continues to expand my running tourist experiences. Made a trek to the 2019 Philadelphia Rock N Roll Half Marathon in September. This was race #5 for my 2019 running goals.
The training and additional miles logged over the summer were evident during my race. I was able to post another personal record (PR) time of 2:07:55 (official time) but was happier with how I felt mentally and physically during the race. Past races my legs started to hurt at the 8-mile marker and really screamed at me miles 10 through 13. Fighting the pain and the urge to stop running was always there in previous races but my new training program allowed me to enjoy every mile of the race. Helped the Philly course was mostly flat until the end. I never frown at a PR but will evaluate my training process to see where I can find additional speed to get me closer to my goal time of under 2 hours.
Note: The 2-hour goal does not stop me from enjoying these races. It’s my way to push myself to improve daily.
“The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday”.
(Haruki Murakami)
(After race and Rocky statue)
Philadelphia
Selected this race because I’ve never been to Philadelphia. Also, I have a tree branch (Lauren Apgar) in Philly, and it gave us a chance to catch up. Again, I take the concept of running tourist seriously so let me know if I should visit your city for a run. 😊
We left the airport and headed straight to the Philadelphia Convention Center for the Rock N Roll EXPO. Seeing the thousands of running tourists who trek to a Rock N Roll destination to run the city and enjoy the culture is always a highlight of race weekend.
The positive energy in the EXPO hall always provides extra inspiration to run my best race. People from all over the world converging on a location with the same goal in mind to run their best race ever.
The Philly EXPO was smaller than previous EXPOs (New Orleans and Nashville) because there was not a full marathon scheduled. The Philly races were the half marathon, a 7.6k and a 5k.
This was Lauren’s first Rock N Roll EXPO, so it was great introducing her to the process (check-in, bib pickup, bag pickup, etc.) and attending the EXPO with vendors and products. We got as many freebies as we could and tested out products on display. This is a great way to get a free massage before the race since vendors want to test their products on runners. I’m always down for the free massage! Got a lot of cool photo ops while at the EXPO:
Food, food and more food
We left the convention center and made our way to Iron Hill Brewery (Center City) for lunch to help with my carb loading process. Great location with a huge menu and beer options. I don’t experiment with food prior to a race so ordered the grilled chicken sandwich, fries and the Iron Hill Light Lager. Lots of great food on the menu if you get a chance to dine at one of their locations:
What’s a trip to Philly without visiting the Reading Terminal Market? It’s labeled as “one of America’s largest and oldest public markets” and lived up to the reputation. Row after row of unique foods, fare and products. Several vendors had wrap around lines waiting to explore new tastes. We didn’t eat at Reading Terminal Market, but it will be a regular stop when I’m back in Philly:
Dinner carb loading was done at Pietro’s Coal Oven Pizzeria. Stuck with the tried and true chicken parmesan because it came with a huge plate of spaghetti and sauce. Portions were so large at Pietro’s I almost couldn’t finish it all but since I had 13.1 miles to run the next morning, I powered through.
We ventured further out after the race to get cheese steaks. Lauren introduced me to the Philly subway system and the proper way to get around the city. We got an impromptu dance show from a family entertaining everyone on the subway. Great seeing people smile and enjoy themselves as they traveled to their respective destinations. Full disclosure, I assumed Philly was going to be all hustle and bustle like New York. Pleasantly surprised how slow the pace was in Philly and how people interacted with each other.
Cheese steaks on every corner
We decided to take part in the great Philly cheese steak debate: Geno’s or Pat’s. Agreed we would do a taste test to decide which cheese steak was better.
Started at Geno’s and dived right into a large cheese steak. Very good flavor, texture and presentation. Made our way across the street to try Pat’s cheese steak next. Again, very good flavor, texture and presentation. The onions on the Pat’s cheese steak were sautéed more and the steak had more moisture than Geno’s. We agreed both were worth a visit if you’re in Philly—can’t go wrong with either selection.
Seating is limited at Geno’s and Pat’s, so we grabbed seats at Garage Philly and enjoyed the cheese steaks, beer and people watching. They have a DJ playing on the sidewalk, so it was a block party and a great place to relax with good food:
History
Made our way over to Independence Hall to experience some American history. Got a chance to explore multiple buildings on the property to include Congress Hall and Senate Chambers. The Liberty Bell was another historical site we were able to experience. Great being in a place with this much historical contexts—recommend visiting if you’re in the Philadelphia area.
Trekked over to Penn’s Landing to see the waterway and the Ben Franklin Bridge. Great place to people watch and get photos of New Jersey across the river. Lots of boats in the water and people enjoying the great September weather.
Philadelphia is a great place—recommend you get there for a visit if you haven’t been. Also, recommend experiencing the great food, history and culture available.
FYI—enjoyed it so much I’ve already signed up for the 2020 Philadelphia Rock N Roll Half Marathon! Will get a chance to test out the Pat’s and Geno’s cheese steak debate again. Can’t wait!
What city have you always wanted to visit? When are you going?
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”.
(Helen Keller)
Thanks Lauren for being a great host and tour guide—well done! 😊
INSTAGRAM: @jayla_brianna
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