Carroll County Country Roads and Rails

Some things I see while attempting to out-run my fork the last couple of weeks on the roads and rails in Carroll County, Maryland.

Licking my scaly lips. 

Meet Chris Crinkle.

I dare you to come any closer.

Not just for trains.

 Reflecting life and forgotten times.

Looking at me looking at you.

Holy fungi.

Weeds to you, maybe.

Magenta filtered light.

No Jogging Bicycle Riding Rollerblading

This picture is taken less than two feet away from the sign.

This picture was taken about ten feet away from the sign.

Seriously, they think I can read that?  A faded brown rectangle, an after thought, positioned beneath the 25 mile speed limit sign that draws the eye?  These two signs are also on the right side of the road which means it is on the wrong side of the road for me.  Joggers run on the left, facing traffic. That's me.

I was on the last mile of a ten mile run when I was coming through this stretch of road, the area of no jogging, bicycling or rollerblading.  A car stopped alongside me and the driver, on the surface, polite, but underneath was sarcasm, informed me that there was a sign "back there" that said, no jogging, biking or rollerblading on this section of the road.  Thanks, I replied.  I didn't see it.  And this is the only way back to my start point.

I didn't bother to tell him I was on the last mile of a ten mile run and was not about to about-face and retrace even one foot.  I envisioned my environment and quickly realized where the sign must have been and the detours I would have had to take to avoid this section of the road that was supposed to be no jogging, bicycling or rollerblading. The only way around, to get back to where I needed to be, would have added (whining now, whaaaa), another mile.  I know.  Only a mile.  But that's a lot when you think you are on the last of a ten mile run.  And I am an old horse.  When I'm runing home, I take the bit in my teeth, put my head down, and go.

To continue with my whine, did I say it was windy?  Really windy?  With that crisp, spring air?

Did I say I was on Joint Base Andrews (AKA, Andrews AFB)?  Ooooh, maybe an MP will drive by and chastise me like the driver who informed me I was in the wrong.  So scared. I was breaking the rules!

The MP would have offered to give me a ride.

And do you know why there is supposed to be no jogging, bicycling or rollerblading on that section of the road?  A freaking golf course is on both sides, and there are signs that I did see that said, Warning, Errant Balls.  It's a golf course, for Christ's sake.  Of course there would be errant balls.  And like winning the lottery, I was not particularly expecting I would be the one that won.  I guess cars can go through there and drivers take their chances on not getting dented or cracked by an errant golf ball. And let's hope they have their windows up.  And if motorcycles go through there they would be wearing helmets because it's Maryland and it's a military installation. We care about you not being an organ donor, at least in this circumstance.

But wait. Can you imagine being clocked in the side of your helmet with a golf ball, or an "errant ball" whizzing in your open car window and bloodying your nose or replacing your eye?  The keepers of the signage apparently aren't concerned about that.  And neither was I.

To be totally truthful, there is one more reason why the sign might have said no jogging, bicycling or rollerblading. There wasn't much shoulder on that section of the road.  In my opinion, it wasn't much of a problem, really, since there were no ditches to speak of and as I pointed out, there's a golf course on both sides.  You know, flat and open so you can step off when a car approaches.  The traffic isn't heavy through there and the speed limit is 25.  Drivers know to yield to runners or formations on military installations. So why not on this particular section of the road?

I promise not to run through there again.  But seriously, let's lighten up you rule makers and those who get excited if someone is breaking one. 

Damn, I'm sore today.  That ten miles kicked my ass.

Little Runs and a Big Walk in Key West

At the end of a long walk around nearly the entire perimeter of Key West (minus Stock Island), we were rewarded with these beautiful sunset views.

We spent 8 weeks in Key West, leaving yesterday to head north to Key Largo for a week.

While in Key West, I ran several mornings for about 50 minutes to an hour.

I'd planned to run the circumference of the island, but didn't quite make it.  We walked it though, most of it, in flip-flops.  We headed out from Sigsbee Road, at around mile marker 4 and went clockwise, walking along the water on the promenade on the Florida Bay side, and past where Rt 1 heads north up the Keys, and along the Atlantic side heading south.  We had dinner at Santiago Bedega, but by that time our feet were sore.  After dinner we cut as directly back towards Sigsbee as we could, walking north on Truman Street and hitting some other smaller streets before the promenade again, going past the VFW and the Key West Yacht Club.  All in all, I think it was at least 10 miles.

Not that much of a walk, distance-wise, really, but a record for us in flip-flops. Craziness. 

Running in Savannah

While in Savannah, GA for a couple of weeks, we got a few runs in on Hunter Army Air Field.  One of those days we ran 12.2 miles - a loop following the perimeter road most of the way around the facility.  We weren't quite prepared for that distance on that particular day. We ended up walking about half the way back which we rarely do.  Anyway, I think we mostly out-ran our fork that day. 

You can't really see, but the dot in the center of the road, almost out of sight is Dave.

Veteran's Day Solo Memorial Run

On Veteran's Day, last Tuesday, I ran 13.1 miles, by myself, no formal race, to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, whose lives were cut short and are not here to run, as well as to honor those who served and came back physically and/or mentally challenged and can no longer just go out for a long run.  I ran to honor all those who have served over the years, in all our past wars. You see, I did it because I could.  Though 13.1 miles is no easy thing, it was easy enough for me.  The discomfort was nothing compared to what our service men and women have endured.

Before I left in the morning, this was the sunrise I saw.  I walked towards the fields for a better look.  As I gazed out at this beautiful view, I was also thinking about the Veterans who were never able to come home and appreciate a beautiful view like this, or those who came home whose bodies and spirits were broken.

As I ran, I saw a small patch of trees still vibrant with fall colors.

Beautiful Fall Views

We've been out running and I am hoping to build up to doing a 10 to 15 mile run at least once a week.

Marine Corps Marathon

I've run about 4 Marine Corps Marathons but this year, our son, Nick, ran it.  We went to DC to cheer him on. Dave and I were able to see Nick at five different points along the marathon, partly because we were geared up to run ourselves and are fast route-step marchers, and partly because we know DC and the MCM course so well. So we got some good exercise ourselves this day.

Father-son hug in the middle of the marathon.

Father-son high five.

The last mile.

Our son and his SIL who'd run the Marine Corps 10K which ran simultaneously.

Our grandson with his dad's medal.