All the way to Tennessee!!!

This morning I was up early with a few bites of refrigerated pancake and a swig of water. I laced up my new from the box Saucony Ride 2's and headed out the door for "who-knows-where". This is my favorite place to run, it always brings the best out of me on the maintenance easy days.

After a three right turns I found myself out on the highway headed toward Tennessee. This winding mountain road has such a different feeling from the shoulder while on the feet. The hills seem smaller somehow than imagined and the sights more appealing. There are old houses slowly returning to their source. You can spot things across the river valley you knew were there but never noticed at 50 mph. You also realize how close everything is in this area, while the abrupt and densely covered hills make it seem otherwise.

After rolling along for 3 miles I came to an opening in the canopy and found that I was only a mile or so from the state line between NC and TN. I decided to finally go run to the state line. This was something which I just never bothered to do. Running on this road seems fairly hazardous and with the many options around me it was the least appealing until today. This morning on a calm Sunday it seemed just the thing to do. The traffic was fairly light and I was only buzzed by a few right-wingers unsure of what the exercising citizen in short shorts meant to his particular world view. It seems when "threatened" it is the habit of the ignorant to act with aggression and drive a large truck moving at 70 mph as close to the unprotected human being as possible. How could I have such nerve as to be running on the road he is driving upon? My bad.

Political views aside, the majority of this run was relatively relaxing and offered nice variety in terrain as Hwy 321 undulated over the hills. Soon I was back in the yard rocking on the back porch watching Goliath bark at the passing church traffic. Having already taken my morning dose of spirituality it was on to the tasks of the day. On to the enjoyment of the sounds of rain pattering upon the metal roof, the rumble of distant thunder in the river valley. The sounds of the emerging birds after the rain has passed up the valley.