The Zen of the Road Side Sobakawa

I had just crossed the busyness of Hwy 421 and its evening flow of traffic being herded from light to light.

My day's 10 miles behind me and my car just out of sight and around the short bend in the road ahead. I could sense the calmness of another chilly spring sunset as the sky drew pale oranges through its wispy vapors.

With an off day preceding the run I was feeling the pep in my step enough to close this run with a flurry of playful speed. So, like days past when I came upon those familiar crumbles in the edge of the asphalt I just gave a few skips and leaps to negotiate the area. Zipping down the incline I felt smooth and light.

From the corner of my eye I spotted a beaten down old sports car which grabbed my attention for a split moment as it drove in the opposite lane and came to a stop at the intersection.




I then felt my right foot cease its forward movement, impeded by a chunk of fatigued, rogue roadway.

My left foot trailed behind still in its plant position. My torso was rotating forward, laying out into the space before me. Time slowed... My body left the ground and was moving through air, suspended and weightless.

In temporary flight, I scouted for the more dangerous areas to land and to avoid. My trail-mind kicked in first searching for trees, rocks, roots... Then my road mind spoke up with its warning...

"This, is gonna hurt..."

My survival brain kicked in, "ROLL! (idiot)..."



I tucked my left side into a sideways log roll hoping to minimize the skin damage and avoid anything big being broken. As I touched down, time sped forward and instantly caught up with the fall.

In this rush of gravelly sounds I lay still with the passing, distant 'whoosh' of commuting vehicles. I heard the idling of that beaten old sports car at the stop sign waiting to merge into that stream.

I was still laying motionless and groaning in discomfort. Apprehensively delaying the inevitable body parts check list to come once I moved.



The gravel was comfortable now that I lay there motionless. The chilly air had cooled the small pebbles and in this moment nothing ached or stung or bled, not yet. Laying there I felt the gravel acquiesce to my still weight and shape... finding the zen of the road side sobakawa.

Tanawha Trail with Bonus Option!

(Clockwise from L) Caleb, Santiago, Sean, James, Mark, Tim, Jenny, Ashley

A few weeks back Mark at Big Foot Trail Runners put out an invite for a group run on my local long trail... the Tanawha Trail which skirts below Grandfather Mountain and parallel to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

So, on Saturday morning a group of 8 runners collected in the random April frost. We were still shivering as the full moon descended and the welcomed orb or warmth arrived. With a smattering of beeps signifying modern runner's resumption of movement... we were off on an adventure!

Beacon Heights to Upper Boone Fork
We began at Beacon Heights still foggy and finding our rhythm on the extremely technical trail. The Tanawha here, is mainly comprised of large flat rocks and spindly roots and is very rugged. So, we plodded on and went with the flow of the trail knowing that we would have a minimum of 13.5 miles to cover from end to end. Plus, we had the option of ascending a short 5k one way add on to Calloway Peak atop Grandfather Mountain.

Resting in the woods on a chilly morning

Every couple of miles we would regroup at intersections or beautiful scenic vistas which allowed each of us to run at our own comfortable effort for the day while also getting to chat it up some while refueling and recharging.

A Perfect Spring Day
Once the sun had risen we were all very comfortable with the morning temperatures and quickly shedded layers down to short sleeves and bare hands. The early spring had the trail looking fresh with young grasses and a variety of the tiniest wildflowers lining the trail with splashes of purples, yellows and whites.

Gradually, the Tanawha opens up bit by bit and becomes more runnable. However, still fairly technical through about the halfway mark around Upper Boone Fork where we had stashed supplies. Here we had a choice to make. Either go on to the finish for the 13.5 mile option or... ascend Grandfather Mountain to Calloway Peak.

Originally, Mark and I had loosely committed to making the push to the views above. With such a crystal clear day to take in the scenery we had been making the case for others to join us. We had thought the whole run would take about 5 hours... that we'd be completed around 12 or 1pm at the latest. It was already getting to be about 11:30am... we still had 90 minutes to reach the end of the Tanawha Trail and the trip up to Calloway Peak would add 10k round trip and about 2 hours of moving time... we were looking at a very long day!

How Far Up?
This was the question of the group while we refueled and refilled our stomachs, bottles and bladders. According to the map, the trail is 3.0 miles up... so "Just a 5k" was my answer and became a rallying cry iin the vilification of The Sean over the next 90 minutes of ascent! This "5k concept" sounded reasonable to the group so everybody who had the time to spare for the day decided to strap on their big boy (and girl) pants and go for the summit! We had 6 in the group and we were all smiles... at least to each others faces!

From lower rock outcropping.

We began leap frogging with walkers as we rejoined at junctions and tended to feet and gear for the long haul. During this stretch we passed and were passed by the same couple about 6 six times... we thought it was funny... they thought it was annoying. Eventually we did get clear of them and saw them again on our way down.

Nuwati is comprised of big granite cut in steps, very loose large rocks, washed out rooted sections and a ton of rich, sticky mud. Once we reached the junction with Daniel Boone Scout Trail (halfway up) we were all feeling the day... and a few questions came my way regarding how far this "F$%#ing 5k is..." I think they were kidding...

Despite the fatigue of the moment I knew we'd all be pleased to have made the tough climb to the top together and soak in the adventure of the day and the endless views from atop Grandfather Mountain!

Showing our good side.

Another mile up the trail and we began our scrambling efforts across large boulders utilizing cracks in the mountain to ascend. There were a large volume of hikers on the trail and as we reached nearer Calloway Peak the trail was more and more congested. We did our best to be ambassadors for our runner brethren as we moved on by hikers on muddy, splashing trails.

Finally, we regrouped at the first of the ladders at the final pitch. This series of ladders and cables assist humans in safely making the ascent to the top of Watauga County at 5,964 feet. When it was all said and done that little 5k did have a 1,700 foot climb therein, however I stick to my guns... it was only a 5k!

Atop Calloway Peak things were crowded. We popped out of the thick evergreen lined trail to the small clearing up top to find a large group of hikers. They had come from Upper Boone Fork where we had resupplied.

Atop Calloway Peak... Just a short 5k...

Our group of 6; hyper and fatigued, trail-bonded, euphoric, depleted and likely stinky trail runners were surely a spectacle. We were careful not to encroach though it is pretty tight up there, and we had been moving now for about 5 hours to reach this point so we wanted our share of beauty too!


Jenny kindly requested a photo after our rewarding journey to reach this point! I was so proud to be a part of this group having travelled rough terrain for the entire day! We take it for granted often, but this is a special thing we do!

"Get out of our way and snap our photo!" anonymous runner to hiker (jk).

View down to the lower rock outcropping

The Route Below Us is Behind Us & The Route Ahead Goes Below
From this elevation we could actually see the majority of our morning route from the start at Beacon Heights to the large outcropping and over to the Upper Boone Fork area. Looking down at the rock outcropping far, far, far below when we had our first "climb" of the day put a healthy dose of perspective upon our effort to reach this temporary resting place and also on our final push to where we stood having completed "a little 5k" during our long day.

This Way is Much Shorter...
Now, we had our chance to descend... 5k down down down... just watch your step! We took it easy and smooth in a group of 6 moving methodically across the water damaged trails of the Daniel Boone Scout Trail to eventually rejoin our beloved Tanawha Trail and our drop spot we had left from hours earlier. The hikers this time were less horrified by our fatigue and shared the joy we were experiencing on our downhill reward! "That looks like fun!" they genuinely commented as we whooped and hollered our excitement!

Price Park Picnic or Bust!
Personally, I was feeling fairly awful by now. I was getting hot and feeling a tad roasted in the sun. I took the chance at the Upper Boone Fork Creek to fill up and cool off in the cascades for a minute. From here we had about 6 miles to finish up and finally, the trail was opening up to smooth, rolling and mainly downhill single track. This end of the Tanawha is my favorite section of trail in WNC and so, despite my stiffness and fatigue after 6 1/2 hours out there, I was internally pleased to have a full bottle, good friends, a beautiful day and the willingness to take on this challenge at all!


As trail runners it is so easy to forget how fortunate we are to be healthy enough to believe in ourselves to such a level as to set out on these efforts we undertake. While we might joke about our sanity in this regard I believe this approach to challenging ourselves regularly and taking chances against our doubt is proof of positive well being.

Victory Lap!
Those last 6 miles were a cruise through spring time. We rolled downward on the whole, with a few mostly gentle climbs placed here and there in the landscape. We moved easily through large meadows and felt the spring breeze carry the freshness of the season over us. It is wonderful to savor the waning miles of a long trail day. When the final 30 minutes feels like a snap of the fingers compared to the 8 hours you have just lived to the fullest. The trail grounds down your anxieties and any worries are gone- it is just all good.

Upon reaching the terminus of the Tanawha Trail at the Price Picnic Park we emerged from the rhodo-tunnel into the meadow in a full sprint to the creek at the finish. Horrified, nearby picnickers shielded the eyes of their innocent young ones as these muddied, haggard and sunburned trail warriors emerged into the sunlight at full "speed" and "open" stride!

We bellowed and giggled and yelped our excitement for a day that will be long remembered. Finished, we slowly molted from our mud caked footwear to submerge our bodies and soak in the coolness of the frigid creek, again returning to the coolness of that distant morning.

Happy Running!

Happy Opening Day!

Jimmy Smith Park 5k Race Report!

April Fools Day...

No one believed that we were really going to run 31 laps around Boone's beloved Jimmy Smith Park. 

But! We Did and... here's proof!

The Doubters

I received countless messages soaked in doubt. BUT in the end there were a few hardy souls willing to put trust in their fellow man and arrive this morning to partake in some fun-filled laps with a few other crazies for the Jimmy Smith Park 5k.

The Believers

Amazing Volunteers!

All told we had about 15 runners, a few spectators and a staff of 4 helping out totaling 22 joyous souls sharing in a truly unique running and community experience. Special shout out to James True who was unable to run this time but still came out this morning anyway to see how he could help! Runners are amazing and James set the bar high today!

On Your Mark

After congratulating the folks for taking the risk against the naysayers in their life we sounded the siren and the race was on! There was no going back. These folks were about to get the run around.

Annette, Wayne and Susy!

Wayne Middlesteadt quickly pushed to the front and laid down a blistering* time of 12:41! Actually set a brand new American Record for the 5k distance... well by name anyway.

No call from USATF on when the official record ceremony is to be held yet... but I know where we can host! 

OK- how many @#%^ing laps is this?!
As the laps mounted and the runners counted (to five) they'd drop a chip into the timing system to keep track of progress. Most everyone was able to keep up, but hey... this was too much fun to get bogged down with the minutia and others gladly tacked on a few bonus laps along the way!

Chip Timing system

*31 laps for the "5"k... (okay maybe 3k?)

Navigation of Jimmy Smith Park

Lot and lots of left turns... 62 of them.

Fortunately nobody got lost on the course. With its .07 miles per lap the JSP5k course covers little ground, slowly. With two "long" straightaways and two sharp left turns at either end of the loop we heard many remarks referring to the nearby Bristol Speedway. But, with 4 aid stations placed on each loop there was plenty of opportunity for a pit stop to get refreshed.

And raising money!?!

Our FREE race with FREE shirts and FREE door prizes was accepting donations to benefit the Jimmy Smith/Bill Paul Endowment for Mathematics Education or JSBPEFME for short. At the end of an hour we had made more than $150 to support this endowment!

We could not be more happy about the day, the energy and the community feeling of the first ever Jimmy Smith Park 5k! See you next year?!?!??? 

A strong pack of JSP5k'rs

Running Thunder Review

With tired legs and general training fatigue I pensively watched the weather reports rolling in. Severe thunderstorms were to roll through around 5pm... my run to begin just after. Earlier in the day I had taken in a portion of a radio program with Tom Ashbrook which set the sound scene perfectly for this type of day.

As I tied my laces I heard the first rumbles and exited the car to look up and see a swirling cauldron of threatening dark clouds. They seemed to be suggesting warning as large bolts of electricity zapped across the sky and rumbles rolled across ridges.

Getting Started

Photo Courtesy Watauga Cty. Road Conditions FB

Ceremoniously I pressed 'start' on my Timex and saw the  storm racing westward across the sky... and in my intended direction toward the Greenway. I moved out conservatively and watched carefully to ensure I was staying to the periphery of this storm. It was a beautiful system from a distance with deep darkness and highlights of silver clouds. The clouds had the appearance of metallic permanence and were literally awesome!

Holding Pattern
Reaching the Greenway I came to the blustery energy of the edge of the storm. Debris was being elevated directly upward from its resting place and swirled across the sky at impossible speeds! At times I thought I witnessed robins being carried away instantaneously while plucking afternoon worms.

Rather than continuing into this scene I made a hard right and ran a spur along the storms edge. Large plops of rain began pelting sporadically and the smell of warmed asphalt being cooled filled the air.

Eventually completing a 10 minute loop I found myself again in the storm. Running upward on a ridge  lightning assaulted the ridge to the west. With only the river between these two high points I felt as if the bolt was within reach- or I was within its reach. But, I pinned my bets on the idea that I was flanking behind the worst of the energy as I darted my way under the power line section just above the Kennedy Trail. Ironically, I moved across a grassy outcropping hoping to sneak around the true threat of deadly force.

Rain Forest
Back in the protection of the forest, the rain began falling steadily on inert fallen leaves. The wind was calm now and the air's danger had dissipated. Birds sang under the rhythm of dropping rain. A symphony of infinite drips, spring bird song and the subtle sound of trail under foot became my entire reality. Running an easy effort my breath fell into this soundscape as distant rumbles of thunder continued to fill the lower levels of the scene.

All this followed two days of 'heated' runs (in the 70's here in March is HOT). The relief of running within such cool rain gave me a slight chill. Balanced perfectly with the coziness of aerobic exertion this run became a homecoming to a season. A true sign of spring is the first thunderstorm run of a year.

Happy Running!