Just Some Thoughts

Because after all...isn't that really what keeping a blog is all about?  At least for me it is.  A little bit of informing friends of family of what I'm up to, and a little bit of just airing my thoughts.

I have found myself recently looking forward to one trip this year a little more than any of my other trips that I've taken in the past, or any others I have planned for the future.  In November I will be flying out to Monterey, CA to run the Big Sur Half Marathon.  Interesting thing about the Big Sur Half Marathon is that it does not take place in Big Sur, CA.  It takes place in Monterey.  OK...well maybe it's NOT that interesting.
While I am looking forward to the race, I'm looking forward more to being back in Monterey.  I left Monterey 28 years ago after being stationed at a military school there for nine months.  It was a nice place to be stationed.  The school overlooked Monterey Bay, I walked would regularly walk down to Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf or in to Pacific Grove.  But being young and stupid, I really didn't take advantage of being stationed there for nine months.  There were so many other things I could have, and should have done while I was there.  So I'm getting a second chance.  I've already started planning.  The plane tickets have been purchased, the hotel room and rental car reserved.

In the mid-1980's, when I was stationed there, the school was pretty much an "open" base, meaning anyone could drive through without being stopped or showing any type of identification.  The world being what it is now, gates have been constructed at the school, and military ID is required to gain access.  I've started making arrangements with the president of the Alumni Association for the school to be able to get access to the base while I'm there and take a tour.  I've purchased my ticket to take a whale watching tour while I'm there.  I'm hoping to drive out to Big Sur and drive along US Rt. 1, a very beautiful coastal roadway (ironically where the Big Sur Marathon is run each April).  I also want to check out some of the areas I frequented when I was stationed there, see some of the local sites that I didn't take advantage of then and really explore the area.  That will be a lot to try to fit in during a relatively short amount of time.  So I'm already thinking about planning another trip to the Monterey area next year.  To do that means taking longer to get in some of those out of state races that I want to get in.  But I can play it by ear to some extent.  See how much I actually accomplish in November, and decide then if I want to make another trip back to California for more.

Not a bad thing to have to worry about though.  Where to take vacations.  Running is my excuse for travelling, and as much fun as the running is, seeing parts of the country that I wouldn't have otherwise is really what I enjoy most.

At the end of this year I should have 31 more states to visit for races.  A few of them are states I've visited in the past, when I was much younger.  However, most are states that I've never really seen.  Maybe I've driven through, but rarely did I check out what sites they had to offer.  Now I'll see them.  I'll go see the bigger tourist attractions and I'll stop at the little "hole in the wall" museums and sites along the way.  I'll see the country and run the races.  Some of the races will have thousands of people running, some will have less than 100.  Each will have its own unique story and most will provide me with opportunities to see places I would not otherwise have seen.

And now for something totally different....

Weekend Trip

I had an opportunity to take a little weekend trip to Illinois.  For those who aren't aware, my "weekend" is Thursday & Friday.  Depending on how my sleep schedule works out, I can sometimes turn my weekends in to three-day weekends without taking extra time off work.  I get off work Thursday morning and, if I'm not working overtime, don't have to be back to work until Saturday evening.

This schedule worked out well for me this past weekend, allowing me to take an out of state trip, add state #17 to my goal of running a race in all 50 states, and get in a little site-seeing.  I was then able to make it back home on Saturday in enough time to get a few hour sleep before heading back to work Saturday evening.

On Thursday, after getting off work I headed home and was able to get a short nap.  I got my suitcase packed and got on the road just before noon.  Even though it was a little early, I couldn't help but notice that the Ohio State Highway Patrol was very active Thursday, with more troopers patrolling the roadways than I've ever noticed before.  I got to Bloomington, Illinois Thursday afternoon and located the running store where I needed to pick up my race packet.  As I made my way to the hotel I realized that there didn't seem to be much to do in Bloomington, and started to wonder if I'd be heading back to Columbus after my race on Friday morning.

I found the hotel easily and got checked in with no problems.  The Hampton Inn was nice, quick to get checked in to and well maintained.  Given my travel experiences this past year, I was happy to see this Hampton Inn was more to the quality I had been accustomed to from Hampton Inn.

On Independence Day I woke up in time to grab a quick breakfast at the hotel and head to the Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington for the start of the Park 2 Park 5 Miler.  The weather was great running weather.  Not too hot, which can obviously be an issue when running in July.  The race went from Miller Park in Bloomington to The Corn Crib, a minor league ball park, in Normal, Illinois.  It was a nice route, the rolling hills along the route made it just challenging enough to push you without being completely ridiculous with hills.  I was happy with my finish, grabbed a couple snacks then took the bus back to the start area and headed back to the hotel.

Even though I was back early I was happy to see that housekeeping had already been to my room.  I hate never knowing when they're going to come through in case I want to take a nap or just relax for a while.  I got cleaned up and tried to decide if I wanted to go ahead and check out a day early to head home.  I went to the front desk and asked the clerk what things there were to do in the area.  You know it's bad when the hotel clerk can't come up with much.  She did have a visitor's guide though, and I was able to find some things that looked interesting.  Not in Bloomington, but not so far away that I would be on the road too much.  

Realizing at that point how close I was to Springfield, Illinois, I made a call and found out that the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library was open, even on the holiday.  I made the trip down to Springfield and was not disappointed with my choice.  A display was set up across the street from the museum featuring items from the Steven Spielberg movie "Lincoln".  Several of the costumes worn by the actors and some of the props and sets were in the display.  It was interesting to see and hear how much preparation was made by the actors, costume designers and set designers to try and make everything as authentic as possible for the movie.  

I then went across to the museum. They had several displays and presentations set up in museum, and for someone who enjoys history as much as I do, it made for a very enjoyable visit.  

I also made my way over to the Old Capital Building.  Now a museum, it used to be the home to all the state offices for the State of Illinois.  A presentation by an actor portraying Civil War General John A. Logan was taking place while I was there, and I was able to catch most of that and hear some very interesting stories about his life, his role in the war and his political life after the war.

Overall a very successful trip, and the fact that I could do it in a weekend was a bonus.  

For now my next running trip is scheduled for late August when I head to Virginia Beach for another Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and state number #18.