Social Road Trip Follow-Up

I was so focused on keeping yesterday's post a reasonable length that I neglected to mention a few important things about this weekend.

A huge thank you to Andy Sparks for his hospitality. I expected to briefly meet him at the Midnight Express and then go our separate ways. Instead, we ran the race together and he met me a few hours later for a long run. I was further humbled when I learned he relies on weekends to catch up on sleep this time of year. The man should have been home in bed instead of running with me. I'm in your debt, Andy. If you make it down for the Montgomery Half I hope I can be half the host.

If you're ever in the Columbus, GA area be sure to run on the Riverwalk. I've found few places in the South to be recreation friendly, but this is one of them. The trail runs some 22 miles long, and is very well maintained. It's dimly lit most of the way, which is fine if you're running in the dark with someone else, but I'd recommend against solo efforts. Runners that enjoy flat to slightly-rolling terrain will really appreciate this route.

The Midnight Express was worth the drive. I was impressed at how well organized it was and the number of people that came out for it (2,300+ runners). The only glitch I saw was that they ran out of most t-shirt sizes. Above all, however, I was appreciative of the 3rd Brigade simulcast from Iraq. Leading up to our race the event organizers broadcast their event on a huge screen hanging over our start line. We got to watch their 5k awards ceremony and I ended up making a new Daily Mile friend, James C., because of it. A big thanks to all our men and women in uniform serving our country overseas.