Out the Door

 When getting out the door for a run becomes as challenging as the run itself it can jeopardize all of your previous effort. Toss in a family vacation or business travel and you might not run for a couple days, worse a week. Miss a week and anything can become fodder for excuses that can derail even the most dedicated runner.
  So far this year I have traveled more often than usual and missed more than a few planned work outs. Feeling guilty and discouraged with my lack of effort I vowed to change my lazy ways and get out the door whether home or away.
 On my next trip north I took a side trip in Winchester, Virginia for a run through The Virginia State Arboretum, a perfect break during a 12 hour solo drive. On subsequent trips I stopped in Maryland and ran along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and sections of the Appalachian.

 While in Savannah, Georgia for a conference I discovered an abandon Grand Prix race track, bank turns, tire walls, berms, pit row and all. Mother nature was working tirelessly to reclaim the concrete jungle, the sent of honey suckle replaced the stench of exhaust and sound of birds the squealing of tires, a perfect location for more than one morning outing while in Savannah.
 On a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina I discovered Ribbon Walk Nature Preserve. A hidden gem not far from the airport with fun, rolling, looping trails that filled a couple hours.
 During a weekend in Forest City, North Carolina for a RRCA coaching course my daughter and I spent an early Sunday morning running loops in a huge, empty Walmart parking lot. Obviously not the most memorable location for a run but the time with my daughter is irreplaceable.
  While in Pennsylvania for my in laws 50th wedding anniversary I found a new loop near their house with a nice mix of single track trail and bike path. Exactly what I needed to wrap up the week.

Most recently while in Greensboro, North Carolina for a few days my runs included loops in a mall parking lot under street lights at "o dark 30." One morning I stumbled upon a trail around a lake in a housing development that was a nice change from circling the parking lot.

 A parking garage not far from the hotel provided a perfect location for a hill workout one morning. I am fortunate to not be short of hills where I live parking garages are well parking garages. During my long run I followed a set of  rail road tracks for quite awhile before crossing a creek and ducking into some woods on a trail that eventually dumped me out into an over grown field littered with piles of gravel, old black top and crushed concrete. I followed a gravel road on the other side of the field and soon passed under I40 and into an industrial area where I circled countless warehouses and eventually over I40. I had no clue where I was, nervous and starting to freak out a little, I worried about getting back in time for my meeting. Suddenly, as if approaching a mirage in the desert the hotel appeared in front of me as the early light of morning washed over me. I made it!
 Relieved but exhilarated from my morning adventure I remembered that getting out the door is the adventure. Now that I have gotten getting out the door while traveling dialed in doing so at home needs a little improvement, but I am working on it.