baseball, escalators, and tax free weekends

weekend distance:  15 miles
on the iPod:  "i cry" -- flo rida

Though no one alerted me in advance, over the last few weeks Northwest Arkansas has magically transformed itself into a tropical rain forest, complete with overcast skies, humidity that my good friend Deanna says feels like pea soup, and relentless rain.  The Southerner in me knows that the rain is desperately needed for the hundreds of thousands of farm acres that make this state so beautiful, but the runner in me is ready for sunny skies again.  Saturday morning, typically my favorite part of the week, was a complete and total wash, literally, as the clouds opened up and dumped buckets.  So instead of a distance run, I opted for bagels and coffee with Todd and Heather at Einstein Brothers.  Sitting directly on the Razorback Greenway, floor-to-ceiling windows provided us a view of the trail system that had been overtaken by flood waters.  I kept waiting to see gonzo urban kayakers fly by at breakneck speed, but instead all we saw was rushing muddy water.  A lot of muddy water.

The rain continued throughout the day, so I took advantage of Arkansas' recently initiated tax-free weekend and picked up a pair of jeans and new shoes for school.  The stores were packed with families and kids, and dealing with the crowds quickly became the trade-off for saving money.  I did, however, find solace while riding the escalator in JC Penney, and chose to use that time wisely by stretching out my calves.  It felt soooo good.  

Despite the crowds, the deals were worth it.  I picked up an Arkansas Razorback shirt at Houndstooth Clothing Company for my little nephew Charles who is starting kindergarten this fall.  He'll be sporting a tee with the first line of the fight song emblazoned across the chest.  He's learned how to sing the whole thing during previous football seasons, but i'm going to have to let him know he can't tell his little buddies and everybody else that he wants to play for "Coach Pishino" when he grows up, because "Coach Pishino" had a wreck on his motorcycle and had to go to Kentucky to get a new one.  So there's that. 

When Susan and I were growing up, our parents made sure that we both had new clothes to start the school year.  My grandmother, GeGe, would help, too.  I can realize now how important that was, but back then I think I saw it as nothing more than a nuisance to have to go to Cohen's in downtown Pine Bluff and try things on all day.  My parents were so loving and generous to me when I was a kid, and that hasn't changed today.  I want Charles to have that same experience and i'm so very blessed to be a part of it. 

The rains finally let up long enough to meet some great friends for a beer tasting event at Arvest Ballpark, where the Naturals were taking on the Tulsa Drillers in AA league play.  Great fun.  The addition of the team to NWA has been huge, particularly for Springdale, and it's become a great way to spend a summer night.  To say that we paid attention to the game would be a stretch, but there were plenty of laughs and great conversation.  These are guys that i've known for years, dating back to the early 2000's when we all worked together at the University.  While we've all moved on with our lives going in multiple directions, our friendship remains strong.  We might not get together as much as we'd like, but we never fail to pick up right where we left off.  Thick skin is a must around this group, as the lighthearted verbal jabs pretty much fly nonstop, but i'd run to the ends of the earth for every single one of them.  And they'd do the same for me.  The Naturals eventually lost the game, but the night was a win nonetheless.

  
I woke this morning to more cloudy skies but no rain, so I quickly laced up and headed out from Starbucks to get in a scheduled 10 miler.  Around mile 3 the rain returned, but only as a sprinkle, so I pressed forward hoping for the best.  Luckily, a sprinkling would be all that Northwest Arkansas would get, but it doggedly hung around for most of the morning.  The trails weren't as crowded as they are on a Saturday morning, but I said hi to friends along the way, just like I always do -- Rolf Wilkin, Jud Norris, and Bill Wilson were all at different points and enjoying the morning either on bikes or drinking coffee at Arsaga's.  

Heading south on the Skull Creek trail, I ran into John Bitler and Alison Jumper, two great running friends who were out for a training run as well.  Alison is going out to Colorado in a few weeks for a wildly famous run simply known as Leadville.  It's a huge race -- a 100 miler through some of the most gorgeous territory in all of the United States.  Bitler is going to head up her support crew and I know he'll do a great job, himself having completed tons of huge races with some pretty impressive times.  They asked me to run with them for a while and I sheepishly agreed, knowing that I wouldn't be able to keep their pace for long, so we doubled back toward the agri park, adding additional mileage to the run.  I'm really happy now that I did, because they're both great people and it was fun to push my pace with them.  I admire them both as very fast and talented distance runners, but also as friends.  

Sooner than later it was time for me to head on as they turned into the agri park and I made my way back south toward Dickson Street.  When I got there my legs were in great condition so I decided to add some inclines and head to the downtown square.  That would mean another addition to the planned mileage, but I didn't care.  The morning was simply too nice and I had no time constraints whatsoever.  That is exactly the sort of run that I love the most -- just going out for nothing more than the love of running and letting the circumstances dictate the distance.  I can't think of anything that makes me happier than distance running, and when extra miles seem like the thing to do, then i'm all for it.  Sore legs be damned, i'll deal with that later.  

It's exciting that the start of the school year is just around the corner, and equally exciting is training for the NYC Marathon.  Today's 15 miler will be a cake walk when compared to the 18 and 20 milers that are waiting.  Additionally, there's some great local races in the coming weekends that are unique and challenging, including Tontitown's famed Run For The Grapes next weekend.  They serve grape ice cream.  Heck, yes.  

Run.