Category: Fitness

If it Ain’t One Thing

True to form after the debacle of dehydration weekend (which I also think was heat exhaustion) I jumped right back in on Monday with a kettlebell HIIT workout and a bit of ab work. Tuesday morning?  A treadmill run, which was tiring but good. Felt a little soreness from the prior workout but that was ok.
Then it happened.
 
After arriving at work and heading down the steps of the parking deck an old familiar nemesis made itself known.  The old left knee was sore and heavy and the stair descent exacerbated this problem.  Looks like the running was going to have to go on the back burner since I have what is commonly known as “runners knee”.

What is Runner’s Knee?
“Runner’s knee” is a term used to refer to a number of medical conditions that cause pain around the front of the knee (patellofemoral pain). These conditions include anterior knee pain syndrome, patellofemoral malalignment, and chondromalacia patella.”  Some causes of runner’s knee are:

  • Malalignment of the kneecap
  • Complete or partial dislocation
  • Injury
  • Tightness, imbalance, or weakness of thigh muscles
  • Flat feet
I can check off three of the above along with arthritis in the knee which was diagnosed a few years ago.  What really bites about going down with knee pain this week is that this weekend is going to be NOTHING like last weekend. It’s supposed to be cool with a high chance of rain all weekend, the best weather you can hope for, for August in Georgia.  Yet I know better,  there’s still a bit of pain present probably from those blasted squats this morning (too soon).    The recumbent bike didn’t seem to bother it, yoga seemed to help and strength training sans squats and extensions have been fine too, which means those exercises along with ice will be the regimen until the pain is gone.

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Have you had runner’s knee or some other injury that sidelined you?  How did you handle it?  Let me know in the comments. If you happen to be suffering from runners knee right now, you can find treatment options here and here.

Until next time see you on the trail and hopefully that will be in about a week.

You gotta have guts, good ones that is

The metro (Atlanta) has had a very mild summer.  90 degree days have been few and far between and no 100s.  As such running has been a fairly joyful experience, then August happened.  It’s still not really “Georgia hot” as we’ve been right at 90 but the humidity has been absolutely out of this world.  Creature of habit that I am I still run outside only on the weekends and only in the morning, which happens to be when the humidity is at its highest.

So what had happened was…
Last Saturday, I really didn’t feel like going as I was tired from the week, tired from my other workouts and just plain old tired.  I checked my Accuweather app and in spite of the the reported 100% humidity I took my tired tail to a park that I’d not been to in a long while, thinking different energy, different people would motivate me and I would enjoy the run.   The park was fine, this particular trail is a shorter one which was fine as it turns out. After my usual quarter mile walking warm up I started plodding along, slower than usual, knowing that this climate was not conducive for pushing pace.  I checked my mile time and though I’m a slow runner, my time was way slower than usual.  My legs were feeling like lead, I was sweating bullets but could not cool off at all.  I got to 5 miles (was scheduled for 6.5) stretched briefly and jumped in the car and went home.

The routine is usually, shower, food, nap and then the rest of my daily activities.  However that plan was delayed a bit by my bad guts, it didn’t stop me from my routine however, I ate, and napped as usual, but was really busy up until Monday, so busy that I didn’t drink much and didn’t eat well.  By Monday, which is a scheduled treadmill running day I was screwed, never made it to the gym my stomach was giving me fits until about noon that day.  This weekend was a repeat performance, humidity was near 100% yesterday morning. I sweated like crazy, put in 6.25 miles and followed routine except for the nap.  In fact I was busy all day yesterday and worked early this morning.  After work and breakfast this morning, I’d planned to go to church, my guts had other ideas. I figured dehydration was a problem and food choices were a problem as well.  I let Google do the research for me and here’s what I found out.

Running in humidity
Type in “running in heat and humidity” and you’ll get over 11 million results.  What I found most helpful was an article from Runner’s World, which explains in layman’s terms the impact humidity has on the body.  Basically, the higher the humidity, the harder the body works to stay cool.  Humidity makes sweating inefficient at cooling the body because the sweat doesn’t evaporate.  As the body heats up, the adverse effects pile up, dehydration, increased body temperature, increased heart rate, changes in mechanics and judgment and possible heat illness.  Age and weight can exacerbate these issues.
 
About Dehydration
From the Mayo Clinic: “Dehydration occurs when you lose more fluid than you take in, and your body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. If you don’t replace lost fluids, you may get dehydrated.”  Reading through the symptoms, causes and risk factors, I knew that more than food, dehydration was the cause of my GI problems. My risk factors are pretty high and include:
  • Diabetes
  • Medications (all the ones I take adversely impact hydration)
  • Inadequate fluid intake
  • Age
  • Climate
  • Cumulative effect – “Dehydration is also cumulative over a period of days, which means you can become dehydrated with even a moderate exercise routine if you don’t drink enough to replace what you lose on a daily basis.” I exercise 5 days a week 3 of those days are running days in which I sweat plenty.  I’m also peri-menopausal meaning I might bust out a hot flash every now and again or a night sweat and I can say with certainty, I am ALWAYS dehydrated. 
 
But what about those bad guts?
This isn’t a simple answer but a number of factors that can contribute to GI issues for runners include the simple jostling of the gut during running, food choices before, during and after run and dehydration.  Knowing my risk factors and habits, I’m re-thinking this whole running in the humidity thing.  If I want to continue to run in humidity (heat isn’t as much of a problem for me), I’ll need to make some adjustments like these, these and these or, I may just have to let it go until the climate moderates here during the fall and winter.  I’ll let you know how it goes.
 
What about you.  Have you had GI problems during or post run/exercise? Have you narrowed down the culprit? Have your issues been resolved and what did you do? I’d like to know, so please share in the comments.
 
Until next time see you on the trail.
 
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15 of 44 – 2013 Peachtree Road Race

This year’s Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia had the potential to be different from recent years. In light of the Boston Marathon bombing there would be a greater police presence for this race (the largest 10K in the United States). Mother Nature was also expected to change the race as the forecast called for a 100% chance of rain. How did it all turn out?
Just fine.
There was rain for the wheelchair race and for the 7:30 elite starters, but by the time the rest of us queued up, the rain had stopped and we were treated with overcast skies for the entirety of the race and temperatures in the low 70s.  As for the police presence? I wouldn’t have known they were there had it not been for the news coverage I saw afterwards.
The Sights

Pre-race was the same as it’s ever been, people lining up at the Marta stations, folks in costumes and beer.  I’ve never understood how these folks can do it but the beer drinkers will not be stopped.  Holy water was also sprinkled by a catholic priest right before he ascent to cardiac hill (I get it every year), the street apostles warned us that the end was near and there were some folks politicking against using tax money for a new stadium. All par for the course.

The Sounds
Live music along the course was more sparse than usual, I’m assuming because wet conditions were expected, however the radio stations were in full force.  All runners and walkers were treated to cheering spectators along the course, though fewer in number this year.
The Finish
Anybody who participates in races, knows what the finish looks like.  A full on SPRINT.  Folks who may have walked the entire course turn into Usain Bolt at the end.  I never stop chuckling at this.  Once in Piedmont Park, we all trudged through the mud to get our t-shirts, drinks and snacks.  On my way out I stopped at the medical tent, for good measure this year as I experienced no problems (except for a hip thing which is a nagging injury), there was only one person in the tent while I was there and my blood sugar and pressure were A-OK.  New reports indicated that one person suffered cardiac arrest I hope they’re ok.

As is custom I usually stop some random person to take my picture, to show the aftermath.  This year that random person was Loren, who was really nice.  She had run multiple Peachtrees and shared with me that she’d lost over 70 pounds running.  GO LOREN! Thanks for humoring me but mostly for sharing your victory with me.
Overall this year’s Peachtree was enjoyable, relaxing almost.  Not having to worry about the effects of heat and humidity were a relief for this runner and I would imagine the same for many more.  As I’ve said the last few years, this is my LAST one.  Let’s see if I stick to that when registration begins in March 2014 and sign up for #15.
Until next time see you on the trail (or the road).

Grounded

I’ve written previously about my issue with spring and how it affects my routine here. My trip to the doctor this year was a little bit later in the spring but with the same diagnosis – – sinusitis, resulting from allergies. The prescription following the diagnosis, was something I’d never heard before and it went something like this:

Dr.:  I’m prescribing <antibiotic>.  You should take it twice a day for 10 days. Continue taking them even if you start to feel better before then.

Me: okay (I know all this already, boring…)
Dr.: as for that exercise, I advise you to stop while you’re taking the medication.
Me: no exercise?
Dr.: yes.
Me: for 10 days?
Dr.: How can your body heal if you’re exercising? Doing so forces your body to concentrate on something else in lieu of healing the infection.
Me: okay
I was skeptical about his advice as every single year, I plod through, only taking two or three days at the most jump right back in. After Googling a bit I found that as long as illness was from the neck, exercise can be done but intensity should be scaled back.  I knew that as well, however I was just beginning to get some asthma symptoms, which also unless really bad, I work through as well, with the help of inhalers. Mulling over research and what the doctor said for  few hours, I decided to comply with his prescription and here’s why.

  1. Every year there is always a setback – as I thought about these annual trips to the doctor I realized that within a month there was always a relapse, resulting the extension of antibiotics and the addition of an oral steroid. Every single year. Maybe if I had halted the exercise, I could have avoided the additional trip and additional meds.

  2. I’ve had a lot injuries during the last year, achilles strain, shin splints, ongoing knee and shoulder pain with the latest injury being a literal pain in the ass. The pain was getting worse as I continued to push.

  3. It was time to end my paranoia. As a person who’s had weight issues for 30 years, stopping training for more than a few days always lead to my mind playing tricks on me in the form of “you know if you miss these days (not years) you are going to be that unhealthy person again.” Which is ridiculous. All my critical numbers have been good for about five years now. The blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol were on point but the muscles, tendons and joints had taken a beatdown. Resting sounded like the best prescription to keep going for the long haul.
 
What does it all mean?
Though I’m not a competitive runner I do compete with myself. I continue to test the limits of my body.  Funny thing is this self competition is in conflict with the reason I run and do other exercise.  Moving the body, especially running (for me) is a spiritual practice.  It’s a space and time in which I honor my body for the magnificent piece of work that it is. Running time is that time that my brain gets a rest.  The tipping point had been reached at which the spiritual became the competitive, bordering on the obsessive.  So I yielded to spirit instead of mind this time, in order to heal the body.

What about you? Are you chasing PR’s,  pushing the heavy weights to exhaustion, always looking for the competitive edge? If so and you have lost the joy of whatever sport/fitness activity you engage in, take a little down time before you’re forced to.

I’d like to hear about your downtime. Was it a force out or purposeful? Tell me about it in the comments and until next time see you on the road, I’ll be back outside in another week 🙂

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Race for the Arts 5K Run/Walk – 1st Annual

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54 degrees and cloudy,  a perfect day for the inaugural of the Race for The Arts 5K Run/Walk benefiting the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center in Decatur, Georgia. The Center sponsors many events from stage plays, musical performances, dance and programs specifically directed towards youth and seniors.  I’ve attended several events there over the last few years and have always been pleased with the programming, facilities and event staff.
 
The Scene
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I arrived at about 7:30 AM for an 8:00 AM start which was perfect for this race.   Upon arrival at the registration area, I was greeted by cheerful volunteers and a DJ who was rocking Justin Timberlake’s Suit and Tie.  Runners and walkers in the registration area mingled, met up with friends, and teammates and of danced to the music.  Shortly before the 8:00 AM start time race participants were rounded up to hear remarks from the Center’s Executive Director David Manuel and Dekalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson, whose district the Center resides in. After remarks we had  great warm-up leader by dancer/choreographer Stepp Stewart, who had great energy and got the crowd pumped up. Following the warm-up we queued up in the start chute, got the signal and hit the road.

 
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The Course
The course was an out and back with some long hills.  From the parking lot, we made a right, proceeded downhill on Rainbow Dr with an immediate uphill and made a right onto Columbia Dr.  The course crossed over I-285, passed Exchange Park, with a turnaround (from my guess) near Springside Run.  The good and the bad about an out and back is that you know what to expect, which in this case was the long up and downhills.  The same ones we just ran, we had to run them again on the way back.  My team was spread out along the course and I ended up running with a lady in an orange shirt.  I didn’t get her name but she was a great pacer and helped me to likely my fastest 5K time ever.
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The Finish and After Party
There were 3 individuals responsible for time and placement.  One running the clock and two determining the finishing place by race number.  All finishers received a shirt, assorted fruit and water and all the typical goodie bag stuff you get these races.  The Diabetes Association was one of the vendors on site and was conducting glucose testing, which is really cool.  Of course there was more partying and an award ceremony.
 
Overall
For an inaugural event the Race for the Arts was a success. The event was organized, started in a timely manner, the event volunteers were cheerful and helpful and the warm-up was probably one of the most fun I’ve ever done. It was announced that there would be another Race for the Arts in the fall and I’d definitely recommend it for those who want a bit of a challenge at a shorter distance.  In terms of improvements I only saw two things that could be tightened up: 1)the course – I saw two cars drive through as the race was taking place, which could be remedied with cones, additional officers and or volunteers and; 2) the finish – additional volunteers or one volunteer with a megaphone may be needed to direct people through the finish line chute, to make sure their placement and time is accurate.  With these small adjustments, this could be a top notch event in the area.
 
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Until next time, see you on the trail.
 
For more information about the Center, please visit their website.
 
 

The Turtle

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In the 1970s public school children were subjected to something called the presidential physical fitness test. It was a test mostly of strength.  What I remember of the test were three events “the hang” in which you hung from a chin up bar and were timed (for girls), pull-ups for boys, a timed sit up test and a 50 yard dash.  During my final year of elementary school a one mile run was added to the tests.  It was in this mile back in sixth grade, in which the turtle was born. I don’t remember the time exactly but know that I completed that mile in around 12 minutes.

We had to do timed miles again in high school P.E., I didn’t get any faster I continued that 12 minute pace.  When I started running with my dad to maintain my girlish figure, he never timed me.  He was too busy lapping me and it was fine.  Years after, following undergrad and grad school I always timed how long I ran but never did any calculations on minutes per mile because I really didn’t care about it.  I KNEW I was slow.  I just dug the rush and the scenery on the outdoor runs.  Then a funny thing happened.

After moving to Atlanta and continuing to run I decided to enter my first race in 1995. I’m pretty sure I’ve spoken of it here before but as a refresher, the race was the Peachtree Road Race a 10K slog from Buckhhead that ends at Piedmont Park.  When training for this race, time became important.  I did all the recommended training, long runs, hill repeats, intervals on the track.  I was properly geared up as well, but my time still averaged to around 12 minutes per mile for that first race.  The second one was just under 12 and I’ve run many more races between the 5K and 10K distances since then with a few sub 12 but the majority 12 minute miles or slower, sometimes much slower because by 2004 I was walking.

After a four year hiatus I returned to running in 2008. In the last two years I reached turtle-form clocking in the 12s again.  Having come back from a complete stoppage to where I am now gave me the crazy idea that maybe I could get faster.  I started increasing my training, changing my diet and beating on myself for every 12+ minute mile clocked of which the majority of them are.  Then it hit me.  It’s time to OWN THE TURTLE.  At the age of 46 the chances of me getting faster are NONE. My time is true to my genetics.  I’m not a flyweight and when I was I still wasn’t fast.  Fretting over time began to take away from why I really run now and that’s to ease my mind.

Sure fitness is important, especially at my age and with the health challenges that I already have. Yet the biggest thing I get from running is peace of mind.  The mind that is fuzzy at the beginning of a run, is at peace by the end and that is more important to me at this point of my life than anything else.

Until next time see you on the trail, be sure to wave when you pass me 🙂
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Run The Reagan 2013

My first Run the Reagan was going to be cold. A good thing for runners especially old broads prone to hot flashes at any moment.  Standing and  waiting to start the race is really the only hard part about cold weather racing.  Race volunteers however helped us stay warm by encouraging us to dance to the music. In fact upon arrival, runners and the emcee were doing The Wobble.image

About the Race(s)
There were four races for Run The Reagan, a half Marathon, 10k, 5k and 1 mile fun run.  Here’s how the 10k went down.

Start

As we waited to start a strong wind gust took down the start line sign-age,  bringing audible gasps and laughs from the crowd. Adept and ready volunteers were right on the spot, getting the sign-age back up promptly without interfering with the start time.  At 9:15 am, 15 minutes after the half Marathon, we took off.

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The Course
All four races were out and back with the 10k turnaround at Five Forks Trickum. Reagan Parkway isn’t really steep but on foot the ascents are a long drawn out affair. In spite of that miles 1 through 3 were nice and fairly brisk. Mile 4 marked the end of nice.  In fact, mile 4 to 5 was one long slog uphill. I lost a couple of my pacers in that stretch and was praising God Almighty once I got to the top. The remaining mile or so was mercifully flat with a downhill finish. My friend who was running the 5k cheered me across the finish line which was really cool 🙂

Final Impressions
Run the Reagan is a well oiled machine. The location is great and the course is challenging without being killer.  The time of year is favorable for PRs and the volunteer staff, especially the young folks, were energetic, knowledgeable and efficient. As such, I highly recommend this race as good start to your outdoor running season here in the metro.

For more information on Run the Reagan please visit their website. For more of my photos see this Google+ album.

Until next time, see you on the trail!

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Avoiding Shinpocalpyse

The last two posts here were reviews of Peachtree Ridge Park and Rock Springs Park.  Both of which were quite an experience, both of which had some hills.  Peachtree Ridge had fewer hills but those hills were very steep.  I ran Peachtree Ridge on a Saturday and two days later (Monday) I ran Rock Springs which is very hilly throughout the trail.  Later in the afternoon following the Rock Springs fun I noticed some pain in the front of my lower legs.  Though it had been at least 15 years maybe more, I felt the pain of shin splints coming on.
 
What are shin splints?
According to Webmd.com: 
Shin splints aren’t really a single medical condition. Instead, they’re just a symptom of an underlying problem. They might be caused by:
 
  • Irritated and swollen muscles, often caused by overuse
  • Stress fractures, which are tiny, hairline breaks in the lower leg bones
  • Overpronation or ”flat feet” — when the impact of a step causes the arch of your foot to collapse, stretching the muscles and tendons
For my case the condition was a result of overuse and flat feet.  Though this bout was really just the onset, considering my age I didn’t want to take any chances by continuing to run and felt it best to also see my doctor.  The doctor did concur with my self diagnosis and suggested ice, rest and anti-inflammatory medication.  One of the trainers at the gym suggested an exercise to stretch the muscles surrounding the shin bone.  I opted for a combination, continuing my exercise regimen substituting a stationary bike for cardio and including more stretching every day.  I took the anti-inflammatories for a couple of days and skipped the ice (I loathe using ice and only do it when pain and swelling is significant).  There was no running whatsoever for eight days (it sucked but it as necessary). The running return took place at Camp Creek Greenway, which is a flat fast trail and that run as good.  However following the run I examined my shoes and knew that they they were toast and were no good for this flat-footed runner.


I haven’t been inside of an actual running store in forever, but this time wanted to get the fit right and get my running mechanics checked.  The associate at Fleet Feet Sports in Decatur measured my feet in a neutral shoe and had me run on a treadmill and outside.  His diagnosis, mild over-pronation that could be addressed with a stability shoe (which I had been wearing already, again though, they were toast) .  I was thanking God almighty for this recommendation because motion control shoes, which are usually recommended for flat-footed runners are the most uncomfortable shoes (in my opinion of course) on earth.

Having run in Nike, Saucony, Asics, Brooks, Adidas and for the last several years New Balance, I ended up with these:


I broke them in with 5 miles at Bethesda Park on Saturday and they were fantastic.  Also keeping in mind my form, I allowed the hill to carry me down instead of “putting on brakes”  I recall specifically at Peachtree Ridge “braking hard” and letting my feet pound on the pavement, which was especially jarring to my legs and my lower back.  I found a great post on active.com that addresses form for downhill running.  A web search will provide video demos for downhill running form as well.


What I Learned
Ego is a dangerous thing at times and it can lead to all sorts of problems, in this case injury.  The most important thing when it comes to any sort of physical exercise or even going about your daily existence is to listen to the body and give it what it needs. If you’re experiencing chronic pain or a brand new pain, go see your doctor and get a referral if you need to so that you can get on the road to recovery as soon as possible.


Until next time, see you on the road.

Takes Your Breath Away, Rock Springs Park

After the running FAIL at Peachtree Ridge Park, I didn’t rest until I had an opportunity to try another park.  The destination this time, Rock Springs Park in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

The Park
Per the Gwinnett Parks and Recreation website, Rock Springs Park features the following: 113 acres, football field with lighted walking track, six lighted tennis courts, playground, pavilion, restrooms, 2-mile paved, multi-purpose trail and grill.
One thing of note that I’ve not seen at other parks is that there is a recycling bin in the lot near the pavilion and playground for bottles and cans, which is fantastic and I hope will get implemented in other county parks.

The Trail
Before heading down into the the trail I stopped a couple of ladies and asked them how hard the trail was. Here’s the conversation:

Lady 1: “oh you’ll love it it’s beautiful.” 
Lady 2: “no you didn’t hear her, she said how hard is it?”
Lady 1: “are you walking or running?”
Me: “running”
Lady 1: “oh it’s pretty hard then there are some hills”
Lady 2: “it may be okay for you just hard for somebody who hasn’t worked out in a while”

Lady 2 proceeded to ask me if I wanted to leave a number just in case I had problems. I told her, no thank since my shoe is tagged with emergency information.  I should have known after this conversation that this run would challenging, but the hard-headed runner had a score to settle.  I wasn’t about to let another trail beat me.

So I did my warm up (always a quarter mile walk) and headed straight uphill. Upon reaching the top I ran out of trail but ended up by the football field. Heading back was only a brief respite as the steepness going up meant I would be “putting on brakes” on the way down.  Continuing on the downhill to my original starting point and beyond, was more of a downhill, back towards some water.  There was plenty to view on the trail but not enough to make me forget about how hard it was.  After few rough downhills it was time to make the ascent out. I don’t remember any normal breathing at all during the entire run which ended up at 3.25 miles.  The website indicates the trail is 2 miles, it’s actually 2.25 starting from the football field entrance.

Impressions
Rock Springs Park is a great place for four things, children’s play (they have a really nice playground), tennis, football and of course the trail.  Though this trail is really challenging, it’s a good test of fitness, that I’d recommend in anyone’s running or walking program.  However to prevent entry I wouldn’t recommend it more than once a week.
 

Fore more information on Rock Springs Park or other parks in Gwinnett County Georgia, please be sure to visit the Parks and Recreation website.
Until next time see you on the trail.

It’s Not You Peachtree Ridge Park, It’s Me

With a week that was packed to the gills with stuff, I decided that a change of scenery would be good for the Saturday outdoor run.  Having checked the Gwinnett Parks website, Peachtree Ridge Park in Suwanee, Georgia looked to be a prime candidate for this week’s run.
The Backstory
I had a number of annoyances occur on Friday during the day job and a few more after leaving job two last night.  Once I finally made it to bed, there was no real sleep, just moments of sleep in between some very bizarre dreams.  By the time morning came I was relieved to see daylight and was looking forward to getting to the park.  Getting there was quick an easy, traffic was on my side.  It was cool out with a bit of dew on the grass, another plus. I thought, this is going to be a good one.
The Park
Peachtree Ridge Park has most of the standard features of the larger parks I’ve been to in Gwinnett.  The parks website lists the following:
Amenities: ∙ 156 acres ∙ Handicap accessible ball field and playground for children with special needs ∙ Three baseball/softball fields ∙ Football field with lighted walking track ∙ Two soccer fields ∙ Outdoor basketball courts ∙ Playground ∙ Pavilion ∙ Restrooms ∙ 1-mile paved multi-purpose trail

On this morning run I managed to see it all, because I didn’t exactly follow the paved trail.
The Trail
The paved trail was clean (goose-poop or trash) only the first few fallen leaves of the season were on the ground.  I started at a pavilion next to a small playground and followed the curve towards what I thought was the back of the park.  What I noticed was how far out some of the brush hovered over the trail, it was clearly in need of some cutting back. I took a trail the left, which made a small loop into a nice wooded area in which there was a small covered picnic area, which was really cute.  During my second pass I saw a lady doing what looked to be Tai Chi with another lady and a dog that started yapping as I passed by (the dog was messing with my chi).  Following the small loop I made another left and immediately regretted it.  There was a steep downhill, on which I “put on brakes” to make sure I didn’t go to fast (yes even I’m fast on a downhill), which followed a manageable climb out.  The trail leads to the football field and the walking track which surrounds it, but it’s not really a track.  It’s a loop around the football field, paved and marked, like the trail.  There was a pee-wee game going on with cheerleaders and everything (didn’t know they had cheerleaders at the little bitty kids games).  As I wound my way through I was uncomfortable and it wasn’t just the brush or that hill, which I would have to climb on the way back.  There was something urgent pressing… my bladder.
I NEVER have to pee when I’m on a run.  Well not never but almost.  I’ve probably had to go twice in the last 15 years or so.  Well today was that day.  I made it around that football field.  Ran up that hill that scared me and going up it I’d say it was at least 45 degrees, I mean I was learning forward so far, I felt nearly horizontal.  Made it back around to the front near the car and high-tailed it to the restroom…
which was clean had toilet paper and soap, thank GOD! I resumed my run, this time running through a small tunnel instead of the loop and followed the trail, again to the left and a funny thing happened, the trail ended in a parking lot, followed by more parking lots.  This was fine because on this portion of the run I got to see a rabbit, the basketball courts, a large playground and the baseball and soccer fields.  I made a loop through the parking lots and headed back to the trail.  I said to myself, pick your feet up and watch the curb and I did , except all of my body went up.  I FELL.
My bracelet flew off and I landed on my tail facing the other direction.  A passerby asked if I was alright and handed me my bracelet.  I had a small cut scrape on my palm that was bleeding, but otherwise I was fine, a bit heated but fine.  I’d planned to run for a certain amount of time, but by then, my mind was made up to run back to the car.  I was out of there.  Stopping 20 minutes short of my scheduled time for today, I decided to cut my losses.
Impressions
Peachtree Ridge Park is a great park for families, as there are numerous fields, play areas and open stretches of land that are conducive to play.  The trail on the back side near the football field is a BEAST!  If you like challenging yourself on steep hills this is a great place to do it.  As for me, I’ve been there and done it.  I won’t be going back to this park, though it’s fairly close, the experience unfortunately soured me on it.
Until next time see you on the trail! (I promise to remain upright.)
For more information on Peachtree Ridge Park, please visit the Gwinnett County Parks website.