2018 Helen Holiday Half Marathn

Ran the Helen Holiday Half again at Unicoi park up in Helen GA on December 15th. This was my second time and this time Robyn joined me. I've been having some back problems the last few months so I decided to take it easy this year and not try to PR or anything. The weather was pretty nasty. It was cold and rainy at the start of the race and we had a lot of rain the last few days so the trails were really muddy and slippery. You really had to be careful especially on the downhills. But the creek crossing is where it really got fun. You run through a creek  about about mile 9 which is normally abut calf deep but this year it was almost up to me knee and moving fast! There was a volunteer at the creek to tell runners the safest path across (i.e., the shallowest). I took the optimal route and still almost fell down. But what a rush when I made it to the otherside! I asked the volunteer if anybody had fallen and they say "oh yes." I bet a lot of people did :)

Trying to stay out of the rain before the start

Cold and wet....but still happy

Costume contest judging before the start

At least I brought a complete set of dry clothes this year for after the race. I finished the race 44th with a time of 2:11:09. I was pretty happy with that. I think I did about 2 hours flat last year. Robyn was already back at the start when I got there which was not what I expected. Evidently she twisted her ankle at about mile 4 so she had to stop running and walked the rest of the 10K route instead. She was pretty bummed out. Creature Comforts was there again and we had a couple of their Tropicalia pints. Delicious as always.
It is a difficlult race for me since I don't train in the mountains and I don't run long distance anymore. I am exhausted the last few miles and just want to be finished after the creek crossing. But it does always feel great to finish it. I bet I'll do it again. Robyn isn't so eager since this was the 2nd time she twisted her ankle on trail runs. We'll see....

Hunger Anthem

I went and saw Hunger Anthem at the Earl in Atlanta last week. My friend from the Shambhala Center, Brendan, is the guitarist/singer and I've wanted to go and see them for a long time. They are a trio playing what I guess is labeled Indie Rock. Very enjoyable music and I love trios. This was my first time to the Earl. It was a nice little bar in East Atlanta. My friends told me it was a "Hipster" area and I should drink a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer there. I said no way - but I actually ended up having one after a couple of craft beers.
I got there early and had a few beers at the bar. Brendan came out and chatted with me for a few minutes which was nice. Then a couple of young dudes joined me at the bar and we had a couple of beers together. They were hilarious. Once of them just turned 21 and was drunk from drinking apple cider at the previous bar they were at. It was time for me to head into the show and I think they were going to get some weed and pizza so we parted ways after some hugs, handshakes, and name exchanges :).  You just never know whats going to happen when you go to a bar/concert alone. Good fun.
It was a work night so I only stayed for 2 of the 3 bands. The opening band was Camel Run and the definitely had a heavier sounds compared to Hunger Anthem but I enjoyed them. Hunger Anthem played 2nd and thought they sounded great. Evidently they have a new album coming out very soon and they played some music from that. I wish I could have stayed for Swingset but I had to get some sleep. I really enjoyed this show! It was exciting to see and hear great music for such an affordable price. The show was only $8. I will definitely be doing this more. Maybe I can catch Hunger Anthem in Athens, which is where they are from, while visiting Drew at UGA.

Hunger Anthem - sorry about the blurry picture

John 5 and HellzaPoppin - November 2018

I went to go see John 5 and the Creatures again on November 7th. This time at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta. I've seen him twice now in Atlanta and once in Cincinnati. And of course Drew and I have also seen him with Rob Zombie twice. He put on a sick show as usual and played one new song off his upcoming album. Hellza Poppin was the opening act which I assumed was a band but it was actually a freak show. It was pretty nuts! They had 4 or 5 performers including the famous lizard man. I don' know that I need to see that again....but I will admit it was pretty damn entertaining.

Lizard Man in action putting a corkscrew through his nose and mouth

John 5 in action wearing one of his many masks

Ride Run Ride - Vogel State Park

I've been wanting to combine motorcycle riding and trail running in the GA mountains for a long time. I finally decided to do it and join Melissa on one of her trail runs. It was the best of times and worst of times :). Melissa is a ultra marathon runner who runs in the mountains all the time. I'm....um, not. I haven't run more that 6 or so miles at a time in the last 6 months and I don't do well in the heat (or even a little warm - LOL).

The ride up to Vogel State Park was beautiful and I got to ride some of my favorite roads in Dahlonega and Suches area. I met Melissa right on time at 8:30 AM, got changed and hit the trail by 9 (Coosa Backcountry trail). The scenery was gorgeous. I got to see multiple species of ferns, slime molds, mushrooms, and identified multiple birds by ear (never saw them- Red-Eyed Vireo, Yellow-Throated Vireo, Crows,Wood Thrush and others). We even saw bear poop a couple times. But between the warm weather, my lack of mileage training, and the continued ascent and descents...I was spent by about 9 or 10 miles. I just ran out of energy and my right knee was starting to hurt on the downhill sections. We had to walk the rest of the way. Kind of bummed I didn't do better but I didn't care at the time - I was too busy suffering and just wanted to finish. When we got back to the parking lot we sat in a cold mountain stream which made my legs feel a lot better. I was worried I was going to cramp up while riding the 2 hour motorcycle trip home but I think the cold creek saved me. I did ride through a few rain showers but nothing serious.

Although the weather was considered "warm" for me when running it was actually beautiful. The temperature changed a lot at different elevations and locations but I'm not sure it ever got over 80 and we frequently had a nice breeze. It was a good thing I ran with Melissa though. She knows how much food and liquid to take and has a filter so that she can refill her water bottles from a stream and make it safe to drink (which we had to do). I think we covered about 13 miles and took ~ 4 hours. Brutal.

Starting on the Coosa Backcountry trail

Our route.

Our elevation change over about 13 miles!

Leg recovery in cold stream - I needed that!

Would I do it again. You bet. But maybe not right away :). Cooler weather and a shorter route would be nice. I definitely need to take more pictures when on the trail next time. We saw some beautiful wild azaleas and bee balm among other wonderful flowers and scenery.

Bogota Colombia

I was in Bogota last week for a meeting on Melioidosis in the Americas. Bogota is a large city and at high elevation (~8,600 ft). There is a lot of traffic and associated vehicle pollution like you have in many big cities. I did not realize it was at such a high elevation. I would wake up and night and swear I was breathing heavy and could feel my heart beating faster. Maybe it was my imagination but I don't think so. Our hotel was nice, had a nice view of the mountains, and within walking distance of the University of Bosque which is where our meeting was held. The meeting went very well and we made lots of new contacts in South and Central America. Unlike other parts of the world we have worked, most people do not seem to speak English. It definitely would have been useful if I had kept up with Spanish after high school. Luckily Jay, who traveled with Mindy and I from my lab, could get by in Spanish most the time. The also eat a lot of meat in Colombia but it was too hard to stick to my pescatarian diet. A couple of the woman from NAU were vegan and that was a bit more challenging- at least at the meeting lunches.
The weather was chilly in the mornings and warmed up to the 60s in the afternoon. It was generally cloudy with a chance of rain every day and we did get rained on a couple times but it never really ruined our plans.

 

View of mountains from near our hotel



This guy had a good performance to ask for money on the street! Lights and sound show.

One night a bunch of the speakers went out for dinner and Alfredo who speaks fluent Spanish took good care of us. We went to an amazing multi-floor night club (Qudres D.C.) with each floor having a different theme. We started with drinks on the top floor while we waited for a table. The top floor was like a big to Circus theme. Then we went down to our table which was on the Inferno floor. there was a live band for part of the night but there was always some loud music and dancing. We drank quite a bit and had a lot of fun. We did some dancing on the stage, acted silly, did the limbo under someone's undergarments, and maybe danced on a chair ;)
The place was awesome!


Top floor at Qudres D.C. nightclub

Just getting started :)



Stairs down to the Inferno floor where we ate

Mindy and I at Qudres D.C.

Creepy puppets on the wall

Dave, Mindy and I finished off the hotel beers to cap the night

The meeting ended on Friday afternoon so we had a little bit of time to do some tourist stuff before we flew out on Saturday morning. We decided to take the tram to the top of Mt Monserrate which is at about 10,300 ft. I was definitely short of breath up there! The tram was pretty intimidating and looked like it was almost going straight up at some point. The pictures do not do it justice. At the top there was a church, restaurants, outdoor shops and of course wonderful views. It was definitely worth checking out.

Group shot the last day of the meeting

 

Church at top of Monserrate

Near the church

Cloudy/misty view from top

 

I am so excited that I finally made it to South America. I definitely hope to go back and visit more countries for work or vacation.

Ashville NC Motorcyle trip

This year both kids were away during spring break so Diane and took a little 3-day motorcycle trip to Asheville NC. Drew was in Germany for a school trip and Emily was with Lindsey's family at the beach in St. Petersburg FL. I've always heard wonderful things about Asheville and had been wanting to go for a long time. It's know for it art, music, outdoor, and craft beer scene. And of course some great local motorcycling including the Blue Ridge Parkway.
It was a chilly ride up and I had to change to my warmest riding gloves when we stopped for a break. It was really windy up near Asheville too. Some other motorcyclist (who weren't riding) commented on us riding in this weather. It helped to have Diane on the bike with me to really stabilize the bike in the wind. The cold wasn't really to big of a problem other than the long ride up (about 4 hours with stops). It was in the 30s in the morning but usually warmed up to near 60 in the afternoon...except Mount Mitchell of course but we'll cover that later.



Black Beauty is loaded and ready for the ride



Little selfie at Wicked Weed Brewery in downtown Asheville (day 1)



A tasty beer at Wicked Weed



My good friend Michael Barringer has his art displayed at Momentum Gallery in Asheville so stopping by there was a must. It was a very nice space with some great art to view and Michael's was on prime display. The folks there were so nice to us and even helped us get to Mt. Mitchell since part of the Parkway was closed. They also told us Michael has a show coming up in may where they will highlight his, and 2 other artists, work. Maybe another road trip?



Michael's art as you walk in the front door



A cozy spot with Michael's work

After we visited the gallery and had some lunch we headed to Mount Mitchell. The ride there took longer than expected and did not go smoothly because of closure of part of the parkway and us getting various guidance on the road as to the best route. We made it a little later in the day than we wanted to but we made it. Damn it was cold up there. I don't know what the temperature was but it must have been near freezing. We did a short hike around the top and there was definitely still ice cycles hanging from the rocks. There was lots of longer trail options which we would love to go back and do when we have more time.... and warmer.


Great views from the top

The Basilica of St. Lawrence is in downtown Asheville and doesn't look too crazy from the outside but it is actually quite beautiful inside. There is beautiful stained glass all around the perimeter of the dome which you can't really see from outside. And I believe it is the largest unsupported tiled dome in the U.S or the world (don't recall which).

Basilica of St. Lawrence

During our last lunch at the City Café (we loved that place), I grabbed a ginger beer. Man it has some serious ginger bite and flavor. And it was all natural and only sweetened with a little honey and natural cane sugar (not too sweet). We couldn't stock up since we were on the bike but next time we or friends have a car in that neck of the woods we are going to have to buy in bulk.

Locally made Ginger Beer

After shopping most the morning and lunch, we loaded up the bike and headed back. My weather app made it sound like rain was going to be a problem. It was wrong. We had to pull over and put some rain gear on within an hour of leaving. We encountered light rain off and on throughout the ride but it really didn't cause any major problems. And the weather was good enough for us to stop at Panther Creek (south of Clayton GA) to stretch our legs and do a short hike. We couldn't do the whole hike (6 miles in) but it looks like a fun one so we plan on going back to do it.

Panther Creek

Water was flowing quite fast today

Overall we had a great trip and loved Asheville. We got to experience their food, art, mountains and motorcycle roads. We didn't catch any live music but maybe next time. I'm guessing this place is packed in the fall and summer. This was really the perfect time to go since we didn't mind the cooler weather.

Shape of Awake Weekthun

Last week I completed my first 7-day meditation retreat. It was a Hope Martin program called Shape of Awake held at the Atlanta Shambhala Center. I thought this would be a great first one because it was local, I had heard great things about it, and Hope works with your posture. I have generally thought even weekend retreats were exhausting so I had some definite apprehension about doing a week. I think the fact that it was local actually made it more difficult. It was hard to relax into it and "just be" because I had to go home every night and deal with home stuff and some work emails before going to bed. There was definitely some long  days for me and there were times I thought I would never do one of these again. Some days were a mental struggle while other were physical (upper or lower back pain). But once I accomplished it, I looked back at it much more favorably. Isn't that always the way it happens. I definitely learned a lot from Hope and will definitely continue to use the tools she taught us to work with my posture. And I really enjoyed the Pema Chodron lecture on Shenpa. I had more difficulty with some of the more abstract stuff like Self Sensing. I think I will definitely at least try one more weekthun before I make any final decisions - most likely Enlightened Society at the Mountain Center in CO or Karme Choling in VT.

The feast and graduation after 7 days

Getting certificate from Hope

Work trip to Oxford England

I had the wonderful opportunity to go back to England for a conference a couple weeks ago. We spend one night in London and did some touristy things there before moving on to Oxford for the actual conference. It was atypically cold while we were there and it actually was snowing our first day in London (or maybe both days?). The locals told us was not a normal thing at all. Other than that the weather was actually quite nice and we (Mindy and I) covered a lot of ground by foot and train to see things.

Chatting with a Tower of London Raven. Too cool!

London Bridge - Just outside the Tower of London
 

Mindy and I on the London Eye

We rode the London Eye which ended up being a bit of a disaster. First of all it was snowing - we thought this might be cool but really it just limited visibility and made the outside of the bubble we were in all wet. So you really couldn't even tell it was snowing. The thing moves SLOW. It is supposed to take about 30 minutes to go around once I believe. But we got stuck at the top and ended up being on that thing for about 2 hours. there was some irritated people but Mindy and I kept it good spirits. We just laughed about it and drank more beers later :)

Radcliffe Camera in Oxford
 

Don't recall what this is but I saw it on a morning run

Dinning hall at Christ Church

Christ Church

Natural History Museum was very nice

Quality pub time! Beware of low ceilings in this old pubs :)
 

We definitely covered lots of ground in our limited free time and enjoyed lots of local, traditional cask ales which is a must have anytime you are in the UK.