Bridges History and Running

Have you traveled to an old city? Old being a relative term I know. Old enough to make you wonder about history, about the people that walked the same path before you, about their survival, and the things they left behind?


I've been to Charleston, South Carolina five times or so and every time the same feeling overwhelms me. This visit I ran the Cooper Bridge, which was renamed the Ravenel Bridge when they replaced the old bridge with the new one a few years back. Locals still refer to it as the Cooper Bridge.

I started in the dark and ran from historic downtown out to the bay where the railroad comes in to gather the goods from the cargo ships and whisk it away and continued on down East Bay to the bridge. The bridge has a walking/cycling path that runs the full expanse and beyond, two and one half miles across the water.

As I began my ascent where the path curves onto the bridge you can see it in front and above you, the middle of the bridge calling out to you, amazingly it looks only a stone’s throw away. And so I began. Soon my legs are engaged in a battle with an incline that is not too pleasant. But I continue on, unable to look up because when I do I am discouraged by the steep path I see before me, and so, head down, I plug away running up that path. When I do look up I see a group of quickly moving lights coming toward me, there are 5 or 6 of them shining through the dark morning and I wonder if this is some type of golf cart zooming downhill but when they get to me I see it is a group of cyclists either out for a morning ride or commuting into town for work. They are going at quite a speed, but given that they are on the downhill to my uphill I can understand why they take advantage of the ease of the ride.

I continue on thinking "soon I will be at the top", this soon becomes my mantra. Slowly the sky turns from black to a dull gray just as I reach the top. Here I rest looking out from high upon this bridge across the water at the lights of Charleston on one side and Mt. Pleasant on the other. It's a charming site even as the industrial ships begin moving into the harbor. It occurs to me that long ago when the ships would come in, they most likely could not see it from this vantage point but would be able to see the gas lights burning in the city and feel, without stepping from the ship, the rum going down their throats to warm their bellies. Indeed Charleston had a bar for every three buildings in the city. As well as more churches than any town of its size at the time. An interesting dichotomy.

And then it's time to take on the downhill toward the other side and as promised it was a freeing experience. Legs now free of the uphill engagement it takes some control to keep them from going too fast beneath me and it is at this point that my knees begin to feel shaky. Downhill is not good on the knees, and this downhill is especially long and steep. But it does feel good as the pace increases and I make it to the other side and turn around to go...yes....uphill. And this side is a much longer uphill although not as steep. I take out my music, choose some inspirational songs, turn it up and launch into the run back to my abode.

I'm not sure if it was the music that made the difference or the fact that as the sun began to peak up over the horizon the clouds opposite of it started their show of turning from grey to pink to orange and because their color was so bright it reflected in the water below. Breathtaking doesn't describe the beauty but there is no other word to use. With the music in my ears and the sky and water painting a picture before me the uphill climb was over quickly and I stood once again looking over the water and thinking of the difference light makes as it reflects on an old city.

Finishing my run, the downhill is euphoric and I soon found that place where your emotions are light, the world is yours, where you feel that anything within reach is yours and there I stayed, singing, laughing, and viewing the world from the eyes of an enlighten soul. Looking out over a city that was once plagued with pirates, flooded from a hurricane, and burned to the ground. Seeing what history built and how it continues on then it occurred to me. In another 100 years someone will look at this bridge and marvel at what was done so many years ago, they will marvel that it held up for so long and that so many crossed over it without plunging in the water below. And they will most likely tell of the ghosts that wander across in the early day's darkness mourning the loss of their lives or those they loved.

Fall Leaves

You know that sound?  The sound of leaves falling around you, the sound the leaves make as you are running through them on the ground?  That sort of soft crunching sound?  That is one of my favorite sounds in all the world and one of the reasons I love running in the fall.

Sunday Terry and I headed out in the jeep (with no top) for Fort Worth to run on the Trinity Trail.  The trial goes for over 40 miles beside the Trinity River, through downtown, and out.  It's a nice place to run although it was quite chilly driving without the top when it's 57 out and you are going 70 mph!

While running we found this little road that has been closed off to through traffic, there are paths leading from the trail and so we took one and found ourselves running under tall trees hanging over this old road.  No homes, no streets, nothing but the little road, the trail and beautiful trees.

As we run the leaves fall around us, making a soft little whish as they float by.  Of course the piles where the leaves fall is  there on the road waiting for someone to run through so that they can make their soft crunching sound.  I am that runner! There is something liberating about running through a pile of leaves.  The sound is intriguing.  The leaves, in different stages of decay, make various crunching noises. With each foot step there is a new chorus which sends my heart into laughter.  I am quite sure Terry thinks I am a bit nuts.

I believe that for me part of the appeal is that I can act somewhat like a kid again.  I can run through the leaves, get dirty, laugh out loud at the sound they make under my feet.  As adults if we did that in our yards while we were raking the neighbors would be whispering about those crazy folks next door!

Moon and Sun in One Run

The time change has given me fits.  Each time we change both in the spring and fall I suffer for at least a week sometimes two.  Getting up at 4:30 to eat before we run is tough anyway, but especially when my body is off because of a time change.  But I got up, and at 5:30 we headed out to run.

It was supposed to be an easy run but ended up being a more moderate pace, that's cool, I can handle it.  But what made the run so incredible was having the opportunity to start running when the moon was bright and still high in the sky and end the run with the moon down and the sun coming up over the horizon!

I said to myself  "Self, how many people really ever take the opportunity to see the moon still up, bright, and shining in the dark, and then also stay out long enough to see the red and orange colors of a sunrise?"  Even camping we sleep until the sun is up rather than just daybreak.  What an opportunity we have when we get up early, before the others are stirring, before the traffic begins, before the noise of the day.  God gives a lot to admire and yet it passes by us without a glance.

Even if you don't run it would be worth it to get up one morning, go out somewhere where the lights don't shine when the moon is bright in the early morning hour, and watch it set, and then watch the sun begin to peak over the horizon.

Lauf, Ess Wurst, Drink Bier

"What the heck" you say!  This is what you call a German tri-athlon.  "Run, Eat Sausage, Drink Beer"!

And we did this last Saturday.  As part of Wurst Fest in New Bruanfels, Tx there is a race called the Wurst 5 miler.  This was our first time to join in the festivities and while I was to run a 10 mile long run with half being an easy pace and half being a hard pace, the race was the best hard run I've had in some time.

We ran 2 miles to warm up and then after a 15 minute delay, due to so many participants being late, the race began.  Although the road surface was sometimes a little rough the race itself was fast and fun.  Our plan to start with a 9 and increase speed went out the window as we started at an 8:45 pace and got faster from there.

To my great surprise my knee held up well with an overall pace of 8:23 per mile and the last mile being a 7:51.  I finished the morning off with a 3 mile cool down to complete my 10 mile run.

Terry and I celebrated this fun, fast, and enjoyable race with a beer and a brat.  It's amazing how good a beer and brat can taste at 10 in the morning after a hard run!

Most enjoyable though is how much Terry and I enjoy sharing this acitivity.  Running together allows us to push one another along, encourage one another, and just plain have a great time with someone we love.  How many married folks really have this kind of fun????