For the last month running has been very, very rough on my body.  My problems started about a week and a half before the Bad Marsh 50k last month and just got worse from there.  This month I’ve hardly logged any mileage because of a hip injury and my bad feet.  Every run I have done since mid-June has been painful except for today’s run.  Today, I actually had a pain-free run.  That’s right!  No hip pain.  No feet pain.  I hope this is the beginning of a new chapter in my running life.  I hope it’s a new start to healthier living too.

You see, I’ve also been sick three times the past couple of months.  I don’t know what was up with all of that but my health seemed to have deteriorated at the same rate as the rails to trails here in Savannah.  Perhaps, that is it…my fate and my health are tied directly to the health and fate of the rails to trails!  Some how, it seems that our fate, our destiny, has become intertwined in some cosmic level.  As the rtt deteriorates, so do I.

Today when I ran the rtt I noticed a new level of deterioration.  Two more palmetto trees have collapsed into the river.  Parts of the trail have become even more rutted and rocky.  What does that mean to me?  Will another part of me become rutted and rocky?  Or perhaps, the translation to rocky and rutted from trail to me is more like a stuffy nose and stubbed toe.  Both of those are bad.  So what should I do to avoid falling apart at the same rate as the rails to trails in Savannah is falling apart?  There are two possible solutions:

1. get the trail fixed by soliciting the help of an entire community.  But I cannot do that without the strength of character of a one, Michelle Daniels.  She must be the face.  She must be the passion behind the restoration of the rails to trails.  She must speak before the Chatham County commissioners.  She must speak on tv.  She must speak to Savannah News Press.  She must get the job done.  Michelle is our only hope.  She’s a modern day Obi Won Kenobi.
2. The second option is to stop being superstitious and while I’m at it stay away from the rails to trails….I must stay far, far away.  Only then, can I break the fate that binds my health to the rtt.

So, today’s run was 6.31 miles at the rtt.  I started the run with a handful of prayer flags, a camera and  a water bottle.  I ran to the end of the western section of the trail but had to walk through the more severe rutted and eroded sections along the path.  Along the way, I saw a couple of trucks blocking most of the trail (around mile 2.4 or so).  Several men were working with a semi-large water tower.  Water was getting pumped from some where and getting deposited into a square looking contraption.  I did not bother to ask what was going on.  I just waved and kept on running.

Past the only bridge on the western side of the trail I had to carefully cross the heavily eroded section.  The trail at this point (about 2.6 miles in) has washed away and only a thicket of small trees is holding the ground intact.  Unfortunately, those small trees are very prickly and thickly clustered.  After I got past this section I ran to the end and hung all of the prayer flags I had in hand.  That took me about 3 minutes to do.  I then ran back to where I started but came to a screeching halt upon seeing a hammock stretched out across the trail with only a very femine looking foot exposed.  I took several pictures and then went under the hammock to the other side where a smiling young lady greeted me from the confines of her hammock.  I asked if I could take a picture of her and she smiled and obliged.  I took my picture and continued my run to home base, thinking the entire time that this young lady truly understood what enjoying the moment was all about.  I want to lay in a hammock stretched across the rtt…with an attractive lady sharing it with me!

What am I saying…me in the hammock would be bad enough…throw in a pretty lady with me and I’ll just throw out my back and end up in rehab.  Growing old sucks, my friends.

Wildlife inventory:

• 3 red cardinals: 2 female, 1 male
• millions of fiddler crabs
• 2 butterflies: 1 yellow and black winged, the other, orange and white winged
• 1 dragon fly
• 1 rabbit with a piece of grass hanging out of it’s mouth – for real!
• 1 snowy egret
• 1 great egret
• 1 dog

So, today’s run was actually pain-free.  Where do I go from here?  Well, one place I will not go is with the Cremator Ultra 50 happening this weekend.  Due to all of my injuries and health problems I sadly withdrew from the race but, I have volunteered to help during this event.  So, while I may not be running the Cremator this year I will be a part of it by helping out.  That’s the way things go some times.  You gotta go with the flow.

Tomorrow, I’ll try another run and hopefully, my luck will continue with another pain-free run.

Life is good even when hard unripe lemons are hurled at you…You just have to drop, duck and roll.  And, that’s what I’m doing, my friends. Tomorrow, I dare to dream another dream and fight another zombie horde.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

All the very best to you and yours.

Take care and God bless.

peace and zombies,

dh

07/15/2012

PS: please check out and “like” the: Save our Rails to Trails FB page

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