Burke Park/Gallagator Linear Trail

Running Time: 55:35.5 + 2-minute kick

This run was fine, although I got off on the wrong track and did a fair amount of muddy wandering, but the scenery was much better on the wrong track, it turned out. The plan was to run the Gallagator Trail out and back. It started behind the library in downtown Bozeman, and it was asphalt, which threw me, because I thought I had seen photos of a gravel path on All Trails.

I do not like asphalt. It promotes concussions. There was a muddy trail up a hill – too steep and muddy for a run, but then I came to a road and saw a better trail headed up the hill, so I took that.

This diversion took me into a network of dirt and gravel trails that covered a ridge and spilled into adjacent farmland. The mud almost got me on the initial incline, but I shifted over onto the grass. The view from the ridge was spectacular, even on a cold and wet day.

There were, in fact, many treacherous areas of potential slippage along the route I ended up taking, but that also meant no other runners. It was only when I got back onto asphalt that I found human company.

When I came back around to the library, I had another 12 minutes or so to run, so I headed back down the Gallagator Trail and crossed the road I had stopped at before, and lo and behold, the trail turned into a gravel trail. I just had not run far enough.

The day had started with snow in Twin Falls, which followed me through Pocatello and up to Idaho Falls, where it warmed slightly and got sunny on the way to Butte, and then the rains hit between Butte and Bozeman. I found a gas station with a good beer selection near my hotel in Belgrade and tried a couple local beers that night that did not disappoint.

Auger Falls Park Loop

Running Time: 55:32.5 + 2-minute kick

Finally, All Trails for the win. This was a nearly perfect run. Thunderstorms were threatening, but they moved through to the north. I felt a few sprinkles carried up the gorge in the wind. A half-hour after I finished some heavy rains moved through.

The trail was glorious. The dirt was soft from a recent rain. The trail was narrow and there were rocks to navigate and cliffs to skirt, but it was challenging and fun. The scenery was magnificent.

I had a productive work day as well – 8 prospect visits and 300+ miles driven. I visited a Rush Truck Center and asked if they had any Auto Transport customers, and the guy said, “All the Auto Transport guys drive Peterbilts.” They were Cummins and International. I left there and saw a Peterbilt sign down the road and went in there, and they confirmed – they did have Auto Transport customers. It opened up two Peterbilt dealerships groups and 15+ potential distributors to visit in my region. You never know when valuable information is going to drop in your lap.

Anyway, as I said, the scenery was magnificent. I will let the images speak for themselves.

University of Illinois Campus; running time 55:21.5 + 2-minute kick

Another All Trails Fail. I had planned to run on a trail around the perimeter of a city park. I made it about 300 yards and then found swamp. No bueno. I then drove to a middle school track, but there was track practice in progress, so that would not work. I then drove to the University of Illinois campus, where I found a running track mostly empty, but there were workers doing repairs, so…

I found some green space with gravel roads and went for a leisure run. There were some soft trails, and some running over grass, and I might have inadvertently triggered an allergic spell by running through a research area with a sign that said “Pollinarium.” There were tons of people out walking around, including a lot of parents, so it must have been a parents week or something. And it also must have been “take your parents out for an awkward and silent walk hour,” because there seemed to be a lot of that.

It was a pleasantly warm afternoon, so I ran in shorts and a t-shirt, which felt great. I really was stuffy in the sinuses, which was not great. I didn’t try any sequentially faster circuits – just ran slow and steady.

Baraboo High School; Running Time 55:18.5 + 1-lap kick

Cool, crisp, sunny afternoon to run – ideal conditions. I had tried and failed to find an easily accessible trail to run on, so I defaulted to the local high school track. It was a 10-minute drive – more than I normally like to do – but this track was really good. There was a baseball game in process, and every time I hit the top of a grandstands staircase and made the turn, I could watch a pitch being thrown.

In preparation for this trip, I visited AllTrails to find non-paved trails near my hotel on which to run. I found a state park within a few miles, with multiple trails, and I had one picked out. However, even though there was no one working at the state park, and one only car in the parking lot, there were multiple signs warning that a state park permit was required, or payment of $11/day. I had no cash, no check, and no desire to test the system, although I am sure it would have been fine.

Baraboo is a quaint little town near Wisconsin Dells, which is where the hotel was. I had a crapload of work to do in the evening. When I travel for work, I still have normal emailing and troubles to shoot and triage work to accomplish, and if I am trying to hit all my targeted visits and have to drive a lot, I do not have much time to stop and check emails on my phone throughout the day. Plus, we sent out new pricing recently, and I want to make sure all of my accounts saw it, which requires a lot of emails. Some nights I am still working at 10 pm +. But I am not about to sacrifice my running for all of that.

My wife and I traveled to Western New York the week before. We are thinking of moving there. I drove through a few nice places in Wisconsin and couldn’t help letting her know that Lake Geneva and Horicon and Mayville are nice places, and then she would sent me some Zillow listings. We have been living with our daugher, son-in-law, and granddaughter in Utah for the past 8 months, but they are going to move somewhere this year (maybe Western NY as well), so we need to find our next landing place.

My timed circuit for this run was 2 full laps around the track, with double sets of stairs on both grandstands, which were both solid. One had four sets of stairs and the other five. When I run stairs, I reenter the track at the same spot that I left, so I always run the full length of the track. My first circuit was 19:26, then I dropped to 17:42 for the second circuit, and I was on track for a faster third circuit, but I must have bumped my Wyze watch, because it was stopped at 1:08.

Central Cass High School

Running Time: 55:12 + 1-lap kick

What a charming little town on the North Dakota prairie, just west of Fargo, charming enough that I thought it was charming on a windy, drizzly, dark early April day. It says something about a town when you look for a place to eat on Google Maps and there are no fast food options. It says something good.

There were technicians working on the stadium speaker system at the very nice high school track, which sat next to a very nice baseball field and a very nice softball field, so I did not run the stairs and disturb their work. They had country music blaring loud, but turned that off and did some tests, and I was able to contribute by signaling that I could hear their 1-2-3s when they sent them out. I felt like an important community member.

I was thinking, this would be a nice place for our kids to go to school, then remembered our kids are all done with school, at least through high school. I organized my Modified Prefontaine workout into groups of 4 laps. I always run around the outside track lane, which is 446.2 meters, so 4 laps is 1784.8 meters, which is approximately 1.11 miles. My times for the first 4 sets were good: 11:13, 10:34, 10:24, 9:49. I didn’t think I would bring my time down for the fifth set, so I was looking at my watch after each lap – first lap 2:33, second lap 5:00, then I must have paused the time, because when I got to the end of the third lap, it was still 5:00, so I just jogged out the rest of the run till the kick. Again, the acceleration kicked my ass, and I felt great after the run.

Earlier in the day, I hit a snowstorm crossing from Duluth to Fargo – about 4 inches dropped in an hour or so. Not fun. Did I mention that I am ready for Spring? Dry, snowless North Dakota looked welcoming when I got there, even if it did start raining later in the afternoon. I met with an account in Casselton – no appointment set – and was greeted by the owner with, “Perfect timing! I was just going to send a request for a quote.” We talked about their needs and some things we have they are buying elsewhere, and I told him about a product he should consider manufacturing, and it was an ideal sales visit. Like I said, a charming little town.

Roseville Area High School

55:09 running time + 1-lap kick

This is my first road run since watching “Without Limits” on the plane ride back home from Detroit a couple weeks back. Fewer things are more dangerous for a runner than watching a Steve Prefontaine biopic. I immediately instituted what I call Modified Prefontaine to my running sessions, which is the attempt to increase my speed throughout my run. Prefontaine just ran as fast as he could from start to finish, but once Bowerman talked him into steadily progressing his speed from fast to faster. Each of 12 laps of a 3-mile race he increased his speed by 1 second. Never mind how insanely tough that would be – how in tune with your body are you when you can increase your lap speed 1 second on purpose?

The track at this high school was in good shape. I also ran the cement steps, which were not uniform, which is always trouble. The end flights were the worst – there has been settling on either end of the grandstands through the years. I ran the 6 flights twice each with each circuit around the track, mostly to lengthen the total run time around the track, because Modified Prefontaine demands that you reduce the total run time each time around. If you are going to be dropping lap times, you want to reduce the number of laps, so that you don’t have to hit world record pace by lap 20. I was able to complete nearly 8 full laps with double stairs in my run time. I was not able to better my time each lap, but I did good: 7:47 7:27 7:17 6:55 6:41 6:42 6:46. It was easier than I thought to speed up slightly, but I don’t know how anyone could speed up 1 second per lap intentionally.

The weather was sunny but brisk. It had snowed that morning in Minneapolis, so I was happy with 45 and sunny. I have been doing the Modified Prefontaine on my home trail runs, but the circuit around the lake is in the 18-minute range, so I can only run 2 full laps during a run. It is easy to improve your time on lap 2 only. Try it on lap 7 – I don’t care how short the laps are, that is tough. I was dead at the end of this run, and you know what? It felt great. Prefontaine’s running strategy was balls to the wall, go for broke, and I love it. It is how I would like to live the rest of my life.

I will give Modified Prefontaine a go for awhile. Once my lungs and heart are a little stronger, we’ll see about Full Prefontaine.

Loy Norrix High School

Running Time 54:56 + 1-lap kick

Loy Norris HS looks fairly new, and I thought that the track might be locked, but there was an open game by the gym side door. One person came out and walked the track while I was running, but no track practice, so I was able to get in a good run. The bleachers had 5 sets of stairs. When available, I run each set of stairs twice, one as I make my way down the bleachers, one on the way back.

The track was in great shape – very springy. And very blue. That offset the proximity of the freeway, which was only a few hundred yards away. I was listening to music, of course, but it is the pollution I do not care for. I once worked at a business that was right next to a freeway. We had a layer of brake dust on all surfaces all the time. No bueno.

The weather was dismal – cool, rainy, and windy. But I had opted for a nap the day before when I got to my hotel in Mr. Pleasant, so I felt rested and had a good run. I think that will be my weekly ritual now: run on Monday and Tuesday, nap on Wednesday, run on Thursday, walk at the airport on Friday.

Kalamazoo has an industrial feel to it, like Saginaw. I did notice more greenery. I would have looked for a running spot away from the freeway, but this was close to the hotel and the track was new and accessible, a combination sometimes difficult to find. Loy Norrix was a former superintendent for the school district, and I would imagine his name was the most memorable quality he had, though that is not really fair to say, since I did not know him.

Saginaw Soccer Complex

Running Time: 54:53.5 + 2-minute kick

I had planned on running at the track at Valley Lutheran High School, but the little Lutherans were out practicing their track skills in the cold, windy, rainy weather. There was a paved path through part of the soccer complex, but I stuck to the grass as much as possible, until I hit some marshy spots. I ran the perimeter mostly, and there were only occasional piles of dog crap to avoid.

Saginaw is pretty dreary, and even more so in dreary weather. I did some cold-calling, which I do not often do, and everyone I talked to was pleasant and not dismissive at all, which makes it a little fun. I drove up from Detroit and through Flint – 9 stops in all, which is more than I usually can fit in. I felt tired an unenergetic for the run.

I accumulate ideas when I am on the road. I listen to albums for tracks I want to run to, and I add the songs to my running playlist. On the plane I listed to the “Sleep” playlist, and I added almost all of the artists to my list of artists to check out. Then I listen to a rotation of the artists that are on the list, and if I add one of their tracks, I move on to the next artist. I am in the process of going through the artists with tracks on my running playlist, listening to their entire catalog for additional songs to add. So I only need to add one track from a new artist, and then eventually I will listen to their entire catalog and add every song I like.

I also have 40 podcasts I subscribe to. I go through and listen to the oldest one of each in a rotation. The only ones that I listen to outside of the rotation are Fresh Air, Public Health on Call, and Best of Car Talk. Fresh Air and Best of Car Talk cycle out their old episodes on the feed, so you have to stay caught up, or you lose one. Public Health on Call I like to stay current on, because it deals with a lot of timely subjects. So each day I start with one Fresh Air, one Public Health on Call, and one Best of Car Talk, and then I pick up the rotation where I left off the day before. I also rotate podcasts and albums – one podcast, then one album, and so on.

Most of these strategies I have implemented to take decision-making out of the daily routine, so that I have the appropriate level of mental energy and willpower to make the important decisions that come up throughout the day.

Romulus Middle School

54:50.5 Running Time + 1-Lap Kick

Back in the Motor City. Romulus is where the airport is, and also where we have four distributors, so today’s run is industrial in nature. It is a nice day for a run – warm with a breeze. The middle school setting is a little sketchy – the track is old and wearing out, and the only open gate looks like the lock has been broken, but no one bothers me while I am there. I run the steps on the rickety aluminum grandstands.

Work has been very hectic. We converted to a new ERP system last month, and it has led to an avalanche of turmoil and mayhem. During the days on the road, I pause multiple times to read and answers emails. When I get to the hotel, or after my run, I spend a couple more hours going through emails. Then I have prep for the next days and random projects to catch up on. It is usually around 11 pm before I have a few minutes to read or watch the latest “This Old House” episode on the laptop, then to sleep.

A common rule in business is the 80/20 rule. There are variations, but the one I am most familiar with is that 80% of the people do 20% of the work, and vice versa. As I witness more corporate activity, I also think that 20% of the work force is qualified to do 80% of the work, and vice versa. Just because someone is above you on the corporate ladder does not mean they are more qualified to handle complex work than you are. You cannot trust that anyone knows what they are doing, unless you are working in close proximity to that person, and you see evidence of their competence.

Explaining the incompetence of your coworkers to your customer is one of the most difficult tasks a salesperson faces. It is wise to be diplomatic, but it is unwise to lie. No one likes to be lied to. People feel respected when they are told the truth, and many prefer to work with those who show them that respect, and to not work with those who do not. However, the incompetent coworkers do not like your transparency, and if the incompetent coworker is your supervisor or their management cronies, God help you.

Snake River Elementary; 54:28 running time + 1-lap kick

This track actually was asphalt. Apparently safety and skeletal protection are less important for elementary school age children. It was close to the hotel, and the sunlight was disappearing, and the traffic was light and far away, so I made do. For more than half of the run, I ran on the grass around the perimeter of the fenced area.

It was a long day of driving at the beginning of a long week of long days of driving up from Utah, across Idaho, through Northeast Oregon, across Eastern Washington, over to Western Montana, and back down through Eastern Idaho to Utah. It was generally beautiful and sunny, though not for this run, but the weather was relatively mild, and the wind and fresh air felt absolutely great.

I have history in Nampa. I was married at 18 and moved to nearby Caldwell, where I lived and worked as a pizza delivery driver for two years. My ex-wife still lives in the area, I believe. On my last trip through Idaho, I drove to the houses, duplex, and apartment we lived in there, and I reminisced about a relatively carefree and lost portion of my life. Although I was not acting appropriately at that time of my life, my memories are overwhelmingly fond.

I honestly wish that all of my travel for work was through Rural America. It is invariably beautiful, and Idaho/Oregon/Washington/Montana/Wyoming is particularly so. I love the wide open spaces. I challenge you to drive across Montana and not think the sky really is bigger there.