Saller Woods Trails

Run Time: 61:40 + 2-minute kick

Burlington is a small community, and I was staying at another AmericInn, half of which was under construction. The desk clerk was nice, but it was her second day, and the credit card reader was not working, and she had to call her boss and get instructions over-the-phone for how to enter my card info manually. I asked her if she could check to make sure that my Wyndham Rewards number was entered, and she pleaded for me to come back at a later hour and ask the next person to do that.

All of this, plus the hotel was right next to a busy divided road had me assuming that my run would require a drive to a safe running spot. I looked at the map on my phone, and it looked like there was a gravel road or a wide trail running alongside the busy road, and then it crossed road and ran alongside another road and then maybe through a forest. Worth a shot.

It was only about 12 minutes to the forest, and then — voila — beautiful wide running trails. The main trail snaked through the forest and meadows and wetlands to another road, and several spurs cut off in both directions. No one else in sight. Some mild slopes and grassy sections — paradise.

These were hiking/running trails, yes… in the summer. What they are really designed for, however, is snowmobiles. There were little snowmobile signs at certain junctures to help the winter recreationalists in times of blizzard, I suppose. There were a lot of bike tire tracks, so obviously I was not the only summer recreationalist to partake, but I feel somewhat appreciative of what Wisconsin does to keep their snowmobilers happy.

I had a grand time zigging and zagging out of forest and into open spaces. Some of the trees were decent size — and conifers, not leafifers. The shade of the forest was very welcome. I saw no critters and wildlife, but also felt no mosquitos or bees. There was a little of conservative backwoods vibe, but I kept my head on a swivel.

It is the unexpected pleasure that hits best. At the end of a long day of sitting in a car, snacking on Santitas and peanuts, trying to stay awake and hydrated, typing sales notes into a phone screen, listening to the map lady interrupt my podcast or my music, patiently waiting for the AmericInn newbie to get me checked in, this network of snowmobile trails made my day.

I felt more energized after the run than I did before. I showered, ate leftover nachos for the third consecutive night, finished the last of the sauvignon blanc my wife sent with me, practiced some guitar, did all my catch-up work, and watched a little West Wing. And the hotel was very quiet. Breakfast in the morning was a little meager, but the AmericInn is not known for its fine dining.

Proviso West High School

Run Time 61:38 + 2-minute kick

Still stuck in Chicagoland. This was not a bad community. I cut through the back parking lot of a Best Buy or something similar, crossed the tracks, and zigzagged through a residential pocket to get to a gloriously empty high school track with cement grandstands and some shade.

It was hot, and the stairs were double-depth, so it was a workout. I started flagging the second time around the track in each running segment, hauling my ass up those long steps. Some stretching of the lungs occurred. That, coupled with the lunges/squats/push-ups before the third running segment, seriously tested my endurance. Felt great.

The railroad tracks ran right next to the hotel. I actually had thought about running along side them before I figured out I could just run in the back parking lot. They were raised quite a bit at that place so that they could cross over the street. Later, when my wife sent out a request for Blue Moon photos, I climbed up to the tracks to get a good photo, and I was surprised at how loose the rocks and soil on the steep grade up to the tracks was. I question the engineering. Does not seem stable enough for supporting train traffic.

I was careful to avoid vegetation while clambering up the rocky slope – no need for more close encounters with poison ivy. It was the last Blue Moon that was also a Super Moon until 2037. It was really big and full, but the moon never looks as good in a photo as it does in reality. I didn’t see it when it was close to the horizon, which would have been even more spectacular, even from a crappy hotel outside of Chicago.

Business Park Lake Loop

Run Time: 61:36 + 2-minute kick

Somewhat confined by the urban sprawl of the Chicago area, and trying to adhere to my policy of no driving to a run location, I settled on a paved path that looped around two man-made “lakes” in a business park a block away from the hotel. A strip mall bordered one section, so I cut across behind a car wash rather than follow the sidewalk around the parking lot.

It was not the most natural of riparian settings, but I can appreciate the effort. An algae-laden pond beats asphalt any day. A small flock of geese hung around one end of the southern pond, doing what they do best – shitting. A rather forlorn heavy-set white guy came out and sat on a park bench staring at the still water for ten minutes. A younger, more fit man walked a dog. The traffic from I-80 and nearby rush-hour streets was loud, but I had my headphones on.

I stayed on the grass as much as possible. Make it a ritual. Not a routine, not a habit — a ritual. Running on the grass just off the asphalt is one of my rituals. Listening to music while running, to podcasts while walking, is one of my rituals. Rituals bring meaning to ordinary activity, and they free the mind from making decisions.

Driving around Chicago is not my favorite. It teases a little with pockets of nature and clean hamlets, but it remains the center of commerce and industry that counteracts peace and tranquility. Drivers, in particular, seem to be in a hurry there. Why, I ask? How fast do you need to race toward meaninglessness? Aggressive drivers lead petty lives – that is only a hypothesis, one not worth researching.

A lot of existing and potential business for us in the Chicago area — hence my 3 days here. Selling product to people selling product to people towing cars of people who drive aggressively. It’s not a Sisyphus gig, but it lacks poetry.

Brebeuf Jesuit High School

Run Time: 61:22 + 2-minute kick

Another lucky find within walking distance of the hotel. I had to navigate some busy city streets at rush hour to get to the school, but it was an oasis. An upscale private high school with beautiful grounds and a new track. There was construction going on, but nothing that impeded my run.

School appeared to be in session. There were quite a few students and what I assume was school personnel, but no one said a thing to me as I ran onto the track, did a few laps, and then peeled off to a perimeter trail.

Why didn’t someone say something? I ran down the main drive entrance to the school, around to the back, through a gated entrance to the track, and started doing laps. There were coaches or school personnel riding all over the place in golf carts. There were soccer teams on the field but no one using the track. A few laps in, the cheerleading squad came out for practice, so that is when I vacated in favor of the trail, where I had seen a couple of kids running.

The trail got a little damp in a few places. There had been a hellacious thunderstorm when I got to the hotel an hour or so earlier. I guess because I am an old white guy who ran right onto the track like he owned the place, nobody felt like challenging it. As I left the track, I noticed some kind of ticket booth on the side of the school I had not run around where they were checking people’s ID, or maybe scanning tickets. If it were important to keep someone out who didn’t belong, they were failing.

I actually tried to think of some fib I could tell if someone asked me who I was or why I was there. My kid was staying late for a study group – I was just killing time till they came out. I’m one-third Native American (there was a bust of a Native American at the entrance to the track), and I figured I should be able to run anywhere on the continent (I’m actually only about one-tenth). Or I thought I could just the truth: I’m a traveling salesman just trying to stay in decent shape.

Of course, no one should have a problem with someone wanting to run on a school track, no matter who they are or where they are from. But some tracks are locked up. It is inevitable – at some point, some patriot is going to try to kick me off some school property. That could be the turning of the tide for the One-Tenth Native Americans.

Local streets

Run Time: 61:20 + 2-minute kick

One thing I found insufficient reason to do in Seymour was to see more of it. I have given up on the idea of driving to a trail or track to run. I don’t like having car keys and a wallet on my person while I am running. I am really not too happy about having a motel key on me, but that is the bare minimum.

So for this run I just did some loops and laps around a multi-block section next to a golf course, off of the main drive. I stayed on grass for most of it. I saw a few golfers straying onto the business properties alongside the course, so I stayed wide of the course. No need to get beaned by a golf ball. There was a church compound – main church with a community center and some kind of outreach facility, which was next to a correctional center. Appears that someone is doing some good work in Seymour. It’s not just Seymour, it’s Domour.

It wasn’t extremely hot, but it felt hot. No wind, muggy, greater gravitational pull because Indiana is the Crossroads of America. It wasn’t the most enjoyable run I’ve ever had. When you’ve run along the Snake River in Twin Falls, ID, a side street in Seymour is inevitably going to promote just going through the motions.

The was a low-budget sales trip. I drove my own car, so no rental car. I drove from home, so no flights. I brought leftover, so only two dinners, one coffee + cookie, and one slice of pie. Four hotel rooms. Had some good sales visits, made some important connections, got a few decent leads, and hopefully added some value to the distributors I visited. Efficient and cost-effective.

George Rogers Clark Middle School

Run Time: 61:18 + 2-minute kick

I actually did not find George Rogers Clark Middle School until late in the run, and it was unintentional. There was a different school not far away, and I risked a half-mile down a country-ish road with no sidewalks to be blocked by a train just shy of the school. The lack of road shoulders took me across a ditch and along the edge of a cornfield, which resulted in a lot of seeds and field debris stuck to my shoes and socks. I thought about squeezing between the railroad cars, but then the cars might be moving when I came back, and I did not want to risk any additional delays. There were some thunderclouds in the distance.

So I ran back to the main road, which had sidewalks, and headed away from the highway, and lo and behold, there was a middle school only a half-mile or so in that direction. There was time enough to run a few laps around the track and to do my new lunge-squat-pushup workout before running back to the hotel. The thunderstorm missed us, but it was close.

I did not see much of Vincennes. It was a mid-point between sales stops, and it had hotels. There is a fair amount of rurality in Illinois/Indiana. Our family chat currently includes a weekly album pick by one person, and this week’s pick was Isaiah Rashad’s “The House Is Burning,” chosen by my son Alex. It is entirely possible that I was the only person in Indiana spinning that stream. I actually found pockets without cell coverage, which you expect in Wyoming, but no so much in Indiana.

I got some good podcast time in this trip. I added the This Week in MicroBiology, This Week in Parasitism, and Immune podcasts to the This Week in Virology podcast I have been listening to since I added it this past winter when Malcolm Gladwell recommended it. They all come from the same operation, so to speak. Good stuff. I unsubscribed from a few I had grown bored of.

The High School of St. Thomas More

Run Time: 61:16 + 2-minute kick

Sometimes you just have good luck. I chose the Microtel Inn for its location just off the highway, and for its relatively low cost. There was nothing around it but fields, a single service station, and this upper-middle-class high school with a little-used running track. Serendipity.

A windy day, felt hotter than it was. My energy was low. But, as Arnold will tell you, one way to raise your energy level is to just start moving. So I moved. I changed into my shorts and running shirt and running shoes and headed down the grass-covered sidewalk, navigated a tenth-mile of country road traffic, and started circling the oval. There were bleachers, so I got some good stair work in too.

I subscribed to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s weekdaily email newsletter last year sometime. I also read his biography. He has some good, solid, simple advice in almost every newsletter, and his staff adds some good exercise and eating guidance, as well as interesting reports on health studies. In a recent email, one of Adam’s Workouts included a program involving deep lunges, body squats, and pushups, so I decided to incorporate it into my runs.

My current run/walk routine is 7 minutes walk, 10 minutes run, 7 minutes walk, 10 minutes run, 7 minutes walk, 10 minutes run, 7 minutes walk, 5+ minutes run with the kick included. I added this short workout in after the third 7-minute walk. The first iteration of the workout is 10 deep lunges, 5-second pause, 3 deep lunges, 5-second pause, 3 deep lunges, 5-second pause, 3 deep lunges, 5-second pause, 10 body squats, 5-second pause, 3 body squats, 5-second pause, 3 body squats, 5-second pause, 3 body squats, 5-second pause, 10 pushups, 5-second pause, 3 pushups, 5-second pause, 3 pushups, 5-second pause, 3 pushups. Over time, I will work the initial 10 to 20 (and maybe beyond), the follow-up 3 to 5, and the 5-second pause down to 3 seconds.

No weights involved other than body weight. Guess what? Deep lunges and body squats use different muscles than running. I was a little bit sore the following morning. Plus, deep lunges require pretty good balance, which also works muscles differently than walking. This little workout is a good addition.

Home of the Sabers. Typical Catholic warmongering. Was Sir Thomas More a saber-wielder? Doubtful. He could pay others to do the dirty work.

Sidewalks behind hotel

Run Time: 61:06 + 2-minute kick

I chose this hotel location for its proximity to the airport, but the neighborhood was a strange combination of new construction, open fields, people sleeping in cars, and construction sites. The hotels were all new. Behind the hotels were new houses and houses still being built. A new school sat between those houses and a resort. Some sidewalks ended in the middle of nothing.

The school did not have a track, unfortunately. I didn’t even look at All Trails. It was the end of a long week. I normally fly home Friday afternoon, but I had customer appreciation event to attend at a new distributor branch in Scottsbluff, NE, and I did not want to rush the trip from there to Denver, so I flew home Saturday instead. This allowed me to get four runs in, all at high altitude (well, maybe Alliance, NE, wasn’t that high).

Rain threatened a few times during the run. There were some nasty looking thunderclouds on the periphery. I saw jets taking off with a very low dark cloud on the opposite side of the airport – it looked dicey. And then the sun would come out and it would get hot real quick.

I ran down an access road that I thought might turn into a dirt road heading off into the sage, but it ended at some kind of electrical building, so I turned around. On my way back to the main street, I almost stepped on a very large snake, which either had just crawled out onto the asphalt, or I had somehow not seen it one minute before.

I also saw more of those killer red ant hills near the street, and hordes of grasshoppers, most of them green. On the street behind the hotel, there were more than a half dozen cars, vans, RVs, and truck trailers that were obviously primary domiciles for local residents who can’t afford the housing prices. They looked out of place, but I guess they were in a location where they weren’t bothering anyone, though they were only a half-mile or so from the new houses.

After the run I showered and drove about 5 miles for some takeout, and the traffic was just heavy enough that the monsoon hit before I could get back into the safety of the hotel room. One of those low dark cloud banks came right at me, and I got drenched in about 45 seconds trying to get into the hotel. The winds were scary.

You can see how flash floods happen with weather like that. And why snakes take advantage of the dry periods to get a little asphalt time.

Unnamed Bike Trail

Run Time: 61:04 + 2-minute kick

At first glance Alliance did not impress. A light drizzle and dark clouds greeted me at the end of a long drive from Ft. Pierre, SD. The hotel was old and somewhat rundown, and when the clerk told me the WiFi was out, that further dampened my spirits.

But a run can be a cure for anything, even in a light drizzle. It can take you to a place you wouldn’t otherwise find. This run started out dubiously. I cut across a field next to the hotel that turned out to be an organic mosquito farm. It got better from there. I took a path that dove under the railroad tracks and into an older neighborhood, on my way to a bike path that might get me off the sidewalks.

Which it did. And it took me past some beautiful old homes and parks and streams and ballfields and old buildings. Alliance, it turns out, is delightful, if you can avoid the mosquitos. The bit around my hotel was not so delightful, and I might never have seen the good part without the run.

The state bird of Nebraska appears to be the fly, which is not particularly large or troublesome there, just abundant. I stopped in the middle of nowhere an hour or so before Alliance to take a leak by the side of the road and made the mistake of leaving the car door open while I did so. I was still shooing flies out of the car the next afternoon as I drove into Denver. I got really good at calmly lowering the windows at 75 mph with my left hand and nudging flies out with my right.

My big victory for the day was yet to come. When I finished my run, I prepared to head across the street to McDonalds to use their WiFi for as long as I could stand to sit in McDonalds. I had forgotten to plug my laptop in the night before when I used it, however, so the battery was low, so I plugged it in to let it charge while I showered. I then called my wife for our evening chat, and as we talked I decided to check the hotel WiFi to make sure it really wasn’t working. When I looked at my WiFi settings on my phone, I saw the button for the Auto-Join Hotspot function.

I had never used my iPhone as a hotspot. I had never tried. It was an Epiphany. It worked better than any hotel WiFi I remember. I didn’t have to go to McDonalds! I could do all of my end-of-day work AND watch some West Wing. The next morning, when I got an unexpected call from a prospect and wanted to send him some follow-up documents, I opened my laptop and connected to my iPhone and sent him the documents right there in the Dollar Store parking lot. Game changed.

I know. You’re laughing at my boomer ignorance. I don’t care. I’m already twice as efficient and effective as a regular human – when something like this happens, it’s just icing on the cake for me, Bubba. When I need it, the spot will be hot.

Casper Rail Trail

Run Time 61:02 + 2-minute kick

Dry, windy, high-altitude, hot, dusty – felt like I was running in a Sergio Leone film. I should have played just Morricone soundtrack music in my headphones. Plus I was on an old railroad grade between I-25 and Hwy 20/26, so it was the antithesis of picturesque and sublime.

But, I run. It doesn’t have to be idyllic. It doesn’t have to be pleasant. It can be uncomfortable and unsettling and unfun. I had to weave through tall weeds and thistles and through a hail of grasshoppers, but I will tell you this – there was no one else on the trail, and that is the way I like it. In fact, no one might have ever run on this trail, and people driving by might have seen me and said to themselves, “No one in their right mind would be running on that trail right now,” and that, also, is the way I like it.

I do not want to call Casper the Unfriendly Ghost-Town, but it is not the garden spot of Wyoming. I had driven through some beautiful, unseasonably green mountainous country all day, from Rock Springs to Riverton to Casper, and now my outside-the-car time was running back-and-forth through terrain reminiscent of a vacant lot next to the truck stop.

You can tell Casper is a harsh environment, because the primary wildlife are red ants that look like they were stunt-ants in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I sped up a little each time I passed one of their giant anthill knolls, which are easy to spot due to the absence of vegetation and the piles of bones around them.

After the run I picked thorns out of my socks, dumped sharp mineral bits out of my shoes, took a cool shower, and drove to the local Panda Express for a plate with fried rice, orange chicken, and kung pao chicken. The orange was all the sweeter, the kung pao all the spicier, and the rice all the frieder because I had got my run in, in conditions less than ideal, and I felt great.