The summer of 2020 was a chaotic time. The pandemic was still in full force, coming back with another wave after declining in cases for a month or so. Business were open to varying degrees, with varying restrictions, tending on the more lenient side in our part of the country. We had settled into a comfortable routine of working from home, cooking from home, exercising from home, entertaining adult and teenage children at home … the list goes on. July was the perfect time for a break from all that. Yes, travel would still present challenges, given the lack of available dining opportunities, but it was also an excellent time for exploring the world on a socially distanced agenda, which is our preference anyway.
Continue reading A Masked Tour of Southwest TexasCategory Archives: State Parks
Running On Red Rocks
Adjusting from the abuse of attempting half-marathons in remote places, we dialed our expectations down to the 10K distance. After an unsuccessful attempt at this in Seattle (run cancelled by … rain? Seriously …) – we took advantage of a long weekend to revisit and further explore the great Southwest. New turf for one of us, historical relevance for another – we took advantage of a week of work to simplify travel, and had the benefit of a long weekend for wandering around Arizona. Sedona became the focus after one of us spotted a link for the Sedona Red Rock Rumble – with a 5-mile option, it fit in our goals and looked like a nice base for the weekend.
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Injuries Before Ithaca
In 2018 we were working on a long-term goal of completing a half marathon in all 50 states. This was an ambitious goal for two average, middle-aged runners, but we had started off well, having already accomplished Texas, Michigan and Nevada by the beginning of the summer. When we booked a trip to Ithaca, we knew this didn’t really fit the mission as we’d already run a half marathon here two years prior. Ithaca is a beautiful little college town tucked into upstate New York on the south end of Cayuga Lake surrounded by trees and well-known for its waterfalls and dramatic gorges.
As it was probably our favorite course to date, we determined that duplicating a state was worth the money and time. Excited and planning ahead, we had booked flights, a place to stay, reserved a car, and registered for the race several months prior to the run, expecting we’d be in prime condition to tackle the route again. The best laid plans …
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The Agony of the Palo Duro Canyon Half
So … we appear to be committed to long, painful runs that result in exhaustion, days of soreness, and spending lots of money for a t-shirt, a big clunky medal, and a few pictures we manage to catch along the way. Figuring that we’ve seen and pounded enough miles of pavement, we decided to branch out. Trail runs seem to happen on more frequently on Sundays which makes schedules a bit easier, but to offset that, it’s always a good idea to pick one that is at least 5 hours away – convenience is not a watchword we adhere to. Hence, the LSRC (Lone Star Runner’s Club) Palo Duro Canyon Spring Half – 13-point-something miles in the bottom of Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The club also hosts the Palo Duro Trail Run in the fall each year, but getting both of us there on a Saturday has proved tough. One of us walked the 20K (12.2 miles or so) two years ago, and ran (well, jogged) it last fall. While not a walk in the park (sound effect here for bad pun), it seemed like a do-able half marathon. Ummm, yeah.
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