I'm Back in the Blogosphere

I've taken a break from more than training it seems. Oops!

The fall is beautiful here, and I'm trying to take full advantage of it. I've been running, walking, cycling, swimming, lifting weights, and loving the lack of pressure (pressure that I have applied to myself in the past).

I have even been staying up past my bedtime occasionally. This weekend Dave and I trekked to Charlottesville to visit his sister in her gorgeous apartment. We ate out at a tasty Mediterranean restaurant and strolled around the Downtown Mall like tourists. In running news, I discovered a new trail quite by accident. I was feeling down about having to run on sidewalks (gasp!) on a major road when I saw a little sign just beyond the guardrail. It read "Rivanna Trails", so I followed it. Soon I was taken out of the grime and noise of the city street to a green valley full of babbling brooks and leaping white tail deer. It may sound like a Disney movie, but it was really like that. So, my spirits were lifted. It's the simple things...

On a more negative exercise note, my bike is ill. I've been having a lot of trouble with flat tires, and I finally determined that the walls of the tires are deteriorating, causing the tubes to pop when inflated or compressed. Since the bike is my method of transportation, I've been left taking the bus, which isn't so bad but costs money. I'm going to take poor Blue into the shop to see if he needs to be put down, salvaged, or replaced by a more virile cousin.