A Postcard from Home

From home, which is to say, from me--because when I'm in my running shoes, I'm home.
 
I've briefly escaped the madness of life in the home-improvement zone, as Z and I left the construction site on Sunday and motored north. Destination: Bend, Oregon, venue of the 2013 version of Mini Meet West. 


Z Loves these little cars, and if I were to love any cars at all, it would be these. It was fun being the chase vehicle for a caravan of 35 itty-bitty vehicles as their caravan snaked up I-5 to Redding, where everyone spent a night (not all in the same room, folks). Monday we completed our journey to Bend, and here we are for a few days. It's a bit rainy and cool, but not unpleasant.

This morning we went to the Shine and Show portion of the meet, where we found almost 100 teeny tinies all spiffy in the rain. Click on the image to the left and you'll find the sticker in the upper right-hand corner says "Actual Size." That's Mini humor. Meaning it's a little humorous? At any rate, tomorrow is an autocross and a Funkhana. Funkhana? You could look it up.

So, what does Mini mania have to do with running, specifically my running? Only that Bend is a wonderful place for an early-morning run. "Bend" refers to the city's location; it straddles several picturesque bends in the green and serene Deschutes River. Trails and parks abound.
 
My first glimpse of the Deschutes. Just over the green rise was a riverside cinder trail running alongside a strip of packed sand.
I did a lovely, exploratory 5-miler that took me to the river's rim and back, where I chugged into a less showy part of town which, despite its modest homes, held a mighty fine park that boasted playing fields set amidst winding wood-chip trails shaded by large redwoods.

 It was a good start to the day, a start marred slightly by a pretty uncomfortable recurrence of an ache in the lower part of my right leg. By noontime it was sore to walk on--by evening a bit better, but still. I never cease to marvel at the seemingly infinite number of injuries one runner's body can manifest. But I remain upbeat. A good night's rest, a day off from running tomorrow, lots of water--I anticipate another fine Bend jaunt before we depart on Friday. 

 Stay tuned and if you can't do that, at least stay healthy, and run happy!

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