Gettysburg Trip

Well, it took me some time, but I promised that I would post more details about my cool trip to Gettysburg and the Gettysburg National Military Park. On that very ground over the course of three bloody days in July of 1863, Union and Confederate forces slugged it out in what was to become the most pivotal battle of the American Civil War.

The Gettysburg battlefield is an awe-inspiring place where no matter how many times I visit, I always learn or observe something new. The area encompassed by the National Military Park appears much the same today as it did in 1863 (not that I would know personally, but it is evident from photographs of the area taken during the same time period). It is such a peaceful and beautiful area that it always amazes me that it bore witness to some of the most horrific combat this country has ever seen. The Civil War combined more accurate and lethal weaponry with old-style combat and tactics. What this resulted in was a tremendous number of casualties. Add to this the fact that modern medical techniques and the use of antiseptics were still several decades away, and you can imagine how terrible that war must have been. Most people don't realize that more people were killed and wounded in three days at Gettysburg (over 50,000) than during the entire ten years of the Vietnam War!

We stayed at the Doubleday Inn Bed & Breakfast which is located right on the battlefield in the area where much of the heaviest fighting occurred on the first day of the battle. The owners are really very nice people and you really feel at home when you are staying at the Inn. I highly recommend it, and the best part is that the battlefield is literally right outside the front door.

http://www.doubledayinn.com/

- A "tunnel" of autumn foliage looking down Confederate Avenue.

Whenever I visit the battlefield, I am always humbled by the fact that tens of thousands of young men (many of them boys really), died on the very same soil on which I am treading. It is a pretty sobering thought. If you've never been to Gettysburg or any of the multitudes of other preserved Civil War battlefields in this country, I strongly encourage you to plan a visit. You will definitely learn something, and will very possibly discover a whole new appreciation for the history of our great nation.

Two Solid Weeks of Running

Well, as long as I can fit in a "long" run on Sunday (probably about six miles), I will have completed my second consecutive solid week of training. I ran three times (4, 3 and 5 miles) last week, and twice (4 and 4 miles) so far this week. I love this time of year, and I have really been enjoying the Fall season.

I took two sorely needed vacation days from work this week. On Monday, my Dad and I went up to the mountains turkey hunting. We didn't see a single turkey, but that didn't even matter. We had a great day together. The weather was beautiful, and the trees were still a blaze of red and gold. As I sat in the woods drinking coffee from my Thermos while listening to the sounds of squirrels and birds accompany the soft stir of the wind through the falling leaves, an immense peace came over me as I thought, "This is what it's all about." The quiet solitude of the wilderness really calms me and makes me appreciate the natural beauty that is all around us every day and yet goes unnoticed by so many people. We did jump one deer while walking which was pretty exciting. After two straight deer seasons of going home empty, I was starting to wonder if there were any deer left on the mountain. The drive to and from the mountains gave my Dad and I time for some good conversation, and it was nice having breakfast and dinner together.

The weather has been fantastic most of this week. The high has been close to 70 for the past few days. I went for a 4-miler on Thursday and then again this afternoon, and I was comfortable running in shorts and short sleeves. My conditioning is improving slightly, but I still have a long way to go.

I took another day off from work today (Friday) to go small-game hunting with two of my friends in a local county park. None of us got a shot at anything, but again, that didn't really matter too much to any of us. The weather was sunny and warm with a gentle breeze, and it was a fabulous day to be out in the woods. We did kick one deer up while hunting in some underbrush. The cool thing was that the deer (a doe) was half piebald. The front half of the deer was the normal grayish-brown color that they usually are this time of the year as the landscape changes to the darker colors of winter, but the back half of the deer was almost pure white with only a few small, brown spots. Sometimes people confuse these with albinos, but they aren't because even when they are totally white they don't have pink eyes and aren't sensitive to light. Piebald is a recessive gene that causes a lack of pigment in the coat, but it is not a total lack of pigment such as with albinism. I've seen piebald deer before, but they are a pretty uncommon sight overall.

Having some time off has allowed me to put aside the stress from work and compartmentalize it accordingly. I have been talking a lot with my friend, coworker, and fellow Team Leader Jose and we have been discussing our plans for next year including how we plan to change how we manage our area. We have agreed that we need to work harder to manage some of the attitudes and pushback that we get from time to time, and our manager has told us that he will support us "125,000%" so that is encouraging. I am starting to realize that I just can't let it get to me, but that can sometimes be easier said than done. Running, spending time outdoors, and working out are great stress relievers. I need to continue to make them an integral part of my life so that I can keep things in perspective.

I am very happy with how things have progressed the last two weeks, and I will soon turn my thoughts to the spring and the next 26.2 mile quest. All of the buzz about Lance Armstrong running NYC this year, and Dean Karnazes doing 50 marathons in 50 days which culminated at NYC has whet my appetite to whip myself back into the kind of shape necessary to run my 9th marathon. In just the last two weeks of running, I can already tell a difference in my energy and endurance levels. I am starting to feel that familiar hunger building inside my craw. It makes me want to go out there and tear it up.

Two Runs, One Week....About Time!

I ran on Monday (4 miles) and Wednesday (3 miles) of this week thus far, making it my first multiple-run week since early August. I must say that I really notice my lack of conditioning on hills and in the middle of runs. I feel a little winded but okay at the beginning, and seem to be able to finish with a slight kick, but that middle segment is always a drag. I have also noticed the oddest thing about all of my old running routes - the hills have grown longer and steeper than they were just six months ago. It can't be me; can it? I get to the top and am thinking, "Wow, that sucked." It makes me both dread the long and painful road back to marathon conditioning, and appreciate just how strong a runner I was less than a year ago. If I was there before, I can get back there again. I just need the commitment to training that I have had in the past.

Work is still busy and hectic, but my outlook has been slightly different, and I am trying not to internalize the stress as I tend to do often. I am very calm and patient with everyone at work, but inside I'm in knots. As a good friend recently reminded me; I need to choose a goal and start working toward it. Good advice as I've given the same to others in the past.

I am planning to run again over the weekend (probably a 5-miler; a long run for me at this point). I also want to make it to the gym as I haven't been there in about three weeks again.

I took a really cool trip to Gettysburg last weekend (more including pictures in a future post), and I am taking two much-needed days off from work next week to go hunting - turkey hunting with Dad on Monday; small game hunting with friends on Friday.