Good Charlotte

One of my favorite things about traveling is the adventure that comes from training in a new place. I don’t travel incredibly often, but when I do I like to explore. Over New Years I wrote about some epic runs in Las Vegas and San Diego, as well as a valuable lesson learned. Last summer I was in Detroit for a few days for my day job, and had some memorable experiences as well. I ran from my hotel to the inner-city Detroit YMCA, where I got a nice swim in and didn’t get mugged a single time. Not once!! Actually, I thought Detroit was cool (although I’d steer clear of the Robinwood St. area). I also had some nice runs along the riverfront, where you can look across the water and see Windsor, Ontario. I kept thinking how cool it would be to have a triathlon in which you swim across the border, bike in Canada, and run back across a bridge to a US finish. Sure, it would be a logistical nightmare (passport checks at the aid station?) but it would be cool.

a short swim between the US and Canada

 Anyways, I arrived in Charlotte, NC late Sunday night, and it’s been fun to scope out a new place. I did some research ahead of time and learned about a trail system called the Little Sugar Creek Greenway that was updated last year. If you ever find yourself in Charlotte, this is a must! I set out to discover it after work yesterday, picking up the trail on its beautiful downtown, “urban section,” before winding through some parks and local neighborhoods. I went 8 or so, and it felt great.

Walking back to my hotel post-run, I made another nice discovery… the “Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center” only two blocks away. Score! I woke up early this morning to hop in the gleaming, 50 meter pool. Unfortunately this experience wasn’t as great as yesterday’s. For some reason I packed my old goggles… I think it was an effort to not scratch up my new ones or something, but in hindsight it was a mistake.

I had a college roommate who came home one night distraught about what he described as a bad “kissing performance” with some girl he liked. He claimed that he was in an awkward position on the couch or something, and “couldn’t get a good seal.” “I’m a champion kisser, but now she’s gonna think I’m terrible,” he went on to say. “I couldn’t get a good seal!” So was the case with my goggles this morning. I couldn’t get a good seal, and they leaked like the Titanic. I was reduced to swimming with my right eye closed half the time, and stopped at each wall to drain them. Following an abbreviated workout, I tossed them in the garbage on my way out. Oh well, at least I got a little something in, and it definitely helped wake me up.

pour some sugar on me