I was home from Arizona for exactly
one minute 18 hours before I headed east to Nashville for our traditional Thanksgiving visit with Mr K's family. Nashville is a beautiful city any time of the year, but I especially like visiting in the fall. While we are usually too late for the peak of their fall colors, we catch the end of them and they are far more spectacular than the colors that we have here in North Texas. Nashville is also home to one of my favorite places on earth, Percy Warner Park. Mr K and I discovered the park a year ago and were instantly smitten with it. The 11.2 mile Main Drive is quite a challenge for us flatlanders, it provides 1,500 feet of elevation gain and grades of 10-12%. The Main Drive is know to locals at "the 11.2" and has been featured in Runner's World as a "runner's paradise." Each mile is marked with a wooden post and color coded stripes (there are shortcuts off the 11.2 loop) courtesy of the Nashville Striders. There are also some trails at the park, but we have not had the chance to explore them yet. The
Harpeth Hills website provides a narrative guide of the run and the famous
Flying Monkey Marathon is held here the Sunday before Thanksgiving. The marathon covers the 11.2 loop twice and then some--I am in awe of these brave runners. What beasts!
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| The Stone Gate Entrance at Percy Warner Park |
We were able to run together at Percy Warner twice during our trip--taking the short loop for a 5.3 mile Team K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning and then back again for the full 11.2 on Friday morning. The weather was beautiful and cool both days and it felt like we had the park to ourselves at times. Running those hills is quite humbling and I can't imagine how strong of a runner I could be if I lived there. Just when you think that you have made it to the top of a hill you turn the corner and it keeps on going! The screaming downhills are fun, but must be handled with care.
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| Mr K's face upon seeing the next hill |
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| View from Mile 5--Iroquois Steeple Chase |
I find that I have mixed feelings as I near the end of my 11-mile journey. I am always a bit relieved as it is one of the toughest runs I will do all year, but I am also a little sad as Percy Warner Park is such a gem and my time there is always way too short.
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Thanksgiving 2011
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| Thanksgiving 2012 |
(As I was looking back at last year's pictures, I found that I had two nearly identical pictures taken a year apart. Perhaps this is a new tradition too!)
