Stories From The Road

Another weekend, another place to go. Piqua was the lucky lady this trip. Lots to do and we gots it done.

I had to drop off some files in Cincinnati Thursday and I took advantage of an early departure by heading to the Echo for breakfast with my friend, Gerry, whom I hadn't seen in some time. He worked for Envoi when I started, getting our lunch, but he mostly shuttled my boss's teenage son to and from soccer practice, tournaments and school. That teenage son has since graduated and gone on to college leaving Gerry without much to chauffeur. So I don't get to see Gerry like I used to, but enjoy Echo breakfasts with him when I can. He's as far to the right as anyone I've ever known and absorbs more information in a day than I do in a month, so it's always good to hear what he has to say. Gerry's one of those guys that, had I grown up with him, would've gotten me into loads o' trouble... but we would've had a good time doing it. He's legendary.

Before leaving in order to get back to Columbus before dinner, I headed out to Lunken for a jog. I wanted to do the loop twice as I planned a 5K on Saturday and would inconvenience others if I tried to get my long run in following the race. So I got out there around 5:45. The thing about Lunken is that there's a looooong stretch that parallels the runways between the Little Miami and the property. Other than the path and the airport on one side, there isn't much back there. It's not the greatest place to be when it's dark. The first loop went fine although it was dark for the majority of the backside. Fellow joggers would appear out of the darkness with a surprised look and a wave. I made the turn and decided to head back into the black. After a mile and a half, I passed a runner as he yelled out a warning. Apparently the raucous barking in the hills was due to coyotes... as far as he could tell... however that worked. Well, it was enough of a warning that I turned tail and headed back to the road. Wild dogs were not in the plans. But I made it to the parking lot and continued to the right on Wilmer... past the hangars and then turned right again into the golf course. It was a wicked mile and a half. Low-lying fog hung over the fairways and greens. All in all, it was a very cool run. I'm looking forward to repeating some ass-kicking routes through those hills in future trips.

So it was off to Piqua Friday night. Nothing special. We got to bed early and were up early for the 2nd Annual Lehman Alumni 5K at Tawawa Park in Sidney. The weather really couldn't have been worse, but there were still about 30 runners that made it out for the race. I knew most of the folks. I thought I'd at least try and give it a shot from the start, but within 4 or 5 minutes, realized that I wasn't going to hold up. I ended with a PR of 19:45 and that was good enough for 4th... 1st in my age group (25-34). Erica also got first in the 25-34 age group for women. Now we have matching plaques... which is humorous because of the fact that there were only 30 runners (note: My sincerest apologies to Erica for downplaying her accomplishments).

The rest of the day was filled with purchasing wedding bands, a suit and some brunch. We checked out the newly refurbished Piqua Hotel. It's historical significance was almost flushed down the toilet when plans were approved for a $2MM demolition. The entire community should be proud that this gem didn't get hauled away in dump trucks. And that was about it. We played scrabble, euchre and yahtzee the rest of the weekend. I reigned supreme but the only thing that will be remembered is how my 257 points were bested by Erica's 260 in a scrabble battle for the ages. All tiles were used and her final turn took over 30 minutes... but with a "U" and two "N"s, she found the 17 points needed. Well done.

As for the picture, I was mostly snapping shots of my mom, but she'd kill me if I posted them. So I'm it. Sorry.