Day 1440 -- Blue Creek

Yow!  I'd better get moving.  This tank, from the Army National Guard base in Blue Creek, WV, looks like it means business.  Thanks to the folks at TripAdvisor.com.

I wasn't sure if I was going to make a long run, today.  There was a chance of rain, and I wasn't sure how strong my legs were going to be.  But the rain held off, and I got a strong 16 miler in.  It was a fine run, but I'm kind of tired tonight.

DAy 1439 -- More Big Otter

 OK, I'm a bit off course.  I'm in Big Otter, West Virginia, but this particular big otter is in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.  I didn't run close enough to it when I ran through Minnesota, which is a shame.  I've actually seen this big otter in real life.  And, of course, I always love a chance to link to The World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things.  They provided the picture above.  The picture below, which is a better view, is from EB-5 Magazine.

I ran an easy three this morning.  It was a little warmer than yesterday, but I didn't have much ooomph.  That's OK.  Doesn't matter.  Had a run.  That's what counts.

Days 1436 and 1437 -- Big Otter

From Panoramio, the very exit I ran past yesterday.

Day 1436 was Monday.  I ran a very easy two miles, just to not take the day off.  Day 1437 was yesterday.  I did a hard five and a half over hills.  That made my fifth day in a row, so I took today off. 

Days 1434 and 1435 -- Strange Creek

I don't think this swinging bridge looks very safe to run on.  I think I'd better take it easy. The bridge is on Flikr, posted there by R Tom Sizemore III.

We continue to have beautiful running weather.  It's been cool and dry.  I ran an easy four yesterday, and 10 more this morning.  I ran the same five mile loop twice, and deliberately tried to run the second loop faster than the first.  I felt pretty good about that.  It's not my forte.  I tend to slow down as I go along.  But today I managed to pick it up nicely during the second lap.

Day 1433 -- Gassaway

The town of Gassaway, WV, is named after "former United States Senator and one time vice-presidential candidate, Henry Gassaway Davis", according to the Town of Gassaway web site. Why they couldn'thave named it "Davis", or even "Henry", I don't know.  Oh, well, I guess it's a cool name.

I finally took that day off yesterday.  It was another cool and dry morning, but I was just worn out.  Today was another cool and dry morning, so I ran my "Thursday 5K".  It went fine. 

Days 1431 and 1432 -- Flatwoods

Here's a little known fact: Its the law in Braxton County, Flatwoods, West Virginia that you must provide proper first aid to all aliens at the scene of an accident. This is according to Thermopylaehillbilly. And they wouldn't lie about something like that.

I had a great run yesterday.  I ran about 7.5 miles at a decent pace.  It felt really, really good.  It was a great way to start off the first day of classes.

So, after running 25 miles the first three days of the week, I could definitely have taken today off.  I didn't for three reasons.  (1) I'm still feeling guilty about skipping the first three days of the month.  If I had skipped today, I would have been back down to less than 50% of the days in September.  (2)  Today was the second day of classes, and my first day meeting my MWF classes.  I didn't want to face them without my daily exercise.  (3)  We are in the middle of a spell of wonderful weather.  It's been about 10 degrees Celsius in the morning, and dry.  We don't have that many perfect running days here in Wisconsin.  I didn't want to miss one.

Day 1430 -- Napier

I googled all around this part of West Virginia, without finding any really good pictures. So finally, I settled on this one, because (a) it was kind of a funky thing to even have a picture of, especially for a real estate site. I mean, seriously, how did they think this photo was going to help them sell anything. Also, (b) it was clearly the most difficult picture to paste myself into.

Tomorrow is the first day of classes, so my main goal this morning was to get up and run. I haven't gotten up early for several days, and I definitely want to do so tomorrow. So today was practice. I admit that I was still sore from yesterday's run, but that's OK. I didn't go real far or real fast.

Day 1429 -- Burnsville

Actually, I'm closer to Gem, West Virginia, than to Burnsville. However, a Google search for "Gem West Virginia" turns up a whole lot of stuff that isn't the town, which is so small it's listed in the West Virginia Home Town Locator as a "Populated Place". What is the population? I don't know. I can't find it.

So, Burnsville it is, although I'm a little past it. This sign is from the Byrne Family Reunion page.

I set my alarm for Thursday morning, but I wasn't sure if I was going to run or not. It turns out that I was up in the night with a migraine, so I had no trouble turning off the alarm. Then I planned to run on Friday, but that night, we had little alarum straight out of a Thurber short story (which I am not going to blog about) so I slept in again. Saturday morning, we had thunderstorms. Every time I thought they had blown over, there would be another little rumble. In the end, they never got that close to Joggerville, but how was I to know?

So, I had three days off, for the first time in I don't know how long. This morning, I made up for it with a long run, which turned out to be exactly 13.1 miles. Another Pikermi, this one slightly slower than the Madison Mini Marathon.

Days 1427 and 1428 -- Jogger's Progress

	Trip	YTD	Aug
Distance	8982.1	969.1	116.9
Time	62 days, 10 hrs, 00 min	7 days, 7 hrs, 18 mins	21:09
Days	1428	162	21
States	34	11	2

Another month down. Not a particularly spectacular one. Good, but not great. I suppose the important thing is to keep on keeping on.

That's been a challenge these last two days. I've barely been able to drag myself out of bed, never mind get out on the road and run. But I have, making about four miles each day. Predictably, I've felt pretty good at the end of those runs. The half hour or so right after a run is usually the high point of my day. It's all downhill from there.

Day 1425 -- Weston

This is the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, WV. Don't worry, followers, they closed in 1994. Now they are a museum, which apparently goes in for a bit of mystical claptrap. You can take a "ghost tour", if you wish. The photo itself is from this site at the University of Vermont, which tells the history of eugenics in the U.S. Apparently, the good folks at the Trans-Allegheny didn't mind a little forced sterilization. No wonder they are haunted.

I didn't run Saturday, because I was lazy. Then yesterday, I went kayaking with my friend Rob. We are training for the Kickapoo Valley Reserve Dam Challenge Triathlon. Well, "training" is probably too strong a word. We're planning to participate, and Rob has taken me out on a kayak a couple of times. I'm now more or less proficient enough that I might not totally embarrass myself on kayak leg. Anyway, yesterday we got in about six miles. The kayak leg of the tri is seven.

Today, I ran a good solid seven miles. After two days off in a row (the kayaking doesn't challenge my legs at all), I felt pretty sharp.

Day 1424 -- McWhorter

This is Iden McWhorter on the porch of his store in McWhorter, WV. I got this photo from a high school project by Kristin Snyder. She says the photo is from the 40's or 50's, but I suspect it's older. Kristen has young eyes, so lime green lettering on a black background doesn't make her head hurt. If you are my age, don't click through.

I ran six miles today, in the hilly part of town. It was cool again, so not a bad run. I'm thinking tomorrow will be a day off.

Day 1423 -- Lost Creek

It says here that Lost Creek, WV, is one of the "ten best smallest towns in America." I know that United Country Farm & Home, LLC is trying to sell property in Lost Creek, but still...they wouldn't lie about something like that.

I ran my Thursday 5K this morning. It was cooler, but I still wasn't able to run very fast. Nonetheless, it's always nicer to run than to not run.

1423 -- Craigmoor

I am near Craigmoor, WV, so I did a Google search. Near the top was this football player from WVU Tech. I clicked on it, figuring it was probably a guy from Craigmoor. But no, his hometown is Hinton, WV. I puzzled for a minute, and then I noticed his name. Ladies and gentlemen: Craig Moore, Jr, a freshman offensive lineman.

I was all set to run yesterday. I was changed and ready to go. I got upstairs, and there was lightning and thunder. I admit, my first thought was "Yipee!" In any case, I didn't run. But this morning I got in a slow five miles.

Day 1422 -- Clarksburg

Hungry for a hot dog? You might stop in to Ritzy Lunch in Clarksburg. Of 14 people at Roadfood.com who rated it, 85% gave it a positive rating. "Ritzy dogs are lovely little pups buried deep inside a steamed-soft bun and topped with a zesty ground-beef sauce that is gently peppered and earthy-flavored." Sounds great.

An easy 4 this morning. It was good weather again, but I was still tired from Saturday.

Day 1421 -- Race Report: MMM III

The story of the third annual Madison Mini-Marathon is mostly the story of the prerace.

I got up early, and headed out of Joggerville by about 5:00, where I was greeted by distant flashes of lightning. I don't like to mess with lightning, of course, but it was still two hours to race time. Also, the lightning was already in the east, meaning it would be blowing away from us. And, of course, I didn't want to miss the MMM, having run both the first and the second. So I pressed on.

I arrived in Madison by about 6:30 and parked the car. At this point, it wasn't even raining in Madison, never mind storming. I walked over to the starting, line, but I had to stand in line for a while for the porta-potty. I was cutting it a little closer than I normally like, but I was starting way back in corral letter I, so I had time. Just as I was finishing up, about 5 minutes before race time, an announcement came that they were delaying the start because more storms were coming through. They told everyone to take cover, and promised they would get us all out and organized before the start.

What could I do? I went into one of the official shelters, staked out a comfy piece of floor, and sat. And sat. And sat. And sat. I projected a delay of at least an hour. We had to wait for a storm to blow over that hadn't even blown in yet. And I figured at least 20 minutes after the all-clear to line up and get started. I decided that if we weren't running by 9:00, I would bag it and go home. The Little Joggers were actually home alone, and I didn't want to leave them too long.

I needn't have worried. The all-clear came at 8:15, and it only took 15 minutes to get us lined up and sound the gun. Which was just as well. The storm was done, but the rain wasn't. So I was wet, stiff from sitting for over an hour, hungry, and I had to pee again. It wasn't the most auspicious start for a Pikermi.

I actually came out fairly strong for the first six miles or so. The rain let up within the first half hour or so, and I found a convenient porta-potty (although I had to wait a short bit to get into it.) At mile seven or so, the sun was out, and it was already getting on for 10:00, so it started to heat up, which sapped my strength a bit. I did a fair bit of walking between miles eight and twelve. Right about mile twelve, the 2:30 pace group caught up to me. That spurred me into action. I took off and ran the last mile and change, beating the pace group by a couple of minutes.

Overall, it wasn't a great time, but that's OK. I covered the entire distance, and didn't die.

One thing I love about the MMM is that you can sign up a year in advance. I registered this afternoon for MMM IV, on August 18, 2012. See you there.

Day 1420 -- Uffington

This photo of a rusty crane was taken somewhere along the Monongahela River somewhere near Morgantown. But it showed up when I searched for Uffington, and it was just too cool not to post. Thanks, Flikr user ToneMapped.

I ran my Thursday 5K this morning. It was a great morning for it, and I got a good time. That will be my last run before the Madison Mini-Marathon. It looks like the weather won't be too hot, but it may rain. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do if there is lightning. I don't want to skip the run, but I don't want to get struck by lightning, either. I guess I'll just cross that bridge if and when I come to it.

Days 1417, 1418, and 1419 -- Morgantown

I spent four days in Grandma Jogger's town with three of the Little Joggers. I ran three of those four days, for a total of about 18 miles, but I wasn't able to post. I brought my work laptop, so I didn't have my cut-out to paste into a picture of the UWV Campus. I could have posted a photo without me, but I also seem to have forgotten my password for Blogger. It's automatic on this computer.

Days 1415 and 1416 -- Rock Forge

As I approach Morgantown, I thought I would stop in Rock Forge to help out the Morgantown Area Meals on Wheels. These are volunteers at the Rock Forge pick up location.

I ran my Thursday 5K yesterday, as planned. It was nice weather, and I had a decent time. Friday is a scheduled day off, but the weather has been so fabulous, I couldn't stand to not run. Before you know it, the weather will heat up again, or we'll get thunderstorms, or snow (or all three in one week). So I ran today. I only meant to run about four, but by the time I was done, it was over five. I'll probably have to take tomorrow off, but it was worth it.

Day 1414 -- Cheat Neck

Not really to Cheat Neck, yet, but that's OK. This web site doesn't seem to be there, either. No real clue as to what this web site is about. It has this photo (sans Jogger), and some tags, including Cheat Neck.

It was a wonderful morning for a run this morning. Cool and dry. Four and a half miles just flew by. My watch said that it took 48 minutes, but I know that it couldn't have been more than 10 or 20.

Day 1413 -- Bruceton Mills

From Roadfood.com, Olivia's Restaurant in Bruceton Mills, WV. It's a converted gas station, complete with the pumps still in the parking lot. The reviewer said it was good food, and not too expensive.

We have finally gotten a genuine cool front. It was a very pleasant morning for a run. I got in six miles in just over an hour.