Sunrise, Sunset

The Greenline, early morning Saturday, September 18, my first day back running after recovering from my achilles tendon injuries. As noted at the time, my celebration of recovering from one set of injuries led to my acquiring a new one.

The Greenline, late afternoon Wednesday, November 17, the final taper run before Sunday's Williams Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, OK. After originally planning to run three miles at the park after work yesterday, I thought I'd better enjoy returning to the scene of my first hesitant run after two months off. I was not disappointed...a cloudy sky and threat of rain made for a sparsely crowded path, yet those of us who did venture out were treated to the still-lovely, surprisingly brilliant fall foliage along the tree-lined trail.

Though it's hard to discern from this snapshot taken with my low-res camera phone, the billboard--an ad for the Memphis Grizzlies--reads, "We Believe in the Greenline." I know it's a cheesy attempt by a pro sports franchise to try to connect with a certain secgment of the populace (and thus sell tickets to us), but seeing the sign always makes me smile.

Just when I think work on the Greenline has been completed, up sprouts yet another improvement. The path now boasts markers denoting every half mile--a really nice bonus for folks looking to run, walk, or ride specific distances. I was thrilled to see these yesterday.

The Wolf River bridge remains my favorite stretch of the Greenline. I ran either over or under this bridge during all of my long runs (15+ miles). I was somehow comforted yesterday to see the river level rising from its low point earlier this fall.

The spur connecting the paved Greenline (at the east end of the Wolf River bridge) to the unpaved North trail, which winds alongside the Wolf River. I love being able to add variety to a run by leaving the pavement for a few miles. Like the Yellow trail that runs along the Wolf south of Walnut Grove Rd., the North trail suffered a good bit of erosion during this past spring's flooding; even so, it's a beautiful trail. It's also a bit lonelier than the other Wolf River trails, and I sometimes seek it out on days when my mind races more swiftly than my feet.