Tour d'Lufkin (Again) - [Entered 7/3/06]

Sunday, after yesterday's travel day, I got up and left the house in Lufkin at 7:00 am for a little running tour of my hometown. I figured I'd go about 90 minutes, wherever that took me. Armed with the iPod and a water bottle of Gatorade, plus a GU, I was off. The GPS synched up quickly, with none of that "Have you moved more than 100 miles from your last location?" stuff. Since this was a visit home, my nutrition wasn't ideal on Saturday, but that didn't end up bothering me too much.

Heading out from my parent's house, I passed that telephone pole that marked the end of the first run I did after returning home from college my sophomore year. I had, uh, issues, and I turned to running to help me work things out. I counted my runs for the first three weeks by how many telephone poles I could run before I had to stop. It was a tough process, but it was not the last time that running has come to my rescue in time of need.

I toured the neighborhood, and then crossed over the loop into the more central parts of Lufkin. The first mile was nice and relaxed as I sort of found my running form, and by the time I had crossed over the loop, I was running well. Today, I kept a casual eye on HR, and just backed off ever so slightly when I was creeping over my low-end long run HR number.

The morning was pretty humid, but it seemed a little cooler than Austin. It was sort of nice for July. Through Chambers Park, up to the old Junior High school, and eventually, I took my one Gatorade/GU break behind my Dad's office. A quick minute later, I was off again into Downtown Lufkin.

As usual, I went by the newspaper, the old library, and checked out all the new businesses or other establishments that have found residence in the quiet downtown shopping district. It's certainly changed since the 70's when I was growing up! I had the streets to myself this fine day. Passing First Baptist Church, I saw the guy unlocking all the gates to the complex, preparing for Sunday services. The marquee at the Civic Center advertised a little concert in a week or two by a host of artists unknown to me. Around the feed stores, past a host of law offices, and around the courthouse, and I was heading back towards home. I noticed that the old hobby shop where I got all my supplies back in the day is now a law office. Sad, that. What a cool store that was for a 10-13 year old boy! Model rocket kits, lanyard stuff, model paints, and all manner of X-Acto knives for building and carving stuff...it was a more innocent time, that's for sure.

Anyway, by the downtown bus depot, and then I noticed something that I should have seen before today. For the first time, I looked up at a building on the corner across the street from the Angelina Hotel (now the Angelina Arms residences), where one of the jewelry/china stores was. I had never noticed that it was also the old Masonic Lodge, apparently on the third floor of the building. It's since been moved, but it's amazing what you see when you're on foot and not driving down the street!

Back by the Lufkin Industries complex, by the tennis courts where I took lessons years ago in the park, and then down Pershing. I had a flashback of the time I had a bicycle/car collision (I was riding the bike) at the intersection of Southwood and Pershing when I was about 13, but shook that off. There's an "e-Cafe" where an ice cream place was, next door to the Lemon Tree hair salon. An Internet cafe in Lufkin? The sign at the old gas station on the other corner there (now a brake place) still shows a gas price of $1.49/gallon. That seems ages ago, doesn't it?

I turned down by Russell's old house (on Russell Street, no less!), remembering his sister practicing her twirling in the driveway with a little cassette player blaring distorted music. No, I had no prurient interest in her...I just remember Cindy out there, with her mother watching over every twirl. And on I went...past the old elementary school. It's expanded now, but that field where our friend Stacy beat all the boys in P.E. footraces is still open for business.

Zig zag, zig zag, past houses of friends and acquaintances innumerable. Lots of those families still live in those homes. Small town life. By this time, I had picked it up a little for a modest fast finish, and cruising up that last hill on Copeland, I was finally having to focus a little on form. Not too much, but a little. A last sweeping turn, and I touched the mailbox for the finish line, as I always did when I lived in that house a lifetime ago.

I took a few walking laps of the two circle driveways across the street from one another, dropping off the Chandler's papers at their front door on the way. It was nice tour of a sleepy town on a sleepy morning. I felt great, and it was the end of a good running week. For the week, 38 miles.

The numbers: 10:00, 9:18, 9:05, 9:00, (Powerade/GU break here), 8:52, 8:56, 8:58, 8:43, 8:23, 0.6 miles at 8:26. Overall pace 9:00 without water stop time, 9:06 with. 9.6 miles. HR numbers were great, too, which was probably the best thing about the run. It felt easy the whole way except for a slight push at the end. 25 songs heard on the iPod.

I'll take Monday off, just because I can, and then it'll be time for the big relay on Tuesday! I hope I hold together for that 5K anchor leg. :-)