With 12 weeks of training to go the weather has started to back down a little and the longer runs aren't as grueling. Stretching out 14-16 miles every weekend in Savannah is tough. I have noticed that some automobile pilots have noticed all the buzz around town concerning the marathon and some even slow down and move over in the road. That was unheard of just last year!

As a planner I can't help but to notice issues concerning infrastructure, development, and sustainability. In our brave new automobile dependent world, we have grossly overlooked the impacts of development. The suburbs of Savannah are an odd conglomeration of coastal, country, post World War II layouts. Savannah has not seen a major hurricane in enough decades that the memory of life in a hurricane prone location has vanished. During the 1960's and 70's much of eastern and southeastern Chatham County was paved over and built on. The traditional practice of building post-on-pier  gave way to slab-on-grade construction. At 12 feet above sea level I am perplexed by this change. (Even though I own a slab-on-grade ranch house built in 1960.)

The sprawl that consumed Chatham County is beginning to show the signs of old age, changing demographics, and a piss poor housing sector. One suburban block away from my neighborhood made news headlines as FEMA and the City of Savannah struggle with a solution to the flooding on that block. Although the developer was quite sure that the houses would sell after construction, water still flows downhill. So 50 years later the tax payers are billed to demolish a section of the block, dig a big ugly ditch (that requires constant maintenance), and revisit the issue again every summer when the torrential downpours over pass the capacity of the ridiculous dry pond.

So property values drop and people move away, as the story goes across the state and across the nation. The lack of density screams when the yellow condemned sign is stapled to the front door and the windows are boarded up. The further we run the more pronounced the phenomenon appears. Overgrown grass turns into a "For Rent" sign turning into a "For Sale" sign followed by "mothballing", condemnation, and ultimately city funded demolition. We've seen it in downtowns and urban city centers but the "block with a missing tooth" looks alot worse when the missing tooth is 1/3 of an acre.

The changing landscape has me thinking free market dynamics are assisting earth's natural ability to reclaim what was lost. Will these lots become suburban community gardens, as we see in urban areas? I like the idea of a half acre garden! Will the sprawl inducing market return and place "Built in 2012" signs in the front yard? Or will the remaining residents enjoy a mix of green space interconnected with random pixels on a land use map?

Summer Sun, Travel Fun, & Thrills

July came and went with some hella vigor. Heat indices across the nation hit record highs and we saw a 120 heat index the week the family was down south on Hilton Head Island.  Lucky for us, Jessie and I took our two dogs with us home to upstate New York where were treated to brisk morning runs with her mom around Cayuga Lake and a refreshing dip in the lake. Ithaca has hills!!! And gorges, but hills!!! Damn- running in the low country gets boring.  For the second time I ran the Depew-Lancaster Boys and Girls club 10k with my mom and had the chance to run with my Uncle and for the first time.

We had the chance to make a favorite little run of mine around the Fredrick Law Olmstead designed Delaware Park and Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo. The loop is fav because of the beautiful architecture connected via green space with a picturesque landscape throughout the cemetery. In addition we ran within 20 feet of a grazing deer who has made the cemetery his personal gated community. (You can check out the route at MapMyRun- "Olmstead Loop" jkotar20)

The trip was a blast and we had the chance to run and train with the folks that are heading down to the SAV for the Rock N Roll 26.2. So far we have three parents and two friends heading here for November and Jessie and I are jealous about having to train in 100 degree weather.

So we have traded Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday runs for 4:45 in the morning to beat the heat. It sounds funny writing it because it is still 75F with a dew point of 70F and the temperature continues to creep higher by the minute.  We continue to laugh at the “Lightning Dry” labels on our running gear as we soak through our car seats on the way home.

So you ask, where is the thrill in all of this? Well it is an important part of every Savannahnian’s childhood. The “thrill”- signs on telephone poles, little kids on the street begging for a thrill- the vain of every ice cream man. “Thrills- 50¢” boasts the sign on the telephone pole, something that everyone training for a marathon should heed. You may know it as a Dixie cup, a freezicle, a kool-aid pop, or whatever nomenclature your neighborhood designs. Thrills are the fruit juice frozen popsicle that every runner should know the location of, gas stations, rest stops, water fountains have nothing on the Thrill. Think about it- for 50¢ you get a body chilling, sugar boasting, portable treat that not only cools you down but makes you feel like the kid you were when you started running in the first place. Besides, what better way to emphasize how crazy you are to be running in 100F weather than stand with a bunch of children enjoying a Thrill?

So as we continue to increase our mileage and try to cope with the unbearable heat of the south, we still enjoy the thrill.  26.2? Bring it baby.