Trainspotting

I am back home in England right now, and yesterday I got a chance to re-live my youth when a steam engine passed through a station not far from home. As a youngster, I was an avid Trainspotter, spending many hours sitting by the side of a railway track noting down numbers and names of the steam engines passing by (I have not heard of a similar thing in the USA, even though their steam trains were much more impressive, but, it was a big thing in the UK among boys of my generation). Some of the most impressive of steam engines of the day were the A4 “streaks” (so-called for their streamlined profile). It was one of these A4s that came along on Sunday and stopped in nearby Retford to take on water.



What a beautiful thing these steam trains are. Hissing, creaking, groaning, and puffing – they are living pieces of machinery that can’t help but stir the imagination – regardless of your age – but perhaps it is more a guy thing.

Indian Grinding Rocks

Just down the road from the start of the Way Too Cool (the race that I ran this weekend) there is a fine specimen of Indian Grinding Rocks up on the hillside above the road. The area is not well known or sign posted in anyway (there is no path to the area) and I only learned about it from someone walking his dog one morning whilst I was out running.


There are some 20 or more holes in a rocky exposure half-way up the hillside away from the road. The area is wooded with Oak trees, the source of the acorns that were ground into flour on the rocks. The repetitive grinding eventually formed the depressions that we now see today. I think the Indians were the Maidu tribe (though I am not absolutely sure - they could be the Miwoks).

Way Too Cool - 2007

Saturday was the running of the Way Too Cool 50K Trail Run in, where else but, Cool California. This was the race that I have been training for all year so it was the culmination of all my efforts. This has always been one of my favorite runs – it is extremely popular in the running community with the race filling up this year in about 5 minutes after it opened for internet registration. You have to be quick to get in.

Admittedly the race is a bit of a struggle for me – a lot of hills as the course climbs up and down the canyon of the Middle Fork of the American River – and 50 kilometers (31 miles) is a bit on the long side – but the countryside is absolutely wonderful and the weather Saturday was almost perfect (a few degrees too warm but as close to perfect as you could hope for).

As in all my long runs these days, there were the high points, and the low points. The first 18 or so were great – nice sociable running where I could appreciate the scenery, then a period around the infamous Ball Bearing Hill when I was so exhausted I wasn’t sure how I would finish (you know the hills are bad when they have to name them - this one is particularly bad being over a mile straight up), this was followed by 5 miles of miserable shuffling walk-running that just was not fun at all, and then a final burst of energy (I don’t know where that came from) for the last few miles to the finish. It's always nice to finish on a good note.

My European Capital Marathon friend John and his wife were over from Houston for this one (we’ve done Paris, Rome, Dublin, Berlin, Florence, Stockholm in previous years). Of course, he's so fase he was well rested and fed by the time I crossed the finish line.



You can check out some more photos here.