ATLANTA: DAY THREE

Today after eating breakfast at the hotel, we headed for downtown Atlanta. We jumped on MARTA at 8:30 and were at World of Coke by 9:00. We are BIG Coke fans, so we just LOVE this place!

Next, we walked to the CNN Center and signed up for the tour. Since we had an hour before our group left, we had lunch there in the food court. The tour showed the global headquarters and close ups of the news rooms.

For our last supper in Atlanta, we ate at a new restaurant across from our hotel: On The Border. It is a Mexican place with great seating outside. Our last outing was a 1 1/2 mile walk to Barnes & Noble for some new books.

Tomorrow we head back to the Hoosier State. Soon we'll be: Back Home Again in Indiana!!!

Click on the dark printed words and see their websites!!!

ATLANTA: DAY ONE

We left home this morning at 4:40. Murphy wasn't sure what was going on, but he wasn't happy about it. The cats couldn't wait for us to leave so they would have the place to themselves. We had rain all through Indiana, but when we hit Louisville it was sunny. We kept track of the gas prices as we went from state to state. I will report on that later.

We made it to Atlanta and the hotel in eleven hours. We arrived at 3:45 p.m. Our room is really a suite with a frig, microwave, living room and desk area. It is very close to a MARTA station and also the area where we will be lining up for the race in the morning (7:30).

Our first stop was the EXPO. At the expo you can buy anything you have ever dreamed of as a runner. There were loads of people since this was the last it would be open before the actual race. I purchased a new running out fit in my favorite melon color and another shirt that says: Sorry, I have to run (with my dog) and a scarf for Murphy that says: Will run for treats. I know he really can't run any more, but it will make him feel better in his old age!

The highlight of the day was meeting Darrell's cousin, Kelli. She lives in Atlanta and will also be running the race. She is in a different time group, so we are not sure we will get to actually see her tomorrow. We did some more shopping with her and then went out for a pasta supper. We spent the time catching up on her life and her family.

We have our running gear laid out, numbers on our shirts and even bought our MARTA cards to be able to get home after the 6.2 miles! Tomorrow is Day Two on this wonderful adventure. Stay tuned for more blogs.

Peachtree Here We Come

One of my goals for the summer is to run another Peachtree Road Race 10K in Atlanta, GA. We have run this race for 15 years...this will be our 16th. I have the t-shirts to prove it. We got up early this morning to do a training run. We are not where we would like to be on our training, but we are trying!

I thought it would be fun to blog about my trails of training for a 10K race deep in the hills of the south. For a little background here...a 10K race is a little over six miles. Atlanta is VERY hot in July. The race will be on July 4th. They call Atlanta: Hotlanta at this time of year because of the heat and humidity. Oh, did I mention there are 55,000 runners in this race?

Today The Big D and I got out early and ran/walked two miles. It was not an easy run. I did my stretches and we started out slowly. We did run farther before walking than we have before. The weather was hot and humid, perfect for getting ready for Atlanta. We have a long way to go before we feel we can successfully complete the race. On the brighter side, we did do two more walks during the day. That gave us a total of six miles.

I have been walking about six miles each day...two mile run/walks in the morning and another long four miler in the afternoon. I should have a total of 30+ miles this week. That along with doing weight lifting for upper body, will help me be ready to tackle this chore. I know, I only have less than a month to be ready to hit those hills. Hopefully, I can stay focused and do it. I will keep you posted.

Happy Birthday, Lester!

Today is Lester Laminack's birthday. I remember that he told us the date at our summer institute. On this day, I'd just like to first of all wish him the best birthday ever. Second, I'd like to thank him for all the wonderful stuff he does for teachers. Third, I want to thank him for all the children that he helps through those teachers.

I just came back from Atlanta and got to visit a school and principal there. She also talked about how great Lester is and what an impact he has on teachers and students. So from northern Indiana to the south in Atlanta, Lester, you are loved! Keep up the great work and the great work of being yourself. We love you just the way you are!

Check out Lester's website: http://lesterlaminack.com

Sounds and Thoughts of the Peachtree Race

Sounds and Thoughts of Peachtree

by Kathy Douglas

Good morning, Atlanta!

Stretching: sides, back, touch the toes.

Up at 5:30 to catch MARTA

People everywhere

Number group 30,000-39,000

55,000 runners on a cool

July morning.

We're moving

Her we go

I'm so thankful I can do this.

Walkers move to the right.

Thank you, Volunteers.

Watch out for the barriers.

"It's as far to run a 10 minute mile

as it is to run a 6 minute mile."

Matadors dressed in white

Running from Styrofoam bull

So much Red, White, and Blue

Thanks, Volunteers, we

couldn't do it without you.

Here comes Heartbreak Hill,

Music, music everywhere

Bands, D.J.'s, boom boxes.

Go Runners, you can do it

How far is it?

Have you seen a t-shirt yet?

You're almost there.

Look at that hill!

Watch out for those girls,

They'll knock you down.

Another water stop ahead,

Here comes the cameras

SMILE

Only .2 left

There comes Piedmont Park

The Finish Line, The Finish Line,

The Finish Line!

There's the water

We did great.

Look at the t-shirts: nice color!

Hey, FREE Coke

Free Power aide

Free Health bars!

Thanks, Atlanta, for another

Wonderful 4th of July!

We're Not Old

Since I am at Atlanta and ran the Peachtree 10K this morning, I thought it only appropriate to do a reflection. Tonight at supper my husband said to me, "We are NOT old!" That got me thinking of a poem. Here it is:

We're NOT Old!

by Kathy Douglas

Run the Peachtree 10K

We're not getting old!

Walk back two miles to MARTA

We're not getting old!

Walk from the Varsity: 2 miles

We're not getting old!

Hey, Sarah, look

No flabby arms!

We're NOT getting old!

Tomorrow I will post another poem all about the Peachtree Race. Atlanta is not as hot as usual and we are having a great time.