On Trail Running
It’s nearly February, which means I have roughly one month before my second half-marathon. This time around in my training, I’ve been hitting the trails harder than the treadmill, and here’s why.
The element of surprise.
Fayetteville, Ark. has roughly 38 miles of trails in the city, and the city plans to add another 60 miles to it. This, no doubt, attracts personalities and agendas of all sorts. Yesterday, I came across a lady who was standing just off the trail, in between the wild brush and the stream, holding a mop in one hand and a kitchen butcher knife in the other. As I approached, she made some jabbing motions into the leaves on the ground, then stood up and looked around in a mildly disinterested manner. Although I desperately wanted to know her story, I opted to keep moving, since she had the knife and not me. Other days, surprises come in the form of running into people from my hometown who I haven’t seen in years or bump into a cycling buddy for an impromptu ride.
The sunshine, the glorious sunshine
I have a tendency to hole up inside, spending my weekends on film noir marathons or hours in favorite cafes spent reading. Probably not coincidentally, I also tend to struggle with darker moods then. Just moving from a dark apartment to the open air, running from one end of town to the other, jamming out to some favorite tunes lifts spirits, brightens demeanor.
Nature
Some of my favorite places in Fayetteville are along the Mudd Creek Trail, where ducks and other water birds flutter from the trees to the stream, where young families form quaint trails of little pink bicycles and the whir of bicycle spokes fades seamlessly into the rustle of tree leaves.
Less pessimistic than the treadmill
I’ve become acutely aware of the treadmill lately, getting mildly discouraged when I struggle to keep up with the speed and calorie goals I’ve pre-set for my run, so much so that now the trail-running feels more freeing. Instead of thinking “OMG everything hurts and I still have two miles to go??” on the treadmill, it seems like every step on the trail is an accomplishment, “I ran all the way to this tree without hyperventilating? Go me!”
Better training
For some reason, seeing people run the trails motivates me, no matter if they're speeding past me or struggling worse than I am, it's inspiring to know that they're actively trying. It's an odd sense of community, but one I treasure.
Strictly speaking in terms of training for races or public/group runs, trail running can help you get accustomed to the impact of the pavement (more so than treadmills, anyway), which is one way of preparing for the big day.
Do you love or loathe trail running? I’d love to hear why…
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Skill Swap: Become a Better Blogger
Here are my second set of notes from today's Skill Swap, an interactive journalism seminar hosted by the Walter J. Lemke Department of Journalism and the Northwest Arkansas Society of Professional Journalists. Helpful hints for bloggers and website owners/managers.
“Attracting More Readers to your Blog or Website” by Angela Belford, co-owner of the Belford Group
To set up a Google Analytics page, log in to google analytics, add widget. I recommend using the tab “Table.” Bounce words can show you mistakes within websites (like a wrong sourcing number for a product). If creating a website, put keywords in your web address. If you have to choose, buy a keyword url before you buy the company name url, it will create more traffic. If you don’t have to choose, buy your company name website, too and link the two.
Dot com and dot co trump dot net in terms of SEO.
Analytics is a website owner’s crystal ball. A popular free analytics for WordPress is a plug-in for Google Analyticator. You can install StatCounter, which is real-time. Google Analytics requires you to notify them of your need for real-time.
Advantages to studying analytics
-determine content favorites
-find good referral sources (justifies social media use)
-understand your readers (great analytics blog “Occam’s Razor”. He discovered average time your readers will spend on your blog, which can determine how to change the length of your posts.)
-bragging rights?? (build your self-esteem)
Terms
A Bounce rate is when a visitor comes to your site and leaves without going further.
This can be an indicator of health, depending on your purpose. In marketing, the lower the better. In blogging, quick visits are fine if people visit regularly. Measure of a bounce can be spending 30 seconds on page, or not going further than one page, the definition differs by source.
Unique visitor is having cookies determine if someone has come to your site before. This counts by individual device. Visits on a blog are good, but visits on a website are not as important as unique visits.
Which metrics should you look at?
Standard reports: bounce rates and visits (a rookie gets excited about visits, not unique visits). New google analytics differs from the old interface because you can customize the dashboard.
The best metric on analytics is “Behavior,” which has the New vs. Returning; Frequency & Recency and Engagement tabs. It tells you how people are interacting with you.
Other metrics to pay attention to:
Traffic type: how did you get this traffic? which search engine or social media site, etc. Medium is organic search or referral (which is linking to your site).
Visits by Keyword: typing in your name to find your site means you are branding well. In this medium, you have the option to exclude your name.
Visits we Buffered
Unique Visitors by Page
Revenue for branded search - Analytics is a way to show a business the change in visits to website since you started marketing for them and how that translates into their profit. This is ROI candy- a way to tell if your efforts are actually leading to your success (especially monetarily). ecommerce tracking does this combination directly.
Branded Search
Revenue
New vs. Returning has a pivot table option and scroll through options on pie graphs of individual characteristics.
Frequency & Recency how often someone visits site, days between visits, day of last visit.
Engagement
Traffic Sources Overview option to create annotation on why a peak happened; humanizing information.
It can be a disadvantage to your business to grow out of your region when you’ve incorporated NWA into your business name, so I recommend not putting NWA in the name of an ecommerce site. Instead, use “my” or “your” (my belford group, your belford group).
Other suggestions
Any adwords campaigns need to be monitored daily.
Pictures of products should have alt tags with the product number. Pictures of interview subjects should have tags with their name in it so they can google themselves and share with friends and family.
If you have an ecommerce site, you have to get your products registered in google shopping.
Find new key words to include and optimize your client’s service/profit.
Google.com/referral means it’s incoming from something else, any google product, which means it won’t show you the keyword. Wherever you are you can add another dimension to find your keywords.
Blogging
Your title or headline is everything.
To increase your blog traffic, put a number in the title.
Build credibility by writing about your product (don’t hit them over the head with “buy my product, buy my product!!”)
In a social media campaign:
1. branding
2. web
3. social media (share articles from mashable)
4. marketing
During week one of a social media campaign- have at least three twitter status updates, write with keywords, always have a link and plug into socialoomph.com (not hootsuite)
Your three tweets should center on 1. education 2. a trend 3. you should talk to ___ about ___
Have a 2:1 ratio. (Give, give, take. Share, share, it comes back to you.)
If you’re posting 4-5 times a week, that’s great. The main thing is to be consistent with your theme and have a plan.
If you care about your business, you will keep fresh content rolling in your social media pages. Your colors should be consistent across the sites. It should make sense to your average user.
Klout helps you understand your reach on social media. Giving people Klout points is like a social media shoutout.
To build blog followers: write well, tweet about it and tweet links to it, follow other blogs and comment on other blogs with real conversations.
Twitter Resources
Who to follow for SEO articles:
Mitch Joel
Chris Brogan
Mari Smith (Facebook queen)
Gary Vaynerchuck
The hashtag for northwest Arkansas is #NWArk (#NWA is a vulgar rapper).
If you’re a good tweeter, you’ll have more lists to recommend.
Twelo.com is the Twitter yellow pages.
Twelohood: the most followed people in each city. It’s a great way to find followers locally.
Hubspot has awesome marketing information. Websitegrader.com will grade website and option to grade twitter account based on your followers and what city you live in.
“Attracting More Readers to your Blog or Website” by Angela Belford, co-owner of the Belford Group
To set up a Google Analytics page, log in to google analytics, add widget. I recommend using the tab “Table.” Bounce words can show you mistakes within websites (like a wrong sourcing number for a product). If creating a website, put keywords in your web address. If you have to choose, buy a keyword url before you buy the company name url, it will create more traffic. If you don’t have to choose, buy your company name website, too and link the two.
Dot com and dot co trump dot net in terms of SEO.
Analytics is a website owner’s crystal ball. A popular free analytics for WordPress is a plug-in for Google Analyticator. You can install StatCounter, which is real-time. Google Analytics requires you to notify them of your need for real-time.
Advantages to studying analytics
-determine content favorites
-find good referral sources (justifies social media use)
-understand your readers (great analytics blog “Occam’s Razor”. He discovered average time your readers will spend on your blog, which can determine how to change the length of your posts.)
-bragging rights?? (build your self-esteem)
Terms
A Bounce rate is when a visitor comes to your site and leaves without going further.
This can be an indicator of health, depending on your purpose. In marketing, the lower the better. In blogging, quick visits are fine if people visit regularly. Measure of a bounce can be spending 30 seconds on page, or not going further than one page, the definition differs by source.
Unique visitor is having cookies determine if someone has come to your site before. This counts by individual device. Visits on a blog are good, but visits on a website are not as important as unique visits.
Which metrics should you look at?
Standard reports: bounce rates and visits (a rookie gets excited about visits, not unique visits). New google analytics differs from the old interface because you can customize the dashboard.
The best metric on analytics is “Behavior,” which has the New vs. Returning; Frequency & Recency and Engagement tabs. It tells you how people are interacting with you.
Other metrics to pay attention to:
Traffic type: how did you get this traffic? which search engine or social media site, etc. Medium is organic search or referral (which is linking to your site).
Visits by Keyword: typing in your name to find your site means you are branding well. In this medium, you have the option to exclude your name.
Visits we Buffered
Unique Visitors by Page
Revenue for branded search - Analytics is a way to show a business the change in visits to website since you started marketing for them and how that translates into their profit. This is ROI candy- a way to tell if your efforts are actually leading to your success (especially monetarily). ecommerce tracking does this combination directly.
Branded Search
Revenue
New vs. Returning has a pivot table option and scroll through options on pie graphs of individual characteristics.
Frequency & Recency how often someone visits site, days between visits, day of last visit.
Engagement
Traffic Sources Overview option to create annotation on why a peak happened; humanizing information.
It can be a disadvantage to your business to grow out of your region when you’ve incorporated NWA into your business name, so I recommend not putting NWA in the name of an ecommerce site. Instead, use “my” or “your” (my belford group, your belford group).
Other suggestions
Any adwords campaigns need to be monitored daily.
Pictures of products should have alt tags with the product number. Pictures of interview subjects should have tags with their name in it so they can google themselves and share with friends and family.
If you have an ecommerce site, you have to get your products registered in google shopping.
Find new key words to include and optimize your client’s service/profit.
Google.com/referral means it’s incoming from something else, any google product, which means it won’t show you the keyword. Wherever you are you can add another dimension to find your keywords.
Blogging
Your title or headline is everything.
To increase your blog traffic, put a number in the title.
Build credibility by writing about your product (don’t hit them over the head with “buy my product, buy my product!!”)
In a social media campaign:
1. branding
2. web
3. social media (share articles from mashable)
4. marketing
During week one of a social media campaign- have at least three twitter status updates, write with keywords, always have a link and plug into socialoomph.com (not hootsuite)
Your three tweets should center on 1. education 2. a trend 3. you should talk to ___ about ___
Have a 2:1 ratio. (Give, give, take. Share, share, it comes back to you.)
If you’re posting 4-5 times a week, that’s great. The main thing is to be consistent with your theme and have a plan.
If you care about your business, you will keep fresh content rolling in your social media pages. Your colors should be consistent across the sites. It should make sense to your average user.
Klout helps you understand your reach on social media. Giving people Klout points is like a social media shoutout.
To build blog followers: write well, tweet about it and tweet links to it, follow other blogs and comment on other blogs with real conversations.
Twitter Resources
Who to follow for SEO articles:
Mitch Joel
Chris Brogan
Mari Smith (Facebook queen)
Gary Vaynerchuck
The hashtag for northwest Arkansas is #NWArk (#NWA is a vulgar rapper).
If you’re a good tweeter, you’ll have more lists to recommend.
Twelo.com is the Twitter yellow pages.
Twelohood: the most followed people in each city. It’s a great way to find followers locally.
Hubspot has awesome marketing information. Websitegrader.com will grade website and option to grade twitter account based on your followers and what city you live in.
Notes from a Journalism Skill Swap
The following are some notes from today's Skill Swap, an interactive journalism seminar hosted by the Walter J. Lemke Department of Journalism and the Northwest Arkansas Society of Professional Journalists. I hope you find them useful!
How to Tell a Story Through Multimedia- by Jon Schleuss
Audio, hyperlinks and maps are also multimedia that we shouldn’t neglect.
Video Before shooting, you should have an angle: what’s most interesting here?, what am I hearing right now? Weight helps reduce shaky results, so the bigger camera the better.
Start as far back as possible without panning or zooming, just an outside shot. Next shot closer, still wide. Next shot, action. Another shot, human emotion. (still no panning or zooming) Other shots: details like tattoo needles, facial expression, shots from the floor, etc.
Other interesting shots
-perspective of the chair
-strong focus on actions
-interactions with other people
HD video is a difficult to edit.
Don’t be afraid to keep it short, make your editing life as easy as possible. Use a tripod. External microphones are good and listening to the recording with headphones during the interview will give you a better idea of the digital sound you’re producing. Have the interviewee talk to you, not the camera. Let them tell you the story.
Editing- imovie is very simple to use. Break up your video often. Have plenty of still shots and multiple interviews, voices. While editing, set your volume to middle, so you can get an idea of what the audience will hear, or how you can change it to become even. Don’t be discouraged: video editing gets faster with practice. Keynote and PowerPoint are good for dropping pictures right into your video editing timeline. Youtube videos are a quick way to walk you through new programs.
Length- 3-4 minutes is as long as you want to go. Very complex stories can take 5-6 minutes, which are miniature documentaries.
Photos
Lighting is key for still images because the shutter is not always open. Over the shoulder is a good shot.
For shooting photos with limited movement, long zoom lens and wide-angle lens are good. You can always crop, so take a wide shot; also a close-up capturing more emotion. Shoot as many pictures as possible, you can always delete them later.
Keep photo slideshows short, like people’s attention spans. Maintain a wide and consistent variety of close-ups and wide angle shots. Also, creative commons is a good way to find pictures, simply attribute them.
Audio
For some of my stories, I use a Zoom H2 device for audio (a little expensive, but good, of course). Garage band has good podcast features. Have a second set of eyes check out your story to give you a fresh perspective, maybe new angles.
Text is Multimedia, Too
Wordpress.com is a hosted solution for starting your own blog and is free initially. It’s really powerful. You can download it and install on your own server, like many news sources do. Blogger is getting antiquated; it’s not as robust. Years ago, several blog sources were all about on the same level, but eventually Wordpress rose above. 20-25% of the world’s websites are being built on Wordpress.
Writing for the web should be very, very concise.
You can find an Article on pointer about the beginnings of NYTimes on the internet- how writing for the web changed and a good book Search Engine Optimization by Rebecca Lieb (on Amazon for $1)
SEO! Keep in mind the key words that can bring people to your story. Need source code for this? Not really. Have a twitter-sized sentence at the top left hand corner of your blog to introduce it. Have multiple versions of your catch-phrase on social media, as a way to brand yourself.
Audience
Leave things open-ended so people will comment. Talk to your audience directly, so they know you’re a person. Anything that makes the reader stop and re-read is bad writing. Consistency of voice: write a mission statement, even make it your background if you must. Try to keep your subjects/topics consistent. In the design of your blog, never go more than five colors. (Black and white are two good options, then you can choose the other three.) Don’t talk to everyone, talk to one person to have a point of view to tell the story through. Know who your audience is and target them through your content. How is this person accessing your blog?
Design
The best design is simple. Less is more (colors, boxes, pictures, etc). When minimal colors are used, it lets pictures take over. To build your audience, it doesn’t matter as much how often you post, but post consistently and your audience will stay. You can import your blog from Blogger into Wordpress.
Interactive
Easy options for election night:
In a google doc spreadsheet, several people can effectively edit a document at the same time. Polls, surveys are also options on Google docs, simply pick your required fields and questions. This trumps Survey Monkey because it compiles your data for you. You can build maps through Google. It’s an easy way to calculate distance, even via sidewalk.
A free resource for journalists to quickly save information for later (such as uploading massive PDFs, embed links) is Documentcloud.org/ You can use this from your smart phone.
How to Tell a Story Through Multimedia- by Jon Schleuss
Audio, hyperlinks and maps are also multimedia that we shouldn’t neglect.
Video Before shooting, you should have an angle: what’s most interesting here?, what am I hearing right now? Weight helps reduce shaky results, so the bigger camera the better.
Start as far back as possible without panning or zooming, just an outside shot. Next shot closer, still wide. Next shot, action. Another shot, human emotion. (still no panning or zooming) Other shots: details like tattoo needles, facial expression, shots from the floor, etc.
Other interesting shots
-perspective of the chair
-strong focus on actions
-interactions with other people
HD video is a difficult to edit.
Don’t be afraid to keep it short, make your editing life as easy as possible. Use a tripod. External microphones are good and listening to the recording with headphones during the interview will give you a better idea of the digital sound you’re producing. Have the interviewee talk to you, not the camera. Let them tell you the story.
Editing- imovie is very simple to use. Break up your video often. Have plenty of still shots and multiple interviews, voices. While editing, set your volume to middle, so you can get an idea of what the audience will hear, or how you can change it to become even. Don’t be discouraged: video editing gets faster with practice. Keynote and PowerPoint are good for dropping pictures right into your video editing timeline. Youtube videos are a quick way to walk you through new programs.
Length- 3-4 minutes is as long as you want to go. Very complex stories can take 5-6 minutes, which are miniature documentaries.
Photos
Lighting is key for still images because the shutter is not always open. Over the shoulder is a good shot.
For shooting photos with limited movement, long zoom lens and wide-angle lens are good. You can always crop, so take a wide shot; also a close-up capturing more emotion. Shoot as many pictures as possible, you can always delete them later.
Keep photo slideshows short, like people’s attention spans. Maintain a wide and consistent variety of close-ups and wide angle shots. Also, creative commons is a good way to find pictures, simply attribute them.
Audio
For some of my stories, I use a Zoom H2 device for audio (a little expensive, but good, of course). Garage band has good podcast features. Have a second set of eyes check out your story to give you a fresh perspective, maybe new angles.
Text is Multimedia, Too
Wordpress.com is a hosted solution for starting your own blog and is free initially. It’s really powerful. You can download it and install on your own server, like many news sources do. Blogger is getting antiquated; it’s not as robust. Years ago, several blog sources were all about on the same level, but eventually Wordpress rose above. 20-25% of the world’s websites are being built on Wordpress.
Writing for the web should be very, very concise.
You can find an Article on pointer about the beginnings of NYTimes on the internet- how writing for the web changed and a good book Search Engine Optimization by Rebecca Lieb (on Amazon for $1)
SEO! Keep in mind the key words that can bring people to your story. Need source code for this? Not really. Have a twitter-sized sentence at the top left hand corner of your blog to introduce it. Have multiple versions of your catch-phrase on social media, as a way to brand yourself.
Audience
Leave things open-ended so people will comment. Talk to your audience directly, so they know you’re a person. Anything that makes the reader stop and re-read is bad writing. Consistency of voice: write a mission statement, even make it your background if you must. Try to keep your subjects/topics consistent. In the design of your blog, never go more than five colors. (Black and white are two good options, then you can choose the other three.) Don’t talk to everyone, talk to one person to have a point of view to tell the story through. Know who your audience is and target them through your content. How is this person accessing your blog?
Design
The best design is simple. Less is more (colors, boxes, pictures, etc). When minimal colors are used, it lets pictures take over. To build your audience, it doesn’t matter as much how often you post, but post consistently and your audience will stay. You can import your blog from Blogger into Wordpress.
Interactive
Easy options for election night:
In a google doc spreadsheet, several people can effectively edit a document at the same time. Polls, surveys are also options on Google docs, simply pick your required fields and questions. This trumps Survey Monkey because it compiles your data for you. You can build maps through Google. It’s an easy way to calculate distance, even via sidewalk.
A free resource for journalists to quickly save information for later (such as uploading massive PDFs, embed links) is Documentcloud.org/ You can use this from your smart phone.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Hopes and Fears for 2012
Anyone who knows me probably recognizes that I reconfigure my life every few months. I'm constantly forming new goals, reevaluating where I am, what's most important to me, and how I need to get where I'm going.
I don't like being stagnate.
Generally, this makes New Year's resolutions a little redundant for me, so maybe this is my chance to simplify things, to slow down, to appreciate.
With that in mind, my one resolution, my word of the year, is to enjoy.
I plan to enjoy as much of my time this year as possible. This spring, after the Little Rock Half Marathon and the subsequent week(s) of guilt-free high-caloric intake, I will cycle several major scenic routes in Arkansas on my recently purchased roadbike.
I'm excited about this because I've traveled all over the state to canoe, hike, swim, run, but never to cycle. Well, that's about to change, my friend, and I think it will be a totally different experience. It's all a part of a bigger (read: far-fetched) plan to incorporate these beautiful places into my first round of training for a Century, a one-hundred mile bike ride.
There are roughly ten different areas around the state that are particularly accommodating for road cyclists.
Trip 1 Arkansas River Trail (14 miles)
This trail, which makes use of the Big Dam Bridge, should be nice and easy 14 miles, so I'll be able to do it a couple times in a day if I choose, and visit friends and family while in Little Rock.
Trip 2 Batesville-Ozark Loop (21 miles)
Here, I'll pass a picturesque old mill and experience a nice, easy ride through beautiful rolling hills. I'm told this route has wide shoulders, so hopefully I won't have to worry about traffic nearly as much.
Trip 3 Lake Maumelle Loop (37 miles) & Scott-England Loop (35-50 miles)
Last autumn, a nicely challenging Saturday of cycling (for me) meant a good 25 mile ride, with some hills. I'm hoping to raise the bar with these two routes.
On the Lake Maumelle Loop, I will test my faith by doing the recommended "early morning" ride, where I can expect beautiful scenery... and a strenous climb up Wye Mountain.
The next day, I plan to treat myself with a smooth, flat ride through cotton fields and pecan groves on the Scott-England Loop. It happens to be a longer route, but I prefer long rides over relatively flat land to short, hilly rides. This route has an option to connect to the Arkansas River Trail, but I don't forsee having any leftover energy to take advantage of it.
Trip 4 Hot Springs Loop (51 miles)
After living in Arkadelphia for a year, I've returned to the area only once, so it'll be nice to dally through Hot Springs National Park and the Ouachita Mountains before catching up with an old friend or two.
Trip 5 Rich Mountain Ride (60 miles)
With the exception of Fayetteville, Mena is easily my favorite area of Arkansas. The Talimena Scenic Byway that winds up Rich Mountain is breathtaking. Can't wait to stop off at the Queen Wilhelmina State Park lodge, which sits on the second highest peak in Arkansas.
Trip 6 The Jasper Disaster (62 miles)
Here's my wild card. This route is closer to my homebase, but very difficult. With three very long climbs, Arkansas.com optimistically promises the opportunity to view elk in Boxley Valley.
It's been a long time since I've seen elk, moose and other animals of this size, but I don't see how encountering these humongous beasts near the end of a very long ride is supposed to encourage me. Defenses down, energy drained...I don't know, guys. Maybe this one should be left alone.
Trip 7 Paragould-Piggott Loop (89.5 miles)
This doozy, set in a part of Arkansas I'm not very familiar with, will be towards the end of my training and will give me a chance to cycle through the hills of Crowley's Ridge Parkway and stop at the Hemingway house in Piggott (this time without Mrs. P's high school English class tagging along).
Other additions to my spring cycling adventures are the Monticello to Warren Loop and Tour of Columbia County (a possible, pleasant weekend excursion) or the Mississippi River Trail (at 85 miles, I imagine it will be decided after the Paragould Trip.)
These are my hopes for 2012, happiness and adventure for me and for my friends. What are yours?
"May the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten." -Upward Over the Mountain, Iron & Wine
"If you're afraid, don't be. I have the whole thing planned. We'll start an ocean." -Pictures Benjamin Francis Leftwich
I don't like being stagnate.
Generally, this makes New Year's resolutions a little redundant for me, so maybe this is my chance to simplify things, to slow down, to appreciate.
With that in mind, my one resolution, my word of the year, is to enjoy.
I plan to enjoy as much of my time this year as possible. This spring, after the Little Rock Half Marathon and the subsequent week(s) of guilt-free high-caloric intake, I will cycle several major scenic routes in Arkansas on my recently purchased roadbike.
I'm excited about this because I've traveled all over the state to canoe, hike, swim, run, but never to cycle. Well, that's about to change, my friend, and I think it will be a totally different experience. It's all a part of a bigger (read: far-fetched) plan to incorporate these beautiful places into my first round of training for a Century, a one-hundred mile bike ride.
There are roughly ten different areas around the state that are particularly accommodating for road cyclists.
Trip 1 Arkansas River Trail (14 miles)
This trail, which makes use of the Big Dam Bridge, should be nice and easy 14 miles, so I'll be able to do it a couple times in a day if I choose, and visit friends and family while in Little Rock.
Trip 2 Batesville-Ozark Loop (21 miles)
Here, I'll pass a picturesque old mill and experience a nice, easy ride through beautiful rolling hills. I'm told this route has wide shoulders, so hopefully I won't have to worry about traffic nearly as much.
Trip 3 Lake Maumelle Loop (37 miles) & Scott-England Loop (35-50 miles)
Last autumn, a nicely challenging Saturday of cycling (for me) meant a good 25 mile ride, with some hills. I'm hoping to raise the bar with these two routes.
On the Lake Maumelle Loop, I will test my faith by doing the recommended "early morning" ride, where I can expect beautiful scenery... and a strenous climb up Wye Mountain.
The next day, I plan to treat myself with a smooth, flat ride through cotton fields and pecan groves on the Scott-England Loop. It happens to be a longer route, but I prefer long rides over relatively flat land to short, hilly rides. This route has an option to connect to the Arkansas River Trail, but I don't forsee having any leftover energy to take advantage of it.
Trip 4 Hot Springs Loop (51 miles)
After living in Arkadelphia for a year, I've returned to the area only once, so it'll be nice to dally through Hot Springs National Park and the Ouachita Mountains before catching up with an old friend or two.
Trip 5 Rich Mountain Ride (60 miles)
With the exception of Fayetteville, Mena is easily my favorite area of Arkansas. The Talimena Scenic Byway that winds up Rich Mountain is breathtaking. Can't wait to stop off at the Queen Wilhelmina State Park lodge, which sits on the second highest peak in Arkansas.
Trip 6 The Jasper Disaster (62 miles)
Here's my wild card. This route is closer to my homebase, but very difficult. With three very long climbs, Arkansas.com optimistically promises the opportunity to view elk in Boxley Valley.
It's been a long time since I've seen elk, moose and other animals of this size, but I don't see how encountering these humongous beasts near the end of a very long ride is supposed to encourage me. Defenses down, energy drained...I don't know, guys. Maybe this one should be left alone.
Trip 7 Paragould-Piggott Loop (89.5 miles)
This doozy, set in a part of Arkansas I'm not very familiar with, will be towards the end of my training and will give me a chance to cycle through the hills of Crowley's Ridge Parkway and stop at the Hemingway house in Piggott (this time without Mrs. P's high school English class tagging along).
Other additions to my spring cycling adventures are the Monticello to Warren Loop and Tour of Columbia County (a possible, pleasant weekend excursion) or the Mississippi River Trail (at 85 miles, I imagine it will be decided after the Paragould Trip.)
These are my hopes for 2012, happiness and adventure for me and for my friends. What are yours?
"May the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten." -Upward Over the Mountain, Iron & Wine
"If you're afraid, don't be. I have the whole thing planned. We'll start an ocean." -Pictures Benjamin Francis Leftwich
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Farewell, 2011
If you haven't seen the movie Beginners, do it. Do it now. It's at Redbox and will be worth your entire dollar. Inspired by its scrapbook way of storytelling, here's a Beginners' style version of my year.
Oh, and a little background music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqb2db0f_3A
This is what the sun looked like in 2011.
And nature.
The stars.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/03/quadrantid-meteor-shower-january-2012_n_1181369.html#s397483
This is what pretty looked like.
These are some of my friends.
I worked here in 2011.
And here.
And here.
This is my home in 2011.
The living room.
A corner of my kitchen.
This is me before doing something I wasn't sure I could manage.
Completing a half-marathon.
This is how I like to spend a Sunday afternoon (with my nephew).
This is what my friends look like when I tell them the stories in my head.
In 2011, I dreamed of one day owning a house that looks a little like this (complete with woodstove).
"These are the people. Half of them believe things will never work. The other half believe in magic. It's like war between them."
Oh, and a little background music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqb2db0f_3A
This is what the sun looked like in 2011.
And nature.
The stars.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/03/quadrantid-meteor-shower-january-2012_n_1181369.html#s397483
This is what pretty looked like.
These are some of my friends.
I worked here in 2011.
And here.
And here.
This is my home in 2011.
The living room.
A corner of my kitchen.
This is me before doing something I wasn't sure I could manage.
Completing a half-marathon.
This is how I like to spend a Sunday afternoon (with my nephew).
This is what my friends look like when I tell them the stories in my head.
In 2011, I dreamed of one day owning a house that looks a little like this (complete with woodstove).
"These are the people. Half of them believe things will never work. The other half believe in magic. It's like war between them."
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