August 28, 2024: While this year’s international travel has been great so far, the USA Runs in 2024 are some of my favorite… picturesque, memorable and some right down memory lane.
I am running, running, running, I am running just for fun.
Marci Ridlon
Through the grass and through the gravel running faster
see me travel past the people staring, staring.
They are thinking something’s wrong. I’m not looking. I’m not caring. I’m just running hard and long.
Now my feet are pounding pavement. Now my heart is pounding too.
I can feel the sidewalk searing through the bottom of my shoe.
How the wind is whipping past me. How the trees are Whizzing by.
Rushing rivers run forever. Maybe I can if I try.
Running 2024 Preview: USA
At the end of each year, I put together a post on the “Runs of the Year.” It is a great recap of our travels, and I get to relive some of the moments exploring new places afoot. So far, 2024 has been fantastic, with international runs from Casablanca to Copenhagen, and more to come. As I sorted through my photos for that “Runs of the Year” post, I realized that some of my favorite runs have been right here in the good ol’ USA. This list of USA runs is preview for 2024.
A Busy Winter
February and March were busy: friends graciously offered a time-share on Bald Head Island (Cape Fear), we toasted a mentor at his retirement party in California, and celebrated milestone birthdays for dear friends in Houston and Asheville. It made for a great winter! And afforded some great USA runs.
Morro Bay in California was probably the most picturesque place we visited this year… and that’s saying something! Our place was on the water, with great views morning and night. Otters, dolphins, and sea lions kept the days interesting too.
Heading Home
Most of the summer was spent exploring Iberia and soaking in the Adriatic. I will hopefully get to those posts over the holidays… there never seems to be enough time!
Our route home was interesting and a bit indirect… meeting friends in Copenhagen, a stopping over in Iceland, and revisiting the Freedom Trail in Boston. Iceland was a bonus: connecting through Reykjavík and paying for our hotel was far cheaper than flying directly back to the USA. Score! But unfortunately, I was sick as a dog, and so missed a planned run through Reykjavík’s parks.
Boston was great, with a run along the river and through MIT’s campus. Revisiting the Freedom Trail was inspirational. It was a great reminder that our country was founded by some principled and scrappy folks, just wanting to be respected and fairly treated.
Memory Lane
This month we made the hope to Kansas to visit family. I made a couple of early morning runs down memory lane, before the heat and humidity rose too high. First, Manhattan, home of Kansas State and our son, who works there. The K-State campus is ever evolving, but it brought a smile to my face to run by Jean and my first home. We were so grateful for our little 300 square-foot apartment in Jardine Married Student Housing. It is long gone, replaced by newer facilities. Likewise, my old fraternity house is much improved. I was too sweaty to go in a look for my picture on the wall.
We also visited my parents in St. Marys, population about 2000. I managed a run around the old high school track and through the neighborhoods where I grew up. The football field is AstroTurf now… nice. But Dad and I agreed that if you didn’t play football in the mud and snow, you are missing out 🙂
Always enjoy catching up with your adventures.
We were just thinking about you as we were walking across The Green to church this past weekend. We were wondering “Where in the world are Mark and Jean?” Glad to hear that you are both doing well and have still been enjoying your travels, both international and domestic. Glad to see you got some good runs in everywhere, Mark. You’ve got to be in the greatest shape! Hope to catch up with both of you in Charlotte when you’re in town sometime, but we know that you all never let the grass grow under your feet for long.
Larry, great to hear from you! We will be back home in late October, and would love to see you and Angela. Hope you are both doing well!
I enjoyed reading about your running adventures. Dad took those running shoes to the transfer station with a load of limbs. So happened they landed on the top of brush, but he forgot to take his for for the picture! He was disappointed!
If you look really closely you can see Dad in the back yard, behind the bush, digging!