A Beautiful Day to Run/Walk a 5k

We normally don't write about my running exploits much. I've only been running again since the end of April, and it hasn't been the most consistent running plan on the face of the Earth considering all the nursery stuff and house buying stuff we've been doing as of late. Nonetheless, I've not let it sideline me completely on the running front. For me, running is a release, an escape much like hiking from the rest of the world and a little time to focus on me and keep myself fit. After all, we've got another one on the way and I'll need to be in shape to keep up with her.

Anyway, an opportunity arose to test how far I've come since I started running again. Where I work was the headline sponsor for The 4th Annual Man Run against prostate cancer. Being such, the race organizers gave work so many spots in the race for the employees. So I decided to run. In addition, I signed up the kiddo to run since they had enough spots to accommodate her as well. I figured if she was going to run cross country this year, this would be a good chance to introduce her to the 5k distance.

Dogwood Arts Festival

Knoxville is renowned for its annual Dogwood Arts Festival. The festival officially kicked off last Wednesday with tons of events being scheduled throughout the month of April.

The festival showcases a number of gardens and breathtaking home landscapes by way of the Dogwood Trails and Byways. There are seven trails in all, and five byways. Each offer a spectacular botanical experience. 

Yesterday, given a 70% chance for thunderstorms and Tim on call, we decided to visit the Sequoyah Hills trail: one of Knoxville's most prestigious neighborhoods. The houses there are gorgeous, each it's own, and most of them have awe-inspiring gardens.

The trail offers numerous places to stop (if by car or bike) and take photos, but I couldn't help snapping every time something caught my eye.


The last part of this trail parallels the shore of Fort Loudon Lake, and offers plenty of entrances to the waterfront park. Clover really enjoyed getting out to sniff where every other dog had been while we enjoyed the sunset on the water.