47 songs + 8 for running

What a beautiful Saturday. The women in the house were leaving for the barn at the same time I was leaving for Dade City for Six12 Sports. Heading out again for a little business road trip I thought it would be cool to see how many songs I would go through on the iPod if I just put it on shuffle and played it through while I was on the road. Heading up to Dade City is almost a drive I can do with my eyes closed. Half of the drive is to Lakeland, where I go almost every day for 9 months each year and the rest of a drive is almost as familiar. I’ve raced at Dade City motocross, raced at two ranches just outside of town, played and coached at St. Leo University, watched gymnastics meets at the same school, and bounced off sand woops while riding at the Croom riding area. For such a small little community I sure spend a lot of time in the general area. This familiarity is what breeds weird ideas on such routine trips. One thing I noticed while out on the roads today was how much we, as a society, really embrace classic styling. I saw many classic cars just dotting the roadways and driveways along the way. It is also pretty cool that many of the new cars are utilizing the old-school styling on the newer models. After cruising up 98 towards my destination I took a few quick back roads and a state highway until reaching Bellamy Brothers Road. That’s right; the legendary group grew up in the area and actually has a road named after them. Another great reason to play the music on shuffle while cruising through the country. We may not have Music Row but we do have a music group road. After getting to the Six12 shop I made small talk with the owner and he jumped right in to service the suspension of the ole’ 250. The service was done in a short period of time and that meant it was time to head back towards Babson Park. I got back in the car and had the wild hair to stop by FSC and see what progress had been made on the new tennis courts and what type of progress they were making on tearing apart the former facility. Since I cannot stand going the same way twice I decided to take I-75 to I-4 back to Lakeland. The world moves fast at 75 mph. Construction seems to be a common theme in Florida which makes me wonder why they don’t just make the road they need the first time they make it. The trip back seemed to fly by and all of a sudden I was in downtown Lakeland. This town seems to be a nice weekend visit. People walking around the shops, a little farmer’s market, and a lack of parking make it appear a very popular destination during an early Saturday afternoon. Brianna and Michelle always give me a hard time because I eat at places they enjoy when I am not with them. Today was no different. A man has to eat and since I was in downtown Lakeland why not stop by Jimmy John’s and eat a number 10 with some salt and vinegar potato chips. It was good but it wasn’t the same without the ladies in my life with me to enjoy it. I tell them that all the time and they always cry phooey on me but I truly do mean it. Once the belly was full I headed off the FSC to just get a glimpse of the past and the present. The present looks fairly unchanged but I can visualize the beauty yet fulfilled. The past on the other hand really has gone through some massive changes since Monday. The courts are gone. What was a green asphalt jungle now looks like a massive beach volleyball court. Back on the road it was time to get to Babson Park so that I could see the wifey and go for my Saturday run. Oh yeah, when I parked the car in the carport I looked at the iPod and it was on 47 of 916. During the trip I listened from start to finish Adele, (yes I have a few of her songs) to Willy Nelson and any genre and artist in between. I enjoy doing my running or training when I most likely will be doing my racing. I feel that it prepares me for the conditions I will face while competing. It was freaking hot today for any of you that enjoyed the air conditioning. Today’s run was 3 x ¾ mile runs with 3 minutes rest. I felt real strong during the runs and completed all with a nice ease that I don’t normally feel. The only problem with 3 runs is that you end up ¾ mile from home. Feeling the effects of the heat I tried to text Michelle so that I could be lazy and get a ride home. No luck on my part as she was back at the barn picking Brianna up from her awesome day of horses. Well, walking all the way home was going to take too long so I bucked up and jogged home at a nice easy pace. So my 2.25 mile run turned into a 3.4 mile interval run. There is no shuffle when it comes to moving my big butt while running. Today’s motivating tunes came straight from the rap playlist. Hard beats and bad words will definitely get my feet moving. Recovery was easy and made even easier by playing the Wii with the ladies and dominating in a little Mario Kart. Okay, I dominated 2 out 3 four race series. Days like today really make me appreciate the life I have, the wife I am honored to be married to, and the daughter I am watching become an unbelievable young lady. Tomorrow morning is going to come early. I am going to get my 4 miles of running in before the Monaco Grand Prix comes on at 8 am. After that it is time for Indy and then the Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte. If time allows I will watch the DVR’ed motocross races from TX that I missed today. Oh yeah, the racing bug just doesn’t go away.