The tornados that tore through Alabama last week really made a mess of things, killing well over 200 people and destroying countless homes and families.  In the light of that kind of destruction running really takes a back seat.

We in Huntsville were very lucky to escape most of the tornados which touched down, but spent much of April 27 in the "purple zone" on the radar map.  If you think of dark red as being heavy thunderstorms, purple is straight up biblical.  Without electricity for 6 days, we are still under state-wide curfews and alerts for power and water conservancy.

For me, living the grad-student lifestyle means I'm already low tech and low income. As a result I was surprisingly well prepared to go cave-man for a week.  Flashlight, fire, and a pile of non-perishable foods: just about like normal.  But on Friday one of my running friends suggested we go camping, since we would all have the weekend off from work and the City suggested anyone who could leave for a few days should.  Zach Koch, Adan & Kelly Vasquez, Sean & Meghan Allan, and myself went to the Smokey Mountains National Park.

The Smokies offer the most gorgeous trails on the Eastern US.  Zach and I did about 12 miles up the Little River trail and were both convinced there was little reason to ever turn around for home.  If you find yourself needing a good trip to get away and do some running, I suggest heading to the Smokies.  They're stunning.

This next week will be some time off from running, as I originally planned.  With the stress of life grinding itself back on track I suppose this was the most convenient time for such a break.