Road Review: Huntsville, AL

My job as a traveling salesman keeps me ramblin' from state to state across the South and I get the chance to experience a lot of cities that I wouldn't normally visit.  One of those places is Huntsville, AL.  I used to always see signs for Huntsville on highway 65 when we would drive between Birmingham and Nashville for cross country races, but I never had a reason to get off and head east.  Now I go there every few months on business to visit the local running stores and sell them my fabulous product lines.  Of course the best way to see and feel any city is to run it!  It wasn't until recently that I had the chance to hook up with an ole college teammate and run the Rocket City.

The Huntsville Town Square

I met my buddy, Bo Brawner, early one morning before my appointments and he led me on a loop through the old part of Huntsville.  I love history stuff and we saw a lot of antebellum homes, the lovely town square and the natural spring that originally provided water to the citizens.  We also saw John Morgan's house (Confederate General) and a bank that Billy the Kid allegedly robbed.  My buddy Bo is a huge fan of the area and spoke of great running venues, especially the trails in the surrounding mountains.

      Bank robbed by Billy the Kid

A few weeks after my run with Bo I was back to help out with a Triathlon that Pearl Izumi was sponsoring.  The event was at a park about 30 minutes south of the city on the Tennessee River, but it gave me another chance to spend some time on the ground.  I must say I now have a very positive view of the Huntsville area.  There is great access to some rivers and lakes, it is right next to some mountains (or at least large hills) and there is a strong NASA presence. #NeverTooOldForSpaceCamp  Nice to meet you Huntsville.  I look forward to running you again. 

The packet pick up/ Expo for the Wet Dog Triathlon