The Ruben Studdard Celebration Weekend is in the books as is Thanksgiving and I'm slowly starting to feel like a human being again. My running has suffered somewhat but not as bad as I had feared and more importantly all the participants in both events (Ruben and Thanksgiving) seemed to have had a blast! There were some comments about the Ruben Half not being 'flat'; well for Birmingham it was as flat as you can get a 13.1 mile course to be. If you train around these here parts, you know! Yes there was the 35th Street viaduct but runners got a great downhill on the other side. My training groups went over it several times and thought, 'sin't no thang'!  Here's what you need to know: Birmingham runs east and west in what's called Jone's Valley - if you ran the old Vulcan Marathon course or Mercedes Marathon in the first 6 years you'll know there's no north and south with out going over Red Mountain (operative word is mountain). Hell, in the first 6 or so Mercedes we went over Red Mountain going AND coming! However (history lesson), Birmingham was not founded because of iron ore, coal, and limestone, it was founded at a railroad crossroads; only later were the 3 ingredients for steel discovered in this area. To this day the trains run and any race course (especially longer distances) has to plan it's route around the active rail systems. The reason for coming in on 5th Ave under the overpass (Messer-Airport Hwy) is that's where the 'Welcome to Birmingham, The Magic City' sign was erected. Um, before they lost it....seriously, how do you lose a giant sign made of steel? The Terminal Bldg that sat there (the reason for the underpass) serviced no less than 6 railroads in it's day. It cost $2 million to build in 1910 'dollars'! Personally, I love the course, it's all about the experience, the total experience to me. When's the last time you ran by Legion Field, Rickwood Field, of Avondale Park? Know any of their histories? Dizzy Dean pitched at Rickwood and Willie Mays played there; some of the greatest collegiate games ever were at Legion Field (Punt, Bama, Punt, Van Tiffen's 'The Kick' and the first SEC Championship Game were at Legion Field). However, I am wide open for constructive suggestions; think them through and bring 'em on.  Weather wise Vulcan and Ruben had near perfect weather, yes Ruben was a little humid, I said, "near". Movinf on, I still have the 1200 Mile Club in my scope, accidents and surgeries will sometime curtail your running. However,  it ain't over till it's over., I'm channeling my innder Dean Karnazes for December.  2012 will be a better year, man I hope so! We've got Big Sur, the Dixie 200 Relay (ATL to BHM) and the Bourbon Chase Relay on the board. I've also got other goals and plans for 2012. I love to set goals and reach for them; 3 levels, 1) easy to reach, 2) hope I can reach, and 3) dreams. 2011's 'easy to reach' have become 'hope I can reach'. As my good friend and longtime softball teammate Greg Caldwell said (post game at the old Irish Deli, during refreshment), "That's what makes life, life." We all face challenges, there are no guarantee's, Monday's easy run can become Wednesday's Death March. It's how we face these challenges, great or small; that counts. What's great to me may be small to another, but never inconsequential.There is some perspective and I believe that these daily 'runninng' challenges we set for ourselves, the runs, races, distances or time goals, prepare us deep within for tougher challenges. So we know, bottom line that when it's over; be it a run, a workout, a job deadline or whatever life threw at you. That when you're sittting at that particular 'finish line', spent, taking off your shoes (metaphorically), deep inside you know, be it in life or the run, those moments that challenged you, win or lose....nothing more could have been done. I can live with that.