My Bee colleague Rick Kushman has just returned from a week-long wine boondoggle symposium for journalists in lovely Napa. Tough life there for Rick. (Note to boss: Please get back to me ASAP on my proposal for that running writers symposium in the Cayman Islands.)
Anyway, Rick stayed at a fancy-pants resort called Meadowood. He decided to get in a run before another evening of wine swigging tasting. So he checked with the concierge and was told the resort has its own 4-mile trail loop "on the grounds." Well, la-di-da.
As dusk approached, Rick hit the hilly, well-manicured dirt soil trail. By the time he neared the crest of the first hill, it was getting dark, and Rick feared he might sprain an ankle (a recurring injury for him) if he kept going.
He was just ready to turn around and head back in when what to his wondering eyes should appear but a bin of water bottles, still chilled placed lovingly in a tree for runners to pluck and chug on their way to Mile 2.
Tell us more, Rick, about this running Shangri-La.
Alas, Rick didn't continue on the run. He traced his steps back to his room suite.
But it got me thinking about what other running perks might have awaited him on the trail.
- Mile 2: a shrub that sprouts GU packets.
- Mile 2.5: footmen brandishing rakes to groom the trail and rid the path of any pesky pebbles.
- Mile 3: a porta-potty with solid-gold fixtures, manned by an attendant who will hand you a heated towel and a mint.
- Mile 3.5: The Gatorade Lemon-Lime Running Springs and Babbling Brook
- Mile 4: EMTs armed with defibrillators and IV poles, followed by physical therapists trained in active release massage.
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