Notes
I am going to name this run after the an important event of the week, The two Southern Gents take Richmond aka John Tommy Johnson visited the neighborhood. We ran starting from Belle Isle and headed over the Robert E. Lee Bridge and saw a stunning view of the James river falls, and the winter sun setting into the dark forest horizon. We ran on the famous riverside drive starting in the middle class area heading towards the section where the families spent their thanksgivings in their mountain cabins. It was a quiet run, with little chit chat about future careers and the ontological nature of Christ. Tommy collected ginko leaves for a future christmas gift for Nate, surprise! We crossed over the toll bridge and headed into the dark woods. We dodged bikers with headlamps blaring down onto the smooth section of the mountain bike trail blinding us as we passed. I still can see images of the two lights imprinted onto my eyes. We passed between maymont park and the calm James, but with dusk falling rapidly, we picked up the pace. In the rocky section of the bike trail, Tommy followed me closely as we stepped into the dark abyss hoping to land on solid ground, our feet adjusting to the uneven terrain. The peace of the forest juxtaposed beautifully with the murmur of the city. When we were passing next to the cemetery section, a train blared its horn on our right, screeching into view. I said to Tommy, "It's going to be loud for the rest of the run." and the coal cars rumbled along the track creating a din that suppressed any future conversation, a motif of the run. Tommy and I ran the last quarter mile stride by stride crunching the gravel beneath our feet with short VInce steps, and the coal train putting us back into the 1800s.