Shelbyville is not flat

I moved here from East Tennessee, where I've spent most of my life. I'm used to big hills and ridgelines throughout the city, and purple mountains on the horizon.

So I generally think of Shelbyville as being mostly flat. When I think about driving down Madison Street, in my head, it seems like a stretch of parking lot.

Well, let me tell you, when you're out there running on it, it quickly turns into rugged terrain. I found that out real quick last Saturday when I was out there running in First Choice Pregnancy Counseling Center's "Run for Their Life" 5K.

I feel a little like Christopher Columbus when I say this, but: Madison Street is not flat.

The run was exciting, because we ran ahead of the parade route, and everyone cheered us on. I must have gasped "Merry Christmas" two dozen times along the route, and I know I "gave five" to at least a dozen kids lining the street.

On the other side of the coin, this run was a lot harder than the United Way Spooktacular 5K (my first ever) back in October. There are some slight rises along that route, but this past one was like Mt. Kilimanjaro in comparison.

It was also colder. I dressed very warmly, but by the time I had the first mile under my belt, I was ready to shed my thermal underwear.

I also did not train as well. I did great there for a few weeks, running two miles several times and then three miles once, but running in my neighborhood is a lot easier, because it's flatter.

After that burst of commitment, my drive waned and I only ran two miles once in the last ten days before the event. I have also slacked on my aerobics class and on my weight training. I'm sure you get tired of hearing my excuses, but the fact is that life is sometimes challenging, and balancing things can be difficult. That's the way I see it anyway.

Add earlier nightfall and the holidays to the mix, and this adds up to a hectic time of year. We had a float to build!

I wanted to publicly thank T-G publisher Hugh Jones for taking encouragement to the next level during the race. Hugh finished second overall, and then went back out to the route and encouraged some of us along the way. He didn't just stand there (which is encouraging in and of itself) -- Hugh actually ran up one of the hills with me, then waited for me to turn around, and escorted me in almost to the finish line.

Along the way, he suggested I just focus on the next telephone pole, then when I made that, focus on the next one, and on like that to the end. This is a good mental trick, and allows a series of successful short-term goals to build into a success in the long run. Good advice for anyone. You finish a race one step at a time.

Now that I have to wipe off my nose, I'll move on to another subject I touched on briefly earlier in this column -- the fact that it's getting dark early. Very early, as far as I'm concerned.

In fact, I realized when I drove home to Knoxville for Thanksgiving that it gets dark at least 45 minutes earlier here than it does there. That's because we are on the eastern edge of the Central Time Zone, while Knoxville is on the western edge of the Eastern Time Zone. You'd have to drive past Oklahoma City before seeing as much afternoon daylight in Central time as Knoxville sees on Eastern time. It makes sense when you think about it, but I guess I never did.

Anyway, that 45-50 minutes in the late afternoon makes a big difference. At 5 o'clock in Shelbyville, when most people are getting off work (including me), it's full dark. At the same time in Knoxville, there's still at least enough time to drive home before nightfall.

This lack of light locally has sent me for a loop. When I leave work and it's dark out, I just want to go home and curl up in front of the TV. Probably not the best thing for me, but that's reality. I just haven't been very motivated lately.

Another thing is this: People often ask me about this column, and they usually ask me about my "diet" or my "weight."

Although weight loss and eating more sensibly are some of my goals, my main goal through healthier living is to feel better, and I have accomplished that. My blood sugar has been good, and I'm not melting down after lunch anymore.

Speaking of weight, I somehow managed to lose two pounds this week, and weighed in at 227 this morning.

-- John Philleo is editor of the Times-Gazette. He can be reached at (931) 684-1200, ext. 218, or by e-mail at editor@t-g.com. This column is scheduled to print every Friday.