"HELLO. My Name is CHRISTIAN."

Juliet:  "What's in a name? That which we call a rose

by any other name would smell as sweet."

Good question . . . what is in a name? Do they really matter? Juliet's point was that they don't . . . or at least not in this particular case - and I would have to agree. She was in love with Romeo regardless of his family name and heritage.

But, "names" . . . do they matter? You know, in the grand scheme of things, who you are and that by which you identify yourself . . . does it matter.

Running The Rugged Red

2014 Rugged Red

Back in the spring, while looking through some Half-Marathon races, I came across The Rugged Red Trail Half-Marathon . . . 13.1 miles in the Red River Gorge.  I really don't even remember where I first found out about it, but it intrigued me so much that I registered the same day.

At that time, I'd NEVER run a trail in my life . . . I was the quintessential trail-running newbie.  I had no idea what trail running was like, but I knew that this one was for me.

The Trails Are Calling

The Swinging Bridge

I'm less than two weeks out from 13.1 miles in Red River Gorge . . . September 6th is The Rugged Red.  This trail-running thing is quickly becoming the one of the highlights of my week.  Of course I have several things that trump running the trails (aka: spending any time with my wife and kids), but this new hobby is a great way for me to enjoy the outdoors, stay/get in shape, and challenge myself physically and mentally.

Last Saturday was one of those physical and mental challenges.  I decided to cover the upper half of The Rugged Red course (which I hadn't been on yet) and also to make it my longest trail run yet.