Running Through One of History’s Bloodiest Battle Lands

Last night when Michelle and I pulled into Gettysburg, PA we were bummed that we wouldn’t have more than a few hours to actually check the city out. It was already 8 o’clock at night and I was way too beat to do any night exploring, but I urged Michelle to go check it out for herself. I needed to do some work anyway and told myself that I would just have to see whatever I could on my morning run.

When morning arrived I checked the local weather to find it was a nice 28 degrees outside. Hearing this made me want to find a fitness center, but I decided to go with it and head into the chill. The woman at the front desk was very helpful in pointing me to a nice place to run. She said in two turns at I would be at one of the most historic places in all of Gettysburg – the old Confederate battle grounds. For a second I thought I felt the hair in the kitchen off my neck start to curl. After thanking her for her help, I proceeded to make the first left off the roundabout and decided to walk to the first two lights. I had some business to handle with my iPod before dashing off. I played with the settings and adjusted my workout to the correct distance I was running. Only 4 miles today! Once I hit the second light I broke out in my run.

The old battle fields were peaceful. No cars, few runners and walkers and just lots of beautiful open space. There was so much history on this land. Like in the movies it almost felt as though the trees would morph into life-like human people, bend towards me and ask why I was running thru this land. The trees hold all the secrets. I was really starting to enjoy the run until I remembered four songs into the workout that I hadn’t heard the pretty lady voice in my iPod. Where was she I thought? I just did a mile plus and has she been mute all this time? I take a look at the iPod and it has only registered .51 of a mile. This starts to become frustrating, but I maintain my cool. All I have to do is call Nike and see what’s going down with this thing.

I continue concentrating on my surroundings. There were tombstones and statues constructed for this brigade and that infantry unit that fought here in the past. Eerie doesn’t quite describe how it felt until I heard the faint sound of a hound barking near one of the statues. First I thought it might be a sound coming from my iPod, but when I turned my head in all directions I confirmed that it was a hound-looking dog standing a just little ways from behind the statue trying to scare me off. Hearing the dog made me think that my iPod purchase probably wasn’t the best fit for me. I don’t usually run with music anyway and here I am distracted by Madonna and a sensor that is telling me I am running at a 24 minute pace.

In the end I ran for 40 minutes in and out the old Confederate battle lands and got on the phone with Nike right after. They’ve offered some suggestions and tomorrow I’ll have to see if this thing is going to act right. If not I’ll need to replace it ASAP. All I wanted was a little accuracy in my runs. Sigh.

Here are some photos I took after my run once I showered and took off for work.

The entrance to the park where I ran.

Path through the creepy all-knowing trees.

Another part of the path.

A war statue.

My lovely work vehicle in the park.

What is the Gettysburg Address? I did not see this sign on my run, but I saw it on our way out of town and had to take a photo.

Shot of the town of Gettysburg.

Don’t gamble with Gettysburg… Apparently a lot of the towns people are opposed to casinos coming in – these signs were everywhere.

Adrienne