Last weekend, I began training for Riverbend.
Yes, though you may not have realized it, we are now less than two months out from Chattanooga’s biggest musical event.
As much as I gripe about it, I do tend to enjoy myself at the ‘bend, but this year, I’m determined to do so with minimal risk of crippling my feet or suffering heat stroke. With that in mind, I decided to start preparing my body for the rigors of walking for nine days in the summer heat.
To start, I set my air conditioner to go off at 85 degrees. I may be miserably hot for awhile, but I’ll save money and, hopefully, condition myself to the heat.
As to walking, well, I walk everywhere anyway, but there’s an urgency to Riverbend (except the Strut, which is … well, more of a strut) that makes it a higher-impact activity than your run-of-the-mill stroll. So I’m starting long-distance jaunts to toughen up my feet.
On the first of these outings, I stumbled on the Riverwalk. Admittedly, it wasn’t much of a discovery since I’ve lived less than a third of a mile from it for two years, but somehow, I’d managed to avoid taking advantage. Ten miles and one very sore ankle later, I’ve determined that it’s one of the coolest things in Chattanooga, right up there with dinner on the roof of Pickel Barrel and Mudpie’s half-price wine night.
Not only is it ridiculously gorgeous, it offers plenty of opportunities for humurous people watching.
I’ve discovered that some Riverwalkers have the same sense of imperceptibility as drivers who pick their noses thinking no one can see through their windows. Take note, joggers, you might not think anyone can hear you singing along to your iPod, but trust me, we can.
Hopefully, I’ll soon have conquered the Riverwalk and be Riverbend tough. If not, griping will commence on June 11.
* This week’s Internet music catch is LCD Soundsystem’s third (maybe final) album, “This Is Happening.” If you’re a fan of the electronic/dance project by British producer James Murphy, you’ll love all nine tracks, which you can hear on The Hype Machine (www.hypem.com) music blog aggregator.
LCDS’ second album “Sound of Silver” (2007) was Grammy-nominated and received almost universal acclaim. That’s a tough act to follow, but some are calling the album’s first single, “Drunk Girls,” the “anthem for spring.” Look for “This iIs Happening” on May 18.