After the spring semester ended, one of my goals was to get back in shape. Or at least back to the weight I carried when I arrived in Athens last June.
Jackie O’s incredible beers have taken a toll on me (Oil of Aphrodite is my favorite). Restaurants like Salaam and hot dog joints like O’Betty’s (yes, Athens has an “O” thing going on) added pounds. And the winter was tough, cutting into my daily step counts. I generally try to stay at 10k or better per day, but I dipped closer to an 8K average in the dark depths of February.
So starting last week, I vowed to get more active. I’ve been riding my bike and exploring Athens’ myriad hiking trails. I also intend to start kayaking on Dow Lake in Stroud’s Run State Park.
In the past, the best way I’ve found to keep myself honest in these situations was to start documenting it. So that’s what I’m going to do here throughout the summer. One of my goals is to hike every trail at Stroud’s Run, but I’m also trying to explore the rest of Southeast Ohio as much as possible. I also want to round trip the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway, which is about 36 miles to Nelsonville and back. Let the summer commence …