Welcome to my blog. My name is Charlie Payne, and I teach science and computer science at Northern High School in Durham, NC. During the next three months, summer training for the cross country team will be in the form of a virtual trip along I-40 in North Carolina. The length of the route is 420 miles. If the entire state is traversed, this will be just over thirty miles per week, a bit over 4.5 miles per day. Some may just get to Durham, 270 miles, about twenty miles per week. Some may do more, and will extend their journey to Fort Fisher in Kure Beach, NC, adding an additional 22 miles. A few may run back across North Carolina, virtually, of course!
My intention is to complete this trip also, although as a back-of-the-pack runner. Along the way I’ll discuss the local environment, as historical and scientific aspects of the places passed on this journey. I’ll also write about training and running, as well as offer some insight from my own past as a runner, teacher, and coach beginning in the 1960’s. Welcome to the journey!
During my first couple of days I’ve made it near Exit 7, Harmon Den. This is a beautiful area often called The Gorge, and, to be my corny self, it is really gorgeous! The Pigeon River runs nearby, and the area is forested and scenic. This is a well-known horse-riding area. With trails in abundance, this is equestrian paradise. With the Appalachian Trail nearby, it’s also a hiker’s haven, with miles of good (and bad) footing. I’ve had the pleasure the last two summers of proceeding west into Tennessee to attend a great workshop at Tremont, TN, nestled in the Great Smokey Mountains. This is an interesting area, with the calm and peace of GSMNP within a rather short distance of the crass and tasteless (in my opinion) commercialism of Dollywood.
Further descriptions ahead…
About Me
- Coach Payne
- Durham, NC
- I have a B.A. in Education and an M.Ed. from the University of Richmond. I have just retired as a public school teacher for 30 years, the last 27 consecutively in Durham, NC, where I've taught science, mainly physics, and computer science, and coached cross country and track. I will join the faculty of St. Catherine's School in Richmond, VA, as a teacher of physics. Additionally I've been an assistant track/cross country coach at Richmond and at Duke University (’79-’81). I won the 1972 Grandfather Mountain Marathon, and have coached several Olympic Trials qualifiers. I'm married to Cecilia, and have three sons, Thomas, Daniel, and Michael. I also created a course at the high school entitled Game Development and Simulation. My wife is a kindergarten teacher who also has helped with the basketball and cross country program at the high school where I teach. She was a two-sport MVP at UVA (basketball and field hockey), as well as a Dean's List student in Economics.
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