My Kind of Amusement Park

Last Saturday, we headed out to the U.S. Whitewater Center near Charlotte NC. This place is actually used as a training center for the Olympic whitewater slalom racing team. They have an artificial canal there, that they can switch from rapid 2 to 4 in what seems minutes.

The canal is open for the public for rafting and kayaking as well, but for that, we'll come back when it's a little warmer. We decided to get the CoolSport pass, which included everything except the whitewater rafting/ kayaking.

So we did....

Awesome butt picture at the climbing wall.

I completely underestimated how tough rock climbing is! ;-)

Just posing... What a wonderful sunny and chilly day we picked!

On the adventure course.... Hanging on for dear life! ;-)

Still hanging...

On the entrance for the short zip line.

The mega zip was closed unfortunately for maintenance.

Climbing up to the little zip.

3, 2, 1.... GOOOOOOO! ;-)

GOOOOOOOOOOO..... ;-)

This time we were just spectators... Next time, we'll be on the canal.

 We also went mountain biking on their easiest loop there.

They do have several trails there that can be used for biking, hiking and trail running.

There is a trail running series on the premises.

Our last activity was flat water kayaking on the Catawba River right next to the park.

There, we saw this crane hunting for lunch.

After the kayaking we were toast and ready to go.

We also had wet bottoms, but fortunately also a change of clothes in the car.

This was a lot of bang for the buck and all of the equipment rentals are included in the price... mtn bikes, kayaks etc. On top of that, the equipment was in really good shape. With it being Thanksgiving weekend and off-season and pretty cold, the park was fairly empty and we practically, didn't have any line anywhere. 

I can only recommend going... It's a ton of fun for active people, but if you want to take grandma and grandpa along, they can get in the park without paying admission and just watch the kids doing their thing. There is no fence around the property, so if you have your own mtn bike or you want to go trail running, you just have to pay parking and then you can use the trail.

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One quick reminder: Today is the last day to vote for the Swamp Rabbit Trail on Pepsi Refresh... Just click on the link in the sidebar.

Polish Up Your Running Jargon

Here is a quick quiz* to polish up your running jargon. Please answer the questions in the comment section or add an alternative answer c)... The person with the most correct answers or to most original answers wins a box of stuff**.

* I didn't come up with this... She did.
** Just kidding... Not that I wouldn't like to host giveaways, but geez, this blog has a long way to go before that'll ever happen.

1. “Negative splits” refers to:
a.) Running the second half of a race faster than the first half.
b.) A particularly embarrassing cheerleading injury.

2. A “lactate threshold” means:
a.) The transition phase from aerobic to anaerobic running.
b.) The amount of cheese you can eat before experiencing severe gastrointestinal distress.

3. “VO2Max” is:
a.) The maximum amount of oxygen a person can extract from the atmosphere and then transport and use in the body’s tissues.
b.) A popular conditioner from the ’70s.

4. “LSD” is:
a.) Code for a “long, slow distance” run – anywhere from 5 miles to 25 or more.
b.) What I would have to take to run 5 miles.

5. “Couch to 5K” is:
a.) A beginner’s running plan.
b.) A sad alternative to the “Couch to DQ” plan.

6. Please define “split shorts”:
a.) They are higher-cut running shorts often used in racing.
b.) This is what happens when Steven Seagal tries to pick up a nickel.

7. An “easy run” is:
a.) A run at an easy pace done for recovery purposes or for enjoyment.
b.) A complete oxymoron for most of us.

8. “Hill repeats” are:
a.) Runs up a hill at a quick pace to build strength.
b.) Reruns of an MTV “reality” show about obnoxious blond people.

9. “Iliotibial band friction syndrome” is:
a.) An inflammation of the iliotibial band, which runs on the outside of the leg from the hip to just below the knee.
b.) The embarrassment you feel when you ask for “Rock Band,” and your mom buys you the off-brand “Iliotibial Band,” instead.

10. A “fartlek” is:
a.) A Swedish term for variable-pace running.
b.) A term guaranteed to induce snickering in any 12-year-old boy.

Have a great weekend!