New Toy



My awesome husband surprised me with a new toy: A waterproof camcorder/ camera. It's an early 1st anniversary gift that he didn't want to wait to give me. Well, at least now I am aware that we are giving presents for our anniversary.... I honestly never thought of that.

I brought it to the pool yesterday to play around a little. Lucky me, there was nobody from my regular group in the pool and other than the lifeguard, my goofing around remained unnoticed.

Because I plan on taking this camera with me, wherever I go*, I thought I better start practicing self portraits:

*It's waterproof and looks like it can handle outdoor activites more than my regular point and shoot. I often leave the point and shoot at home on bike rides and stuff, because I am worried for it to get wet and fluke out or break off a part or something... It's also heavier.

 

Not so much.

Maybe without bubbles next time?

Maybe without looking so...... in pain??

There you go.... Not really focussed but at least in the picture!



Deep Creek Hiking

Hello, My name is Terry and I am a tourist. ;-) And those are the Tom Branch Falls in the background.

After our little train adventure from earlier that day, we had a some time to kill before we could go to dinner without being offered the early bird special with senior citizen discount at the restaurant.

We had a couple of options picked out (Fontana Dam, Clingmans Dome), but both just were a little too far of a drive for 3.30 in the afternoon. Instead we decided to get moving and went for a hike in the Deep Creek area (part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park), just minutes away from our cabin at the Deep Creek Tube Center and Campground.

Busting a warrior pose on a rock.

Indian Creek Falls.

Some dead trees.

A squirrel  looking for an afternoon snack.

And this is actually back on the campground, we stayed at. You can rent tubes and then enter the creek up were we hiked and then float all the way to here. Of course, tubing is not quite in season yet in April.

All in all, we got around 1.5 hours of hiking in.... Another good getaway day in the books. ;-)

Mark Your Calendars! Vol VIII/2011

4/7
FREE Bike Maintenance Clinic hosted by GHS EveryWoman Cycling Team & Carolina Triathlon
Where: Carolina Triathlon in downtown Greenville from 6.30pm to 8pm

4/7
Introductory event for the "Ride to Remember 2011" at Barley's Taproom in Greenville SC.
If you are interested to participate in the ride, this is the place to get all your questions answered.

4/7
Group Ride at RIDE ON 6pm
A goup pace is 19+ and B group will be around 17-18. Nobody left behind.

4/9
ON ON TRI Group Workouts
7am Group Run: 45 to 60 minutes at moderate pace
8am Group Bike: 1.5 to 2 hours, no drop policy in effect, novice and expert riders welcome
Amenities provided: fluids, bathrooms and changing facilities

4/9
Group Rides at RIDE ON 8am Woodruff Rd and Anderson Location
Woodruff will have groups according to turn-out and will have a C pace 16mph no one left behind group. Anderson will run one group at C pace no one left behind.

4/9
12th Annual Assault on the Carolinas - Brevard, NC
Ready to roll at 9 a.m. and features three ride options (100k, 60k and 40k).
Register here. (Prices go up on April 1st)

4/9
GO DRIVE RUN 5K and Kid's Run
Every runner and walker will receive entry to the net-downhill twilight 5K, a great shirt, a ticket to the Drive game, FREE food, and beverages at the after-race party sponsered by ULTRA.
For more information, click here.
Packet Pickup 12-7pm at ON ON TRI. Bring your race bib in after the run and receive 15% off any one item - some exclusions apply.
If you just want to run the event (no baseball tickets and after party), enter "JUST RUN" for coupon code when you register online and you'll save $15.

4/10
Kids Triathlon Clinic @ the Middle Tyger YMCA in Duncan SC from 3:00pm to 4:30pm.

Triathlon Coach Katie Malone will conduct a clinic for children who are interested in participating in a youth triathlon. Swim, Bike and Run the course for the 2011 Healthy Kids Day Triathlon at the Middle Tyger YMCA (see below).

Cost = $3 members, $5 non-members, Register at the front desk at the Middle Tyger YMCA

4/16
HEALTHY KIDS DAY Triathlon @ the Middle Tyger YMCA in Duncan SC 9:00-10:00am

There will be a limit of 25 participants per category so please register early!  Race day check-in will be held from 8:00-9:00 for all participants.  Helmets and bicycles will be inspected.

3-5 years of age  (Swim = 25 yds, Bike and Run = Fun Course) @ 9:30 am  

6-8 years of age  (Swim = 50 yds, Bike = 1 mi, Run = .5 mi)  @ 9:15 am  

9-12 years of age  (Swim = 100 yds, Bike = 2 mi, Run = 1.0 mi)  @ 9:00 am

Registration Fees: $12 (members) and $24 (non-members), late fee after 4/15

4/16

10th Annual Safe Harbot Run, 9am at Fluor Field downtown Greenville

5K on new and improved race course and 2 mile Fun Run/Walk

4/17

Saluda Bakery Ride, Leave Tigerville Elementary School at 10am

Very scenic ride with a relaxed pace. Slow pace & no one left behind.

Beginners with enough fitness to handle 35 very hilly miles (2500 feet of climbing).

4/30

Palmetto Trail Race on USD Upstate's Campus

* 4 mile mountain bike race @ 9am

* 4 mile foot race @ 10am

Click here for registration.

4/30

7th Annual Mountain Medly, Camp Green Cove at Lake Summit

10-mile race (Asheville Grand Prix), 5K race and 1-mile fun run/walk

For more information and registration, click here.

5/6
Spartanburg Regional Classic Criterium in Downtown Spartanburg
Races beginning at 3:30pm
New this year: Tailgating along the race course!

5/6

3rd Annual Swamp Rabbit 5K

6.30pm (rain or shine), Gateway Park in Travelers Rest SC

For more information and to register, click here.

5/7

Bi-Lo Charity Ride starts at Bi-Lo (Howell and East North Street in Greenville)

The feature ride is 65 miles and 4900ft of climbing (great training for Mitchell). There will also be a 22, 35 and 50 mile ride.

For more information and registration, please click here.

5/14
5K Run 4 Dyslexia @ Furman
Camperdown Academy is hosting its 3rd Annual 5K4D - A "Run for Dyslexia”. Enjoy a scenic run on a certified course or slow down the pace and walk Furman University's beautiful campus in our 1 Mile Family Friendly Walk. This is an event the whole family will enjoy!

5/21
Wounded Warrior Project's Soldier Ride
in Charlotte NC @ 9am
15, 25 and 50 mile routes available
Click here to register.

5/21
Krazy Cow 5K & Kowabunga Fun Run
Hertiage Park, Simpsonville SC
For more information and registration click here.
Enter promo code RETURNING_RUNNER when registering for $5 off.

6/4 (tentative date)
4th Annual 100 Miles of Nowhere organized by the FatCyclist

6/4
Safe Harbor Cycle Tour, 8.30am in Iva SC
25 and 65 mile ride options. $40 if registered by May 15.

7/15-7/17
A Ride to Remember

9/10
Setting the Pace at Whitten Center 10K and 5K Run/Walk at 8:30 a.m.
Clinton, SC
Entry $25 before August 26th. Late entry is $30.

********************

Greenville Track Club Paris Mountain Trail Run Series

5/28 - 11K
8/13 - 7K
11/5 - 15K


The Y Tri Series:

04/10 – Rock Hill, SC
05/07 – Rock Hill, SC
06/18 – Ft Mill, SC
07/16 – Columbia, SC
07/31 –Blacksburg, SC
08/27 – Toccoa, GA
09/10 – Surf City Beach, NC
09/17 – Hartsville, SC
For more information (pricing, distances, if duathlon event is available etc) check the website.

Other YMCA Tri/Du Events:

4/16 Greenwood YMCA
6/4 Middle Tyger YMCA
8/ 6 Union County YMCA
8/ 13 Laurens Family YMCA
9/ 24 Tri the Ridge Pickens County YMCA


2011 XTERRA South Carolina Trail Run Series

7/10 Harbison Half Marathon (Columbia)
8/? Table Rock 15K

********************

GROUP RUNS organized by the Greenville Track Club

* Tempo Runs at Mauldin Middle School every Monday night at 6:30pm
* Track Workouts at Greenville High Track every Wednesday night at 6:00pm

GO RUN  Weekly Runs by STOIC RUNNERS sponsered by ON ON TRI
(tentative schedule)

When: Monday and Wednesdays at 5:30pm

Location: On On Tri

Pace: 9min - 15min mile

Distance: 3 - 4 miles

When: Wednesday 5:30am
location:  Starbucks on Main

Pace: moderate to fast intervals

When: Monday 6:00am
Location:  Starbucks on Augusta
Pace:  8:15 - 9:00 min miles
Distance:  5 - 6 miles

ON THURSDAYS

"Girl's Morning Out" at Carolina Triathlon in downtown Greenville. Gather at 8:45am to pedal promptly at 9am. This is a 30-mile "C" ride hosted every Thursday by GHS EveryWoman Cycling Team and Carolina Triathlon. Road bikes and helmets are required. Everyone is welcome and nobody is left behind.

Normally gets canceled, if rain is in the forecast.

Epiphany

Let's interrupt my weekend getaway reporting with a quick training update:

I ran last night and I felt like crap!!

There, I said it.

While running has not been high on the priority list over the last couple of months, I still get about two runs in per week. One track workout on Wednesday that normally is around 7 miles and then another run around 4 to 8 miles on the weekend. That I run on Mondays is highly unusual and that I run in the afternoon is even more rare.

The odds were stacked against me.

Odds= running in the pm, it was in the 80s after a couple of cool weeks, I haven't worked out in almost three days and while on the weekend getaway, I ate whatever my little heart desired and much of it.

This leads me to epiphany number one in my first couple of miles of yesterday's run: Eat crap, feel like crap! I know, I mentioned this before, but sometimes I need to remind myself, because obviously, I have a memory like a squirrel when it comes to that.

I am not going into details with my food choices over the weekend (yes, it was that bad), but one thing that shouldn't happen is, that you crave ice cream on Monday, since I gobbled up ice cream every day for three days... Not good! In order to get back to cleaner eating, I treated myself to a smoothie with coconut water, recovery powder and blueberries... Very yummie and so much better for me than ice cream... Lesson learned for now until amnesia sets in again.

Epiphany number two came sometime between the 3x 5min intervals at 10K race pace* and it was the realization that I don't handle breaks in my training well.

*which I ran too fast and therefore made me feel even worse... go figure

I like to follow my training plan to the T. That's one of the reasons I have a coach, because I love love love structure and I love love love that somebody tells me what to do and when to do it. Soooo, due to the getaway, I had a little break in training which is certainly not the end of the world and rest does the body good etc. While it sure is physically benefiting to take a break every now and then, mentally I run through the same patterns each and every time....

First I panic, because I am not working out... So much free time and no workout, something's not right. And then, after a couple of days when I am supposed to get back into things, I can't get motivated. Once I get this first workout done according to plan, things start to click again. Quite honestly, if it wasn't for Terry dragging me out of the house yesterday, I don't know if that run would have happened at all.

************

On a brighter note: In order to focus on anything but running after Mitchell, I put my first swimming only event on the calendar. It's going to be a 3K open water race in Lake Hartwell early in June. That means I will have to make it to the open water practices there every now and then... Can't wait! ;-)

Toot Toot!

After having quite an active day with zip lines and stuff the day before, we felt like doing something a little more laid back on Saturday. Enter: The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.

Four hours of riding a train and enjoy the scenery... Sounds good to me! ;-)

We also met the mother-daughter-team again that was part of our group the day before at the zip-lines... So while Terry was falling asleep by the motions of the train, we girls were japping the time away.

Terry and I went for the roundtrip train ride, the girls got off the train at the turnaround and then did some rafting. More power to them and since they came up from Florida, they wanted to do as much stuff as possible. For us, it's just a two hour car drive, so we are going to do the rafting sometime in the summer.... BRRRRRR.....

In the meantime, please enjoy the views:

Mountains, mountains, mountains everywhere.

That looks like quite the rapid... I wonder if that was part of the rafting tour.

At our stop at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. The Appalacian Trail crosses the Nantahala River at this spot, which prompted another conversation between Terry and I that we would like to do a one week hike on the trail.... We really have to start making plans... I can't remember how long we've been talking about this.

Posing on the train... a must.

Fontana Lake... Still a little low on water.

We both enjoyed the train ride, because it was nice and relaxed and offered some really pretty views... On the downside, I think this is a little pricey for what you get. On the other hand of course, maintaining this railroad costs a boatload of change and the ticket purchase goes into the upkeep of a piece of history.

They do offer different routes and also themed rides, so it's best to check the schedule on the website to figure out, what's going on.

Zipping Through the Nantahala Gorge

While researching a little weekend getaway in the mountains, I came over the Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours website. It looked interesting and after reading a couple of reviews, we were sold on doing it on our trip.

Of course we got lost on the way there... But after going round in circles for around 30 minutes, we got there right on time. Next time, directions from a map as backup for sure!

We were a group of around 10 (I believe their max for groups) and got all harnessed up.... And the next stop was the bunny slope practice zip line, where the rangers explain the gear and then you get to practice to break and to pull yourself in.

Our rangers were Jessy and Evelyn and they did a great job handling the group and keeping everyone entertained and safe! ;-)

At the beginning, the platforms were bigger and there were two parallel lines for people to zip over. Later, it was one line and the platforms got smaller and they were higher up in the trees.

The zipping looked much faster than it actually felt when you were the one doing it (I am not complaining here!), on the other hand, I probably was just slower. I raced Terry on the parallel lines, but no chance to beat him. The first couple of times was also interesting just to get a feel for it and to learn how and when to break.... And of course.... Not to forget to look around too and enjoy the views! ;-)

This bridge is called "The Indiana Jones" and you can guess why! ;-)

Waiting for our turn and enjoying the views and our group... Those guys were hilarious!!!

And this is me coming in on the last zip line.... This is their longest line with over 600 feet.... FUUUUUNNN! Hooping and hollering mandatory! ;-)

We really enjoyed this little adventure and I can only recommend it, if you are in the area. Actually, there is currently a LivingSocial deal for the Zip Line Canopy Tours, that is valid another couple of hours and gives you 50% off. We already had our passes when this deal came out... so bad timing for us! Anywho, it still was totally worth the money.

The next day, we did a little train ride on the Smokey Mountain Railway, but that's a post for another day.... Have a great Sunday!

Month In Review: March

The first quarter of 2011 is done and over with. Time flies when you have tons of training on your plate fun! ;-)

March 2011 is officially my highest bike mileage month ever (by far)! Kind of a none brainer with Mitchell being so close, but I am still impressed by this number... That's a long way to ride a bike and it's a lot of time to spend on a bike.... I am thrilled!

Here are last year's numbers from March and it's quite a difference... But I also don't have a wedding to plan this time around.

Mar 2010:
Bike: 224.17 miles/ 14h 38m 43s
Run: 43.63 miles/ 7h 19m 31s
Swim: 20,050 yards/ 8h 15m

Two more notes about this month's training:

• The first thing I let slide when things get busy is yoga and that's not a good idea at all.
• I normally don't log "walking" as exercise, only when I do it instead of a "real" workout... This walking entry is from last Monday when I felt sore and achy from Sunday's ride and just wanted to move around a little and get some fresh air.

I hope, April Fool's Day is treating you well... Can't wait to go through my reader and see all the silly made up storied.

Have a happy weekend.