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You are here: Home / Uncategorized / week 40: away we go!

week 40: away we go!

October 12, 2020      20 Comments

After months and weeks of waiting, we finally arrived at our mountain vacation week! We planned to head to the Blue Ridge Mountains with another family and just sack out in a gorgeous cabin for a few days.

There were no plans, no expectations, and (hopefully) no stress.

Sunday – 2.6 miles, walking

Sunday dawned ugly and cool. We had nothing but errands and boring things planned throughout the day, including trips for groceries and supplies from Target.

I squeezed in a quick walk before we got rolling.

After the bulk of our priorities were complete, we took a family trip to Cooper’s Hawk Winery. We belong to the wine club and needed to pick up five months worth of bottles. While we were there, we enjoyed a yummy lunch on their patio.

Monday – 4.33 miles, walking

I was all in for a long Monday walk. Some days, you just need it.

Otherwise, the day was incredibly uneventful. A bit of downtime before the storm.

Tuesday – 6.21 miles running + .45 miles, walking

Due to a minor miscalculations (oops), I still had to complete my Global Energy Run 10K Virtual Race. Yes, I finished 6.2 miles on Saturday, but it wasn’t within the actual time I needed to log miles. Whoops.

So, J and I went out and I did it again (although I confess there was more walking this time).

The rest of the day was a whirlwind. A had just a few things to finish up before we left town, giving him all that time off from school (a HUGE perk of virtual school). We had to pack, write down instructions for the pets, and get our plan in order.

Wednesday – 2.80 miles, walking

VACATION HAS ARRIVED!

I started the day with a nice walk, because I knew we would be in the car for so many hours. It wasn’t long, but it was enough.

The drive was much longer than we originally thought. It was fine but six to seven hours in a car does wear on you. We stopped once for lunch/gas/bathroom, and when we got to Ellijay, GA, we splurged on some awesome rooftop dining (literally at The Roof).

I also got the cutest mural photo! How sweet is this downtown area? And how exhausted do I look?

We stopped at a grocery store and then headed up the mountain. I won’t lie: the sun set fast and the unlighted, gravel road to our rental was terrifying. We actually ended up at the wrong house (the people who actually lived there were so kind), and then had to reverse down a single lane road in the dark, with drop offs on either side.

I have never wanted wine more badly. Our friends arrived a few hours after us and we were stoked to kick off our Blue Ridge Mountains Extravaganza!

Thursday – rest

In the morning light, it was much easier to see our cabin. Isn’t it perfect?

We just lounged around that first morning – we had breakfast on the deck, enjoyed the cooler temperatures and the stunning view. The plan was to go into the downtown area for lunch and then go apple picking.

Welcome to Blue Ridge!

We found a cute outdoor cafe for lunch, and then picked our orchard.

With COVID precautions in place, some places had limited their picking or additional activities, but we were able to enter the orchard, pick what we wanted, and enjoy things like the exotic animals and the views. It was a lot of walking, and we picked two bushels of apples between us.

It was a perfect day.

That evening, we had pizza in the cabin. All was well, until A’s friend tripped and hurt her ankle. The poor thing was so uncomfortable and worried. We got her settled and off to bed, and agreed to make a game plan in the morning.

Friday –  rest

Friday morning was misty and drizzly. I managed to do a little stretching on the deck outside our room.

I also enjoyed a cider donut with my coffee. That view, though. We didn’t get ALL the fall foliage, but every morning, there was more yellow, orange, and red.

C was still hurting, so her parents decided they would take her to a local urgent care and we would take A and the older girls out and about. We settled on Expedition: Bigfoot, a museum all about… you guessed it. Bigfoot.

It was ridiculously cheesy, and the kids were such good sports. After that, we went back into town for another outdoor dining experience. By that time, C had her diagnosis (a sprained ankle), and we decided we would all meet back at the cabin and chill for the evening.

We had leftover pizza. I had to lay down for a few because the driving up and down the mountains was taking its toll on me (yay for carsickness), and while I was resting, J made the most amazing apple pie. She recruited A as her sous chef, and he was so proud.

Delicious. By that point, we were all just wrung out, and enjoyed the most peaceful evening of pie, wine, music and fresh air.

Saturday – 2 mile hike

C wasn’t up for a hike, but we did want to visit some waterfalls not far from the cabin. Again we split up. This time, A stayed with C and her dad (he was so worried about her), and the rest of us went to North Falls.

I was a little terrified. Hiking isn’t a super stable activity, and it had rained all night. We joked that in the worst case scenario, we would just hop on the trail, take some pics and go home, but in my heart, I wanted to make it happen.

The entire hike was probably just under two miles. It wasn’t crazy technical, but I had to keep my eyes on the ground and take my time. Amazingly, even with all the rain, the trail wasn’t muddy or even slick, for which I was so grateful. We visited the base of the falls, and it was such a huge victory for me!

Then we hiked to the top of the falls. There was a little outcropping down a small hill at the very top, but it was too crowded for me to feel comfortable. We waited for the ladies to get their fill of the views, before heading back down the mountain. It was so gorgeous and I felt so strong.

In the afternoon, we went to another nearby attraction that offered mini golf, fishing, and gem mining. The 9-hole course was actually built into the hill, and was ridiculously hard. We still laughed. Mostly.

And then we let the kids go crazy mining for gems. They found all kinds of gorgeous quartz and other fun rocks and minerals.

In the evening, we grilled chicken and steak and stayed up way too late, sharing in some really intimate and meaningful conversations. We were so happy.

Goal-getting

I had planned to run. And to walk. I had all my workout clothes packed and ready. However, our cabin was not on a paved road. It was steep and gravel and so easy to slip and lose footing. There were also no sidewalks and once we got down the driveway, we would be right on a main road. As much as I hated it, I had to make myself ok with some rest days. I will get back to running tomorrow.

We ate so well, too. For whatever reason, I don’t think I snacked at all the entire trip. I craved a lot of salads and fruit, and that’s what I enjoyed. Yay.

This week will be getting back to my miles. I’m feeling a little behind on my upcoming half marathon, so fingers crossed it will go ok.

I am linking up with the Weekly Rundown, with Confessions of A Mother Runner and Running on the Fly! Check them out!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is weekly-run-down-final-300x300.jpg

How was your week in training?

Have you ever taken a cabin vacation?

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Comments

  1. Kimberly Hatting says

    October 12, 2020 at 4:52 pm

    What a fun getaway! The cabin looked nice, as well as the views!

    Reply
  2. Michelle D. says

    October 12, 2020 at 5:52 pm

    Your time away sounds glorious! Glad you had a good trip!

    Reply
  3. Stacie E Seidman says

    October 12, 2020 at 8:33 pm

    Looks like a great trip! Big Foot museum sounds hilarious!

    Reply
  4. Kristen Woolsey says

    October 12, 2020 at 9:43 pm

    You are rocking those overalls!! Love that outfit.

    Reply
  5. Beckett @ Birchwood Pie says

    October 12, 2020 at 10:26 pm

    What a great getaway! A few extra rest days here and there can only do wonders for your fitness. Especially since you just did 2 10k’s in a pretty short span of time!!!
    Beckett @ Birchwood Pie recently posted…Weekly Sweats: Half Marathon #6My Profile

    Reply
  6. Montana @ Pretty Lil Mudder says

    October 13, 2020 at 12:52 am

    That sounds like an awesome getaway! I really want to go to the mountains for a weekend and stay in a cabin. It sounds so peaceful.

    Sometimes you just need a longer break from running! I’m still really weary of running on uneven ground. It’s so easy to twist your ankle especially if you’ve done it before!

    Reply
  7. Darlene S. Cardillo says

    October 13, 2020 at 11:50 am

    To me it sounds perfect. I think we all need time away now.

    Reply
  8. Catrina says

    October 13, 2020 at 1:22 pm

    What a fantastic place! And those views!
    Even if you didn’t unpack your running gear, you were still very active with all the hiking and mini-golfing.
    A change of scenery is so invigorating.

    Reply
  9. Lisa @ TechChick Adventures says

    October 13, 2020 at 5:18 pm

    This looks like a wonderful get away! Also great you were able to get around without any issues.

    Reply
  10. Chocolaterunsjudy says

    October 13, 2020 at 7:26 pm

    I wouldn’t worry about a few extra days of race. You were still active. Yay for a waterfalls hike! I’ve found that often trails have so much tree coverage that they stay pretty dry (although that is not always the case).

    Sounds like other than the drive & the strained ankle, it was a marvelous vacation.

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      October 16, 2020 at 12:53 am

      It was so wonderful! It was just so great to be able to see those falls. We don’t have anything like that here, and even though they weren’t huge, it was still lovely.

      Reply
  11. Jessie says

    October 13, 2020 at 8:12 pm

    such beautiful pictures! I have always wanted to go to the Blue Ridge Mountains…just like the John Denver song 🙂 I’m glad you were kind to yourself and were okay with no walking or running, and just relaxing instead! I k

    now its hard because I actually really like to work out on vacation, but a few days off was probably good for you after two 10k’s!It sounds like an amazing getaway.

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      October 16, 2020 at 12:52 am

      I love working out on vacation! When we were in Banner Elk, I walked and ran every day, but the terrain was far better suited for it. Here it wouldn’t have been safe at all 🙁 But yes, I was able to let it go and just enjoy!

      Reply
  12. Zenaida Arroyo says

    October 14, 2020 at 10:55 am

    Looks like a fun getaway! You say you didn’t workout but it looks like you busy and active. The point of this vacation was to have fun and that is what you did. 🙂

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      October 16, 2020 at 12:45 am

      I don’t know. There were quite a few hours of just sitting on the deck, staring at all the beautiful trees and mountains! But that’s ok. It was so much needed.

      Reply
  13. Marcia says

    October 14, 2020 at 5:38 pm

    A mountain getaway sounds absolutely perfect right now! Glad you enjoyed yourselves!

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      October 16, 2020 at 12:43 am

      It was exactly what we needed.

      Reply
  14. Debbie @ Deb Runs says

    October 16, 2020 at 5:57 pm

    It sounds like you had a wonderful time except for your friend’s sprained ankle.This year especially, those getaways are so necessary! And I don’t think it hurt at all for you to skip your workouts – sounds like a great break for both your mind and body!

    Reply
  15. Liz Dexter says

    October 17, 2020 at 7:06 am

    What lovely photos, and a super place to stay – I’m so glad you got to do this. And we can’t always run when we plan to – I had a similar experience when we went to the Isles of Scilly (the little bit right off the “toe” of England) and all the roads were so steep, with no pavements. Nope.

    Reply
    • runswithpugs says

      October 19, 2020 at 1:58 pm

      Eek! IItt’s always so great to plan these things, but sometimes, they just don’t happen.

      Reply

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Welcome to Runs With Pugs. My name is Jenn and this is the story of my love affair with running and finding myself through fitness. From C25K to marathon, from triathlon to SUP, from broken leg to the recovery journey... I'm sharing it all. I'm a wife and mother of one, living in NE Florida, in love with travel, adventure, and food. Oh. We have pugs and a hedgehog, too. Thank you for joining us! We're glad to have you along for the ride!
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