weeks 80 + 81: this runner travels

It’s been a week, friends! I had every intention of updating while I was on vacation, but our plans changed last minute. This meant no time for blogging! And that’s ok!



Sunday

• Cardio: 3.89 miles, walking
• Strength: 10 surrenders + 100 standing, alternating elbows-to-knees

Just a quick morning walk and some strength.

Monday

• Cardio: 5.31 miles, running + walking (beach)
• Strength: 10 surrenders + 100 standing, alternating elbows-to-knees

I didn’t want much to do with the holiday, so some miles on the beach were much needed. It got crowded as I was wrapping up, so my timing was great.

My parents came over to have lunch and hang out in the afternoon, which was nice and low-key. It was just enough.

Tuesday

• Cardio: 6.12 miles, running + walking
• Strength: 10 surrenders + 100 standing, alternating elbows-to-knees

A regular Tuesday run day.

And I got my nails done.

Wednesday

• Cardio: 3.95 miles, walking
• Strength: 12 surrenders + 100 standing, alternating elbows-to-knees

I walked in the morning.

And had dinner with friends at night.

Thursday

• Cardio: 4.91 miles, running+ walking
• Strength: 12 surrenders + 100 standing, alternating elbows-to-knees

I did a little run.

And we all got negative COVID tests in advance of our trip. Yay!

Friday

• Cardio: 6.67 miles, running + walking
• Strength: 12 surrenders + 100 standing, alternating elbows-to-knees

I made Friday my long run day.

And then we got the bulk of everything packed. At the last minute, our original road trip took a bit of a turn so we quickly pivoted and rebooked some things. It was a hiccup, but it all worked out.

Saturday

• Cardio: 1.2 miles, walking

Travel day! I had just enough time to take a super quick walk before loading up the car.

We drove four teenage Scouts to North Carolina, just over seven hours. It was pretty damp when we arrived, but we got them all loaded into their campsite before saying farewell for the week!

Your hotel was about 10 miles away, and crashed after dinner. Road trips are hard work.

Sunday

• Cardio: 1.49 miles, walking

We woke up to pouring rain, so I took myself to the hotel treadmill. Boo.

But then it was time to head to Banner Elk! We got coffee in the car, and stopped at one of the local wineries for lunch. Yum.

We rolled into town mid-afternoon, super excited to see our longtime friends!

Monday

• Cardio: 3.09 miles, running + walking

While the house was waking up, I went to a nearby park for my miles.

Our plan was to take non the Mile-High Bridge, but a thick cloud/fog descend as we were driving up the mountain, making it super unsafe. We quickly diverted to the local alpaca farm for a tour,

followed by charcuterie and flights at… a vineyard. Hate the game, not the player.

Tuesday

• Cardio: 3.15 miles, hiking

The weather was better, so today was Grandfather Mountain Day! We packed water and peanut butter sandwiches, and headed over to the Profile Trail. After some discussion, we decided to aim for the 1.5 mile marker: that’s where the hike would turn more technical and steep. For a first go with the boys, it was perfect.

Then we drove to the top of the mountain for my second crossing of the Mile-High Bridge. Last time, I was newly out of my boot and so unsteady. This time was a breeze!

Driving down the mountain, we stopped at the animal preserve and new nature center. Yes. There were bears!

Did we hit another vineyard for snacks? Yes. We did.

Wednesday

• Cardio: 4.56 miles, walking + hiking

I was too excited to get much sleep, so I went for ran early walk.

Much as awe didn’t want to, we said goodbye to our friends and made the drive to Asheville. En route, we stopped at Triple Falls and Hooker Falls for a hike. Waterfalls are in short supply here, so I was so excited to see them.

We checked into our hotel and had a quick bite to eat before getting a little downtime.

In the evening, wow planned a trip to Lexington Glassworks, where we watched the artisans at work.

We hit one of K’s favorite breweries for a drink, and then ended up eating dinner there, since we were enjoying the vibe.

Thursday

• Cardio: 1 mile, walking (but really about 8 miles)

Happy Biltmore Day!

Friends, I have been desperate to visit the Biltmore for YEARS. We have always been close, but it’s never quite worked out. Today was my time. I didn’t talk much about it and I didn’t really plan too much, as I didn’t want to jinx anything. Weather, health, or circumstances could absolutely crush this and I just couldn’t handle it.

We had breakfast at our hotel and then made the quick drive over.

First, we booked our wine tasting. Then we explored the gardens.

At 11:30, we had our house tour, which was magnificent. I was enthralled and overwhelmed.

From there, we enjoyed our lunch reservation at The Stable (which was actually the old stable).

And then we headed over to Antler Hill Village for the farm animals and wine tasting.

It was a long and fulfilling day, but we still managed to get to drinks at Wicked Weed, and

dinner on the roof at the Strada.

Friday

• Cardio: 1.71 miles, walking

TGIF! Friday was our last day in Asheville. We started with a delicious breakfast at Biscuits Heads.

And then we walked along the French Broad River in the River Arts District.

From there, we loaded up and headed back to Mount Airy. We took a long lunch planning our Thanksgiving adventures.

And when we checked into our hotel, the local vineyard had a wine room on site, so we had to finish our trip with a glass of Malbec. I’m going to miss all the wine.

Saturday

• Cardio: 1.2 miles walking

No selfies today. It was camp pick up day! Whoo hoo!

We got up super early and picked up sandwich platters to make brown bag lunches for the drive home. Then we drove to camp and helped clean up the site, pack the cars, and collect the Scouts. A earned three merit badges (he needs to complete one requirement for the fourth), learned how to weld, and climbed Raven’s Knob twice (once at sunset). So cool.

Thanks to traffic, a seven hour drive turned into a nine hour drive. It was fairly terrible, but the kids were troopers and we finally made it home.

While I loved the trip, we were all glad to sleep in our own beds.

Goal-getting + Thoughts

Thanks for sticking with me on these crazy two weeks! Here’s to the rest of summer!

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

How was your week in training? Any fun travels?