Thursday was a 6 mile, hilly run that I barely felt like finishing but still managed to somehow. Friday morning we loaded up the car, headed west, and drove to Blowing Rock for a weekend of hiking mountains.
Saturday morning was supposed to be a 10-13 mile run, but since we had planned on climbing Grandfather Mountain, I figured my legs would get a great workout without the long run. I opted for a quick 3 mile run on the hotel's cheap treadmill before the kids woke up for breakfast. With our bags loaded, we headed up to the base of the mountain and a 5800 ft. elevation height. The scenery was absolutely fabulous and the weather much more tolerable, it made for great hiking!
We spent hours hiking, walking, running, observing the mountain before heading back down. Our next adventure was to head to the Moses H. Cone Manor and carriage trails where there's 25 miles worth of trail running! I convinced our 11 yr old to run to the top of the mountain so we could climb the Flat Top tower, only I didn't realize it was about a 3 mile climb! With a little egging on, we both made it to the tower and had some amazing views of all of Blue Ridge, it was worth the climb/run. The 3 mile run back down was much easier on the legs and we were able to run much faster, thank goodness! He was a trooper for staying with me and we got some great pics (yes, I ran nearly 6 miles while holding my big camera---dork!)
The run up...and up...and up
conquering it with super powers
Finally, the tower and the top of the mountain!! Today was the Four on the Fourth race in Carrboro. Though it was a mere 4 mile run, I had to stop and shamefully walk THREE times!! My chest felt so tight, like a rubber band squeezing the life out of my heart. Not sure if it was the humidity factor, all the hiking/running from the weekend, the changes in elevation, or just a blah run day. Whatever it was, it made for a hard 4 mile run and a disappointing 31:39 finish time (planned on finishing in 27-28min).
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