Holy crap I just got back from the best spring break ever! I really meant to keep up with updates but there was no wireless at the cabins we were staying at. I spent a blissful 8 days cut off from technology, social networking and…reality! Here are some of the highlights! Most of the pictures are from my camera, but a few I stole from Sparky’s website, which you can check out here. Thanks Sparky! I’m mostly going to write about the training part of the trip, but of course the trip had its fair share of shenanigans! I’ll include some of those pictures throughout the post as well!
Friday: We smushed 5 people in a Saturn Vue and started our 15 hour drive to the Nantahala Outdoors Center (NOC) in Bryson City, North Carolina. Luckily, I’m blessed with the ability to sleep any time, anywhere, so I basically spent the whole drive passed out in the back seat. I woke up as we rolled into the NOC around 8:00 the next morning. Thanks to Brian Conger for being a champ and driving the whole way and entertaining the non-sleeping passengers by singing Disney tunes and other favorites.
Saturday: Since I slept the whole way to NC, I was ready to head out for an easy spin with Lindsey, JBarr, Oliver, KHess, and DZ. The UW Cycling team has been going to this same location for spring break for 6 years, so there are certain routes that have been named and used over and over through the years. We did “Front Side Wayah”, just under 50 miles at a relaxed pace with most of the climbing in the first half of the ride – and a lot of descending in the second half, just the way I like it! It felt good to open my legs up after being in the car and I was excited to take in the gorgeous NOC scenery. Unfortunately, Lindsey had some brake issues and slid out on her bike on one of the turns during the descent. It was pretty scary because we were going 25+ mph but luckily she only ended up with some bruises and a banged up elbow.
Sunday: I stayed off the bike and set out for a long run with Oliver and KHess. Around mile 6 we split off at our own pace and I put in 13 miles, my longest run so far this year. I felt pretty strong, but knew I’d be hurting the next morning since it was my first run since last weekend. (Note: Taking 8 days off of running between two long runs is NOT a good training plan. I blame exam week!)
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