Thursday: I did some running speed work Thursday morning, but since my legs were feeling the 103 miles from the day before, it was more of a slow jog with slightly less slow intervals thrown in! I went on another Sunshine Ride with Pat and Sparky but due to some exploring, the ride went from an intended 25 miles to almost 45. Needless to say, I was not feeling the sunshine for at least 10 miles of the ride! We ended up climbing up the back side of Stecoah Gap climb, and then descending the front side. It was fun but we had a terrifying moment when a huge dog ran in between us. It’s funny how things go slow motion in a situation like this. I remember being very calm and preparing myself for a 35 mph collision between myself, the dog and my teammates. Somehow, the dog missed all three of us, but he was literally so close I could feel his slobber on my leg! A stop in a meadow near the end of the ride to do some yoga and enjoy the gorgeous weather helped me regain my sunshine and also kept me from beating up my faster male companions for adding 20 miles to my rest day ride.
Friday: Blue Ridge Parkway Day. This was definitely my most epic ride of the week, in addition to being the most beautiful. The section we did consists of three climbs of 10, 6 and 12 miles with the last ending up at 6,053 feet, the highest point of the parkway. I surprised myself and probably everyone else by completing all three climbs plus the ride back which has 9, 4 and 2 miles of climbing.
Spring Break taught me that despite my small size, I can keep up on the descents with some of the faster guys on the team. It’s pretty easy for me to tuck myself into an aero position and just bomb down the descents. My Garmin says my max speed on the descents was 60.1 mph which seems a bit fantastical but I know I was at least in the 50 mph range for parts. Completing the 78 mile ride was definitely a great way to end up a crazy week of riding!
Of course, no trip to the south would be complete without some mingling with the locals. The boys and I made a trip into Bryson City Friday night for some karaoke and whiskey.
Saturday: Even though it was the last day, I couldn’t ignore the responsibilities I have of research and getting ready for the last block of classes. I headed into town with a couple of the boys to hang out in a cafe for the afternoon. I can’t complain though, since the cafe offered delicious Nutella and strawberry crepes!
Sunday: We hit the road at 4:30am, thanks to James Pradun taking the first graveyard shift. He was responsible for getting JBarr and I out of bed at 4:00am, not an easy feat and one I commend him on! I was definitely not ready to head back to Wisconsin. Even though I’ll see all of the people I hung out with on this trip back in Wisconsin, it’s not the same as living with them for a week straight! It was a strange feeling, kind of like saying goodbye on one of my international adventures with people I’ve had crazy times and life changing experiences with, but at the same time knowing that we’re all going back to the same place. With all of our different commitments and responsibilities in Madison the feeling won’t be the same.
Kyla says
I’m glad you had fun in my neck of the woods! NC is so gorgeous. I used to go up to NOC every year to go white water rafting, so beautiful!
RunningBlonde says
Ladyyy!!! It was gorgeous! I’m so jealous you get to call NC home! Miss youuuu!