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| I think those are the Smokies behind me. |
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| Pretty, steep trail. |
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| Looking Glass Falls |
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| From the top of Table Rock. |
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| After a downpour on Mount Pisgah. I forgot a raincoat! |
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| The eclectic building that houses Wedge Brewery. |
Friday, May 23, 2014
Exploring Western North Carolina
Twice in the past few months, we've gone out to western North Carolina, or "WNC" as it is described on bumper stickers and travel pamphlets. The west of the state has beautiful mountains, and includes the Pisgah National Forest, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Over spring break back in early March, we had grand plans for a backpacking trip around Linville Gorge. After perusing some backpacking websites, we were scared off by reports of impassible rivers, and weather predictions of freezing temperatures and snow (we just don't have the gear for that). We picked a shorter backpacking loop in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and a few longer hikes in Pisgah National Forest.
Well, what we didn't realize is that the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed for much of the winter. Buh-bye Great Smoky Mountains, due to lack of access. After a long detour, we ended up spending a lovely few days camping and hiking in the Pisgah Ranger District section of the Pisgah National Forest.
After school got out, Neil's dad and brother visited for a week, and we headed out to WNC once again. We made it to the Linville Gorge area, spending a day and night on Table Rock, part of the Grandfather Ranger District in Pisgah. This part of the park is much higher in elevation than the Pisgah Ranger District, and had breathtaking views that seemed to go on forever. We had a chance to visit Mount Pisgah in the Pisgah Ranger District during that visit as well.
Now, you didn't think we made it all the way to the west of the state without visiting Asheville, did you? For those of you who don't know, we love craft beer. Asheville apparently has the most craft breweries per capita in the country (though Portland still wins for most craft breweries, period). Over our two trips, we sampled brews from Lexington Avenue Brewery, Asheville Brewing Company, Wicked Weed, and Wedge Brewing. That leaves ten more craft breweries in Asheville to try!
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Race Report: Tar Heel 10 Miler
This post is a bit belated; running this morning's NCRC Half Marathon reminded me I was delinquint. Better late than never...
Not finding any half marathons with openings in April or May, I settled on the Tar Heel 10 Miler for my first "real race" since breaking my leg and not really running for a year and a half. Being in late April, I had the tail end of March and half of April to get my mileage up.
I picked up with the Bull City Running Group, a nice group of (mainly) women who run from the South Durham area, usually from Bull City Running Company. The standard is 8 miles at 8 every Saturday. I managed that, plus 2-3 days of 3-5 miles during the week, without needing to backtrack or stop completely like this time last year.
With school and rugby, Neil wasn't able to run as much, but came out for the 8 miles most weekends. We decided not to push it too much at the race, but aim for 8:45 to 9:00 average pace. Of course, I wanted to go faster, but I mostly wanted us to run together.
We started out at the Bell Tower on UNC Chapel Hill's campus at 7:30 on April 26th, and easily settled into our goal pace. In fact, despite rolling hills through Chapel Hill, I pushed us a bit faster. Once we started doing sub-8:30 miles, I stopped telling Neil our splits, so that he wouldn't think I was having us go too fast. I knew we could do it.
The Tar Heel 10 Miler is known for the Laurel Hill Challenge, which is a section near the end of the race that is allegedly a hill a mile long. In our estimation, it is a mile and a half of uphill, with some short flatish sections. In either case, there is a chip timing mat at the start and finish of this section, so you know your pace for that section, plus your overall pace at the end of the race.
The race winds through UNC's campus, and through some very nice neighborhoods in Chapel Hill. It finished in the stadium on campus, which reminded me of the Shamrock'n Half Marathon, my very fist half marathon, in West Sacramento.
Nearing the stadium, we sped up, and finished in 1:26:34, or 8:39 average per mile. Our pace for the Laurel Hill section was 9:39, so not too bad for a few flatlanders on a long hill!
Throughout the race, I felt like I could go faster. I didn't, because I wanted to run with Neil. But I knew that I could do a bit more. Two days later, this ambition pushed me to register for the NCRC Classic Half Marathon, set to be my first half marathon since October 2012! Exciting!
My Garmin details for the race:
Not finding any half marathons with openings in April or May, I settled on the Tar Heel 10 Miler for my first "real race" since breaking my leg and not really running for a year and a half. Being in late April, I had the tail end of March and half of April to get my mileage up.
I picked up with the Bull City Running Group, a nice group of (mainly) women who run from the South Durham area, usually from Bull City Running Company. The standard is 8 miles at 8 every Saturday. I managed that, plus 2-3 days of 3-5 miles during the week, without needing to backtrack or stop completely like this time last year.
We started out at the Bell Tower on UNC Chapel Hill's campus at 7:30 on April 26th, and easily settled into our goal pace. In fact, despite rolling hills through Chapel Hill, I pushed us a bit faster. Once we started doing sub-8:30 miles, I stopped telling Neil our splits, so that he wouldn't think I was having us go too fast. I knew we could do it.
The Tar Heel 10 Miler is known for the Laurel Hill Challenge, which is a section near the end of the race that is allegedly a hill a mile long. In our estimation, it is a mile and a half of uphill, with some short flatish sections. In either case, there is a chip timing mat at the start and finish of this section, so you know your pace for that section, plus your overall pace at the end of the race.
The race winds through UNC's campus, and through some very nice neighborhoods in Chapel Hill. It finished in the stadium on campus, which reminded me of the Shamrock'n Half Marathon, my very fist half marathon, in West Sacramento.
Nearing the stadium, we sped up, and finished in 1:26:34, or 8:39 average per mile. Our pace for the Laurel Hill section was 9:39, so not too bad for a few flatlanders on a long hill!
Throughout the race, I felt like I could go faster. I didn't, because I wanted to run with Neil. But I knew that I could do a bit more. Two days later, this ambition pushed me to register for the NCRC Classic Half Marathon, set to be my first half marathon since October 2012! Exciting!
My Garmin details for the race:
Race Report: NCRC Classic Half Marathon
After about a month of running about four days a week, with 8 miles every Saturday, I started itching to run a race. Several reasons: to see what I could do, to see how I would fare on the hills, and really to know how far I still had to go to "be back" from my injury. Neil and I had signed up for the Tar Heel 10 Miler, but since we'd be running together, I felt it would be a good test of my abilities.
The trouble is, I couldn't find any late spring or early summer races that were close by and didn't cost an arm and a leg. I settled on a fall half.
Fast forward a few weeks to mid-April. Neil and I ran the Tar Heel 10 Miler. He hadn't been running too much, mainly just the Saturday 8 milers and weekdays when he could. School and rugby take priority. We had planned to run together, so I settled on an achievable goal of 8:45 per mile average. I wanted to be closer to 8:30, but didn't want to go too fast, for both of our sakes.
To make a long story short (and I need to write a race report still anyway), I kept us under 8:45. We finished in 1:26, at an average of 8:39 including the 1.5 mile hill towards the end. And I'd felt like I could have gone faster, and further.
I needed a race. Soon. To test myself.
Luckily, several of the ladies I run with on Saturdays had decided (after watching Boston) to run the NCRC Classic Half Marathon, which I didn't know existed. So I signed up.
The race came early this morning, with carpool from Lara's at 6. I initially wavered, thinking I'd run with the group. Just doing the 13.1 would be a test. The starting gun sounded, and my body made the decision for me. I went for it.
First off, the course is beautiful. The race is mostly inside Umstead State Park, which has a fairly even bridle trail that is small gravel most of the time, larger stones some of the time. The course is shaded by lush green trees, with the forest all around. The rolling hills, and several steeper hills, pose a challenge, but that seems to be par for the course in this part of North Carolina.
My goal had been 8:30 to 8:45 like the last race, but I not-so-secretly wanted to go faster. You know, testing myself and coming home with a PR would be nice. Knowing that would not be happening, I thought anything under 8:30 average would be a nice result.
The early hills were a bit challenging, but aside from a minor side cramp I did better than anticipated. I even maintained a pace that allowed me to pass the 1:50 pace group for a time. Leading up towards the halfway mark, more than a mile of hill slowed me down. The 1:50 group overtook me; though I hung on for a while, they left me behind around mile 8 or so.
One of my main "findings" from my test is that my hips are tight. Really tight. At some points, I felt as though they would just pop out of the sockets if I sat cross-legged on the ground. I need to work on flexibility in a major way if I want to make it "all the way back" to pre-leg-break fitness.
In the final miles, motivated by beautiful scenery and generally feeling good, I pushed through at a decent pace. Not sure what it was because the pretty trees gave my Garmin a hard time, but in the upper 8 minute per mile to low 9 minute per mile range. With some early quick miles banked, that seemed fine.
I turned the last corner, saw 1:54 on the clock, and sprinted in for a not-too-shabby 1:54:27. Good enough for 5th in my age group, of 58. Not a PR by any means, but a decent finish for a hilly race on cautious, low-mileage training with no speedwork.
I think I have my work cut out for me for my fall race schedule!!
In case you're interested, here is my Garmin snapshot:
The trouble is, I couldn't find any late spring or early summer races that were close by and didn't cost an arm and a leg. I settled on a fall half.
Fast forward a few weeks to mid-April. Neil and I ran the Tar Heel 10 Miler. He hadn't been running too much, mainly just the Saturday 8 milers and weekdays when he could. School and rugby take priority. We had planned to run together, so I settled on an achievable goal of 8:45 per mile average. I wanted to be closer to 8:30, but didn't want to go too fast, for both of our sakes.
To make a long story short (and I need to write a race report still anyway), I kept us under 8:45. We finished in 1:26, at an average of 8:39 including the 1.5 mile hill towards the end. And I'd felt like I could have gone faster, and further.
I needed a race. Soon. To test myself.
 |
| Coming in for the finish. Photo credit: Kate F. |
The race came early this morning, with carpool from Lara's at 6. I initially wavered, thinking I'd run with the group. Just doing the 13.1 would be a test. The starting gun sounded, and my body made the decision for me. I went for it.
First off, the course is beautiful. The race is mostly inside Umstead State Park, which has a fairly even bridle trail that is small gravel most of the time, larger stones some of the time. The course is shaded by lush green trees, with the forest all around. The rolling hills, and several steeper hills, pose a challenge, but that seems to be par for the course in this part of North Carolina.
My goal had been 8:30 to 8:45 like the last race, but I not-so-secretly wanted to go faster. You know, testing myself and coming home with a PR would be nice. Knowing that would not be happening, I thought anything under 8:30 average would be a nice result.
The early hills were a bit challenging, but aside from a minor side cramp I did better than anticipated. I even maintained a pace that allowed me to pass the 1:50 pace group for a time. Leading up towards the halfway mark, more than a mile of hill slowed me down. The 1:50 group overtook me; though I hung on for a while, they left me behind around mile 8 or so.
One of my main "findings" from my test is that my hips are tight. Really tight. At some points, I felt as though they would just pop out of the sockets if I sat cross-legged on the ground. I need to work on flexibility in a major way if I want to make it "all the way back" to pre-leg-break fitness.
In the final miles, motivated by beautiful scenery and generally feeling good, I pushed through at a decent pace. Not sure what it was because the pretty trees gave my Garmin a hard time, but in the upper 8 minute per mile to low 9 minute per mile range. With some early quick miles banked, that seemed fine.
I turned the last corner, saw 1:54 on the clock, and sprinted in for a not-too-shabby 1:54:27. Good enough for 5th in my age group, of 58. Not a PR by any means, but a decent finish for a hilly race on cautious, low-mileage training with no speedwork.
I think I have my work cut out for me for my fall race schedule!!
In case you're interested, here is my Garmin snapshot:
Saturday, March 29, 2014
It is Happening, Again*
| Photo credit: http://loudmouthredhead.wordpress.com/ |
Neil and I went out- in the rain- for an eight mile run this morning at 7AM. You heard it right. This girl, who has felt like a "non-runner" for about a year now, went out, in the rain, earlier than 8AM.
And I survived.
The rain was medium, and the temperature was a nice 55 degrees or so. We ran alone, having gotten a bit lost on our way to a new meeting spot for our group (we arrived too late to catch the few who showed up). We did take it slow, but got in a nice eight miles a bit over 9:00/mile. Not breaking any records, but building a decent base for the next month of 'training' for the 10 Miler we have coming up.
The reason I'm excited is this: when we finished, and even now a few hours later, I feel like I could go out and run another eight miles. I haven't felt that in a long time. The first few times I did eight, I was tired the rest of the day, or at least sore. Not tired, not sore, just ready to run more.
In fact, I think I'll meet up with the rest of our group tomorrow, who decided to run Sunday to avoid the rain. I almost can't believe it.
*Not a song title reference as usual, but a nod to Twin Peaks
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Making Plans
Slowly but surely, I've been building mileage, and I'm starting to feel that putting together my 2014 race plans is a good idea. Sure, (almost) April seems late to set my races for the year, but I had good reason to wait. Last year, confident that my weekly mileage of 10-15 put me back on track, I signed up for the San Francisco Marathon and CIM. Mere weeks later, I was sidelined by injury, and remained so for enough of the year to make distance racing out of the question.
So, finally back to 4-8 miles 4 times a week, I'm feeling more certain that I am ready to build my mileage up to the marathon distance. I've even entertained the idea of an ultra in the fall, but perhaps that is a bit ambitious.
I started looking through my collection of links for North Carolina races, and made a list of candidates. I'm already signed up for the Tar Heel 10 Miler at the end of April, and I would like to get another race under my belt before it gets hot and sticky this summer. A fall marathon is my ultimate goal.
Here are my preliminary thoughts for my 2014 racing calendar, with likely candidates bolded and other options not bolded. I want to do more than one marathon, but prudence is telling me that may be too much...
4/26 Tar Heel 10 Miler (Signed up)
5/31 Running of the Bulls 8K
10/11 New River Trail 50K (An ultra?!?)
10/19 Bull City Race Fest Half Marathon
10/25 Eno River (Trail) 6 or 11 Miler
11/2 Raleigh City of Oaks Marathon
11/9 Outer Banks Marathon
11/15 Charlotte Marathon
Obviously, the fall list is too many races too close together. I should add that I'll be in California the first week of October, which will impact my training. Decisions, decisions!
So, finally back to 4-8 miles 4 times a week, I'm feeling more certain that I am ready to build my mileage up to the marathon distance. I've even entertained the idea of an ultra in the fall, but perhaps that is a bit ambitious.
I started looking through my collection of links for North Carolina races, and made a list of candidates. I'm already signed up for the Tar Heel 10 Miler at the end of April, and I would like to get another race under my belt before it gets hot and sticky this summer. A fall marathon is my ultimate goal.
Here are my preliminary thoughts for my 2014 racing calendar, with likely candidates bolded and other options not bolded. I want to do more than one marathon, but prudence is telling me that may be too much...
4/26 Tar Heel 10 Miler (Signed up)
5/31 Running of the Bulls 8K
10/11 New River Trail 50K (An ultra?!?)
10/19 Bull City Race Fest Half Marathon
10/25 Eno River (Trail) 6 or 11 Miler
11/2 Raleigh City of Oaks Marathon
11/9 Outer Banks Marathon
11/15 Charlotte Marathon
Obviously, the fall list is too many races too close together. I should add that I'll be in California the first week of October, which will impact my training. Decisions, decisions!
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Be the Match!
Deb Hubsmith, founder of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership and a long-time active transportation advocate, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in October, 2013. A very positive, active, healthy person, Deb did not go into remission after her initial chemotherapy. Soon, she will be receiving a life-saving donation of bone marrow from a stranger on the Be the Match registry.
Deb is an inspiration to many of us working in active transportation, physical activity, and health fields. I was very happy to hear that she will be receiving a transplant, and wish her a speedy recovery.
You can read more about Deb and her treatment, and learn about AML, here. Of course, consider joining the Be the Match registry if you are eligible. It just takes a cheek swab and the willingness to help if asked. I've been on the registry for almost ten years.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
It's Official!
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| Photo credit: BikeWalkDurham.org |
Once I ran five to six miles a few times on my own, I figured I'd be able to run with a group without embarrassing myself. I found a few on the interweb, picked one, and got up at the ungodly hour of 7AM to go run this morning.
We started from the Southpoint Crossing end of the American Tobacco Trail, and did eight miles out and back at around 9:00 to 9:30 per mile. There are a few faster runners in the group, which will be good when I'm back up to my usual speed. For now, the pace we ran was fast enough, thank you!
When I got home, cold and sore from my longest run since late October 2012, I immediately signed up for my first race as a Durham resident. I'm doing the Tarheel 10 Miler in Chapel Hill on April 26th. According to a photo on the website (below), Meb has been present for the race!
I'm very excited to do a ten mile race, and more excited to have a group to run with. I certainly miss my Buffalo Chips, but am glad to have a group to run with!
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| Photo credit: Tarheel10Miler.com |
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