Find out you are losing your job? What better way to get away from the stress than head to the NC mountains to support your main guy as he rides 100 miles?
Ok, not really. The ink isn't dry yet, but it is relatively assured that I will be on the wrong end of the conference call chain next week. As it is approximately the 6th time I have been down this road, the pit in my stomach is quite smaller, the ground far less shifty and the fear just a small nagging thought as I progress from wake to sleep. We had this trip planned, and while seven years ago me would have shut it down due to cost, the 40+ year old me said, "let's go to the mountains!"
This morning was your typical day of small child swim lessons and broken AC units, but we finally got C, Harper, the bike and both of us in the car by 11:30am. C and I both fell asleep while W drove. We stopped on the Blue Ridge Parkway at a scenic overlook and woke everyone to use the facilities. A short while later we hopped off the Parkway to head to Boone and realized that we were at the same exit as Phil's cabin from 7 years ago! W remembered the white horse in the mist that I took photos of so many years ago.
Blood, Sweat & Gears registration took place at Valle Crucis Elementary School, right next to a Mast General Store Annex. C and I played on the playground while W took care of his registration transfer. This was originally designed as a big weekend with Arch & Sarah & the boys, but last minute tickets snafus left it with just us. So we found a two bedroom condo in Banner Elk through Air BnB (yay W!!!) The trip there was farther than expected but the view from our barca-lounger dual couch is magnificent. We threw our stuff down the many wooden stairs to our apartment under a realty office, then hightailed it back over hill and dale to Tweetsie Railroad.
What luck! When you walk up at 45 minutes until closing, they let you walk in for free! We took a ride on some bumper type cars, rode the fastest Ferris Wheel on the East Coast (which no one liked) and even tried out the Tilt-a-Whirl. C loved the latter, laughing hysterically while W took pictures from the stationary ground. We shared a chocolate-covered marshmallow kabob then headed to the Red Onion for dinner. I sent a message to my former rep Mary for introducing us to the place so we didn't have to eat at a chain! We loaded up on carbs of many varieties then took the super scenic (read twisty beyond measure) Route 149 back to Banner Elk, singing Shut Up and Dance, Our Town and most of the original Annie soundtrack. A quick stop at the Kangaroo left little to be desired in terms of adult beverages, but that's ok - we have peanut butter fudge and satellite tv. A storm is rolling in outside the window....better go watch it.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Sunday, February 08, 2015
2015.1.19 Travels with C - Good-bye Charleston
We woke on Monday morning with W deep into illness, up most of the night coughing. C and I decided to get some food, so we ran the 2 miles to Dunkin Donuts....an adventure along cool paths and downtown streets of Charleston.
When we came home we saw the news that told us that the Charleston Marathon was officially over on distance due to a missed turn.
Wally ended up qualifying by about 30 seconds, but will run again in Maryland in March to really enter the Boston Marathon.
Long uneventful ride home....goodbye Charleston!
When we came home we saw the news that told us that the Charleston Marathon was officially over on distance due to a missed turn.
Wally ended up qualifying by about 30 seconds, but will run again in Maryland in March to really enter the Boston Marathon.
Long uneventful ride home....goodbye Charleston!
Sunday, January 18, 2015
2015.1.18 Travels with the Boys - Charleston - recovery day
Sunday saw C almost back to normal, downing a quality hotel breakfast of waffles, fruit and more. While I am normally a huge fan of the new Starbucks-style grab and go cafe's found in most Courtyards, the full buffet was a welcome respite this morning. During our preparations, C watched his first ever full episode of Sesame Street. He even got up and danced with the PBS Kids Smart Cat during commercials.
The day brought a boat trip to Ft. Sumter, cold but beautiful. C wasn't interested in listening to the tour guide but he was fascinated by the cannons. We have really kept him away from almost all violence thus far. He doesn't really understand concepts like war or enemies, but cannons? He just knows he likes them. We picked up a Jr. Ranger exam and spent much of the return boat ride home getting the answered filled it, with C writing in 1829 and pentagon where needed. We were treated with two dolphins playing off the bow of the boat.
As walking wasn't part of the plan, we decided it would be a great afternoon for a horse-drawn carriage ride. We bought our tickets, then stopped for a pint at Tommy Condon's Irish Pub. C flirted with the bartender and ate a cookie until it was time to leave. Unfortunately our tour oversold but they got us into another company's tour within 15 minutes. The next hour was a lovely trip through the historic neighborhoods of Charleston, including Market, High St, the French Quarter and the Battery. Our horse was a beautiful and feisty black and white named Carolina. C thought she looked like Oreo, the PY3 bunny at school.
We tried to eat at Coast, one of my favorite haunts from work days with BHC. Unfortunately their kitchen didn't open for 30 minutes so we hit King Street in search of food. End result? Juanita Greenberg's Nacho Royale...seriously. Chips and guac, some yummy margaritas and good food. Nothing fancy just good and lots. Gelato at Pablos and back to the hotel to watch the Patriots crush the Colts.
Interesting reading of the day? The paper reported that the lead car in the marathon made a wrong turn inbetween miles 1 and 2 of the course. They are currently trying to get the course recertified and make corrections to the finish times. We are keeping our fingers crossed.
The day brought a boat trip to Ft. Sumter, cold but beautiful. C wasn't interested in listening to the tour guide but he was fascinated by the cannons. We have really kept him away from almost all violence thus far. He doesn't really understand concepts like war or enemies, but cannons? He just knows he likes them. We picked up a Jr. Ranger exam and spent much of the return boat ride home getting the answered filled it, with C writing in 1829 and pentagon where needed. We were treated with two dolphins playing off the bow of the boat.
As walking wasn't part of the plan, we decided it would be a great afternoon for a horse-drawn carriage ride. We bought our tickets, then stopped for a pint at Tommy Condon's Irish Pub. C flirted with the bartender and ate a cookie until it was time to leave. Unfortunately our tour oversold but they got us into another company's tour within 15 minutes. The next hour was a lovely trip through the historic neighborhoods of Charleston, including Market, High St, the French Quarter and the Battery. Our horse was a beautiful and feisty black and white named Carolina. C thought she looked like Oreo, the PY3 bunny at school.
We tried to eat at Coast, one of my favorite haunts from work days with BHC. Unfortunately their kitchen didn't open for 30 minutes so we hit King Street in search of food. End result? Juanita Greenberg's Nacho Royale...seriously. Chips and guac, some yummy margaritas and good food. Nothing fancy just good and lots. Gelato at Pablos and back to the hotel to watch the Patriots crush the Colts.
Interesting reading of the day? The paper reported that the lead car in the marathon made a wrong turn inbetween miles 1 and 2 of the course. They are currently trying to get the course recertified and make corrections to the finish times. We are keeping our fingers crossed.
2015.1.17 Travels with the Boys - Charleston - The Big Day
Beautiful weather, full night of sleep, and just a few follow up coughing fits leftover from the flu. What more could one need when trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon for the third time?
W was up and out the door for the 8am start, while I tried to wrestle a still-not-quite 100% C out the door. The course ran right by our hotel but we missed W by about 30 seconds. Luckily I saw the warm-up jacket he had tossed onto the hotel grass, picked it up and started the dash across the island. It took some creativity to dash with C in the Bob across the road, still full of many runners, and start the 1.2 mile dash to King Street. We made it just as the pace car and lead runners came through. Less than 10 minutes later, there was W...looking great! C and I then ran against traffic down King, cheering on the runners, getting some calls of 'you are going the wrong way' and 'go momma.' We enjoyed cheering encouragement and getting some whoop, whoops for the great weather. A quick trip into Harris Teeter and we were restocked with breakfast, candy, supplies and signage gear. Round trip back to the hotel for a total of 4 miles to start.
Then we hopped into the car and drove up the highway to the finish line. C and I then sprinted around the course, cheering W and our MRC friend, Josh Cox, as they ran by miles 20 & 22. Everything looked good though W seemed to be having a tough go. Interesting note - one volunteer who I saw three times reported that the course was measuring long. C and I stopped our run at one intersection to give out LifeSavers and high fives....so much fun! I highly recommend it.
I stood at mile 25.8 waiting to see our guy. And waited...and worried...and waited some more. Then I ran back to mile 25 to see if he was coming. I waited too long. When I finally saw him, I said 'dig deep babe' and kept up with him as he did, then he rounded the corner and the stroller was just too much. I was hoping as he rounded the finish, but I saw in his eyes that today was not his day. Was it the flu that hit last week? Was it too warm? Had he cracked? After he had his picture taken and collected his medal, he walked up to me and said, "26.67? Seriously? I kept waiting for the finish and it never came." W finished at 26:14, a personal record but 1 minute and 14 seconds outside of a BQ. He missed his goal by less than 75 seconds.
I held back my emotions and bit my tongue. Runners are always lamenting the difference between their finish distances and the course actuals. GPS watches are notoriously incorrect as Runners' World has repeatedly reported. But as we walked, and waited for our friend, many folks around us were murmuring the same type of disbelief. W recovered quickly (and honestly, he looked the best of the finish of any of his three races) and we slowly walked over to cheer for Josh as he completed a PR finish.
Back to the car and then to the hotel. It was a quiet ride, followed by a quiet lunch of leftover pizza. C was bouncing off the walls at this point and still barely eating. I crawled into his little couch bed with him while still in my running clothes. Then came a first, he clutched my hand and fell asleep. We have kept C out of our bed deliberately since he was a baby and couldn't get him to sleep with us if we wanted to. But today, he did. Everyone napped for about an hour, then we set out in the Courtyard van for some sustenance. Molly Darcy's was the recommendation for a good pub. We relaxed and taught C how to play foosball, then caught up with Josh. Some good gelato and we all hit the hay. Tomorrow would come quickly with a 4 year old in the room. It was time for sleep. Decisions would come later.
W was up and out the door for the 8am start, while I tried to wrestle a still-not-quite 100% C out the door. The course ran right by our hotel but we missed W by about 30 seconds. Luckily I saw the warm-up jacket he had tossed onto the hotel grass, picked it up and started the dash across the island. It took some creativity to dash with C in the Bob across the road, still full of many runners, and start the 1.2 mile dash to King Street. We made it just as the pace car and lead runners came through. Less than 10 minutes later, there was W...looking great! C and I then ran against traffic down King, cheering on the runners, getting some calls of 'you are going the wrong way' and 'go momma.' We enjoyed cheering encouragement and getting some whoop, whoops for the great weather. A quick trip into Harris Teeter and we were restocked with breakfast, candy, supplies and signage gear. Round trip back to the hotel for a total of 4 miles to start.
Then we hopped into the car and drove up the highway to the finish line. C and I then sprinted around the course, cheering W and our MRC friend, Josh Cox, as they ran by miles 20 & 22. Everything looked good though W seemed to be having a tough go. Interesting note - one volunteer who I saw three times reported that the course was measuring long. C and I stopped our run at one intersection to give out LifeSavers and high fives....so much fun! I highly recommend it.
I stood at mile 25.8 waiting to see our guy. And waited...and worried...and waited some more. Then I ran back to mile 25 to see if he was coming. I waited too long. When I finally saw him, I said 'dig deep babe' and kept up with him as he did, then he rounded the corner and the stroller was just too much. I was hoping as he rounded the finish, but I saw in his eyes that today was not his day. Was it the flu that hit last week? Was it too warm? Had he cracked? After he had his picture taken and collected his medal, he walked up to me and said, "26.67? Seriously? I kept waiting for the finish and it never came." W finished at 26:14, a personal record but 1 minute and 14 seconds outside of a BQ. He missed his goal by less than 75 seconds.
I held back my emotions and bit my tongue. Runners are always lamenting the difference between their finish distances and the course actuals. GPS watches are notoriously incorrect as Runners' World has repeatedly reported. But as we walked, and waited for our friend, many folks around us were murmuring the same type of disbelief. W recovered quickly (and honestly, he looked the best of the finish of any of his three races) and we slowly walked over to cheer for Josh as he completed a PR finish.
Back to the car and then to the hotel. It was a quiet ride, followed by a quiet lunch of leftover pizza. C was bouncing off the walls at this point and still barely eating. I crawled into his little couch bed with him while still in my running clothes. Then came a first, he clutched my hand and fell asleep. We have kept C out of our bed deliberately since he was a baby and couldn't get him to sleep with us if we wanted to. But today, he did. Everyone napped for about an hour, then we set out in the Courtyard van for some sustenance. Molly Darcy's was the recommendation for a good pub. We relaxed and taught C how to play foosball, then caught up with Josh. Some good gelato and we all hit the hay. Tomorrow would come quickly with a 4 year old in the room. It was time for sleep. Decisions would come later.
Friday, January 16, 2015
2015.1.16 Travels with the boys - Charleston
9pm at night and the cleaning staff at the Waterfront Courtyard Marriott has just left. C is finally down to sleep, and W is putting the finishing touches on his prep for the Charleston Marathon. The weather couldn't be better for W's third go-round with a BQ.
It was a relatively uneventful trip down here. The car took off around 9am and only hit a few traffic stops out of Greensboro. We traversed back rounds and listened to C being read books via the iPad (and snore) until a lunchtime stop at Firehouse in Florence. We enjoyed some funny stares as we stretched on the sidewalk, then hopped back in the car for a sunny drive down to Charleston.
After checking in we quickly bundled up the man in the BOB and ran the 1.2 miles to the expo. W found his bib (#83) and grabbed his gear. While I was trying on new Newtons, Josh found us. I so love our running community that allows us to find friends at nearly every event! We wrapped it up and ran back past the Citadel stadium to our hotel, just in time to catch the sunset. A quick change, snack for C...remember this later...and out the door for some pizza.
Carb loading is definitely NOT needed for a 5 or 10k, but it is highly recommended the night before a marathon. Over the bridge we found a funky version of the typical Mellow Mushroom; it was once an old theater! Lucky us it was restaurant week so we ordered 2 appetizers, pizza and dessert for 30 bucks. But something was definitely amiss. C is normally a pretzel hound and he wouldn't touch them. He even put his head in my lap and moaned that he wanted his pizza. When it finally came he ate two bites and said he was full. I finally got him to eat by holding him while he watched the team toss some pies in the air. We were so desperate to have him eat that we let him dig into our cookie sundae.
Fast forward to the bedtime routine at the hotel and he says he just feels icky and tired. I read to him a bit and tried to prep him for getting horizontal when he suddenly lurched up. Well, by the time he realized what was coming we were halfway between the bedroom and bathroom of our 1 bedroom suite. Poor guy. We now believe that the milk that was in the crazy, keep anything cold thermos had probably not stayed cold enough. So his afternoon snack was really a recipe for sick and cranky kid. Three minutes after baptizing our carpet and he's smiling, eating dry cereal and asking to be read to. At least it happened early in the night and not in the car or the bed. Plenty of time for W to get his game face on. Third time is a charm!!!
It was a relatively uneventful trip down here. The car took off around 9am and only hit a few traffic stops out of Greensboro. We traversed back rounds and listened to C being read books via the iPad (and snore) until a lunchtime stop at Firehouse in Florence. We enjoyed some funny stares as we stretched on the sidewalk, then hopped back in the car for a sunny drive down to Charleston.
After checking in we quickly bundled up the man in the BOB and ran the 1.2 miles to the expo. W found his bib (#83) and grabbed his gear. While I was trying on new Newtons, Josh found us. I so love our running community that allows us to find friends at nearly every event! We wrapped it up and ran back past the Citadel stadium to our hotel, just in time to catch the sunset. A quick change, snack for C...remember this later...and out the door for some pizza.
Carb loading is definitely NOT needed for a 5 or 10k, but it is highly recommended the night before a marathon. Over the bridge we found a funky version of the typical Mellow Mushroom; it was once an old theater! Lucky us it was restaurant week so we ordered 2 appetizers, pizza and dessert for 30 bucks. But something was definitely amiss. C is normally a pretzel hound and he wouldn't touch them. He even put his head in my lap and moaned that he wanted his pizza. When it finally came he ate two bites and said he was full. I finally got him to eat by holding him while he watched the team toss some pies in the air. We were so desperate to have him eat that we let him dig into our cookie sundae.
Fast forward to the bedtime routine at the hotel and he says he just feels icky and tired. I read to him a bit and tried to prep him for getting horizontal when he suddenly lurched up. Well, by the time he realized what was coming we were halfway between the bedroom and bathroom of our 1 bedroom suite. Poor guy. We now believe that the milk that was in the crazy, keep anything cold thermos had probably not stayed cold enough. So his afternoon snack was really a recipe for sick and cranky kid. Three minutes after baptizing our carpet and he's smiling, eating dry cereal and asking to be read to. At least it happened early in the night and not in the car or the bed. Plenty of time for W to get his game face on. Third time is a charm!!!
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