Tag: Western North Carolina

Isn’t this fun? Isn’t fun the best thing to have?

Four laps around the track and I was already negotiating with my training schedule. Maybe I’d make tomorrow a rest day. Maybe I’d cut this run short and add the miles to Sunday’s run.

Six laps around, I had earned the upper hand in the negotiation and settled the dispute – I’d take two weeks off. A few steps later I said out loud, “What am I waiting for?” I stopped running and began a two-week holiday.

It’s a double-edged sword – learning to push the envelope of training without getting injured – although I’ve decided being downright pooped may be a form of injury in and of itself, and knowing when to hit the pause button is the next lesson to be learned in my journey as a runner.

Last year, when I got thoroughly pooped, I threatened to go to the doctor for a full set of blood work. Or was that the year before? A few weeks ago I finally went. The nurse called, “Everything is within normal ranges.” It wasn’t my thyroid, and I wasn’t deficient in this or that (although I could still blame it on menopause).

As usual, my husband was right. It’s training error. Fine.

Cross-Training 2017

On the first day of holiday, I went for a long walk around Lake Junaluska where the landscaping is positively inspirational. My husband went with me. This little slice of paradise is less than a mile from home. I did not even contemplate wearing running gear for this lovely walk.

IMG_3423
Lake Junaluska is a conference and retreat center (part of the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church) that first opened in 1913.
IMG_3422
There’s a 3.8-mile walking trail around the lake via sidewalks, paved trails, and a wooden bridge.

There were several days of all-day gardening while my bike enjoyed a full tune-up at the local bike shop. Then I rode my bike.

IMG_3424
After a brief 1-mile torturous trek along Hwy 19 into Maggie Valley, my bike route turns right onto Jonathan Creek Road, which is amazingly flat.
IMG_4358
The fog hangs just below the top of the mountains in early morning. That’s a lumber yard and log cabin builder across the street. There’s also farms, old barns, cows, a produce co-op, oodles of churches, RV ‘parks’, a creek, and a few weeks ago, a fox that ran just off the road alongside my bike for several minutes.
IMG_4361
Much to my delight, this route can extend for more than 30-relatively-flat-miles by turning left onto Cove Creek Road. I used the parking lot of this adorable church as my turnaround on yesterday’s ride.

My husband and I decided paddling would be fun and spent several afternoons searching for canoes on Craigslist – until I went for another long walk around Lake Junaluska and realized we could rent a kayak or canoe on the shores of their sandy beach for just $5/hour. A whole new world was opening up all around.

Then my friend, Maria, and I went for a hike – 1-1/2 hours up the mountain to Waterrock Knob and 1-1/2 hours back down again. It was delightful. We’ve already planned another even longer hike for next week.

IMG_4279
The view from my Jeep on the ride up the Blue Ridge Parkway to the trailhead.

IMG_4288

IMG_4295
We stopped along the trail to take a picture.
IMG_4296
Maria and I at Waterrock Knob – the highest peak in the Plott Balsams and the 16th-highest mountain in the Eastern United States.

My two-week hiatus from running ended about six weeks ago, but I haven’t forgotten the lessons learned from being too narrowly focused on running: there’s lots of fun things to do, and isn’t fun the best thing to have?