Fall in the Valley…

Fall has settled into the Tennessee Valley, this time for good I think.  I go to work in the early morning fog, which blankets low areas till the sun comes out and burns it off. The day sky is clear and a perfect shade of azure. Days are getting visible shorter, nights are crisp and any light breeze will send a flurry of leaves airborne.  I believe I love this time of year the most.  

Fall from my front porch

 

We remain busy as always though not necessarily doing the things we would like to do.  My swim lessons are over for a while and I consider them mostly successful.  I had a hard time with the flip turn and will probably go back late winter to work on my form.  John is working too hard and bicycling in his spare time.  We hope to get out on the road together this weekend.  I have been off my bicycle for several weeks with no good reason as to why. 

 

John’s sister and family had planned to visit this weekend (Go BAMA) and we were working fast and furious for a partial guest bathroom remodel but, they had some issues with their rental house and decided not to make the trip.  So we have decided to back off the remodel pace and will replace the floor along with the new vanity and paint “band-aid.” 

 

Meanwhile we look forward to Thanksgiving, Christmas and a trip to the Holy Lands in  Spring 2013.  We haven’t been traveling this year and I am getting antsy to get out and explore. We have some lofty goals with our athletic endeavors but we have been distracted with life so our efforts are not up to our expectations.  Working on that too!

 

Happy Fall everyone!  Hope it is as beautiful where you live as it is here in East Tennessee…

Swim Lesson 1…

Every once and a while, a person should do something that makes them uncomfortable.   For me, swimming falls into that category and today was my day to step out of my comfort zone.  

As a kid, I loved the pool, couldn’t wait to get in the water.  I took swimming lessons, I jumped off the high board and swam laps. I thought the glorious summer pool days would never end.  But as I dove head first into my teenage years, the carefree pool days did come to an end.  My thoughts turned to swimsuit styles, tanning, “perfect” hair and boys.  As I got older, I quit going to the pool.

So, it was with this in mind that I found myself in the car on the way to the YMCA for my 1st swim lesson in maybe 50 years!?  I timed my departure to leave early enough for a stop at the local tri shop and but with not enough time to dwell on my racing heart and shaky hands.  I had purchased a bathing suit on Zappos at the last minute.  It was a little large but I didn’t have time to swap it, as I said, it was very last minute.  Goggles and swim cap, well l had forgotten about those until this morning.   



Towel, really old flip flops, goggles (without stickers on the lenses of course) and swim cap….that’s all I need, right? Yep, I got this swim thing.  Now all I have to worry about  is  walking around in a bathing suit and being taught by a thin, athletic 20 year old who is wondering how she got stuck with an old lady student. 

As it turned out, that athletic 20 year old had a pretty average body and she was just as nervous about teaching me as I was about her.  I was her first adult lesson. The shared discomfort resulted in a bond and after assuring her that I would not drown in the deep (10’) end, we got in the water. She had me suit up with a floatation waist band, obviously not 100% that I could keep myself afloat.

Equipped with a kickboard, float band and goggles that took some getting use to, I started across the pool. “Legs straight, use your thighs, make some whitewater.”  First we went halfway across the 25 foot pool, then all the way.  Then we got rid of the float band, then the kick board.  Swimming takes a lot of stamina!! 



By the end of the half hour, I was swimming back and forth, breathing every other stroke for most of the lap (the last few feet had me breathing every stroke, it’s that stamina thing). Instructor Caroline was encouraging and generally trying to boost my ego. I was just happy to be in the water.  I wasn’t the thinnest person in the water nor was I the oldest but somewhere along the line I lost my self consciousness. 

As the lesson wrapped up and I had my swim assignment for next week, I went to the bleachers to sit for a few minutes to “air dry” before driving home (I don’t have this locker room thing worked out yet).  I spoke to a young mom sitting behind me.  She asked a few questions about my lesson.  We talked for a few minutes and she thanked me.  Said she wanted to take lessons so she could talk swimming with her daughter who is on the Y’s swim team.  She said she felt good about the idea after discussing our similar discomforts about the water.  Hope I made a difference for her, getting in the water has definitely made a difference for me!

A few new toys…

We’ve acquired some new toys this year and most of them have been for me! Finally replaced my circa 1992 Trek 1400 with this sleek Trek Madone  3.1 WSD. Wow, gears on the handlebars instead of on the down tube….



I’ve been carrying a Nikon Coolpix for several of years.  It easily fits in a pocket for quick access when running, hiking, biking and other outdoor activities and in a small purse when out and about. The camera was beginning to squeak and groan when in use, most likely due to moisture from sweat or rain.

This year for my birthday, I got a new Coolpix (thanks Daddy, you are the best!!).  This one is shockproof (with qualifications of course), waterproof (which I haven’t had enough nerve to try yet) and has a built-in GPS (still working on learning that).  It too takes great pic and HD video too.



Lastly, we just purchased a grown up camera, a first for both of us since film SLR cameras faded into the history books.  Lots of technology to catch up on, but we will have to wait.  John’s son is using it for  a photography this fall...

  

No thank you, I have had enough today and the rest of my weekend…

After our last bike ride on Old Walland Road, I told John that it was time to throw in a few more hills. I had successfully powered up a couple of short, marginally steep hills on our ride to Townsend and my confidence had taken an excessively big bump. He agreed, we talked about it a bit and dropped the topic. Last weekend came and went (we biked the VA Creeper Trail-no uphill there) and I kinda forgot about my gung ho attitude toward hills.  So it was with a certain amount of naivety that I agreed to ride the back roads of South Knoxville for a “change of scenery.” 

We started from Pinkston Library, a popular parking spot for bicyclists.  A couple of serious looking cyclists pulled in the spot beside us so John rushed me to get on the road and get a nice head start.  I don’t think his ego could handle them passing us and considering my sub-average average speed, they WOULD pass us.  

We cycled on Martin Mill Park for less than 1/2 mile before we turned off, traffic still makes me skittish. As we made the turn and looked up, I heard John in the “background” apologizing for the b-i-g hill in looming ahead so soon in the ride.  Whoops!  I gritted my teeth and pedaled on, I ran out of gears and pedaled on, then I swore and……pedaled on.  First hill over. 

The next 5-6 miles were a repeat, some hills smaller, some larger.  I cried on the way up and and squealed on the way down.  I even discovered some new muscles in my forearms (going faster than 29 mph downhill is currently not an option for me, especially on a very curvy 2-lane road). My seat hurt, my calf muscles screamed and I ready to be done. Another 12-14 miles later we were within striking distance of the car. John offered a “bonus” 4 mile repeat.  My response, “no thank you, I have had enough today and I headed back to the car.

Here are a few photos from our bicycle ride:




Does anyone know where we are?  Apparently John does and we have more hills to climb, just right around the corner.













Yesterday was full of fun stuff!  For starters, I slept in late, decadently late for me.  Considering that we usually wake up between 5:30-6:00 AM 6-7 days a week, 7:30 AM was, well, late.  Coffee in hand, I lounged around for a while before heading out for the iwin 5k.  The race is called iwin for two reasons:  1) I am the only participant and 2) I always win. 

The 5k course includes a little downhill, even more uphill and some flat.  I run the course once every couple of weeks to measure improvement and Saturday was a double thumbs up.  I won with my fastest time yet (still too slow post) and I was happy!  Bicycling is paying off. My legs are noticeably stronger, I am pushing harder and I felt great.  Cooler AM temperatures didn’t hurt either. 

After the run, I spent some quality time with the lawn mower and knocked down several weeks of grass (err, weed) growth in the front yard.  Then I took the weed eater for a spin.  One of our front gardens is harboring an active nest of yellow jackets and John is emergency room allergic so I got the job. Getting rid of the nest is on our “to do” list but the nest sits right next to the house, so the gasoline-fire bomb is out.  We are researching other options.  

With exercise and yard work out of the way, it was time to head to Blount County for a baby shower for my boss. Nice afternoon with work associates and my boss’s family.  Then home,  quick nap and dinner time.  I was starving, craving barbecue so we hit the early hour at Sweet Pea’s and mingled with the boaters coming off the river with big appetites.  We ended the evening downtown at the movie theater where we had some good laughs watching, “The Campaign” with Will Ferrell.  Funny stuff!

Hope you had a good  weekend too! 

17 Miles on the VA Creeper with Friends…

A few posts ago, I dropped a comment about work friends and a spring triathlon.  What I didn’t say is that the group, ages 19-59, is less than ideally fit and preparing for a sprint tri will be a huge challenge. To keep the motivation up and the bodies moving forward, we developed a bucket list of activities to get us through the fall and winter.  Wisely, much of the list is centered around bicycling and run/walking and the first activity, an easy bicycling excursion, was up for this past weekend.

The White Top Mountain to Damascus section of the Virginia Creeper Trail was a good 1st ride.  Seventeen miles of mostly downhill demanded nothing more of us than a few pedal strokes and a “bicycle hardened” bottom.  Lucky for me, I had been toughening mine up on a tiny bike seat.  My friends, not so much.

Friday night after work, John and I drove to Abingdon.  We went with the intent of rising early to bicycle from Abingdon to Damascus VA Creeper section to meet our group at the Blue Blaze Bike Shop in Damascus for the 9:30 AM shuttle to the top of the mountain. But as the saying goes “the best laid plans….”  Despite two alarm clocks and a 6:30 AM wake up call, we could not force ourselves out of bed.  By the time we finally woke up (about an hour later), we had missed our opportunity to bike to Damascus. 

Packing, breakfast and a 15 minute CAR ride got us to Damascus on time. We found Wendy and her daughter Keely, hanging around the parking lot but Shannon and Daniel were no where to be found.  A round of frantic texting and one phone call indicated that Shannon and Daniel were not only at the wrong rental company but in the wrong town-Abingdon, 15 minutes away. 

Decision time, do we hold up 36 people on the 9:30 AM shuttle to White Top or do we wait for Shannon and Daniel and take the 10:30 AM shuttle?  It really wasn’t much of a decision.  Wendy and Keely took the 9:30 AM shuttle while John, Daniel, Shannon and I took the last 4 seats on the 10:30 AM shuttle.

Daniel and Shannon sitting outside Blue Blaze waiting for the 10:30 AM shuttle

John on the backseat of the 15 passenger shuttle vehicle

Once we and our bikes were unloaded at the top of the mountain, there was nothing left to do but point our wheels down and begin a two hour “coast” back to Damascus.  With White Top at around 3576’ and Damascus at 1930’, we would be dropping about 97’ per mile.  Not much pedaling required!

Wendy and Keely relaying a crash story before their front wheels ever hit the trail

At the trail head.  Note the crazy recumbent bicycles behind us

Wendy took off first and her daughter followed closely behind. Lots of people trying to start at the same time, the most irritating was a group of 6-7 recumbent who were preoccupied with taking photos of each other and otherwise slowing down and/or stopping in the middle of the trail.  We put them behind us as quickly as possible.



The 17 mile ride went quick, 2.09 hours to be exact including this stop for ice cream and french fries.  Lots of traffic on the trail, which kept speed in check.



Just moments after I took this picture of Shannon and Daniel at the ice cream shop, an older lady (did I really say that) crashed on the trail.  We missed the actual fall but looked up from our goodies long enough to see an entire Boy Scout Troop rush to her side to administer 1st aid.  She was very patient as they cleaned her scuffed knee and applied band aides.

Wendy examining her french fries, while Keely watches

Unfortunately, no pictures were made during the ride, we just didn’t stop long enough to do so.  Too much risk of damage had I tried to photograph while riding.  It will have to suffice to say that the scenery was beautiful and the late summer flowers were colorful.

Back at Blue Blaze, we loaded our bikes and headed to Quincey’s Pizza for lunch.  Lots of Creeper rides inside!  We had to wait on our pizza but it was worthwhile.





The ride home was pleasantly uneventful.  We arrived in Knoxville by late afternoon and proceeded to do very little for the rest of the weekend!  Oh, and a cruise ship has nothing on our overnight at the Hampton Inn Abingdon, check out our towel bird!
  

A slight correction in direction…

Yesterday as I struggled to get through a bike ride, I realized it was time to adjust my bicycle goals, a slight correction in direction if you will.  It has been 10 weeks since I climbed on my bike and embarked on a regular effort to ride.  Before then my riding was spotty at best, and then there was the crash in February…



With the decision to return to the bike, I followed a strategy to ride several 12-15 mile days during  the week and increase my longer, Saturday rides by several miles a week.   The goal was to have everything come together for a 40-mile group ride on August 25 and several similar rides in the fall. The plan worked for a while, up to and including a strong 26-mile ride last Saturday.. 

Yesterday the plan called for a ride of 30-miles, only I didn’t feel it when I woke up. I was sluggish and slightly ill. Could have been the Mexican food we ate for Friday dinner or the restless night’s sleep (most likely aftermath of the food), but I felt like I had been hit by a truck.  We followed our usual Saturday plan, John left the house early to bicycle to Walland, TN  (about 27-miles) and I left 45 minutes later to meet him at the entrance to Old Walland Highway with fresh drinks and ready to ride.

I was running a few minutes late (gas gauge read E when I left the house-whoops) but it turned out to be a good thing.  All available designated parking areas and roadside shoulder parking spaces were filled with cars sporting bike racks.  Luckily, a few pulled out just as I arrived.  John was a little early which resulted in a rush with sunscreen application and drink transfer but we were on the road pretty quick. 

Mentally I had divided the ride into 3- 10 mile segments.  I focused on the  1st 10, which would take us just beyond the end of Walland Road.  Riding out was tolerable though my legs felt heavy and my mind was not focused on the task at hand.  I must have been complaining a lot because about 4-miles in, John asked if I wanted to go on or turn around.  I chose to go on.

As we neared the end of Walland Road and entered the 2nd of the 10 mile segments, some decisions had to be made... rolling hills or flat into Townsend, TN.  I chose flat, climbing would have ended the ride for me.  The Townsend police have been known to harass bicyclists so John suggested we take the greenway.  I think he was concerned about my lagging pace and possible panic in fast, heavy traffic.  Good call on his part.

As we bicycled  toward Townsend, John suddenly decided to cross 5 lanes of Highway 321 to pick up the greenway on the other side.  The frequent  hotel, restaurant and roads crossing through the greenway was driving him crazy.  We caught a brief (and somewhat scary) opening in traffic and hurried to the other side where we wound our way toward the Little River and a quiet 2-lane road that ran parallel to the highway.

At this point in the ride I knew that getting 30-miles would be difficult.  I needed more than 16 miles and we were only about 12 miles from the car.  We started doing loops on a residental street near the river until it occurred to us that the residents might think we were casing the neighborhood.  It was time to head back to the car.



The last miles were painful for me. I peddled and coasted, peddled and coasted. Somewhere around the Wesley Woods Camp driveway, where I stopped for the 2nd time in 4 miles, I realized it was time to redirect my goals. I will continue to struggle and suffer until I can increase endurance and strength so adding additional miles is pointless right now.  It was time to let go of my goal of 40-miles by the end of August. 

Coming to this decision did not make the rest of the ride easier.  I grumbled all the way to the car.  On several occasions I contemplated sending John to get the car and pick me up but my pride would not allow me to do this. As the wind picked up toward the end of the ride, John pulled in front of me.  Instead of being my protector by riding behind me or my companion and cheerleader by riding beside me, he became a life savor by pulling me back to the car….at a painfully slow pace for him.  I completed 28.25 miles, John, 55.75 miles.

I planned to take today off from exercise to formulate a training  plan (it will include dreaded hill repeats) and rest my very tired muscles, but I really couldn't sit still. I went out for a very short 1.5-mile run.  After discovering that running is not completely compatible with an aging body, I don’t run much in the way of distance these days but it was nice to get out and feel the pavement under my feet....something I am doing a little more frequently.

Foul riding...

I went out for a ride this evening, it was a mistake.  My legs were wobbly from the addition of running and steps to my workout schedule, I felt exhausted and I was a bit whiny.  Whiny quickly turned foul when I discovered my Garmin, which had been updated with the latest software last night, would not download a satellite signal.

I rode 3/4-mile loops around the neighborhood while I waited for the satellite signal to download.  It did not. John road with me, then around me and finally ahead.  He was silent with my inability to get over my technical malfunction and I was vocal.  Finally he suggested we go home and give it up for the night.

Upon arrival home, my Garmin promptly loaded the satellite signal...

When Did Running Get So Complicated….

Running use to be so easy.  Shorts, shirt, a favorite pair of Asics and maybe an iPod tucked in my pocket.  There was a great freedom in the act of running and each run was a new adventure.  Somewhere along the way, running became complicated. 

I don’t know exactly when it began.  Could have been the hip problem which had me in PT for months or maybe the foot issues that left me with a falling arch but sometime in the last year, running fell off my radar.  I replaced it with lots of walking and some bicycling and didn't think so much about running.  As far as I was concerned, my body was no longer able to handle the stress.

Then last week, a couple of girls from work asked me if I wanted to do a spring triathlon with them.  None of the girls are particularly athletic so the question came as a bit of a surprise.  Sure, I said without thinking. Then I started thinking....

During the endless chatter about a tri, someone (it might have been me) suggested we do the Marine Corp Mud Run in September.  The other girls dashed to their computers to look up last year's run and with a resounding "looks like fun, let's do it as a team,"  I once again I found myself caught up in a challenge, without thinking.  At this point I should mention that there is a 40 year difference between the youngest member of our adventure team and me.  Oh, and no one my age did the Marine Corp Mud Run last year. 

So tonight I found myself surrounded by a combination of running shoes, inserts and laces, attempting to find the right combination that will allow me to run somewhat pain free.  After a few starts out the front door, I ended with discarding my old Asics, new Brooks and new flat shoe laces. For tonight anyway the perfect combination was the new inserts, old round shoe laces and fairly new Asics 2160's. 

Fall in July?…

It’s been raining this week, big rain.  I 'm not complaining mind you, even though thunder and lightening disturbed my sleep for several nights. We have been suffering from temperatures that are too hot and ground that has become too dry, all too early in the summer season. Initially the potted plants showed signs of stress, then the gardens and finally our trees began to drop their leaves. 

One day last week, I stepped outside and realized that fall had arrived in July.  I am not sure what day it arrived, I hadn't mowed the yard in weeks.  But I had made frequent trips out to drag the garden hose around so I was paying attention (or so I thought) .  How could I not have noticed so many leaves be underfoot?



As soon as the rain ends and the grass has greened up, we will get the mower and blower out to clean things up for the next round of summer.  Meanwhile, for another day or two, we will enjoy the cooler temperatures and break from the task of watering.

Corn, Cycling, and Cooler Temperatures…

With June temperatures topping 100-degrees, we are going to spend the summer hunting for cool places to escape.  Wednesday, July 4th, we had just such a place in mind.  Old Walland Highway , located in Blount County at the base of the Great Smoky Mountains foothills, is a favorite of local bicyclists and runners.  Aside from relatively flat terrain (as flat as it gets in these parts), this nine mile stretch of two lane road provides beautiful scenery, lots of shade and pockets of cool air drifting off the Little River.  Nice destination on a hot summer day! 

I had a long bicycle ride on tap, well, long for me.  I think John considered it a warm up to his long weekend ride and a chance to encourage his wife in his favorite sport.  We got the bikes packed and left the house about 8:45 AM. Our drive was a quick 35 minutes along the country back roads in South Knox County. While Old Walland Highway is a multi-use road (motorists, motorcyclists, bicyclists and runners), it was clear by the large number of cars with bike racks parked in the parking areas,  bicyclists ruled!

 

View from the parking lot at the beginning of the road

Getting ready to ride!  We look cool and collected here.  At the end of the ride we were a hot, sweaty mess!

For as long as I have been cycling this road, summer means the 1st mile + is acres deep in  corn.   We have always assumed the family that owned the acreage would continue to farm and every July we could ride through their maze.  Then, a couple of years ago, we noticed large earth moving equipment in the back of the property.  A few months after that discovery, we found buildings going up.  So sad, so we didn’t go back for a while. 

Then the next year we discovered the owners had sold the property to the University of Tennessee for an agricultural farm.  Nice!  To the delight of all, the corn will likely continue to line the 1st mile or so of Old Walland Highway in the future.

One side of the corn maze

Old bridge that once connected Highway 321 to Old Walland Highway.  It has long since been replaced with a modern new bridge.  Luckily this little piece of history still stands.

Star etched into the concrete of the old bridge

                              The bridge is now a shaded footpath

 

         Little River from the abandoned bridge      

              

The turnaround point on the Townsend end of  Old Walland Road was once the only bridge, a one lane bridge that could accommodate one vehicle (car, motorcycle) at a time.   It too has been replaced.

We stopped at the halfway point for the photographer (me) to catch my breath, the photograhee was doing fine!

When we arrived back at the car, the parking lots were still packed.

Since John changed vehicles, neither of our cars have a hitch for the bike rack so he had to devise a creative way to transport our bicycles safely.

Only a man could come up with this system of Styrofoam and seat belts.  It worked well but the squeaking Styrofoam almost drove us crazy.

 After looking at all that corn along Old Walland Highway, we slammed on the brakes when we saw this...



Yep, 14 ears of corn for $5 at RivenDell Farm.  

I am never particularly good at describing rides (or runs for that matter). We pedaled and pedaled. I had moments of utter brilliance (in my mind anyway) and a few mental breakdowns. My legs felt strong, my legs felt weak. But in the end, I rode the 18-miles (my longest ride in over a year) and I overcame a bit of the fear that has recently dominated my bicycling attempts.

So now I have a goal, a plan to ride from the beginning of Old Walland Highway to the Wye at the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains. The ride is about 40-miles out and back and I have my sights set on late September, a time that falls in between the heat of the summer and the crazy leaf peeper traffic in October. In between now and then, I have some riding to do!