<student> “Mrs. Lion… those look like clown shoes!”

I went up to pre-ride the Richmond Xterra course yesterday with my friend Melissa and Joe. A friend of Joe’s from DC, Matt, was nice enough to show us around. We spent several hours out in the heat, and got a great idea of what to expect for the race in a couple of weeks.

After the ride all I can say is: The trails are AWESOME. However, the race is going to be really hard.

Here’s one of the urban obstacles that Richmond is famous for:

Yes, that’s right… stairs. And not just any stairs… spiral stairs. Several flights of spiral stairs. And this is NOT part of the run course, this is part of the bike course. You dismount and carry your bike up the stairs and cross over this bridge to access the next part of the trail. And you do this not once, but twice. NICE.

The hard part about Xterra Richmond is going to be the ENTIRE race. There isn’t one leg of the race that isn’t technical. The swim is technical… swimming in the James River, you have to watch out for rocks and sand bars. It’s pretty shallow most of the way, and I was afraid to use my full pull for fear of knocking a rock. I sighted a whole lot because seeing the bottom of the river freaked me out, much like my swim in Lake James a couple weeks ago.

Then you move on to the bike, which, is going to be crazy. Just look at the stairs. That’s only ONE crazy part of the ride. And you do them twice.

The run isn’t going to be any easier. You scale the resivoir wall by climbing a ladder, and there are railroad tie stairs to run up, boulders to jump across… let’s just say I hope I’m still standing at the end of the race!

It’s going to be SO much fun. I am looking forward to the adventure.

Saturday was a very pleasant, long day. My friend Deb Elliott and her husband Bryan came up to Boone to meet the group, along with several others from various places across the state. We rode a nice modified BSG route in Boone, and then I swam in the lake when I got back from the ride with a few other people. The evening was spent laughing and eating and laughing and eating some more. 

Apparently I’ve got some pretty dirty bikes, because I was made fun of when my bikes were being run over. Oh well. I’ve always said, “I ride the bikes, I don’t clean the bikes.” You know, if it rolls, that’s all I care about. (and not necessarily the best policy, but I can’t seem to break this habit)

Sunday I woke up and hit the Overmountain Victory Trail… running this time. I did my first long run in a few months. I’ve been careful to not aggravate my left hip, an injury that caused me to double over in pain after Long Course Tri Worlds last year. It was a great run. No pain, and that made me really happy.

I went for another swim in the lake afterwards, and then Joe came up to the cabin in the afternoon. We went on a nice mountain bike ride together. The Burn 24 hour race had just finished up, and people were leaving the trails. It was really nice to go in and just follow the marked course loop for the race and not have to worry about looping things together. We just rode, and it was wonderful biking with him.

Symba stayed in the car in the shade while we rode, and afterwards all three of us took a short dip in the lake before driving to my parents’ house. Symba was really funny trying to swim out to us. He’s got pretty short little legs, but managed alright in the water.

We ended the day with a nice family cookout and TCBY for me. YAY! I had been craving some frozen dessert all weekend… and it was nice to finally get my fix. I’m spoiled. 

The ride this afternoon was AWESOME… just like I expected.

We did a loop of the bike portion of the Bandit’s Triathlon course, and then I went off to explore on my mountain bike… <insert heart <3 here!>.

Sonni felt good today on the bike. Which means you have to pedal your heart out to stay on his wheel. And it also means that not many people are left in the group anymore.

It’s cool watching him ride, especially when he feels good. Sonni always bikes really smooth, but I could tell today he felt particularly good. I asked him at one point, “Hey Sonni… you feel good today?” He was like, “Oh yeah.” Ha, then the group got real small.

After one loop, I went over to the Dark Mountain Trails. They’re having a 24 hour race there tomorrow, so I just biked the loop they are going to be using for the race course. Those trails are SO awesome. They aren’t very technical, although it’s all single track and there are some rock gardens and really fun swooping downhills. It’s FAST and FUN!

Then I headed over and hit the Overmountain Victory Trail. I loved it. More fast downhills, swooping turns, and gentle switchbacks. There was an ocational obstacle but not very much.

I ended up riding my bike a lot longer than I really had planned on… much like my run this morning. I was too busy having fun to realize that I had been out that long.

I can’t wait to ride these trails again on Sunday!

I’m up in Wilkesboro, NC with Studio 7’s Epic Camp. The weather is perfect, and it’s awesome being here with other people who are all training and in for some fun.

It never ceases to amaze me how I feel every time I see the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. As I was driving up from Raleigh last night after a long  day at school, the first glimpse of the mountains in the distance on highway 421 was so… well, it’s a very deep sensation that I can’t really describe. A wave of comfort washes over me… every time. It’s like I’m coming home.  No matter how many times I see those mountains, and no matter how many months it’s been since I’ve seen them…  there honestly are no words to describe it.

I woke up this morning refreshed, and I had a wonderful, relaxing run on the Overmountain Victory Trail along Kerr Scott Lake. It was a perfect, crisp mountain morning. And the trail… OMG, all I could think about the entire run was how I couldn’t WAIT to get my mountain bike on that trail this afternoon. I managed to contain my excitement about mountain biking later and just focus on being in the moment and enjoying the run. I actually set my watch at the start of the run to keep track of the time, since I was just doing an out-and-back run… but I still lost track of time. I was only going to run for 30 minutes, and I ended up running out that far before even looking at my watch to see how long I had been out.

I had something to eat when I got back and immediately headed down to the lake to swim with the rest of the group of athletes here. Sonni was already in the water, so I jumped in and we swam out 1k together and then I swam back to the dock on my own while he went to work with some other athletes. I swam back out to the bouy, met up with Sonni and the group of three he was with, and then we came back in together. Sandy canoed back and forth to keep an eye on everyone, which was really nice. My dad would be relieved to know that I didn’t go swim out in the lake alone. I was always in sight of someone, dad!

It’s been a relaxing morning, and the day is moving along quick.

All I can say is, this year, more than ever, I needed this. And I know I’m in the right place, at the right time, and with the right people to move forward.

There’s something in these hills of North Carolina… I tell ya’ what.

Student says flat out across the room during lunch: “When are you going to get FAT Mrs. Lion??”

Sunday I went up to ride at South Mountains State Park. I haven’t been here since I was a little girl. My dad ran these trails a while back and told me how hilly it was. Of course, a mention of a hill, and I’m instantly intrigued. Dad said he had to walk some of the hills because they were so steep. Well, stubborn me, I had to figure it out for myself.

When I mentioned to Deb that I was thinking about going to do this ride, her comment was, <chuckle> “That’s a hard ride!” I wasn’t sure if I was actually going to go over there and ride until I woke up on Sunday morning.

I was so excited as soon as I pulled in the parking lot. There are so many hiking and running trails… and there’s separate mountain bike and bridle trails on top of that! Needless to say, an off-roader’s dream.

The mountain bike loop was 17 miles. And boy did it live up to the hilliness! There were times I literally thought I would eat my stem because of how much I was having to crouch to keep my bike from toppling backwards.

Here’s a picture of the trail… this was NOT a steep hill section either….

And one of the many hiking trails off the side of the mtn bike trail…

I can’t wait to go back here.

Later that afternoon, Dad and I went up to visit my mom at Lake James. We hung out and grilled out with a couple of their friends. The weather was nice, so I went for an open water swim before we ate. Lake James is so clean and clear, unlike most lakes, you could see everything while you swam. It was like I was swimming in a clear pool… very blue and green.

The only eerie thing was seeing the downed trees underneath the water. That kind of freaked me out. And the fact that I was alone too… my dad about had a heart attack because, of course, I was way far away from the dock that I started from. I was completely out of sight, which is not the best idea with boats and all that, and, well, you’re in the middle of a huge lake all by yourself which can lead to any sort of bad things.

But ya know, I’m stubborn, as mentioned before, and I had a really nice swim in one of the most beautiful lakes in the world… then I got to spend time with people that mean a whole lot to me. What could have made a better Sunday?