Into the Elements

Week of May 27th

Mon 5-21—-My first completion of the Assault on Mount Mitchell! 103 miles and 12,000+ feet of climbing…starting a couple miles from my house in downtown Spartanburg to the summit of Mt Mitchell. This was an incredible ride and I cannot wait to do it again.

Tue 5-22—-restday

Wed 5-23—-Lunchtime weight session at gym. 3 mile run after work. Legs were DEAD for this run.

Thur 5-24—-Lunchtime weight session at gym.

Fri 5-25—-rest day

Sat 5-26—-rest day

Sun 5-27—-Approx 14 mile trail run at Croft. Incredible new loop run. Hip flexors felt this run, but the legs felt great. It starting getting really hot toward the finish.

Running miles—-17

Cycling miles—-103

Gym Workouts—-2

A great week with the AOMM and the beginning of long trail runs. Looking forward to start training for some ultras in the fall!

Week of May 20th

Mon 5-14—-Lunchtime weight session at gym

Tue 5-15—-Lunchtime weight session at gym. After work run through neighborhood. 3 miles with Nala at a moderate  pace… 3 miles at tempo pace afterwards. 

Wed 5-16—-Lunchtime weight session at gym. Evening bike ride downtown. 25 miles at a relaxed pace.

Thu 5-17—-Lunchtime weight session at gym.

Sat 5-18—Pleasant morning ride to Farmer’s Market on Mtn Bike. 6 miles

Running miles—-6

Cycling miles—-31

gym workouts—-4

A very easy week leading up to the Assault on Mt Mitchell.

Week of May 13th

Mon 5-7—-Lunchtime weight session at gym

Tue 5-8—-Lunchtime weight session at gym

Wed 5-9—-Lunchtime weight session at gym. P.M. group ride from Cribbs Restaurant. As always, a great relaxed ride with a great group of folks. About 30 people for this ride….30 miles @ 17.3 mph.

Fri 5-11—-25 mile bike ride in the mtns. The final “training ride” for the Assault on Mt Mitchell. 3 repeats of Hogback Mtn in Tryon, N.C. Approx 4100 ft in elevation climbing and descending. I felt really good throughout this ride…although I am still daunted by the total mileage of the AOMM.

Sat 5-12—Overnight backpacking trip with the dads and kids. An amazing time. About 5 miles of hiking and backpacking….4 of them carrying a boatload of weight.

Sun 5-13—-About a one mile hike to the car carrying a ton of gear. A nice little weight session.

running miles—0 wow. ugh. I need to get back on the feet.

cycling miles—-55…with some good climbing

gym workouts—-3

Week of May 6th

Mon 4-30—-Had the intention of getting up for an early a.m. run through the neighborhood, but the legs were not cooperating. Decided to give them another day’s rest. Lunchtime weight session at gym.

Tue 5-1—-Early a.m. spin class. Legs are still feeling fatigued. Definitely need to try and get two more good climbing rides in before the Assault.

Wed 5-2—-Lunchtime weight session at gym. (171) Evening “globalbike” ride from Cribbs. Another nice relaxing Wed ride. Had a blast chatting it up with various folks. 30 miles…16.7mph

Thu 5-3—-Lunchtime weight session at gym.

Sun 5-6—-49 mile climbing ride. Started at Harmon Field…climbed Hogback Mtn and the Saluda grade. Then, turned down Holbert Cove rode (which was phenomenally beautiful and much more difficult than I had expected) turned on Silver Creek and came back up Green River Cove Rd. Total elevation—5,300 feet of climbing.  I am thrilled to have gotten in at least a couple good climbing rides before The Assault on Mt Mitchell, but am still concerned with my overall lack of mileage. Oh, well…we will see what happens.

running miles—-0

cycling miles—-80  + spin class

gym workouts—-3

Pisgah Bike’n’Hike

Graveyard Fields, in Pisgah National Forest, has always been one of my favorite locations for backpacking trips. The high valley, at around 5200 feet, has all of the makings of an incredible area for hiking and camping. Picturesque vistas and waterfalls abound, and the many summits in the area allow for some great excursions. It seemed only obvious that this should be the destination for my bike and hike adventure.

Saturday, I hit the road and headed up to Saluda, N.C to begin my ride. After some last minute studying of the route, I was off! My cycling circuit took me from Saluda to Flat Rock, then past Camp Kanuga and Penrose to Hwy 64. After leaving Flat Rock, the traffic subsided and I was able to fully enjoy the breathtaking scenery. The gray, overcast skies split open with the warmth of the sun. Rays of light forced their way through these breaking clouds, illuminating the vibrant colors of the lush vegetation. The road rose and fell over multitudes of rollers as it passed beautiful, dense forests and babbling creeks. An overgrown golf course, likely a victim of the economy, spanned miles of a valley. The newly sprouting trees and underbrush in this area made for unusually open views of the surrounding mountain peaks. I rode past numerous lakes, their banks thick with the green fresh growth of spring.

About 30 miles into my ride, I turned onto HWY 64 headed towards Brevard. This highway was fairly flat with a nice large shoulder/bike lane, allowing for a nice pace. I was able to make quick work of the next handful of miles leading to the entrance to Pisgah.

As I arrived at the entrance to Pisgah National Forest, I stopped into Backcountry Outdoors to refill my water bottles, buy some sunblock and hit the restroom. This is where the ride would truly begin. The climb to the Blue Ridge Parkway is ranked by Mapmyride as a Category 1 climb…with 2300 + feet over 11 miles. This would be my longest sustained climb ever.

I began the journey into the heart of Pisgah and the trend of the ride continued….absolutely stunning scenery. I enjoyed the pleasant flat section along the Davidson River, watching hordes of fly fisherman throw their flies into the shallows. Families frolicked in the grass and flowers surrounding each of the picnic areas. As I reached deeper into the National Forest, the gradient slowly grew steeper and steeper, relegating me to a crawl. Packs of motorcycles would speed by, banking through the turns and tossing a inspirational wave into the air. As I reached the top of 276, nearing the parkway, my legs found a zone…where a slow 5-6 mph pace just kept me chugging without reaching the anaerobic state.

Finally….the Blue Ridge Parkway! At this point I had reached 4700+ feet and the panoramic views greatly surpassed the fatigue in my legs. Around each bend and up and over each hill presented another incredible opportunity to look down toward the rivers and valleys below. My descending skills showed need of some serious work, as even the nicely graded hills and soft curves of the parkway were too much for me to navigate without substantial braking. At around 56 miles I began my last climb of the day…and undoubtedly the most difficult. The Parkway rose approximately 1000 feet in the last 3 miles of exposed, sweltering road. My eyes burned, sweat pouring from my saturated helmet across my face. Is that it? Is that the parking lot? I was relieved and ecstatic to pedal in just over 4 hours.

Less than 10 seconds after I arrived into the Graveyard Fields parking lot, my friends arrived to began the second part of the adventure. Perfect timing. We laughed at the fact that I had not even dismounted my bicycle yet and they had come driving up. Amazing. I inhaled some food that they had for me and relaxed in the grass before changing into my hiking clothes. After stashing my bike in the car and hoisting my pack onto my weary shoulders, we hiked into Graveyard Fields.

Fortunately, we had planned a quick hike in to a beautiful campsite along Yellowstone Prong creek. The campsite delighted my friends as we laid for a rest in it’s grassy, creek side splendor. Although only 15 minutes from the parking lot, this area gives the feel of a remote wilderness. The soil burned sterile by fires years ago, has only allowed a small number of grasses, trees and bushes to thrive. This low lying vegetation allows for incredible views of the surrounding 6000+ft balds.

Following our short respite, we hiked down to the Lower Falls for a dip in the swimming hole. This wonderful waterfall cascades down a number of boulders and granite slabs to its termination point in a large deep pool perfect for swimming. The cool water felt great on my worn out legs as I let my body temperature acclimate. I was amazed at how long I was able to stay in the water on a late April day!

Finally, headed back to camp and after some stove buffoonery, cooked a great meal. Sun dried tomatoes, portobello mushrooms, garlic, pine nuts and feta over orzo pasta was both flavorful and filling. We topped our bellies off with some camp margaritas and Bellringer and called it a night!

Early the following a.m. we awoke and packed up our camp. The skies were already a deep vivid blue with only a wispy cloud or two in sight. I mentioned to my fellow hikers that we must summit Black Balsam Knob, a 6200ft peak directly above our camp. Due to a time issue we decided to drive up the Parkway a couple miles to the base of the summit and begin our hike their. From this point it is only a mile or two of climbing up the ridge to the summit. The views did not disappoint. We were afforded a 360 degree sky, noting mountains as far as our own Hogback Mountain here in Tryon. What a breathtaking view!

This weekend was the perfect combination of effort and relaxation. I look forward to my next bike and hike!

Week of April 29th

Mon 4-23—- Lunchtime weight session at gym. Great workout. Still trying to get some kind of routine in the new YMCA. Evening fast 5 miler through the neighborhood. Was on a time crunch and was able to hold about a 7 minute mile throughout the run. Could definitely tell that I had not worked out over the weekend.

Tue 4-24—-Early a.m. spin class at YMCA. Really trying to get my money’s worth from this spin class and push myself relentlessly to the anaerobic state. Leslie’s powerflow yoga class after work. Jeez, this class crushes me. My abs and hamstrings never fail to scream at me the following days.

Wed 4-25—-Lunchtime weight session at gym. “globalbike” Cribbs group ride after work. Extremely organized recovery ride with about 30 folks. I don’t think I have ever seen fewer position changes on a group ride ever. Had a lot of fun chatting with folks, but really hope my schedule allows me more of the challenging Tues rides. 30 miles, 16.7 mph

Thur 4-26—-Early a.m. 5 miler through the neighborhood. Ugh…my legs have not been this fatigued in a while. Took it easy and walked a couple of times. Nice to shake it out first thing in the a.m., though.

Sat 4-28—-58 mile bike ride from Saluda N.C. to Graveyard Fields on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Incredible ride! approx 4800 feet of climbing…most of it in the last 20 miles. The climb from Brevard through Pisgah up to the Parkway is an 11 mile Category 1 climb! After reaching Graveyard Fields, I met with some friends and did a bit of backpacking and day hiking.

Sun 4-29—- A two mile trail run to try and find my missing sunglasses. :( no luck.  We then hiked the mile or so from Black Balsam parking lot to the summit at 6200 feet. Incredible vistas.

Running miles—-12 I am ok with letting this slip for the next couple weeks until the Assault

Cycling miles—- 88 + spin class

Gym workouts—-2 + power flow yoga class

Week of April 22nd

Mon 4-16—-Evening weight training at gym. First night open for the new YMCA. Super busy. Not very enjoyable in the workout room Lunchtime visits will definitely be the way to go. Felt great until I went into the bench press. Shoulder tweaked again. I think I am keeping my elbows to wide.

Tue 4-17—-Early a.m. spin class. Found out yesterday that I have an entry to the Assault on Mt Mitchell. Need some time in the saddle. I will be terribly undertrained for this event regardless, but am going to do all that I can.

Wed 4-18—-3.5 mile fast paced run through the neighborhood. Weight session at gym.

Thur 4-19—-6.1 mile early a.m. run through the ‘hood. 4 mile run in the evening with Nala.

Fri 4-10—-35 mile ride in the mountains. Rode by FENCE on Hunting Country Rd (what an amazingly beautiful area) and climbed Hogback Mtn and the Saluda grade. Approx 3500ft of climbing. The legs felt good considering it was my first climbing this year. Hope to get up there at least 3 or 4 more times before Mitchell.

Running miles—-13.5 miles

cycling miles—-35 + spin class

gym workouts—-2

I am going to scratch the swimming category for the time being. Just do not have the time right now. I hate that this weekend was a bust as far as working out, but we had a great time with friends and family.

Week of April 15th

mon 4-9—-Lunchtime weight session. Left shoulder has been bothering me a bit the last couple trips to the gym. May try to switch things up a bit to give it a rest. (182…jeez?)

tue 4-10—-Evening bikeworx group ride. OUCH. Very tough through the open zones. Extremely windy night with some really strong riders. I was able to hold on the about the 10th spot for the first two zones, but fell off the the final one up Whitestone Road. I really enjoy pushing myself to the limit in a fast group ride. Based on how my legs felt later in the evening and the next a.m….I could’ve pushed myself a bit more. Great time with dinner and drinks at Mellow Mushroom afterwards.

wed 4-11—-Early a.m. 10K tempo run through the neighborhood. Legs took a couple miles to loosen up, but felt great overall. The climbs were tough, but was still able to finish in under 45 minutes. Lunchtime weight session.

fri 4-13—-Afternoon 13 miler at croft. Ran the same “new” trail that I ran last Sunday with getting lost this time. Tried some off-trail exploring to find a route between trails to form a nice loop. Unsuccessful. I ended up on the CCHM course heading back to McFadden Road. Still ended up with a pleasant loop. About a mile from the car I kicked a root and had what was definitely my most intense fall ever while running. I laid motionless for a couple of minutes assessing my condition before standing to finish the run. Fortunately, scrapes and bruises were the only result.

sat 4-14—-Afternoon 5 mile run on the cottonwood with Nala.

sun 4-15—-5 ish mile run at Croft. Legs were not feeling it. Cut my run short and headed home.

running miles—-28 (going for 30+ this week)

cycling miles—-31

swimming—-0…YMCA opens today

gym workouts—-2

Week of April 8th

Mon 4-2—-Lunchtime weight session at gym

Tue 4-3—-Evening bike ride from bikworx. Great to get back into the faster paced rides….quick through the open zones, but slowed to allow everyone to reattach afterwards. 30 miles.

Wed 4-4—-Lunchtime weight session at gym

Fri 4-6—-12 mile trail run at Croft. Southside with High and Dry and Rock Creek added.

Sat 4-7—-3 mile run through the neighborhood to and from gym.

Sun 4-8—-13 mile trail run at Croft. Great exploratory run checking out some new trails that I will coin The Ghost trail and the Lake trail 2. So much fun to run through some new territory all whilst attempting to follow an extremly faint trail.

running miles—-28. starting to build a bit!

cycling miles—-30. don’t think the Assault on Mt Mitchell is in the cards for me this year.

swimming—-have not been motivated to get back into the pool. I will resume when the new YMCA opens.

gym workouts—-3