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Beautiful Weather for the Win This week we were blessed with mostly phenomenal weather and I was lucky enough to be able to spend quite a bit of time outside enjoying it. The temps were warm, but not hot, and the humidity kept its distance. Rain came in the evenings and the wind was mostly […]
100-Mile Gravel Grinder Nationals: About the Event This was our second time participating in a US Endurance Gravel Grinder Nationals or Mini G event. Two years ago my husband I endured a 48° day with heavy rain and high winds while participating in the 39-mile Mini G on our beloved gravel roads. Loudoun County’s gravel […]
Memorial Day As we enjoy time with family and friends over a three-day holiday weekend, it’s important to remember that Memorial Day is a day set aside to remember and honor our military members who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. These heroes gave the ultimate sacrifice defending our freedom. Overview of […]
Easy Week of Recovery With last Saturday’s Gravel Grinders Nationals 100-mile race behind me, it was time for a chill week to give my body some time to recover. My week included more time in the car than my body would have liked, but I countered that with lots of stretching. For exercise, I enjoyed: […]
Too Much Time Stressing Since registering 10 weeks ago for my first bike race, a 100-miler on gravel no less, it’s felt like I’ve spent every waking hour thinking about it. It’s been a long time since I’ve been competitive in an endurance event and I’m older now. Old people fret about everything! LOL In […]
Bike Tour of the Savannah Historic District As we made our way home from our Florida Coast to Coast tour, we spent two nights in Savannah, Georgia, a charming southern city neither my husband nor I had previously visited. Traveling with our bikes, it only made sense to tour the quaint historic city by bike, […]
Taper Mode After a 10-week training cycle, Saturday’s ride was to be our last mid-distance gravel ride before our big 100-mile race scheduled for this coming Saturday. Non-stop rain on Saturday had me changing gears and declaring that I was ready for the race, and a soggy and slippery ride wasn’t worth the risk. I […]
The W&OD Trail, a Longtime Friend I stopped during Saturday’s ride to chat with volunteers of the Friends of the W&OD Trail who had a tent set up celebrating the trail’s 50th anniversary. My husband and I have logged thousands of running and biking miles on the W&OD Trail over the years and enjoy supporting […]
~ Runfessions ~ A collection of statements admitting that one is guilty of a variety of running crimes… It’s time again to join in on the fun and clear my conscience of recent running, biking, fitness, nutrition, and life in general faux pas. I know I’ll feel better when I’m done, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll […]
Spring Time in Virginia I’d hoped the wind would settle down over the course of the week (but it didn’t) as the temperature rose bringing us mostly delightful, albeit breezy, spring weather. The animals, both wild and domestic, have been out in abundance so I’ve had to keep a watchful eye out for the unfenced […]
Overview of the Week Before getting into each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from this past week. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details… Sunday Cycling: 50 miles • Average speed: 11.9 MPH • Bike: Salsa Warbird • Surface: gravel • Elevation gain: 3,648 feet • Start time: 10:29 AM • […]
Dressing for Cold and Windy Days I don’t know about you, but I’m so over the wind (and rain), and ready for warmer weather. These cold windy days remind me of the first few weeks of high school track practice every spring. We didn’t have the wide range of athletic clothing choices back then so […]
Rough Draft to a Training Plan My husband and I have been researching various websites and YouTube channels of cycling experts while working on a training plan for our upcoming bike races and tours. I made a rough draft of a training plan several weeks ago that I’ve been loosely following and it seems that […]
Virginia Capital Trail AKA Cap to Cap Trail The Virginia Capital Trail, also known as the Cap to Cap Trail (C2C Trail), runs from Jamestown, Virginia’s first capital to Richmond, Virginia’s current capital. The scenic trail runs 51 miles (102 mile loop) past many historical sites, large open farmland, and small communities. In addition to […]
Spring Break with the Fam We spent six days in Richmond, VA for spring break. It worked as a good meeting point for our growing family and provided plenty of activities for all ages. Pablo lived his best life, joining us most days for hikes, visiting breweries, and outdoor lunches. My husband and I took […]
In My Happy Place Gardening was the theme of the week, or at least in my spare time and when it wasn’t raining. This time of year keeps me busy with spring cleanup before my lawn guy comes to spread mulch. I find working outside with my flowers and plants to be very therapeutic and […]
Training for a Bike Race As I mentioned in my last post, my husband and I registered for several spring, summer, and fall bike races and events. I’ve never raced on a bike, but it’s been a goal since I got back into cycling with more consistency in the summer of 2020. Don’t be impressed, […]
It’s time to sit down once again with a beverage of your choice and chat – I’ll remind you that I don’t like coffee or tea so my drink of choice today will be water. Let’s chat about things other than just running, cycling, strength training, yoga, and complaining about our most recent injuries. […]
One Neighbor’s Trash is Another Neighbor’s Treasure If plogging is the Swedish slang word coined by Erik Ahlström for picking up trash while jogging, I wonder what picking up trash while walking might be called. Whatever it might be, I did some of it this past week for both selfish reasons and to keep our […]
The Perfect Snowstorm I love snow and in the future if I could order up the perfect snowstorm, I’d request either Tuesday’s or Saturday’s and be quite happy. Both gave us beautiful snow covered trees and grass, but in both cases the roads stayed clear. Now that we’re on the downward slope of February, I’ve […]
