"Tri" it again

Been saying for about 10 years that "maybe this year I'll get back into triathlon"... well, I haven't signed up yet but I'm making more moves in that direction than I have in years!

This week is also leading up to Conquer the Rock 25k at Table Rock on Saturday morning, so the run mileage will be lower as a sort of "taper". 

Monday

1,000 yd swim

Yes, I got back in the pool for a swim workout for the first time in a decade! I went to the Greenville County Aquatic Complex and finally got myself a little 3-day pass to try out their lap lanes. I was not sure how it would go considering I have never been a great swimmer, but I actually felt pretty good and did a little workout of 8x 100 yd freestyle with 1 min rest in between. Now that I've gotten over the "this is new" anxiety, I'm excited to continue this progress!

I had to buy a pair of kids' goggles because I misplaced mine.
Still didn't let that stop me from showing up!

Tuesday

6.25 mi @ 8:54/mi

Got out early at Furman with Christy this morning. Chillier temps than expected but we did some fartlek-style speed intervals around the Mall. 

sub-7 average on most, not too bad!

4.05 mi @ 10:30/mi avg

Rockers Run Club and took it nice and easy since my Garmin watch has been yelling at me for the lack of "low aerobic activity". Guess it wasn't easy enough or there wasn't enough of it, but I'm still Unproductive.

Rude.

Wednesday

40 min strength training

Work gym at lunch, upper body and core work with some hip mobility added at the end.

15 mi @ 13.8 mph bike ride

Got an invite to join some Sparkle City friends at the Cowpens Battlefield for some sunset bike loops, and it was beautiful! Warmer weather and soon to be longer daylight hours will definitely have me returning here for some weeknight bike miles. The loop is ~3 miles around the battlefield and is closed to cars after 5pm - so nice and peaceful!

Thursday

3.23 mi @ 9:21/mi avg XC run

One loop on the work 5k course (backwards!) and it felt harder than it should. Tried to take it nice and easy but probably pushed the pace more than I should, especially considering it was over 70 degrees and I'm not used to running in any kind of heat! 

Friday

2.5 mi walks

Took 2 walks during the day, each a bit over a mile. Kept it nice and easy to prepare for a big day coming up Saturday!

Saturday

Conquer the Rock - Bear Crawl 25k - 16.1 mi in 4:26

Race Report 

Sunday

5.8 mi hike

Apparently I didn't get enough of Table Rock on Saturday, so decided on a recovery hike on Stool Mountain (the only trail the race didn't do). Thankfully the weather cooperated and we had a lovely hike! The clouds stayed away long enough to enjoy the views at the top, but they covered the sun so we didn't get baked.

Overall, an incredible week with a wide variety of activities! 🤩🤩

Race Report: Conquer the Rock - Bear Crawl 25k

This race has been on my list to tackle for a few years after seeing so many badass friends complete it, and this year I finally decided to go for it. Conquer the Rock consists of 2 races - the 25k is a single loop through the campground (paved) before diving into single-track around the lake, ascending Table Rock Trail out to the overlook, turns around and travels back along the Ridge Trail, up to the top of Pinnacle Mountain, then descends the Pinnacle Mountain trail back to the start/finish via the Mountain Laurel trail. The 50k goes back out and does it all over again (I selected the single-loop option). 

What a loop!

A few hills

I knew I wanted to take this slow to ensure I could make it through the entire race feeling decent. Got up to the race site in plenty of time, got parked, and got my chair and stuff settled with time to put my shoes on and finish half of my Bojangle's biscuit. Despite this being *only* a 25k, I still approached it more like an Ultra since I figured the duration would be more similar. Felt like the time went by quickly and the next thing I knew, we were off running through the campground, down the road, and towards the lake loop trail. 

This spectator sign got lots of giggles

The lake loop was a nice rolling loop to start off and get the legs warmed up. Climbed up next to the dam at the end of the lake, through the parking lot at the nature center, then the real effort started (approx 5k into the race at this point).

Almost immediately the trail begins to climb, and it feels like it just does.not.stop. for the next several miles up to Table Rock. Along this climb I started getting passed by much faster runners, and I was wondering how they'd all gotten so far behind. One that I know shouted "you guys went the wrong way!" and told us his watch was showing about 5.7 miles... mine was at 4.5. Oh no. 😩 Apparently almost 90% of the runners had missed a left turn that added a loop just after the nature center, and instead we all went straight up the mountain. Not wanting to short the course, I and a couple of runners nearby decided we would add an extra out-and-back somewhere along the way to make up the missed 1.2 miles. 

It was quite foggy

After the intersection at Ridge Trail, I made note of the distance (5.2 miles) and checked as we made our way up to Table Rock. Right after the Governor's Rock overlook my watch showed 5.8 miles... decided we'd go back and do that section again after making it all the way out to the Table Rock turnaround & back to the Ridge Trail. 

What a pretty overlook at Governor's Rock! 🫠

The rock scrambles were quite slow-going, but made it out to the Table Rock viewpoint to see... more clouds. No reason to dilly dally there! 

So about-face we all went and back towards Ridge Trail. At the Ridge Trail intersection, turned back to go up to Governor's Rock once more (with feeling!) and got lots of confused looks at the people we'd already passed once. 

Finally back to the intersection and progressed along the Ridge Trail. My memories of this trail from many years ago had forgotten how hilly this was! Good grief, it felt like it never stopped climbing, and I wasn't even at the actual Pinnacle Mountain yet. This was mostly a power walk/hike instead of a run. The actual split of the trail to go up to Pinnacle happens with probably less than a half mile left to the summit.

Peak #2 of the day!

Fun fact: Pinnacle Mountain is the tallest mountain contained entirely within the state of South Carolina. 

After that, it was mostly downhill and runnable, but after all that climbing the legs were definitely tired! Brief appreciation of the Bald Knob overlook...

Don't go straight!

Random sites along the descent...

Knobby tree

Wildflowers 💮

Along the final bit of the trail, I could hear the music and announcements from the finish line funneling through the valley, which made it seem closer than it was! Those final miles seemed long but also I felt pretty good energy-wise knowing it was almost done. At last the trail pops out onto the road where we started and a quick hill sprint finished the loop!

Turns out I was the 3rd in my age group so immediately was announced and given my award and finisher medal. 

16.1 miles in 4h 26m

WHEW what a run, I felt happy with my performance and also very glad that I didn't have to go out and do it all over again. 😂

I miss this blog

I was reading back over some older blog entries from 2-4 years ago and realized how much I miss having this daily/weekly accountability for staying on target and active. Reading back over the daily struggles (and successes!) of getting in workouts, even small "insignificant" ones, actually motivated me today (Monday morning, 2/23/26) to get out for a run with Ivy despite it being 27 degrees and my legs being sore still from Saturday's race. 

So here's my re-attempt at some daily training recaps... we'll see how long this lasts. 

First off, need to record a recap of a couple of recent events. 

Tybee Critz Runfest

Dam to Dam Relay

Also, some of the upcoming events in the next few months:

3/7  Conquer the Rock 25k (trail run at Table Rock)

3/21  Milliken Earth Run 5k (I'm race director)

4/3-4/5  The Country Mile 48hr (distance goal tbd)

4/11  Ville to Ville Relay

Monday

Did: 3.1 mi pup run

I took the motivation of "dang, I used to do so much more" from reading back through old blogs, and I got Ivy out for a few miles on the new Gold Line of the Swamp Rabbit Trail after I dropped D off at school. Was there pressure to just get back and get to work? Yes. Was there demotivation of being sore and cold? Yes. But I went anyway and I'm so so happy I did. It wasn't a killer workout by any stretch, but just getting a few more miles on a week when I know have limited availability (solo kiddo and dog duty) really makes an impact.

Pretty sunrises

Ivy loves this weather for running!

Tuesday

6.3 mi @ 9:24/mi XC trails

Decided to take 10k Tuesday to the XC trails at work at lunch today to help with some off-road training in prep for Conquer the Rock in a couple of weeks. I know I haven't done nearly enough hill climbing or technical running to prepare for that race, so it will be a sufferfest. But it's a gorgeous place to run so I will be thankful for that and enjoy it!

Wednesday

1.2 mi pup walk

Walked with Ivy at lunch during a work from home day. Sun was nice but it was a bit breezy!

Had intended to do some strength training but didn't get around to it and ended up feeling unwell in the evening. 

Thursday

unrecorded pup walk, but mostly rest

Considered a workout or a run, but after the evening illness I decided a rest day was the smartest idea (grumble grumble). 

Friday

7.01 mi @ 8:35/mi avg 

Long Friday lunch run in the rain! After 2 days of not running and knowing Saturday wouldn't have any chances for runs, I decided a long lunch was needed to knock these miles out. Looped through USC Upstate (hills!) and then out and back on the frontage road after deciding I was in range and felt good enough to get to 7. Super happy with this, felt like I was getting "back on the horse" after a couple days being kicked down.

2.1 mi pup walk at baseball practice

Ah yes, baseball season is upon us once more so I'm doing loops around the field with the pup while little man practices. I would have walked more, but Ivy (who had been at daycare all day) decided she wanted to just sit. 

Saturday

3.4 mi ruck hike w/ 20# (and kid and dog)

Took the kiddo and pup up to the Blue Wall Preserve for a ruck hike. It was such a beautiful day, started off chilly but was sunny and warm by the time we finished!

Perfect mirror of Hogback Mtn

Sunday

7.02 mi @ 9:50/mi avg

I guess the theme for this week is 7-mile runs?? This one took much easier than the Friday run, and boy it felt amazing! My Garmin has been telling me I'm "unproductive" and need more lower-aerobic activities in my regimen, so that was the goal for today. It was one of those runs where I felt like I could have happily trotted around for another hour in the sunshine. Just perfect!

Hints of springtime!

75 min yoga w/ Kimmie @ Greenville Yoga

Happened to see a fb post about a community yoga class at Greenville Yoga and couldn't pass up the opportunity to take one of Kimmie's classes again - it has been years! This class was just what I needed - the right pace, meditation, and sense of belonging. Bonus: D got to go with me, and he did great 🥰

Ending the week feeling positive and energized. A little over 23 miles run, which is not bad for having a couple off days and not really having a long run on the weekend. 

Dam 2 Dam Relay

Got to join a fun group of friends that usually do the Blue Ridge Relay for a shorter one-day adventure at the Dam to Dam Relay! This is a similar style even to the Ville to Ville Relay that I do just about every year, in that it's a shorter distance and all done in one day (vs. the 200+ mile overnight versions). The race started at the Lake Murray dam and runs relay-style over ~100k between 12 legs to the Lake Greenwood dam. 

I decided to be runner #1 for our team, so I got to start out in the dark at 6:15am from the Lake Murray dam. It was oddly humid and warm, and though there were predicted scattered storms for the day I stayed dry!

Start line!

Team pic!

My first leg was supposed to be 5.5 miles mostly along the sidewalk on a 4-lane highway. It was dark and I was able to hang on with a couple of other runners who were doing a decent pace. Skirted the edge of Lexington, SC and finished feeling pretty good!

5.36 mi @ 8:25/mi avg

Second leg went over the Saluda River on the western side of Lake Murray, and was again pretty nice. The temperatures had oddly cooled off a good bit, so it was nice and comfortable to run. Thankfully I avoided the downpours that happened in the earlier morning!

6.04 mi @ 8:15/mi avg

Handoff from Natalie

Starting off

Over the Saluda

Was really pleased with being able to do my second leg a good bit faster than the first! Both legs were slower than I'd stated would be my estimate but ah well, the rest of the team made up for it.

Finish Line beers

Winners!

We were excited to learn we'd placed first in the Mixed Masters division! Our total time of 8hrs 35mins (average 8:06 pace) was just 16 minutes in front of the second place team, so we didn't have much room to spare. 

Overall a long but very fun day!!