Skeleton Gorge Hike - Cape Town

 

After a lot of sitting and no exercise for five days, I was searching for something adventurous that we could do for our last day in South Africa. As we were flying back to Cape Town from Johannesburg, I was searching for run routes in Cape Town. I really wanted to visit the Botanical Gardens so when I came across a hike description inside the gardens, I knew this would be perfect for us. 

"The Skeleton Gorge is a moderate hike with a steep ascent from the start to the end and a couple of tricky climbs (on the way down) over rocks and boulders."

We took an uber from the Cape Town airport to our hotel (Best Western) and arrived just before 11pm on Friday evening. We collected our suitcases that we dropped off on Monday morning before we left for our Safari and kept the bikes in the luggage storage. We also paid $30 for a late checkout (6pm) since our flight back to the US was not leaving until 10pm on Saturday. The staff was incredibly nice and the hotel had a mediterrean vibe to it. 

We were pretty tired when we arrived to our room as we had been up since 5am for our 3-hour Safari. Plus a 5 hour drive, 2 hour flight.....we were ready for bed. 

We slept as late as we could but woke up to rainy and windy conditions. I was a bit bummed as I had planned the hike for us so we were hopeful it would pass. 

We had breakfast at the hotel (which was included in the room rate) and it was amazing. So much fresh fruit! We worked on the computer for a bit and then around 9am we decided to take the chance and go to the gardens as the rain had stopped. 

We got an Uber to take us the 6 miles to the gardens. We were told by many people to take the Ubers instead of Taxi as they are more reliable and safe. Well, a few miles later, we we pulled over by the police. 

We learned that many uber drivers do not have the permits to drive but they can still register with the Uber app. When we were pulled over, the cop nicely explained this to us and told us that the drivers car would be impounded. We opted to walk the mile to the gardens instea of having the police drive us. It was a strange situation that left us with mixed emotions. On one hand we were shocked that Uber drivers could be registered with the app despite not having permits but we were also sad for the driver. During our driver, we learned that this driver is from Congo and works for a few months before traveling back to his home country to visit his family. I'm sure he knew what he was doing was wrong but he likely did not have many other options for work. We also learned from other locals that there's a lot of coropution with the government and the president which makes many situations unfair for the locals. 

Around 10am we arrived to the gardens and paid R210 (~$11) per person to enter. If you love plants and nature, I highly suggest visiting this place. "Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is acclaimed as one of the great botanic gardens of the world." You could spend at least a full day exploring the grounds and then more time hiking on the trails. 

We started our hike and within a few minutes, we knew this would be an adventure. This was the craziest hikes we have ever done and it was absolutely perfect for us. It was more like an obstacle course. The trail wasn't too busy when we were hiking as the cloudy/rainy weather likely worked in our favor but the downside was that the conditions were not ideal for us to keep hiking past the sandy lake on top of the mountain. We got in around 4 miles round trip and it was the most fun we have ever had hiking. 

Here's a video of our adventure. 

After returning back from the hike, I was a bit nervous to get another uber but thankfully, this guy had a permit. There was no way to know if a driver had a permit as we never saw any cars with the Uber sticker on the car but this driver explained the situation to us after we told him what happened to us earlier that morning. 

After warming up from being wet and cold, we walked a mile through the Company’s Garden and several busy streets to eat lunch at BAR DE TAPAS LA PARADA. The restaurant was in a great location as we walked through many interesting streets filled with bars, restaurants and shops. Karel had a chicken burger and I had a Mediterranean salad with potato wedges. It was delicious.

We then walked through the streets to check out the local scenes (trying not to get blown away with the extreme 50+ mph winds) and went back to our hotel at 4:30pm. We were hoping to get some work done before heading to the airport at 6pm but it was load shedding so the internet wasn’t working.

We had a great conversation with the (complimentary free) hotel shuttle driver who drove us to the airport at 6pm. We arrived a bit early to the airport so the kiosk was closed but we were first in line to check in. It was good that we arrived early as there was a long line for customs to leave Cape Town and to go back to the US. We then spent some time in the lounge to get some work done before a 16 hour flight back to ATL.

And now our trip to South Africa comes to an end. We enjoyed our two weeks in this incredible and interesting country. It was another life changing race cation including three things that we love: cycling in new places, learning about the local culture and exploring nature.
Thanks for following along.

Holiday wrap up

 

As small business owners, we don't get time off for the holidays. Karel has been extremely busy with bike fits and I have had several nutrition consults. Alongside coaching, we have been rather busy lately. 

But we have been able to carve out a bit of playtime out in nature. 

On Friday, we drove to Dupont and parked at Fawn Lake access area. For my first official mountain bike ride, Karel took me on several trails and I had so much fun. With each trail, my skills improved. And if I struggled or found myself scared and unclipping, I would go back and practice again. Karel would stop and help me find the best line to take around/on limbs and rocks and he would also show me how to execute certain skills. It was so much fun and I really enjoyed myself out in nature, on my mountain bike (well, Karel's old mountain bike).

We rode for around 2:40, covered 19 miles and accumulated over 2400 feet elevation gain. I really loved being in the forest and having to navigate through water crossings, over/down limbs and rocks and tight turns. After the ride we went for a ~2 mile off-road run. I could not stop smiling as I had so much fun for almost 3 hours. 

After our morning adventure, Karel finished up the cooking for our traditional Czech Xmas dinner on the 24th. The staples include potato salad made w/ shredded celery root, parsnips and carrots, along with peas and topped with hard boiled eggs. Instead of carp (fish) soup, Karel uses Tilapia and fries it. He made tofu for me (fried). We also had Vánočka (Christmas bread) which is similar to Challah bread. Karel made the dough (with almonds and raisins) and I braided it. Karel also made gingerbread cookies and caraway and cheese "breadsticks." Everything turned out so delicious! 

On Saturday, Karel and I went for a late morning run at Furman (the weather was amazingly warm!) and then we drove to Saluda to meet up with our friends Don and Kathleen who were visiting. We hiked the Little Bradley Falls Trail.

The trail was a little less than 2 miles round trip and it included several water crossings. It was a beautiful day but with it being Christmas, the trail wasn't too busy. Although Campy is not as agile as he used to be, he did great on the hike. Karel carried him over the water crossings. We enjoyed a beautiful waterfall at the end of the trail. Campy is getting older so we try to make as many memories with him as we can. 

After the hike, we drove to Lake Lure and had a wonderful dinner prepared by Kathleen. She made spicy carrot soup, mushroom wellington and asparagus w/ couscous. It was all so good. It was great to enjoy some time together as they were vacationing and it had been a few months since we all hung out. 

On Sunday, the weather could not have been more perfect for a bike ride. 70-degrees meant short sleeves and shorts for a 3-hour, 50-mile ride. We rode with the GVL WBL (Greenville Winter Bike League) group for the unofficial Christmas ride. It was an absolutely beautiful route and I enjoyed riding on new roads that I had never seen before! It's crazy that after 7 years living here, we still discover new cycling routes! The ride was a very easy/chill pace which was nice to be able to socialize and just enjoy the scenery. After the ride, I couldn't resist a run off the bike as the sun was so warm and I wasn't ready to stop my workout. It's incredible how much the weather can boost the mood. These warm days make all the struggles during the cold days worth it! 

We hope that you enjoyed your holiday. Don't forget to make time for yourself. You deserve to "play" in nature. 

Hiking in the Smokies: Spruce Flats Falls

 

After our strenous 8-mile hike on Tuesday, we opted for a low key hike on Wednesday. However, this hike was far from low key as it was absolutely stunning when we arived to the waterfall. We arrived to the parking lot around 10am (after getting a little lost - we drove right by the parking lot and didn't realize it until a few miles later on a packed gravel road). The hike to the falls took us 37 minutes. We took our time to enjoy the views. It took us 28 minutes to return to the parking lot. The trail was very quiet (not overcrowded with people) and not too technical. The last 0.3 miles were actually downhill (and a little rugged with rocks) as we approached the falls. This was the only technical area. When we arrived to the waterfall, there were only 2 other people there so it was practically our own little oasis. We spent 30 minutes at the falls - taking pictures, eating a snack and Karel took a dip in the lagoon. I loved this waterfall as the sun was peaking through the trees and casted a beautiful glow on the pool of water under the falls. The water was not as cold as it was at Ramsey Cascades waterfall - Karel said the water was refreshing. There were several places to sit and enjoy the falls. By the time we left the falls, it was getting rather busy with families, so we timed it right. I really enjoyed all of the trees with exposed roots and the scenic view that surprised us around midway. It took us 65 minutes to hike the 1.4 miles and with a 30 minute stop to enjoy the falls, we spent around 1 hour and 35 minutes on this trail. This is a popular area for tubbing so if you enjoy that type of activity (or have kids) be sure to look into tubing in the Townsend area. There are also a lot of quaint shops around the Townsend area and it's much less touristy compared to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg. We really enjoyed the drive to Townsend/Tremont from our cabin in Sevierville. Quick Stats:
Name of trail: Spruce Flats Falls (located in Tremont)
Waterfall: Yes (along with a pool-like lagoon on the bottom)
Distance: 1.4 miles round trip
Parking: Paved parking lot at the Great Smoky Mountain Institute (the parking lot was closed due to COVID but there was another paved parking lot across the street). 
Elevation gain: ~800 feet 
Difficulty: Moderate, not too technical 

Here are some pictures of our 1.4-mile hike. To learn more about the Spruce Flats Falls, check out this link.

Smoky Mountain vacation - recap

This was the week when we were planning to board a plane to kick off our 5-week trip to Europe. One week of participating in the Haute Route Alps (7-day cycling tour), followed by one week of sightseeing off the beaten path and finishing our trip with a few weeks in and around Karel's hometown of Znojmo, Czech Republic to celebrate his dad's 80th birthday. This trip was over a year in the planning and we were really looking forward to our time in Europe. Although our trip was cancelled, we still felt like a vacation was in order. This vacation served a few different purposes but most of all, it was an opportunity to check out of our normal routine of swimbikerun and enjoy different sights and a lot of nature. We choose the Smoky Mountains because it was logistically close for driving but far enough away to feel like we were taking a "trip." It was also a location that neither of us have been to together (funny enough - Karel and I both discovered that we were both in Gatlinburg in the winter of 2003 and we didn't even know each other then!)

Karel and I  rarely take vacations that don't involve swimming, biking and running. Our last vacation (that didn't involve a race) was five years ago. We tried our best to embrace this change in our normal routine and slow down a bit. 

Removing our daily lifestyle of swimming, biking and running meant an opportunity to do a different activity that we both enjoy - hiking! For Karel, hiking is not a slow and leisure activity. He stops to enjoy the views but he hikes on a mission - much like how he runs ;) I am usually following behind as I can never keep up with his pace. But we both enjoy stopping at the sights that we see along the way. 

If you are considering a trip to the Smoky Mountains, here are some tips from our recent trip:

Where to stay

I was not familiar with the area so I booked a place on Airbnb in Seviervielle, TN (blue circle). Prior to booking, I chose this place because it was pet friendly (for Campy), had a beautiful view, was reasonably priced for peak season and was located between Townsend and the Smoky Mountain National park - which were two areas that we wanted to visit. However, if I had to book again, I would have booked a place in Gatlinburg (red circle) closer to US-441 S. We had a ~50-75 min drive to most of our hikes so staying a little closer would have knocked off some driving time. 

Cost
Aside from lodging, groceries and gas (~2.5 hour drive), this was a fairly inexpensive trip for us. We spent around $50 during our week stay. This included a tour to the Tuckaleechee Caverns in Townsend and an overly priced parking spot in downtown Gatlinburg. We brought a cooler of groceries with us (and a few prepared meals) and made two small shops at Kroger during our vacation. We didn't eat out but did purchase a few small grocery items at a local mass general store. 

Hiking
There are so many hikes in and around the Gatlinburg area. It was difficult to decide which ones to select during our short Sun-Sun, 7-day stay (well - more like 6 days as we came home a day early as it poured all day on Saturday). I used Alltrails.com, Hiking in the Smokys website and the National Park Service website (along with a few recommendations from friends) to plan our hikes. Here are the hikes that we went on:
Monday: Gatlinburg trail at the Sugarland Vistor Center (the only dog friendly trail in the area)
Tuesday: Ramsey Cascades Trail 
Wednesday: Spruce Flats Falls
Thursday: Tuckaleechee Caverns (not a true hike)
Friday: Alum Cave trail to Mt Leconte

The Gatlinburg trail was a nice hike with Campy. It had beautiful views of the Little Pigeon river. We arrived late morning and the parking lot was busy. However, the trail itself was very quiet as most of the tourists were on the hiking trails (which were not pet friendly) to the waterfalls. We made it about 1/2 mile before the sky opened up and it poured on us. Being the amateur hiker that I am, I didn't even think about bringing rain jackets for us (travel fail!). Karel ran back to the car to get an umbrella and we ventured on another 1/2 mile until we decided to turn around. Campy was not impressed with his only hike and the first day of our vacation was a wet one. 

I'll recap the other hikes in future blogs - stay tuned.

There were plenty more hiking trails for us to visit but we wanted to avoid large crowds and pace ourselves with the hiking terrain and distances. 

Lessons learned 

• We wanted to check out downtown Gatlinburg as we both visited the area (not together) in the past but had vague memories of the area. This was a bit of a letdown as it was very touristy and commercialized, a bit overwhelming. We wore our masks, checked out a few stores (which were more or less all the same) and walked up and down the street. It was a very hot day and we probably could have done without this adventure to downtown. 
• As I mentioned above, I should have booked a place closer to the hiking trails. 
• Bring a rain jacket! 
• I made the mistake of assuming that the trails were pet friendly. This is why we brought Campy (so he could enjoy the vacation with us). Although he had no trouble sleeping throughout the morning while we were out and about, it would have been fun to make more memories with Campy. 
• I am glad we didn't bring our bikes as I would have been a bit stressed trying to find safe and quiet biking routes. I found one pool but didn't want to mess with the hassle of reserving a lane while on vacation. Running the trails would have been a lot of fun but we wanted to give our bodies a break from the pounding. 

Final thoughts
We finished the vacation rejuvinated and exhausted. Our work never takes a vacation so we dedicated the morning hours to hiking and then worked throughout the afternoon. We only set an alarm on Friday (to get to the trailhead before it got busy) so it was nice to reset the body without an alarm clock (or a hungry kitten and senior cat demanding breakfast at 5:46am every morning). I'm sure this place is stunning in the fall with all the colors of the leaves on the trees. It was rather hot and humid at times but we also had a few rain showers which cooled things off. 

Here are some pictures from the start of our trip: 

Appreciative of the long run

After a very tough 1:45 trainer session on Saturday morning, we ventured out to the Pretty Place Chapel so Karel and his mom could enjoy the beautiful view of the mountains. We then we went back to Triple Falls so they could see the covered bridge and high falls. The weather was a bit chilly compared to the last time we hiked but the trails were so quiet in the afternoon - it made for a peaceful afternoon in nature. We made a quick stop at the Flat Rock Bakery for some fresh bread (and a pepermint brownie - yumo) before heading back home. As always, Campy loved his afternoon adventure and slept the entire car ride home.

On Sunday morning I had my longest training run in a very long time. I still get a bit of apprehension and worry on the day/night before a run. But with a good amount of time spent warming up with strength/mobility before each run, I am gaining more confidence and trust with my body.

My run was not the typical "long run" of going out and running for 95 minutes straight but instead, it included a bit of EZ, hills, tempo, aerobic and intensity. Let's just say it had a bit of everything.

WU: 10 min EZ + 10 min aerobic

Pre set:
3x (15/30/45 sec strong hill running w/ an EZ jog down between)

MS:
30 min aerobic running (holding ~140 HR)

PS:
4 x 2 min tempo (strong) w/ 1 min EZ between

CD:
15 min aerobic running (holding ~140 HR)

While I did find myself "wishing" I was faster during the aerobic running, I had a little self-talk with myself and stopped my negativity and reminded myself how grateful and thankful I am to be running injury free (and feeling so strong and efficient while running).

At the end of the run, while driving to the airport to pick up an athlete who traveled to us for a bike fit + swim assessment, I reminded myself of a recent/timely blog post that I wrote on comparison.

It's often said that comparison is the thief of joy. In other words, social comparison is a big part of how we determine our own level of happiness.

If you find yourself in a daily competition with the achievements of others or a past version of yourself, it's time to direct your energy elsewhere. Start caring about the things and people in life that are meaningful and purposeful to you.

Life is filled with sadness, stress, pain, disappointments, insecurities, anxiety or depression. It doesn't matter who you are, life can be tough. However, this idea that life is far from perfect is far from the picture-perfect life that is often depicted on social media. While you may envy over someone's highlight real, you never know what the behind-the-scene moments look like.

I encourage you to have less comparison to others and more compassion toward yourself.

Although it is inspiring and motivating to see the success stories of others, do not let the triumphs of someone else trump your own personal accomplishments and achievements.

Thankful for Thanksgiving

We were spoiled with amazingly beautiful weather over the past four days in Greenville, SC. With family in town (and my mom living a mile away), we combined our love of physical activity + nature + food with the Thanksgiving holiday. Oh, and Campy was part of almost all of it!

For a change of scenery and terrain, we decided to do our Thanksgiving day workout at Lake Summit. Because this 9-mile run loop is about 30 minutes away, we rarely make the drive to Tuxedo, NC to run on the gravel road that wraps around the lake (with a short section on the paved road). But with the Thanksgiving holiday, we ventured out to get closer to nature.

It was a fairly aerobic run with a few hard efforts to get up the hills. It was also a bit windy but overall the temperature was perfect in the low 50's. Karel is much faster than me when he runs so we each did our own thing (while listening to triathlon-related podcasts on our wireless earphones) and Karel would loop back for me here and there. 

While we ran, Karel's mom took Campy for an out and back walk. She really enjoys walking Campy and Campy loves to be outside. After his 75-minute walk, Campy was pooped and napped the entire drive home. 

After we got home, I finished up the brussels sprouts and pomegranate salad that I made for Thanksgiving (I'll share the recipe tomorrow) and a few hours later (around 2:30pm), it was time for us to head over to my mom's house for the Thanksgiving dinner. 

I celebrated my 27th Thanksgiving as a vegetarian and like each year in the past, my plate was loaded with color, yumminess and plant-based foods. From left to right, mashed sweet potatoes, my brussels sprouts salad, roasted veggies, cranberry sauce, tempeh in the middle, stuffing (not cooked inside the bird and made with vegetarian gravy) and a slice of bread with brie. Not pictured was a slice of Challah bread that Karel's mom made. And for dessert, I had a small bite of pumpkin pie and ice cream (I prefer bread-type desserts over pies and cookies but the pumpkin pie was homemade and you can't beat homemade desserts that are prepared with love). 

As per tradition, Campy joined us for his 11th Thanksgiving dinner. He always finds himself a place at a the table before the humans sit down to eat. Lucky Campy even got offered wine from my uncle. Campy declined - he's only 12 yrs old :-)

After we finished our dinner, Campy got his plate (tradition) of turkey, veggies and potatoes. It was consumed in less than 30 seconds. We all finished the day with very happy bellies. 

On Friday, my family planned a short hike at Triple Falls at DuPont State Forest. My mom is in a hiking club (with Olli at Furman) so every Thursday (and sometimes twice a week) she goes to different places with her hiking group. I was excited to see somewhere new as we haven't explored a lot of hiking routes in our beautiful area of Greenville, SC (we typically just see sights via bike).

Since the location where we were hiking was on one of our biking routes, Karel and I decided to bike to Dupont to meet my family around 11am. We left at 8:30am and managed to arrive before they did. It was a 34 mile road trip but we rode a few more miles around the area while waiting for my family to arrive by car. It was a perfect morning for a ride as it was cool and cloudy but not too cold. Our route took us over Caesar's Head - a 6.5 mile climb/~2100 feet elevation gained. It was a hilly ride to Dupont (a little over 4000 feet elevation gain in 2.5 hours) but it was a great way to spend the morning. After a quick change (we had bags/food in the car), we ventured out on the trails. The trail was a bit busy but it was great to see so many people outside on Black Friday. 

Karel was only able to hike for about an hour as he had to get back home for a scheduled bike fit with an athlete later in the afternoon. He took his mom back so Campy and I stayed with the rest of my family. The hike was around 4.22 miles total and we saw two beautiful waterfalls. The weather was incredible - it actually got really warm! 

Campy was (mostly) on his best behavior as there was a lot of stimulation with all the people and so so so many dogs. 

After the hike, we drove to Pretty Place. We have lived in Greenville, SC since 2014 and this was my first time seeing the magnificent view! Karel still hasn't seen it. I'm sure we will bike up there together one of these days. Since Karel took the bikes back in our car (which was driven to the hike by my uncle), I rode with my mom, aunt, uncle and two others. It was a tight squeeze but we made it work. We had a picnic lunch at Pretty Place and soaked in the view. 

After the ride, I had an icelandic yogurt and a few figs (and a poppyseed pastry made by Karel's mom). Then for lunch, I had a banana and PB&J sandwich (made on homemade bread, by Karel's mom). It was all delicious!

Then we made one last stop to the overlook at Caesar's head. I can't get enough of this view. It never gets old.

We had leftovers for dinner on Friday evening and then it was early to bed for me. I was toast. I managed to sleep 10 hours on Friday evening and I needed every minute of it!

On Saturday morning, Karel and I went to Furman for a swim workout at 9:30am. After the 3900 yard swim, we did a good 30-minute strength session at the gym. We then had lunch (Karel's mom is spoiling us - we will be sad to see her go in a week!) and went to downtown Greenville with my family. It was great to see so many people in our lovely downtown for Small Business Saturday. Our award winning downtown has over 100 shops and boutiques and restaurants spread over several blocks of walkable tree-lined streets. 

Although we didn't make it to our favorite run store - Run In - we were there earlier in the week to pick up new shoes and a few other small items. I was happy to see that my two books are making their way off the shelves! Thanks for the support Run In!!

While walking in downtown, Campy helped me look for the Mice on Main. 

Our downtown is very dog-friendly. You can bring your dog into almost every store and even a few food-serving stores. There are dog bowls everywhere and an all-around feel for a love of dogs. 

Karel managed to find himself some croissants which he quickly enjoyed with his mom. We picked up Happy and Hale for dinner and then ate at our place with my family. After my family left around 6:30pm, Karel and I had to get some work done until we went to bed around 9pm. Another busy, productive and active day.

As for Sunday, we kept this day a bit more chill. Well, our bike/run workout was incredibly challenging and exhausting but the rest of the day didn't include any family activities - just time at home to get some work done and watch the Ironman World Championship NBC Coverage. Campy finally got a well-needed recovery day from all of his outings and adventures.

Thanks for reading. We hope you had a great weekend!

A Greenville Thanksgiving

I have a lot of great memories of Thanksgiving with my family. Being with my dad, mom and brother (and often extended family) was a special time for it wasn't that often that we would all be together at the table. Since my dad passed away in May 2014, I find myself thinking of all the laughs, good food and memories that we made together as a family on Thanksgiving.

This year was low key for me and Karel. With my mom out of town, we joined the family of my friend (and swimming partner) Kristen for delicious food, stories and laughs. Kristen use to race as a professional Ironman triathlete back in the late 90's so I had a lot of fun scrolling through her scrap books as she reminisced about her past Ironman/triathlon days. 

I yummed over my Thanksgiving plate - it was filled with color and just enough (but not too much) food to leave me satisfied and feeling good in my belly. Pictured above is mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, a wild rice mix with cranberries and my pomegranate kale mango salad. This is my 26th Thanksgiving as a vegetarian. 

Per tradition, Campy had his Thanksgiving plate. He scarfed it down in a minute and then asked for seconds. 

On Friday morning, I was itching to get outside on my road bike. With the temps barely over 30 degrees, Karel was not keen on this idea. However, he agreed to join me for nearly 3 hours. I don't think the temps got over 32 degrees but luckily we live in a very hilly area so we had plenty of punchy hills to increase our body temp. We managed ~3000 feet elevation gain in 2:46 (43 miles). Karel was grumpy about the cold weather so I made us some homemade teff banana bread when we got home. The roads were empty so it was a perfect morning to be outside - even though it was super cold. 

On Saturday morning, Kristen joined us for a 4000 yard swim at Furman. Anytime we swim with Kristen we know we will have a tough workout as she is super speedy in the water. This was the first time in a while that I felt good in the water so I was really happy with my start to the day. Karel also swam really well and was keeping up with me for the 100's (1:20 down to 1:16).

In the early afternoon, Karel and I headed out for our "long" run. We didn't run together but left around the same time. I went out on my favorite route that starts on rolling hills in the country and finishes on the Swamp Rabbit Trail through Traveler's Rest. I included a few 10 minute steady efforts after my warm-up and finished with smooth, form focused running. Surprisingly, I felt good and found a good rhythm as I listened to triathlon podcasts. 

As I was finishing my run through Traveler's Rest, I noticed that there were a lot of tents set up for Small Business Saturday. I wanted to check them out so as soon as I got home, I had a recovery shake, grabbed Campy (and Karel) and we drove a few miles down the road to check out the local small business vendors. We picked up a few items to give away as holiday gifts. Campy enjoyed a lot of butt rubs and two bags of dog biscuits. 

Since moving to Greenville in May 2014, we have tried to make it a habit to take advantage of all the outdoor activities that Greenville has to offer us in the fall. However, we seem to fail at this habit every year....until this year. We are finally sticking to our plan to hike more in the fall and to enjoy more non-triathlon activities in the fall/winter. While we are still dedicated to our triathlon training, we are making room for those extra activities to keep us outside, enjoying nature. And of course, we can't pass up an opportunity to make memories with Campy. 

Around 9am, we left our house (with our friends/neighbors Tim and Joey) to head to Jones Gap State Park to hike Rainbow Falls. 

It was a perfect day for hiking as it was sunny and in the upper 40's to low 50's. The only downside was the mud/rain that collected on the ground after a downpour on Friday evening. Thankfully, this was only a problem for the first 1/2 mile and then the route cleared up. 

This is a very technical hike that works the quads and the calves with lots of traversing over trees, stairs, rocks and debris. 

In total, this 4.85 mile hike took us 2 hours and 35 minutes. The hike goes uphill to the waterfall and then downhill back to the parking lot. We accumulated 3750 feet of elevation gain according to Karel's Garmin. 

The time passed by as we chatted our way up the hike and marveled over the beautiful sights as we hiked up the mountain. 

Campy was a true sport as he hiked the entire way up and down, jumping over rocks, trees and wooden stairs. I only carried him through a few water sections where he didn't quite understand how to jump on the rocks. His approach was to walk through the cold water. At the age of 11 years, Campy continues to impress us with his endurance, strength and tenacity. 

Because of the recent rain, the waterfall was rushing. It was a beautiful sight and well worth the technical climb up the mountain.  

Thankful for nature, our good health, friends and family, a roof over our head, access to healthy food and clean safe drinking water and Campy. 

Campy is thankful for a bed, blanket and a warm fire. 

It's time to slow down

Although my last triathlon was Ironman Wisconsin in early September, since returning home from Kona, Hawaii on October 17th, I've done little structured triathlon training. I did, however, participate/race in two events (Hincapie Gran Fondo on 10/21 and the Spinx Half Marathon on 10/27) over the last two weekends in October just to use some of my leftover fitness as my mind and body still wanted to race. While I did keep up with structured swim sessions until Karel raced Ironman Florida on 11/4 (moral support :), it feels like forever ago when I had workouts in my Training Peaks.

Over the past twelve years, I've given myself all different types of an off-season break. I've failed at many and have succeed at several. I've learned that taking "too long" of break didn't work for me (4-6 weeks) but return too soon (1-2 weeks) and well, that didn't work either. In reflection on what worked or didn't work, I think about the season that followed. When I think about when I best peaked for my races, how easy/hard it was to gain fitness and the strength/health of my body, iterestingly, my most successful two seasons of racing have been over the past two years (2017 and 2018). Before both those seasons, I gave myself a ~3 week break from structured triathlon training.

This time around, I'm not deviating from what has been working. While I like to think of my off-season as a "transitional period" with a gradual decrease in training intensity/volume and structure, this past week ended that phase. I've done nothing all week! Well, let me clarify. There's been no swimming, no biking and no running. My "normal" routine is no longer. Aside from 3 light sessions of ECFit strength and mobility work to keep my hips happy, the extent of my daily exercise has been walking - and always with Campy. 

This break from structure has been enjoyable, well-earned and well-timed as we are extremely busy with starting back our athletes (and welcoming new athletes) to our coaching team, I have welcomed colder temps and fall colors (there's something about cold weather that says off-season) and Karel just finished his season so we can enjoy doing nothing together. Since we watch little to no TV over the summer (aside from triathlon, cycling, running and swimming and Ellen), it's been nice to spend an hour or two in the evening being entertained by Netflix. On the weekend, instead of training for hours all morning, we are now exploring beautiful Greenville - by foot. And we can get to a few house-projects such as organizing and cleaning cluttered spaces/closets. To me, this is what the off-season is all about....slowing down, enjoying non-triathlon/extreme activities and being ok with not being a disciplined and dedicated athlete. Nothing has changed with our diet aside from removing the "extra" food that was needed to support higher volume training. And with less time training we can spend even more time in the kitchen cooking. This week was all about chilis and stews with the crockpot. Yum!

Here are some pictures from our hike to Ruby Cliff Falls and the overlook at Caesar's Head. The Ruby Cliff Falls hike was ~4.5 miles round trip and took us about 2 hours. Campy was a trooper and walked the entire hike with no complaints. 

As for what to do or not do in your off-season (if you are an athlete-in-training), everyone is different. What works for one person may not work for you. More so, what worked for you last year or five years ago may not work for you right now in your life. 

However, it's important to remind yourself that your self-identity shouldn't be tied to you as an athlete. While it's great to be passionate about healthy living and physical activity, you can still be a great spouse, friend, family member, community member, volunteer, parent (furry/human), employee and active individual without structured training. So if you are struggling to give yourself permission to take a proper/formal break from training, use your off-season to develop and explore other great attributes about yourself that don't have to do with sport. If you keep registering for races over the fall/winter, this is a red flag that you may be struggling to take a break from training.

On the flip side, make sure you don't get too comfortable with physical inactivity as it poses a great risk to your mental and physical health. While the off-season is an important time for mental, emotional and physical rest, it's very easy to fall victim to unhealthy lifestyle habits. 

If you struggle with a sense of loss or have difficulty finding meaning in your life or self worth without structured training or you don't know how to function in life without training and racing, remind yourself that sport is something you choose to do, it's not who you are.

If you are struggling with a transition away from sport or struggle to find a sense of identity and purpose without being engaged in structured training, reach out to a mental health expert for help. 

Czech trip Day 7 and 8: Happy vegetarian athlete - running, castles, hiking, wine, food, cycling, shopping

I love waking up in the morning, excited to start the day. I find myself this way every day but in Czech, it is an adventure everyday!

The sun rises rather early in Czech and with no AC in the flat, we often wake up to the birds chirping outside of the open windows and the sun as our alarm clock. Regardless if we sleep to 8 or 5am, it all looks the same. We woke up around 6am which was usual for us and after our morning cup of fabulous coffee, along with some trigger point therapy (rolling on the ball) and active stretching/dynamic warming up, we were off for a 6-mile tour around Znojmo. I guess this was a workout as we were running but with Karel as my amazing tour guide, it was hard to think of this as a workout but instead, the best way to sight-see in a new country. Despite doing a morning run of around 2-4 miles every day since arriving to Czech, we had yet to cover the same route twice in Znojmo. Similar paths but always something new to see. I just couldn't take my eyes off the sights as Karel had me running on a trail, in a forest, on paths, by gardens, on cobblestones. Each place was familiar to Karel, new to me. 6 miles later, we were back at home for a yummy breakfast and then we got ourselves ready to officially start the day.

The day prior we had biked to see a castle that Karel was taken me to the next day. Well, today was the day and we were so happy that both Karel's mom and dad would be joining us.

After a 20 minute or so drive down the road, we parked at a parking lot and made a steep walk (about 1/2 mile) to the top of the hill to visit Vranov nad Dyjí which is a chateaux in the South Moravian region of Czech Republic,which lies on the Dyje (Thaya) river, 3 km north from the Austrian border close to Hardegg. We took a tour of the castle and Karel was my translator for the tour. The rooms were magnificent and so much beauty within each part of the castle. We had to put on slippers over our shoes and you could just smell the history.

After our tour, we hiked back down the steep road to the car and then headed back to Karel's mom's house (after dropping off his dad at his home a mile from his mom's) for lunch. A delicious lunch as usual.

After resting for an hour or so, we got ourselves ready to  meet with Karel's best friend and his girlfriend and their doggy (YIPPE) to tour an underground wine cellar and taste award winning wines. This was an amazing experience for me and although it was cold underground with mold everywhere (perfect humidity for wine), the tasting room was cozy and the wine was amazing! Although I do not drink very much (only wine as beer is not to my liking), I really enjoyed sampling all the white wines which were fantastic.

After our tour, we left with a few bottles of wine that were given to us and headed down the road for a hike with an amazing look-out point. One thing I must add is that this trip has been very special for me but it makes things so much better to have locals (including Karel) as my tour guides. Everything has run so smoothly and I feel like I am at home in another country.

The hike was amazing, with vineyards everywhere and a look out point that takes your breath away. Life just gets really good when I am outside as I just love connecting with nature.

After our hike, we had worked up an appetite as it was nearing 6:30pm (sun still shinning). We went back to Karel's mom's house to clean up and then we all met down the road to walk to the restaurant. Not a new trend as all we did in town was walk which was fantastic seeing that we love to use our bodies as much as possible.

As much as I was loving all the new foods that were served to me in Czech, Karel and I both thought it would be fun to check out something special in Czech that would make me extra happy - a vegetarian restaurant! I found Na Věčnosti online from Happycow.net which is a great website to locate vegetarian/vegan/healthy places to eat while traveling. I absolutely love trying new foods and when I have over a dozen selections to choose from on a menu, I am one happy plant strong athlete :)

Karel was also excited as he loves trying new things and will eat anything so it was nice to have some company with Karel's best friend and Girlfriend to join us for a very new experience. You can read more about our vegetarian dining experience with this link: Na Věčnosti.

After dinner, we chatted a bit more and walked around town and nearing 9:45pm, we made our way back to Karel's mom's house for a good night of rest.

The next morning we had a bike ride on the schedule but that was all! We laughed on Day 7 that for Wednesday, it would be our first unplanned, planned day. Every day was filled with something to do so we decided that for our last full day in Znojmo before heading to Prague, we would enjoy ourselves with a bike ride and then shopping around town to buy gifts for our friends and family and of course, lots of chocolate and coffee for us.

We woke up around 7am and although our first day of not running since arriving to Czech, we were both excited to just ride this day. We had a light breakfast to hold us over for our morning ride and then walked a mile to Karel's dad's house to get our bikes. No need to drive when the roads are made for walking.

We got our bikes and biked a mile or so down the road to the bike shop and picked up Karel's friend's who were joining us for a fun ride in Austria. Little did I know, my skills would be tested again on cobblestones in the town and then descending on switchbacks in Austria. Climbing is no thing for me - I just wish I never had to descend! But thankfully, Karel always gives me pointers and he knows my saying "I'd rather be a chicken than a dead duck." He knows I take my time and although hot brakes at times, I am getting much better at my descending with switchbacks. Karel makes it look so easy just flying down the hills/mountains but then again, after riding in his home, I see why he is so good at cycling. When you grow up in Europe, you have no choice but to learn good cycling skills.

Our bike ride was fantastic today. We left around 9:45 from the bike shop and although only around 35 miles, our 2.5 hours of riding and a few short picture stops was amazing. I am just having so much fun on my bike here in Czech - I fell in love with Karel on our bikes and now I am falling in love with another country on my bike. So many priceless memories.

After riding some long climbs and riding in Austria, crossing over to Czech, seeing the Iron Curtain (which brought back a lot of memories for Karel - he recalls when he was first allowed in Austria, he and his buddies couldn't wait to cycle on different roads) and riding in very gusty winds all the way back to town.

After our ride, it was early afternoon so we showered up at his dad's and then grabbed a coffee and a pastry for refueling, stopped by the bike shop to say good bye to his friend and left with more wine and a new local jersey for myself. People are so generous in Czech - we left with way too much alcohol (Karel says that's not a bad thing and thankfully - nothing broke on the way home).

We finally had some lunch and then rested about 45 minutes before heading out to see more sights (walking) and to shop around for some gifts for us and our family/friends. We finished the evening with a delicious meal and then Karel joined a few of his friends for one last beer at the pub. I decided to stay in as I wanted to give Karel a break from translating so he could just enjoy his time with his friends and just speak Czech. I caught up with my mom and Campy on Skype which was a nice way for me to end my evening.

I stayed up until Karel came home around 9pm and then we were off to bed soon after for we were excited and sad to pack up and head to Prague for day 9 and 10. Wow - I can't believe how time flies....only two more days until we have to return to the USA. Thankfully - I get to bring home lots of memories, pictures and an appreciation for a lifestyle that I have grown to love and hope to continue inspire others to live back in the states.