We were big league couch slugs this afternoon, doing nothing more than dozing and watching the University of TN basketball team edge out Butler in OT, 76-71. We offer no excuses for our shameless waste of the afternoon, it was a fine day in our opinion!
Yesterday we had a great bike ride! The original plan (from my point of view anyway) was an out and back on Old Walland Road (18 miles), with an addition of 4-6 miles in the middle. John apparently had other thoughts. He was in for the Old Walland Road piece but at the end of the 9 miles out, he wanted to cross Hwy 321 and pick up the hilly segment of the annual Tour de Blount Ride, a 9 mile loop addition to our out and back ride.
Well, okay, I will give it a try. So after the riding 9 miles along the beautiful Little Pigeon River, we crossed Hwy 321 (the main road into Townsend, TN) and headed into the beautiful foothills just outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The scenery is mostly spectacular, spring green farmland, cows, flowering trees with a backdrop of Smoky Mountains that are so close! Only a few places made us a little uncomfortable, a little too “East Tennessee.” Several rundown trailers were scattered about with barking mongrels chained in the front yards and lots of trash. We did wonder about the trailer with the keg in the front yard…leftovers from a Good Friday celebration or preparations for an Easter blowout?
The first part of the foothills section was a long, gradual climb. Not too bad and my legs were still strong. On the backside was, of course, a great downhill. Wheeeee! I mentioned to John that I was glad this was a loop so we wouldn’t have to climb back up that hill. Uh, well, the loop doesn’t start until the next intersection, so we do have to climb that hill….. oh noooooooo!
But we kept going and I surprised myself. I climbed the hill out of the foothills and I didn’t fall over from lack of speed. My biggest fear, walking my bike up the hill, never materialized and my legs stayed strong the entire ride. I don’t give them, or my workouts, enough credit. Overall, it was a fun ride and wonderful time spent with John.
Friday
Run: 3.0 miles, 32.3 minutes, 10.77 mmp
Swim: 400 meters, slooooooow!
Core: 15 min
Saturday
Bike: 27.4 miles, 2.05.10, 13.16 mph
Core: 15 min
